Category Strategy: More Injuries & Rotation Shake-ups

Steven Adams returned Monday night, and he makes for a strong pickup if he was dropped in your league. On the other side of the injury spectrum, Rudy Gay's Achilles injury opens up 33.8 minutes per game in the Kings' rotation, but so far those minutes have been pretty evenly distributed among several players. Super-duper-deep-leaguers should look at Malachi Richardson, but everyone else should sit back and wait for someone to emerge from the chaos. The aftermath of Chris Paul's (thumb) injury have been much clearer – Austin Rivers and Raymond Felton both warrant ownership in leagues of any size.

The Pistons and the Lakers play only two games this week. Those teams have had many waiver wire relevant players this season, so the small number of games may impact a lot of managers this week. Only eight teams play three games this week: the Clippers, Grizzlies, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Suns, Timberwolves and Trail Blazers. Players on those teams inherently take a hit in value. The other 20 teams each play four games, making this a relatively active week for the league. Players who play both Tuesday and Thursday see a boost in value, since those are the lightest days of the week, and lineups are more likely to fill up on the other days. The Jazz, Nuggets, Suns, and Timberwolves play Tuesday and Thursday.

Points

Dion Waiters, Heat
(Ownership: ESPN – 18%; Yahoo – 43%; CBS – 72%)

Dion Waiters is hot again. This happens from time to time, and when it does he can put in a few weeks of solid fantasy value. He has five straight double-digit scoring efforts, including back-to-back 33-point games. During this stretch, he is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three – both well above his season averages of 38.9 and 33.7 percent, respectively. Before hurting his groin in November, he put together an eight game double-digit scoring streak, though his shooting then wasn't nearly as efficient. He could continue fantasy-relevant scoring for a while, given the difficulties the Miami backcourt has had getting and staying healthy. As with any Waiters hot streak, just be ready to let go if (and when) it comes to an end.

It's hard to know what to make of rookie Dejounte Murray, who had only seen double-digit minutes three times before last weekend. He's getting extra minutes with Tony Parker (foot) sidelined, but the results have been inconsistent. He's scored 24, 14, and four points in Parker's three missed games thus far. With Parker potentially returning soon, it might not be long before managers stop caring about Murray. But as long as Parker is out, Murray could be a cheap source of points.

Other suggestions: Austin Rivers, Clippers; Seth Curry, Mavericks; Dejounte Murray, Spurs;

Three-Pointers

Austin Rivers, Clippers
(Ownership: ESPN – 40%; Yahoo – 50%; CBS – 80%)

Since Chris Paul (thumb) went out, Rivers is averaging 3.0 made threes per game. If the three game sample size is too small for your liking, then consider that over the last 10 games Paul has missed, Rivers is averaging 2.1 threes in 32.9 minutes. If we exclude a 15-minute outlier game, then those averages increase to 2.3 threes in 36.6 minutes. During those 10 Paul-free games, Rivers is shooting an impressive 43.8 percent from behind the arc. He's also contributing significantly in points and assists.

Iman Shumpert's minutes haven't changed much, but he has started the last five games. The change in role has led to an offensive explosion, as he is averaging 3.2 threes per game since the switch.

Other suggestions: Iman Shumpert, Cavaliers; Langston Galloway, Pelicans; Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets; Marvin Williams, Hornets; Seth Curry, Mavericks

Rebounds

David Lee, Spurs
(Ownership: ESPN – 21%; Yahoo – 43%; CBS – 71%)

Injuries create opportunity. Pau Gasol (finger) had surgery last week, and Lee has absorbed almost all the available minutes. He has two double-doubles in three games without Gasol, and is averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds. That pace is likely to cool slightly, but Lee is still a capable player who is suddenly receiving a ton of extra minutes.

I'm surprised Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still available in enough leagues to qualify for this part of the article, but here he is. His per-36 numbers are strong across the board, including 9.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks – and he is averaging 33.5 minutes per game over his last six games.

Other suggestions: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets; Zaza Pachulia, Warriors; Al-Farouq Aminu, Trail Blazers

Assists

T.J. McConnell, 76ers
(Ownership: ESPN – 15%; Yahoo – 34%; CBS – 60%)

McConnell has taken control of the starting point guard gig in Philadelphia, so much so that Sergio Rodriguez received a DNP-CD Saturday. Prior to that, Rodriguez had played 20 minutes or fewer in the six previous games McConnell was active. Meanwhile, only once in January has McConnell seen fewer than 29 minutes, and that was when he hurt his wrist. McConnell is averaging 8.4 assists per game for the month.

In addition to helping Rivers, the injury to Paul has boosted Raymond Felton's value. While Rivers' value lies in his scoring, Felton is more of a facilitator. His passing numbers aren't outstanding, but they are still helpful. In Paul's 10 missed games, Felton averages 4.8 assists per game.

Other suggestions: Raymond Felton, Clippers; Ty Lawson, Kings; James Johnson, Heat; Joe Ingles, Jazz

Steals

Marcus Smart, Celtics
(Ownership: ESPN – 28%; Yahoo – 65%; CBS – 79%)

Avery Bradley (Achilles) has missed seven of the past 10 games, and will be out for at least the rest of the week. Smart has been a major beneficiary, playing at least 32 minutes in every game without Bradley. Smart is not a big scorer and he is a woefully inefficient shooter, but he provides significant value in rebounds and assists, in addition to steals. Smart is averaging 2.3 steals in 35.7 minutes with Bradley out.

Other suggestions: Zaza Pachulia, Warriors; Joe Ingles, Jazz; Frank Kaminsky, Hornets

Blocks

Danny Green, Spurs
(Ownership: ESPN – 11%; Yahoo – 59%; CBS – 23%)

We're still in a rough patch for waiver wire shot blockers. Green hasn't done much shot-blocking recently, but it's a skill that's definitely in his arsenal. In the three seasons spanning between 2013-2016, Green averaged more than one block per-36 minutes. He averaged 0.7 blocks per game in his last five completed seasons. While it hasn't translated to blocking more shots yet, he's seen 2.7 extra minutes per game over his last five. Again, there aren't many viable options for blocks-needy managers.

Jerami Grant is hard to own due to his many weaknesses, but he is a strong shot-blocker at an unusual position. If you're really desperate for blocks, he can help make a difference in a hurry. Another flawed option is Larry Nance. Nance just played his first game in over a month, and should return to his mid-sized role in the rotation soon. The problems are that he won't get his workload back right away, and Nance is only a mediocre shot-blocker, averaging 0.7 per game in 22.0 minutes this season.

Other suggestions: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets; Bismack Biyombo, Magic; Jerami Grant, Thunder; Larry Nance, Lakers