Category Strategy: Out-Of-Position Stats

There comes a point in every season when the waiver wire, once a field of plenty, suddenly seems barren. Many managers, especially in deeper leagues, may feel that start to feel that now. Though you may sense diminishing returns on your free agency activity, remember that the best fantasy managers are always hunting for emerging assets. Whether your next addition is a temporary role player (Ish Smith) or a potential breakout (Lucas Nogueira?), you can always better your team through careful management.

Lots of games on the schedule this week. Every team plays either three or four games this week, and most play four. The 12 teams that play only three times are: Bucks, Cavaliers, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Wizards.

The large number of games this week can create an extra source of value for managers in daily lineups leagues without games maximums. In order to get the most use out of limited starting positions during the busy week, roster some players who play Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, since those are the slowest nights this the week. The Bulls and Trail Blazers play all three days. The Hawks, Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Nets, and Raptors play on two of them.

Points

Sean Kilpatrick, Nets
(Ownership: ESPN – 33%; Yahoo! – 53%; CBS – 77%)

Kilpatrick has scored at least 13 points in eight of his nine appearances. He is also averaging a healthy 11.8 field goal attempts and 4.6 free throws per game. He has seen a slight boost in minutes since Jeremy Lin (hamstring) went out, but that has had a bigger impact on his assist totals than his scoring. In fact, since Lin went down, Kilpatrick's shot attempts have not changed – he is averaging 11.8 per game both with and without Lin in the lineup. The value here could be sustainable beyond Lin's return.

I also want to discuss Vince Carter, since a lot of folks may look his way after averaging 18.5 points in two games last week. I actually advise against grabbing him in leagues of 12 teams or fewer. When healthy, the Grizzlies are deep on the wing, and they are getting very close to healthy. In competitive, 14-team leagues he may be worth it, but if there are enough options that you find yourself debating do I add Vince Carter or Player X?, then Player X may be the better move.

Other suggestions: JJ Barea, Mavericks; Nick Young, Lakers

Three-Pointers

Nick Young, Lakers
(Ownership: ESPN – 35%; Yahoo! – 55%; CBS – 50%)

One week before the season began, ESPN's autodraft rankings would have had Nick Young going sixth-to-last out of more than 800 players – including scores of players retired or out of the league. It seems safe to declare that we underestimated him. Young has at least one three pointer in every game this season and at least three in more than half. I've mentioned him in the "other suggestions" a few times already, but he likely won't be around much longer. He's averaging 26.4 minutes per game, and has played at least 20 every night. His field goal percentage, 46.4 on the season, is above his historical norm of 41.9, but his current 37.8 percent from behind the arc is almost identical to his 37.0 career mark. Young is flourishing in his bench role, which is currently eliciting 6.7 three point attempts per game.

Other suggestions:Channing Frye, Cavaliers; Robert Covington, 76ers; Kyle Korver, Hawks; Ersan Ilyasova, 76ers

Rebounds

Isaiah Whitehead, Nets
(Ownership: ESPN – 0%; Yahoo! – 1%; CBS – 6%)

One way to improve in a specific category is to target "out-of-position stats," production coming from a player at a position that does not typically contribute significantly in that category. Whitehead is currently recovering from a concussion, but he averaged 4.3 rebounds per game during his last four games before going out. That would rank in the top 25 among guards. He was considered to have a 50-50 chance of playing before eventually sitting out Monday, so he appears on the brink of returning. Whitehead also has a chance to gain dual-position eligibility – he is currently a shooting guard in ESPN and CBS, but a PG/SG combo in Yahoo!. All that said, he is only an option in deep leagues for now.

Other suggestions:Tyson Chandler, Suns; Clint Capela, Rockets; PJ Tucker, Suns

Assists

Amir Johnson, Celtics
(Ownership: ESPN – 11%; Yahoo! – 18%; CBS – 28%)

Staying with the "out-of-position" theme – of players only available at power forward or center, Johnson ranks 12th in assists per game this season. All of the players above him, except for Joakim Noah and Mason Plumlee, are owned in more than 90 percent of all leagues. Noah's lackluster production outside of assists keeps him out of this article's recommendations. Plumlee, though not above 90 percent, is too widely owned to qualify for this column. Furthermore, despite Plumlee's wider ownership, Johnson is outperforming Plumlee this month in points, threes, blocks, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. Johnson is averaging 2.8 assists per game in November.

Other suggestions:J.J. Barea, Mavericks; Ish Smith, Pistons; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Nets

Steals

Thabo Sefolosha, Hawks
(Ownership: ESPN – 10%; Yahoo! – 23%; CBS – 20%)

The league's second-leading thief is widely available. He has at least one steal in every game and at least two in seven of nine overall. Sefolosha is averaging 24.1 minutes per game, his most since joining the Hawks during the summer of 2014. Adding an elite player in a category can have an immediate impact on a team's performance. Steals is the only category where top-5 talent is readily available on the waiver wire (also included in the top five is the widely available Robert Covington).

Other suggestions:Robert Covington, 76ers; Larry Nance, Lakers; Iman Shumpert, Cavaliers

Blocks

Maurice Harkless, Trail Blazers
(Ownership: ESPN – 20%; Yahoo! – 38%; CBS – 48%)

Since going block-less in the first three games of the season, Harkless is averaging 1.3 blocks per game from the small forward position. That ranks second among non-centers/power forwards during that period. Harkless specializes in blocks, steals, and threes. While he may not do much in the glamour categories like points or rebounds, he is a strong contributor in those harder-to-find stats. His current block rate and threes rate are both roughly in line with his career per-minute numbers, which means that the strong production should continue as long as his minutes don't diminish. Lucas Nogueira warrants mention, as well, after posting nine blocks in his past three games.

Other suggestions:Lucas Nogueira, Raptors; Danny Green, Spurs; Terrence Jones, Rockets; Bismack Biyombo, Magic

Field Goal Percentage

Lucas Nogueira, Raptors
(Ownership: ESPN – 9%; Yahoo! – 37%; CBS – 37%)

Nogueira has missed only two field goals through four games. He sat out the first five games of the season with an ankle injury. Since then, he has played at least 21 minutes every night and has averaged 27.3 minutes over his past three games. He played over Jonas Valanciunas during the closing minutes of one game, though part of that decision may have related to Valanciunas' recent knee injury. While Nogueira is unlikely to take over Valanciunas' starting job, the former has already cut into the latter's workload. Nogueira's stat line resembles that of a Tyson Chandler type – high percentage on a low volume of field goal attempts, lots of rebounds and blocks, and occasional assists and steals. Nogueira's scoring is low, but not so low that he will single-handedly ruin a strong lineup.

Other suggestions:Clint Capela, Rockets

Free Throw Percentage

Nikola Mirotic, Bulls
(Ownership: ESPN – 32%; Yahoo! – 80%; CBS – 69%)

Mirotic's ownership rates on Yahoo! and CBS makes his inclusion here questionable, but I'm allowing it because he is currently being dropped far more often than he is added. In line with our out-of-position stats theme, Mirotic is a rare power forward who improves a team's free throw shooting. Mirotic is a career 80.1 percent free throw shooter. This season, he has raised that to 84.6. He attempts 2.6 free throws per game and is a perfect 6-of-6 at the line over his last three games. Even as his minutes load has shifted unpredictably – hence the declining ownership – he has found his way to the free throw line at least twice in seven of his first 10 games.

Other suggestions:Ersan Ilyasova, 76ers; Amir Johnson, Celtics