College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.

Many Tier 2 conferences are heading into Championship Week, so your league may be wrapped up or still coming to a close. For those who still need to make one last push, here's one last look at some waiver wire options to get you over the hump.

Power Conferences

Nike Sibande, G, Pittsburgh

Sibande is a rare repeat in this column, being included last week as a speculative short-term addition due to Au'Diese Toney's concussion. Toney, and backcourt mate Xavier Johnson have now left the program, and Sibande has been the beneficiary of those departures, playing 74 minutes in the team's last two, hoisting 21 shots. Not many have fallen (seven), but he's put up some diverse lines, 12 points, seven boards, two assists against FSU and 9-5-3 against N.C. State, and is well worth a late-season addition as such.

DeMarr Langford, G, Boston College

Langford missed two games due to COVID protocols, but returned last week and started his second game back, going for 17 points, six boards, two assists and a steal against Notre Dame. The freshman has scored in double-digits in four of his last six appearances, and rebounds decently for a guard, giving him some appeal in ACC circles.

Micah Potter, C, Wisconsin

Hopefully we're not too late to the party here. Potter is on a three-game heater, averaging 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks, a curious uptick to his season-long production, as he's moved into a reserve role yet seen a minutes increase. Mix in center eligibility, and he's league-winning material where available assuming he sustains this over the final week.

Andre Curbelo, G & Da'Monte Williams, F, Illinois

Lumping these two together, as both have short-term appeal as long as Ayo Dosunmu remains sidelined. Williams has moved into the starting lineup in Dosunmu's absence, averaging 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while Curbelo has gone for 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals. The schedule isn't great, with Michigan and Ohio State looming, but so long as Dosunmu is out, there's minutes and production to be absorbed.

Tre Jackson, G, Iowa State

Jackson plays more off of the ball and isn't necessarily a direct beneficiary of a potential Rasir Bolton (ankle) absence, but he's played 36 minutes in consecutive games, starting once, and has recorded three steals in four straight outings. The thefts alone are attractive, and Jackson scored a season-high 14 points with Bolton out Saturday against TCU. That could allow for some appeal outside of Big 12 circles if Bolton's ankle issue lingers.

Justin Lewis, F, Marquette

Lewis suited up for the first time in five games for the Golden Eagles, and just his second time in seven contests over the weekend, putting up 14 points and two boards in 21 minutes. That may not be immediately appealing, but Marquette also lost Jamal Cain in that contest after taking a shot to the face. No word on Cain's status is currently available, but if we assume a head injury, it's equally reasonable to assume the team is cautious with him leading up to the Big East Tournament, giving Lewis more minutes than he's accustomed to.

Alfonso Plummer, G, Utah

Plummer has been inconsistent as a starter, so it's possible-to-probable he remains on waiver wires. And truthfully, he doesn't do much more than score, so the appeal is likely relegated to Pac-12 circles. But with no clear timetable for a return from Rylan Jones, Plummer should continue to see a healthy stash of minutes against Oregon State and Arizona State this week.

Dishon Jackson, C, Washington State

The Cougars seem intent on letting their freshman big man play through foul trouble late in the year, rather than allow it to limit his minutes. He's averaged 30.3 minutes across his last three, leading to 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. While not huge numbers, he has managed double-digit points and double-digit rebounds twice, so there's hope consistency is coming.

Maxwell Evans, G, Vanderbilt

While it's Issac McBride who's moved into the starting lineup with Scotty Pippen sidelined, Evans appears to have been the beneficiary of absorbing stats, averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists over the past week. He'll get a pace boost this week with a matchup against LSU before a rematch against Ole Miss closes out the season. Pippen wasn't in uniform Saturday, so we'll speculate here his return isn't imminent.

Tier 2

Xavier Castaneda, G, South Florida

Castaneda drew his first start of the season over the weekend and responded with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes against Houston. The line becomes more attractive when considering the blowout nature of the contest, and the Bulls scoring just 52 points. There's no reason to think he won't keep his newfound role given the performance, and at worst, Castandeda can be a late-season boost to your assist totals.

Boogie Ellis, G, Memphis

While Ellis has started five straight, he played just 14.3 minutes in his first three games with the first five. That's jumped to 27.5 over the last two games, where he's averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals. Those numbers seem sustainable for as long as Alex Lomax remains sidelined.

Yauhen Massalski, C, San Diego

The big man is surging down the stretch, including a monstrous 30-point outing against Pepperdine over the weekend. Since returning from a four-game absence, he's had two double-digit rebounding efforts in a addition to that scoring surge, and a five-block outing as well. The Toreros regular-season is over, so it may be too little too late for managers, but if you stretch into the postseason, Massalaski is merits consideration.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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