NBA Waiver Wire: Pick-Ups and FAAB for Week 17

Just because the NBA is having a break, and your fantasy team isn't currently accumulating stats, doesn't mean you should be ignoring your teams. Now is a great time to curate the perfect strategy, make the moves to turn your team into a powerhouse for the remainder of the season, ready to capture that elusive championship.

Point Guard

Toney Douglas: (deep leagues); (FAAB: $1)

With Jrue Holiday (leg) out, the Pelicans have a dearth at point guard. Tyreke Evans is the starter in Holiday's place, but recently-signed Douglas, is getting some intriguing minutes off the bench. Only signed to a 10-day contract, Douglas has been averaging 22 minutes in his first three games, with 9.0 points, 1.0 three-pointers, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals. His percentages are poor, but in a deeper league, if you are looking for a source of assists in particular, Douglas may be an option. It may not last long, as playing time will be scarce when Holiday returns. We have no concrete timeframe for Holiday to come back, though just after the All-Star break has been mentioned. Don't go crazy adding Douglas, but he has value in certain settings.

J.J. Barea: (short-term add); (FAAB: $1)

Last week I spoke about how Marcus Smart has benefitted from Rajon Rondo no longer being in Boston, now let's turn to another point guard who has been productive with Rondo on the sidelines Barea has inherited the starting gig with Rondo out with a facial fracture and has performed admirably. In the six starts he's been given, Barea has averaged 13.2 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. Rondo could be back at any time, but he is still without a defined timetable to reclaim his starting spot. Until he does, starting point guards should be owned in just about every league, and Barea is currently one of the 30 in the NBA.

Mo Williams: (must-own); (FAAB: $7)

Williams was likely dropped in a number of leagues following his injuries and Ricky Rubio's return. But now that he is in Charlotte, he has around five weeks worth of potentially top-50 value. When filling in for Rubio, Williams averaged 16.3 points, 2.2 three-pointers, 2.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, and while Charlotte's pace is slower than Minnesota's, there is no league that Williams shouldn't be owned in.

Others to consider:D.J. Augustin is owned in only 66 percent of Yahoo leagues, so that means in some leagues, somewhere, he may be still available. That needs to be remedied.

Shooting Guard

Tony Snell: (deeper leagues); (FAAB: $2)

Snell has been straight fire lately, averaging 18.3 points, 3.8 three-pointers, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in his last four games, which on the surface, looks awesome. But, take into account that Snell is hitting a totally unsustainable 68 percent from the field, including 60 percent from three, and the fact that he has been getting extra run with Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich injured. While Snell may have played himself into more minutes going forward, don't expect this type of production. Do not totally ignore him though. In leagues of at least 14 teams, grabbing Snell now is a prudent move, as it's not like Hinrich had been excelling in his role. When young players get things to click, head coach Tom Thibodeau has no hesitation in playing them big minutes, like Butler, so Snell may have just parlayed this form into a solid role moving forward.

Gerald Henderson: (long-term add); (FAAB: $5)

After the Hornets made a big splash in free agency by signing Lance Stephenson, it is now Gerald Henderson who has claimed the starting shooting guard job and made it difficult for anyone to take it from him. Over his last three games in particular, Henderson has taken on more of the ball-handling and distributing, averaging 7.3 assists to go with 15.7 points, 1.3 three-pointers and 5.3 rebounds per game. With Mo Williams joining the team after the All-Star break, Henderson may not be required to do as much passing, but he appears in no danger of losing his job to Stephenson and should continue to have standard league value.

Others to consider: Make sure Jarrett Jack, Eric Gordon and Kevin Martin have been snapped up in your league. They most likely have, but that's not always the case and should be owned everywhere.

Small Forward

Paul George: (ultimate flier); (FAAB: $2)

George is planning on returning to the court in the middle of March. In what capacity, we don't know and I know a lot of people are salivating over this fact. The middle of March is the start of most head-to-head leagues' playoffs. George was a top-15 player last season, but to expect that level of production after a gruesome broken leg borders on ludicrous. If you have an open IR spot, or are in a deep league and are set for the playoffs, adding George makes sense. But in a daily-changes league with no IR, adding George may well cost you the season. When he returns, I can't see how he plays anywhere near his normal load of minutes, let alone be anywhere near as productive coming off such a gruesome injury. There's the risk of missing back-to-backs, or playing 20 minutes off the bench, and that provides nothing in most leagues. It could pay off if you are a gambler, but I'm not convinced it is the best move for most people. I have to emphasize that if you are adding George, don't drop value. If you do, not only do you cost your team, but you strengthen your opposition, a double hit so to speak.

