Fantasy Corner: Basketball
March 26, 2015
6 waiver-wire players to help you in your fantasy basketball championship:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SG/SF, MIL (71 percent owned): The Greek Freak has been a stat-stuffer during the month of March, and should sustain his performance over the next two weeks. This month, he has averaged 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1 steals, 49.7 FG percent, and 78.5 FT percent in 37.8 minutes per game.
J.J. Redick, SG/SF, LAC (62 percent owned): This three-point specialist ranks third in the NBA in made three-pointers over the past 30 days, just behind Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon. His consistency will be a key component of your playoff run, and his pristine free-throw percentage sits at 89.7 percent this season. Can’t get much better efficiency elsewhere.
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, MIN (54 percent owned): I’ve talked about Dieng on here before, but he is as good of a pickup as ever for the fantasy playoffs. Over the past two weeks, this 6’11” center has made 54.5 percent of his shots, grabbed 8.1 rebounds per game, and blocked 2.3 shots per game in the process. Dieng has also scored in double digits in six of his past seven games.
Avery Bradley, PG/SG, BOS (36 percent owned): Looking for a scoring option from a team fighting for a playoff spot? The search starts with Bradley, who shoots 13.3 shots per game for an average of 14 points. With Boston holding the eighth seed, and three teams within two games of them in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics will be asking Bradley to score often.
Steven Adams, C, OKC, (28 percent owned): The Thunder, the other current eighth seed over in the Western Conference, is facing key injuries to Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. Despite Russell Westbrook running the show and Enes Kanter seeing an uptick in minutes, Adams consistently records a double-double as his minutes increase.
Ish Smith, PG, PHI (15 percent owned): If you are in need of assists in a deeper league, Smith is a solid option. Although his percentages are low, he is averaging 7.1 assists per game over the past two weeks as a starter in Philadelphia. He even put up average stats in other categories, such as points (13.9) and steals (1.3).