NBA Waiver Wire: Pick-Ups and FAAB for Week 10

One week later and we're still unsure how Jason Kidd and Brad Stevens' brains work. That's not to say they're right or wrong. They can run their team how they see fit. It just means you're better off avoiding both situations entirely. If your fantasy team is performing well, you're welcome to hold any number of potential breakout candidates for more than a week before moving onto the next must-own player. Those easily frustrated by players not immediately producing need not venture into the Bucks/Celtics rotation vortex. It will only bring you pain and despair.

This week, the Thunder, Warriors, and Trail Blazers are the only teams playing two games. Two of the worst defenses, the Jazz and Timberwolves, play each other twice this week. The Kings and Wizards play four road games. The Sixers close out their seven-game road trip, and the Raptors conclude their six-game road trip by week's end. Without further ado, let's analyze potential short-term and long-term waiver wire targets.

Point Guard

Cory Joseph, SAS: (short-term add); FAAB: $2
Gregg Popovich insinuated Tony Parker (hamstring) could miss an extended period of time, granting Joseph ephemeral standard-league relevance. Last season, Parker missed six games over a 16-day stretch due to a "variety of maladies". I'm not concerned about the indefinite timetable. Such a tag implies the worst but typically expires within a reasonable timeframe. It's wiser to focus on the amount of games Parker could miss, rather than the weeks. As outlined in Friday's Box Score Breakdown, the Spurs play three games over the next four days (including Sunday), followed by four games in the first twelve days of January. One potential thwart in a Joseph play could be the return of Patty Mills (shoulder), who underwent right shoulder surgery last July and is nearing a return. A second guard would limit Joseph's minutes since Manu Ginobili acts as the de facto backup point without Parker. Joseph leads the Spurs in minutes per game as a starter, averaging 36.2 minutes in 10 starts. In those games, he's provided 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field. It's a quality rotisserie line, but not eye-popping. Because the Spurs roster a multitude of primary and secondary playmakers, Joseph's fantasy potential is capped.

Tony Wroten, PHI: (head-to-head leagues only); FAAB: $6
Tony "Wrecking Ball" Wroten, as dubbed by Sixers' TV analyst Malik Rose, is a 6-6 guard with one elite NBA skill: getting to the rim at will. He's in the top-ten in drives per game (9.9) and third in points per game on drives (7.8), per SportVu. No matter how many times he reaches the rim, he always uses his left hand. That is the truth. Yet, no one can stop him, except himself. Even more amazing, Wroten has attempted four mid-range shots all season (664 minutes). Now that Alexey Shved has been shipped to Houston, Wroten can run wild with the second unit as the only backup point guard. In his last seven games, all as a reserve, he's averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers in 25.1 minutes per game. The stats are skewed by one game where he was scoreless on three attempts in 30 minutes, a silent protest if you will after coach Brett Brown called him out publicly. To state the obvious, you'll want to disregard Wroten in rotisserie leagues. He improved his three-point accuracy from 21 percent last season to 28 percent this season, a small win. In order to sweeten the pot, the Sixers play the second most games (52) in 2015, starting with a league-high 18 games in January. When Wroten is on the floor, he will dominate the ball and look to get his above all else.

Others to consider:Jarrett Jack is still the starting point guard on a Nets team that plays four games this week. Deron Williams has come off the bench the past two games and has been thoroughly outperformed by Jack. The Nets are one of five teams to play two games in the first two days of Week 10. You can use that to your advantage in daily head-to-head leagues in order to maximize your games played.

