NBA Waiver Wire: Pick-Ups and FAAB for Week 15

With the NFL now out of the way, the NBA is able to load up the schedule again, with no teams playing two games, and all but eight getting four games. Armed with that knowledge, a lot of your waiver-wire maneuvering should be based on quality, not necessarily quantity, and if your position in the standings allows it, with an eye to the playoffs if you are in a head-to-head league.

Point Guard

Jordan Clarkson: (long-term add); (FAAB: $6)
The Lakers have been the opposite of pretty to watch. With a team that struggles, usually fans can take solace in watching their young talent grow and develop. Unfortunately for Lakers fans, their future went down in the season's first game, with the only other player likely to have a significant role beyond the next two seasons, Clarkson, mired down low on the depth chart. That is no longer the case, as Clarkson is now a starter in L.A., and has been impressive so far. He's started the last four games is averaging 13.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals over that span. Those numbers aren't mind-blowing, but the fact that he has played 34 minutes per game is highly encouraging, and with the tank well and truly on in L.A., investing in Clarkson may pay off big time.

Shabazz Napier: (short-term add); (FAAB: $2)
With Dwyane Wade (hamstring) out for two to three weeks, and perhaps longer, Napier --another rookie -- has been thrust into the starting lineup. In two starts in the middle of January when Wade was out, Napier played 35 minutes per game, averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Take heed though, as he played just 17 minutes in his recent start on Jan. 30, but as a speculative short-term add, Napier has the opportunity to make the most of it.

Trey Burke: (must-own); (FAAB: $8)
When Trey Burke was demoted in favor of Dante Exum, a lot of panicked fantasy owners dropped him to the waiver-wire. But often, that sort of move is not the prudent course of action, and that allows other fantasy owners to profit. Since being moved to a reserve role, Burke has not played fewer than 24 minutes, and has received over 30 minutes in his last three contests. The second-year man has also scored in double-digits in all five games, and looks freer in his new bench role. With Exum struggling, Burke won't have a problem finding minutes, and the fact that he has averaged 3.0 three-pointers since being benched doesn't hurt his case for being picked up off waivers if he is still available.

Brian Roberts: (short to medium-term add); (FAAB: $3)
For the time being, Brian Roberts is the starter in Charlotte. Barring a move, which has been rumored, he will be in the role until Kemba Walker returns from his knee surgery, which is expected to be at least six weeks away. So, with starting point guards being a rare commodity on the waiver-wire, Roberts can have value for some teams. It's been a mixed bag in his three starts, scoring 17, eight and zero points, but the fact that he has averaged five assists per game is encouraging. Pair that with one three-pointer and one steal, and Roberts should be useful up until the start of the head-to-head playoffs, especially if you are fighting for a playoff spot.

Others to consider: With Ricky Rubio (ankle) set to make his return Monday, if he is still available in your league, and there are some leagues where that is the case, you must pounce immediately.

Shooting Guard

Wayne Ellington: (season-long value); (FAAB: $5)
Much like Clarkson above, Ellington has been gifted an opportunity in Los Angeles, with the team in a downward spiral and the end of Kobe Bryant's season. Ellington has been installed as the starter at shooting guard, and has looked very impressive in his new role. In his last three games, Ellington is averaging 21.3 points, 1.7 three-pointers, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 36 minutes per game, albeit with Nick Young sidelined with an ankle injury. When Young returns, there will be some reduction in Ellington's usage, though with Young and head coach Byron Scott hardly seeing eye-to-eye, expecting Young to garner a large role appears foolhardy. In saying that, expecting Ellington to keep shooting 53 percent from field, as he has in his last three games, is also an exercise in folly.

Eric Gordon: (must-own); (FAAB: $14)
I'm going to keep pimping Gordon until his ownership percentage rises enough. I know he was shocking to begin the season. I know he is as brittle as a piece of wet paper. For now, he is fit and firing, and averaging 16.5 points, 2.3 three-pointers, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in his last eight games. Until he goes down, Gordon must be owned, especially with Jrue Holiday (ankle) out for an extended period of time.

Others to consider:Langston Galloway has now been signed for the remainder of the season and should be owned in all leagues, while Kevin Martin is an obvious player that needs to be owned, though judging by the 83 percent ownership on Yahoo, not every league is awake to the fact that he is back and starting. Likewise for J.R. Smith: make sure he is owned in every league you play in.

