Weekend Waiver Watch Week 4

Sorry, I've been really busy as of late so I haven't been able to write many articles. I'm going to try to do at least once a week, if not, more. This will be the first series of the "Weekend Waiver Watch" where I'll be giving some suggestions on some lesser known players that may be available in your leagues based on recent performances and potential gains for this week (via previous performances, injuries, schedules, etc).


Guards-

Darren Collison (NOR)-
With CP3 out the next couple of weeks, the rookie from UCLA will take the reigns in New Orleans. The Hornets are a mess right now with the recent firing of Byron Scott, so this could be a little preview of what the 'future' looks like. Collison is still a rookie, and doesn't have the best shot around, but does have the quickness to create plays for his teammates. Look for Collison if you're struggling at PG.

Rudy Fernandez (POR)-
Travis Outlaw is gone 6-8 weeks, so there are more minutes to go around to a fairly deep Portland bench. I think it'll be Fernandez to pick up Outlaw's time as he's able to spread the floor with his 3pt shooting. If your team lacks 3s, this could be a good week to add Fernandez to your rosters with Portland having a favorable schedule week. Their opponents are Atlanta, Detroit, Golden State, Minnesota.

Jamal Crawford (ATL)-
Crawford's been sizzling the first 3 weeks of the season. Coach Woodson definitely notices it playing Crawford about 30 minutes a game. The Hawks love to run, and with Bibby getting up there in age, Crawford could slowly creep into Bibby's minutes.

Forwards-

Terrance Williams (NJN)-
The only winless team in the NBA should already start the future NOW. With Devin Harris already out, Yi Jianlian banged up and Courtney Lee lingering with injuries, Terrence Williams will have plenty of time to put up numbers. I really love the opponents the Nets are facing this week (Indian, Milwaukee, New York). All three opponents love to run and play very little defense, so Williams has a chance to have a big week.

Carl Landry (HOU)-
The Rockets certainly lack size in the front court, but definitely have players that go hard every minute of the game. Chuck Hayes starts, but Landry puts up the better overall numbers. He can put the ball in the basket on the offensive end as well as rack up the rebounds just based purely on hustle. Landry is a nice player to have on your roster.

Chase Budinger (HOU)-
Staying in Houston, another rookie has been a pleasant surprise. Chase Budinger is gaining the trust of the coaching staff and proving he can shoot the long ball. He also has the athleticism and hustle that Coach Adelman loves in his players. Budinger is worth a shot in a deep league as he had a nice line in his last game against the Lakers.

Centers-

Roy Hibbert (IND)-
This could be the week that Hibbert shows fantasy owners that he should not be available anymore. Hibbert hasn't been putting up spectacular numbers, but respectable ones as a backup center on teams. I'm expecting a huge week from Hibbert.

Andrew Bogut (MIL)-
All the talk in Milwaukee is about rookie phenom Brandon Jennings, but the big man in the middle has put up great numbers that shouldn't be overshadowed. He's quietly averaging nearly a double-double (15.9 ppg & 9.4 rpg). The Bucks only had two games last week, but they have four this week, thus, making for a big week for both Jennings and Bogut.

Another Weight Room Accident

As if we couldn't get enough of the injury bug. Tyrus Thomas is the latest victim to miss a significant amount of time. Thomas will undergo surgery on Saturday to repair a fractured radius in his left forearm. Thomas injured his right arm during a weightlifting session Friday morning. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Taj Gibson looks to be the prime beneficiary here as he started yesterday's game in Cleveland with T² dealing with the flu. Gibson actually put up respectable numbers against a great defensive team (11 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk). If he gets minutes, he'll be able to put up some decent numbers worthy of short-term value. I'd wait to see what Vinny Del Negro does with his lineup before picking up Gibson.

I have a feeling the Bulls might move Brad Miller into the starting lineup and slide Joakim Noah to PF, so Gibson might be irrelevant. Another option Del Negro could turn to is going small again. He could move Salmons to SF, Deng to PF, and put Kirk Hinrich back into the starting lineup. Or he could also use his other rookie James Johnson.

Gibson, Hinrich, and Johnson are the three guys to keep an eye out for. They could have short-term value while Thomas recovers.

Dun...dun...dun...Another one bites the Dust

Down goes Martin!The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Kevin Martin is likely going to be shut down for approximately two months with a broken left wrist. There is a slight chance he'll play through the injury, but with the Kings moving no where fast, they wouldn't risk their franchise player.

Martin was off to a blazing start averaging just over 30 ppg, 5 reb, 3.6 apg. Obviously, this is bad news for Martin owners as they'll have to think about what to do with K-Mart...keep him or drop him. If you think your team can handle 2 months of being a man short every week (for H2H leagues), then keep him. Otherwise, I'd seriously think about dropping him because 2 months is a long time and we don't even know if he'll even come back at that exact timetable.