Shooting Guard

Ben McLemore, SAC: (weekly league fill-in); FAAB: $3
Prior to Saturday's overtime victory, McLemore scored at least 10 points in eight consecutive games. Even in the last nine games, he's averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 three-pointers, and shooting 50 percent from the field in 35.2 minutes per game. The minutes denote that he has a stranglehold of the shooting guard position, facing minimal competition from the likes of Nik Stauskas and Ray McCallum in the wake of their recent coaching change. McLemore isn't afraid to attack the basket off the dribble, a club he's pulling out of the bag at a higher success rate this season, accounting for a 10 percent increase in his overall field goal accuracy during his sophomore season. In this suggestion, I evoke the Kings' schedule as the reason for recommending McLemore. All four of Sacramento's tilts this week are quality games (nights when less than half the league plays), and even though they're on the road, their opponents are the Nets, Celtics, Timberwolves, and Pistons. You're all but required to get him into your lineup in daily head-to-head leagues; the rest is up to McLemore.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET: (long-term deep league flier option); FAAB: $2
No more Josh Smith equals more opportunity for the youngbloods. To be fair, Caldwell-Pope squandered the first quarter of the season with Jodie Meeks' looming shadow omnipresent. However, coach Stan Van Gundy provided titillating sound bites after releasing Smith, stating "We are shifting priorities to aggressively develop our younger players while also expanding the roles of other players in the current rotation to improve performance and build for our future." In Caldwell-Pope's case, he's averaging 16.8 points and 3.5 three-pointers at a 47 percent clip in 30.4 minutes per game over the last four games. And there you have the extent of his usefulness. If his shot isn't falling, he's not scoring, submarining his fantasy value. His appeal is further restricted by playing next to Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Brandon Jennings. Caldwell-Pope is last on the totem pole, asked to shoot open three-pointers and contribute little else on the offensive end.

Others to consider:Avery Bradley is a hot shooting guard name now that Rajon Rondo resides in Dallas. Problem is, coach Stevens can't decide on a point guard to pair him with. Worse yet, Marcus Smart is miscast as a point guard. Dion Waiters can be useful as along as Kyrie Irving (knee) sits, which may not be much longer.

Small Forward

DeMarre Carroll, ATL: (all leagues); FAAB: $14
Carroll is owned in 32.3 percent of ESPN leagues. That constitutes a three percent drop over the past five weeks. I mention him almost every week. If you're still on the fence, allow me to present my case. First, his improved three-point shot can be attributed to the hard work he put in with Quin Snyder during Snyder's time as an assistant in Atlanta. Carroll doesn't force his offense, instead relying on the system responsible for a league-high 25.7 assists per game to provide him open looks. 83 percent of his baskets have been assisted, and 86 percent of his attempts are either behind the three-point line or within eight feet of the hoop. Considered one of the last offensive options, Carroll attempts more shots per game than Kyle Korver and plays more minutes per game than Jeff Teague. Even though the Hawks play three games this week, they play four games each of the following three weeks. Carroll is not someone who'll hurt your fantasy team or lose his spot in the starting lineup, making him one of the safest and undervalued individuals in fantasy basketball.

Others to consider:Solomon Hill has fallen off the radar, but with George Hill running the ship and the Pacers playing four games this week, including two games against the Heat and Lakers, Solomon has recorded at least one steal in seven straight games while averaging over three rebounds and assists per game in the timeframe.

Power Forward

Tristan Thompson, CLE: (watch list and deeper leagues); FAAB: $4
Anderson Varejao's (Achilles) yearly season-ending injury opens up 24.5 frontcourt minutes per game. The Cavaliers are in the market for depth in the form of a rim protector because Brendan Haywood isn't an ideal substitute. Until that player is acquired, Thompson's value elevates incrementally. In his first start without Varejao, Thompson played a team-high 40 minutes against the Magic and recorded nine points (3-8 FG, 3-3 FT), 13 rebounds, one steal, and one block. Kevin Love was benched in the fourth quarter during that game, leaving coach Blatt with one option at center. If Love is routinely benched because of his defensive deficiencies, Thompson could broach 35+ minutes a night. Since I don't think that scenario holds true, Thompson should hover around 30 minutes a night, sharing center minutes with Love. Thompson increased his field goal percentage this season by minimizing shots outside the restricted area, a necessity for someone who decided to switch his shooting hand during the middle of his NBA career. He doesn't help out in steals, blocks, or assists (1.9 combined). However, grabbing 3.5 offensive boards, sixth most in the NBA, in 26.4 minutes per game flags him as a near must own in leagues that use offensive rebounds as a category. Lastly, and I don't want to jinx it, but Thompson hasn't missed a game in his previous two seasons.