Small Forward

James Ennis: (long-term, flier); (FAAB: $1)
Ennis, a rookie, was drafted in the 2013 NBA Draft and now, like Napier, has a chance to shine with Wade sidelined. For fantasy leagues, Ennis is probably placed as a deeper-league player for now, but if he plays like he did against Dallas on Jan. 30, where he scored 15 points with three three-pointers, he could be someone to keep an eye on in anything as shallow as 12-team leagues.

P.J. Tucker: (deeper leagues); (FAAB: $2)
Tucker is a starting player in the NBA. There are only 150 of those at any one time. Some are valued more highly than others, and rightly so. But when a player is getting 31 minutes per game, as Tucker is doing in his last eight, and averaging 7.4 rebounds, and two steals, more fantasy owners need to take notice. The six points per game won't wow anyone, but points are not the be-all and end-all of fantasy value, and getting those sort of numbers can be vital to a winning fantasy team. He's not a must-own in all leagues, but owning Tucker in a 12-team league is definitely not a no-go zone.

Others to consider: Make sure the usual suspects are not available in your leagues: Robert Covington, Khris Middleton and Jeff Green, as these guys are not universally owned. One to keep an eye on is Tobias Harris, whose ownership has slipped below 90 percent, likely due to his persistent reserve role in Orlando. By the time you are read this, the Magic could have a new coach, and that may bolster Harris' value back to where it was in the preseason. If he was dropped, and you can afford to add someone who may have depressed value for a bit, Harris is a great option.

Power Forward

Aaron Gordon: (flier, deeper leagues); (FAAB: $2)
As I mentioned earlier, minutes have a big impact on fantasy value, and as odd as it seems, Gordon has replaced Harris in the starting lineup for the Magic. Again, a new coach may nullify what is currently occurring, but as long as Gordon is starting, he should provide some value. Gordon has started the last four games and is averaging 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 23 minutes per contest. If he can consistently get 30 minutes, Gordon has the ability to add three-pointers to his fantasy output and has the athleticism to get some steals and blocks as well. However, his development curve may not be for the faint-hearted. Anything deeper than a standard league should be taking a flier on any starter, and Gordon fits that mold.

Donatas Motiejunas: (long-term add); (FAAB: $7)
Even before the news came down that Dwight Howard (knee, ankle) could miss four weeks, Motiejunas was a guy who was holding down the power forward position with aplomb. With no Howard, and Joey Dorsey a starter by title only, Motiejunas has an extended chance to really take over the Houston frontcourt. Over his last four games, Motiejunas averaged 17.8 points, 1.5 three-pointers and 7.5 rebounds per game, converting his shot attempts at a very impressive 57 percent. He won't give you blocks like Howard, but his other numbers are impressive enough to own in almost all leagues.

Others to consider:Josh Smith and Terrence Jones will also benefit from Howard's absence, with Smith a must-own in head-to-head leagues. Jones was a top-50 player before his injury and now is easing back into action, playing 20 minutes a night in his three games back. If you believe he regains a starting spot, he's a must-add, but I'm not in that boat at this point.

Center

Nikola Pekovic: (all leagues); (FAAB: $7)
Pekovic puts up meat and potato stats: big points, big rebounds, and nothing else. But that doesn't mean he can't be useful in the right situation, and especially when you are adding him off the waiver-wire. The Timberwolves moved Gorgui Dieng to the bench Saturday and left Pekovic as the starting center, a curious move for sure, but something fantasy owners need to recognize. Since returning from another ankle injury, Pekovic has averaged 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting a stellar 84 percent from the free throw line. Don't expect many peripheral stats, as Pekovic is averaging a combined 0.7 steals and blocks per game, deplorable for a center, but if you want the meat and potatoes, Pekovic appears to be locked in to a decent role on a struggling team, which is usually a winning fantasy formula. An important point to note: this does not mean you should be dropping Dieng, far from it. If anyone does, adding Dieng is a sensible move.

Enes Kanter: (long-term add); (FAAB: $8)
I mentioned Kanter last week in this column and since we last met, he has two games with at least 20 points. He has averaged 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game over the last seven days, but like Pekovic, rarely contributes in the steals or blocks categories. What Kanter does offer are elite percentages: he is shooting 50 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line over the course of the season, and it appears as though there is no desire in the Jazz organization to move Kanter to the bench in favor of young gun Rudy Gobert.

Others to consider: This is a no-brainer, but if Hassan Whiteside is available, he is the guy you want above almost everyone else. If there is anyone in the league who is going to have a 30-rebound night this season, Whiteside has as good a chance as anybody. Another guy to pay attention to is Cody Zeller, who is beginning to thrive as a starter, averaging 15.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, five assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks in his last two games. That is obviously unsustainable, but he could finally be finding his feet on this team.