College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Well here we are. A season that has seen a lot of shake-up, up-and-down teams, and storylines. Hopefully your fantasy team still has a shot at it going into the final week. All season I've tried to provide as many players trending upward as I can across a multitude of conferences who should be widely available in most leagues. I'd like to think some of the loyal readers were able to take a flier on some of those standouts I mentioned over the regular season and propel that into a potential league-winner. 

With one more week to go there are still plenty of options out there that are in position to produce at a level that could ultimately make the difference. Below I take a look at five guards, five forwards, and three centers who can make significant contributions across several categories. Best of luck to everyone!

Guards

Ithiel Horton (UCF):

UCF has had a lot of players go in and out of the lineup this season, but Horton has been pretty reliable all season long. Now he is starting to play his best basketball, averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 three-pointers, 2.8 steals, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over the last six games. If you're in need of a late push in the three-pointers and steals categories, look no further than Horton. UCF will close the regular season with Temple and East Carolina. 

Jaden Walker (East Carolina):

Walker has now started the last five games for the Pirates and is averaging 12.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 three-pointers in a whopping 37.4 minutes per contest. Walker has really stepped up for this team with Javon Small (15.8 PPG) going down with a leg injury in mid-January. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better assist threat on the waiver wire right now. 

Riley Kugel (Florida):

Well, someone on this Gators needed to step up with Colin Castleton likely out for the season, and the man that has delivered is the freshman out of Orlando. Kugel has been pouring it in of late, averaging 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 three-pointers over the last six games. Kugel is shooting it at an impressive 51.3-percent clip and should continue to have the green light against Georgia and LSU to close the regular season. 

Sebastian Thomas (Rhode Island):

With Brayon Freeman getting dismissed from the team a couple weeks ago, the door opened up for Thomas to get some extra opportunities to close the season. The sophomore has given solid production across the board, averaging 9.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers, and 1.3 steals in 35.0 mpg over the last four contests. He'll get to close out the regular season against a couple of poor defensive teams in Loyola-Chicago and Davidson. 

Kyle Sturdivant (Georgia Tech):

Sturdivant was a starter to begin the season, but lost that role throughout much of the middle of the campaign. The senior kept his head down and has turned it around in February. Sturdivant has started the last eight games and is averaging 11.5 points, 3.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers, and 1.0 steals over that stretch. He is also coming off a career-high 10 assists against Louisville and should continue to have the ball in his hands a lot against Syracuse and Boston College to close out the regular season. 

Forwards

Simas Lukosius (Butler):

Lukosius had a really rough stretch a games at the start of Big East play, but in his last 12 games, he is putting up 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 three-pointers per contest. Lukosius offers additional appeal as a forward-eligible player who is averaging 3.5 assists over the last six games. He will have higher rebounding upside as well as long as Manny Bates (shoulder) remains sidelined. 

Rytis Petraitis (Air Force):

Petraitis is a player I've had my eyes on for a long time, and I didn't want to miss a chance to get him in the waiver wire column. This is a do-it-all freshman who is averaging 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks over the last five contests. Petraitis has already had six double-doubles this season and will for No. 7 next week against San Jose State. Next season, Petraitis should be talked about as one of the more dynamic options in the Mountain West. 

Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest):

It took this freshman a while to get up to speed, but he is certainly in a great place now. Over the last seven games the 6-10 forward is putting up 7.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 three-pointers, and 1.0 blocks in 27.1 minutes per contest. Klintman picked up the start last Saturday against Notre Dame with Damari Monsanto out for the season and posted a double-double. Wake Forest will close the regular season against Boston College and Syracuse. 

Hayden Brown (South Carolina):

Brown was a standout at the Citadel for the previous five seasons. His best year came in the 2020-21 season in which he averaged a whopping 18.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 three-pointers per contest. Adjusting to the SEC hasn't always been easy, but Brown is in a nice groove averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 three-pointers over the last nine games. The Gamecocks close the regular season with Mississippi State and Georgia. 

Naje Smith (Boise State):

Smith has been able to contribute for the Broncos across the board as of late. The 6-7 junior is putting up 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks over the last five contests. Smith has also been extremely efficient, shooting 63.6 percent during that stretch. Smith will be a huge X-factor for this team with NCAA Tournament aspirations. The Broncos can really sweeten their resume with games against San Diego State and Utah State to close the regular season. 

Centers

Charles Bediako (Alabama):

Bediako doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he does have a pretty high floor. The sophomore has now recorded at least one block in six straight games. Over that stretch, Bediako is putting up 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on 69.2 percent shooting. The 7-footer will look to control the paint against Auburn and Texas A&M to close the regular season. 

Ze'Rik Onyema (UTEP):

It's been a mostly forgettable season for UTEP, but one positive has been the rise of their redshirt sophomore big man. Onyema is now averaging 14.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks over the last five games. He has scored in double figures in every game during that stretch, which is impressive considering hid accomplished that on just one occasion in the previous 19 contests. UTEP will close out the regular season against Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. 

Chad Venning (St. Bonaventure):

After years of Osun Osunniyi holding down the center position at a high level for the Bonnies, Venning has stepped into that role and done a really nice job after transferring in from Morgan State. He is putting up 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 steals per contest over the last nine games. Venning has also been extremely efficient, shooting 67 percent from the floor during that stretch.