Jonas Jerebko, DET: (watch list and deep league flier); FAAB: $0
Josh Smith's departure clears up 32 minutes per game for a slew of underutilized players. In the Pistons' first game sans Smith, Jerebko led all reserves with 28 minutes, taking advantage of Andre Drummond's foul trouble and lack of frontcourt depth. Anthony Tolliver, a prototypical stretch-four, was recently acquired, convoluting the rotation. Van Gundy spoke highly of Tolliver, so it may be best to see how the situation unfolds before selling the farm for Jerebko. The only thing that's changed since his rookie season to now is the steady decline in playing time. On a per minute basis, his numbers across the board have flatlined, except for his shooting. He's turned into an average three-point shooter, but lives on hard-work, scrappy play, and intangibles. Those traits don't always translate to the box score, so keep him on your watch list incase this five-year veteran negates Tolliver's presence in the rotation.

Kyle O'Quinn, ORL: (long-term standard league option); FAAB: $6
I wrote about O'Quinn four and six weeks ago as a watch list candidate. Now, even after two clunkers, his graduation into the starting lineup requires additional inspection. O'Quinn isn't going to carry your fantasy team to the promise land. He's better employed as the last man on your bench. His production across the board is something not easily acquired on the waiver wire. In 20.0 minutes per game, O'Quinn is averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field and 87 percent from the free-throw line. That's the kind of categorical diversification my rotisserie team needs. He incorporated a three-point shot into the arsenal this offseason, averaging 0.4 makes per game on 39 percent shooting. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he's one of the better passing big men in the league and a capable jump shooter, lacking the necessary postgame to ensure he stays above 50 percent shooting from the field. Working against O'Quinn is the Magic's rest-of-season schedule. They play a league-low 47 games in 2015, combined with the worst fantasy head-to-head playoff schedule. Players like O'Quinn, Evan Fournier, and Channing Frye will be difficult to slide into your lineup in daily head-to-head leagues since the Magic play, by my count, a league-low eight quality games in 2015.

Others to consider:Lavoy Allen is finding a way to be productive in limited minutes while Ian Mahinmi (foot) recovers from a torn plantar fascia. In his last 10 games, Allen is averaging a modest 7.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game. Much like Tristan Thompson, Allen is a terror on the offensive glass, averaging 3.3 offensive boards in that 10-game span. With the Pacers playing four games this week, Allen is a low-level, deep league fantasy option.

Center

Alex Len, PHX: (long-term flier); FAAB: $8
Len jumped into the starting lineup six games ago, replacing Miles Plumlee. In that time, he's averaging 9.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game while shooting 55 percent from the field. Injuries and foul trouble will limit his playing time, as well as coach Hornacek's propensity to use Markieff Morris at "center," assuring Len and Plumlee don't evenly split minutes. Len is averaging 6.1 fouls per 36 minutes, second only to Larry Sanders (6.4 fouls per 36) among players with at least 300 minutes under their belt. Over the past two years, Len has undergone surgeries on both ankles, injured his left knee, and suffered two fractures of his right pinkie finger four months apart. As you can tell, he won't likely play heavy minutes any time soon. Len does most of his damage on offensive boards, dump offs, and pick-and-rolls. His low-post game needs some seasoning before he can utilize it regularly. He won't hurt you from the free-throw line, improving his accuracy to 72 percent this season on minimal attempts. The Suns play four games this week, and Len is trending in the right direction.

Steven Adams, OKC: (watch list and deeper leagues); FAAB: $12
In his last five games, played without Kevin Durant (ankle), Adams is averaging 9.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.0 steal on the foundation of 63 percent accuracy from the field in 29.4 minutes per game. In the 26 games prior, Adams was only playing 24.1 minutes per game and converting his shots at a 53 percent clip. He's still a terrible free-throw shooter, but his hook shot is much improved and always followed by a Lance Thomas bench celebration. The Thunder only play two games this week, so you may want to take a wait-and-see approach with Adams. Nonetheless, the Thunder are taking no chances with Durant, so resting him during a two-game week isn't out of the question considering he didn't play in the Christmas Day game.

Others to consider:Timofey Mozgov is owned in 26 percent of ESPN leagues. Cole Aldrich has stepped up in Amar'e Stoudemire's absence, averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game over his last five games. Stoudemire sat three of the last four games due to soreness, the most inevitable outcome since before the season began.