Beneficiaries:

Beno Udrih comes back into the picture in Sacramento. After being delegated to the bench in favor of rookie Tyreke Evans, Udrih should have relevant fantasy value. The Kings will likely slide Evans to the SG spot and let Udrih run the offense. He'll have the same value he had before the season began, meaning about 13 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg.

Andres Nocioni had perfect timing to get arrested for a DUI. He'll likely get suspended a couple of games, but after that, should gain fantasy value. Nocioni can obviously put the ball in the hoop, and that's what the Kings will need while Martin is out. Scoop him up while you can, but just beware that he'll miss a couple of games sooner rather than later.

Dark Horse:

Omri Casspi has looked good in a couple games this season, and will get more minutes. Coach Westphal is slowly falling in love with Casspi who could reap some benefits of the missing Martin. This is a guy to keep an eye on as the weeks go on. I'd definitely take the two guys I mentioned above before Casspi unless you're in a deep league.

Week 2 Injury Report

The season is just one week old, and there are many injuries that have already happened. Injuries give other players a chance to step in, and provide short-term help for your fantasy rosters. Below is a list of some notable injuries that have occurred the past week.


Pau Gasol-Could miss 2 more weeks
Gasol owners aren't very pleased with the news of the Spaniard. The label "Gasoft" is slowly starting to come back. The Lakers will be fine without their big man, and will be in no rush to get him back until he's completely healthy. Lamar Odom is the beneficiary of Gasol's injury as he'll get minutes with the starters.

Michael Redd-Miss at least 2 weeks
Owners knew what they were getting themselves into when drafting Redd. They'll just have to hope that it's nothing serious and won't linger the entire season. Charlie Bell is likely to start in place of Redd, but I think Hakim Warrick will finally get more time as they'll need some scoring power out on the court.

Leandro Barbosa-Day-to-day
Some reports have Barbosa missing at least a week with a wrist injury. With the return of Jason Richardson from suspension, Barbosa's value already took a hit. It'll even take more of a hit with this news. I would drop him for someone worthy in the waiver wire as he'll likely see 20-25 minutes baring any injury to J-Rich or Steve Nash.

Devin Harris-Could miss a week or two
It's confirmed that Devin Harris has a strained right groin, and with the Nets not expecting to make the playoffs they won't rush their franchise player back. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Rafer Alston will take over Harris' minutes. I'd take CDR over Alston as he has more upside with his ability to score.

Yi Jianlian-Out 1-to-2 weeks
An MRI on Tuesday revealed that Yi Jianlian has a grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee. Yi was a potential sleeper in my eyes, but I sure hope you didn't reach for him. Consider him droppable now that he's injured. Josh Boone and Sean Williams will eat him Yi's minutes, but neither are worthy of owning.

Blake Griffin-Targeting mid-December
This injury is "old news" now, but had to mention it. It seems as if the "Clipper curse" has struck again with their #1 overall pick. You know the Clippers won't rush their franchise player back until he's completely healthy, so it could be even longer than the original 6 weeks. He's also going to be coming off the bench when he returns, so I'd let another owner worry about this. Chris Kaman has been feeling up the box score and will continue to do so as long as Griffin is out.

Nate Robinson-Miss up to 2 weeks
Robinson owners aren't very thrilled with this news, especially after Lil' Nate was off to a slow start. He's still in the D'Antoni system, so I wouldn't drop him because of this news. His upside is very high as he'll work his way back to play for a big contract in the off-season. If he was dropped, consider picking him up in your leagues. In the meantime, Larry Hughes will pick up his minutes. Hughes is a nice short-term pickup.

Rip Hamilton-Out up to 2 weeks
The Pistons won't rush Rip back, now that they have super-sub, Ben Gordon, on their roster. Gordon will happily take over the starting spot, and Gordon owners should happily put him in their lineups with confidence. This could be the end of Rip in Detroit...just saying.

Tayshaun Prince-Out indefinitely
Prince will miss at least the next three games, and then some. We knew Detroit was getting up there in age, and it's definitely showing with Rip and Prince out. I guess that's why they spent their money to get Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Drew Gooden-Could miss this week
A rib injury will sideline Gooden a couple of games. So far, I've been disappointed in Gooden as Dampier has been the more consistent performer. I still expect Gooden to have some value at some point in the season, as he's still getting used to his new team. In the meantime, don't hang onto Gooden if you see someone you like out there in the free agent pool. Dampier might even be worthy of owning with Gooden missing some time.

Josh Howard-Out indefinitely
Howard has been participating in scrimmages, and that has to mean something. I believe he's close to returning, and expect him to see him in the lineup by next week. It'll be interesting to see if he'll come off the bench as Shawn Marion has been performing well.

Jeff Foster-Out up to 2 weeks
Foster will be out with a high ankle sprain. In steps Roy Hibbert. I truly expect Hibbert to go off during the time Foster is out as he'll have nothing to worry about. I doubt Foster was on many rosters, but if someone was impatient with Hibbert, go ahead and scoop him up for the next two weeks to see how he'll perform. It just might pay off in the end.