Hollis Thompson: (deeper leagues); (FAAB: $2)

Thompson was on a huge hot streak before the All-Star break, but that last time we saw him, he floundered in shooting 0-for-9 against the Warriors. His five games prior to that yielded averages of 15.8 points, 3.4 three-pointers, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game which makes him an intriguing option. With K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant having their minutes limited, Thompson is re-establishing himself as a key piece of the rotation. The red-hot shooting is unlikely to continue, but anyone getting minutes for Philadelphia needs to be looked at in leagues deeper than standard formats.

Others to consider:James Johnson is now the starting small forward in Toronto and has the ability to put up some very impressive numbers. In his last three games, two of which were starts, Johnson has averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.7 steals on an incredible 86 percent shooting from the field. While the field goal percentage won't continue, we can expect a bump in his steals and blocks, categories in which he usually excels. If he can lock down 30 minutes per game, which he got in one of his starts, his contributions in the defensive stats will be enough for most 12-team leagues, but he's not at must-own status yet.

Power Forward

Jason Smith: (deeper leagues, some standard league value); (FAAB: $2)

With the end of Carmelo Anthony's season nigh, and the termination of Amar'e Stoudemire's career with the Knicks potentially coming, someone has to step up and Jason Smith has been doing that of late. In his last 13 games, Smith has averaged 10.8 points, 0.5 three-pointers, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.8 blocks in 31 minutes, and as a big man, hitting 80 percent of his free throws is mighty impressive. With the talent drain about to increase with Melo's absence, Smith should command more touches with consistent minutes and is bordering on being relevant in 12-team leagues. At the very least, he's a nice stream option.

Marvin Williams: (add for categorical needs); (FAAB: $2)

Even though Cody Zeller remains the starter in Charlotte, since his return from a concussion, Williams is yet again getting the bulk of the minutes at the four. Since returning from the injury, Williams is averaging just 6.8 points per game, but it's the other categories where his value shines through. He is one of a handful of players averaging over one steal, block and three-pointer per game in that time period, garnering 1.2 three-pointers, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks in his 24 minutes per game, along with 5.2 rebounds. His field goal percentage is not ideal, shooting 37 percent in his last five, but if you need someone to contribute in those rarer categories, Williams is doing it at a fine rate at the moment.

Others to consider: After his horrendous form in Detroit, make sure Josh Smith is owned now that he is in Houston, as his form has almost returned to his Hawks' days. He's not even hurting your field-goal percentage that much. Also, here is the obligatory Robert Covington mention. Make sure he's owned. This is not a drill.

Center

John Henson: (all leagues); (FAAB: $2)

Henson can have value in all leagues, particularly if you need his 3.0 blocks he's been averaging over his last seven games. Even with Zaza Pachulia back in the lineup, Henson started the last game, but predicting how long that remains the case is fraught with danger, given Jason Kidd's predilection for chopping and changing. In those seven games, he's also averaging 11.1 points in just 27 minutes, but expecting more minutes is tough given that even with literally no centers on the roster, he couldn't exceed that number. Still, while he's blocking shots, most leagues should have one team that can use him, and that team may be yours.

Jusuf Nurkic: (all leagues); (FAAB: $5)

Nurkic finally showed us what he can do when he can stay on the court without interference from fouls or Brian Shaw. Even in limited minutes, Nurkic has averaged 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks with 9.3 points in 26 minutes. Just looking at his per-36 numbers for the season makes you salivate: 14.6 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 2.8 blocked shots per game. Grabbing him now may be a masterstroke later on.

Others to consider: With Alex Len (ankle) sidelined, it's been Miles Plumlee who has inherited the starting job over first-choice backup, Brandan Wright. And in his last three games, despite averaging just 22 minutes, Plumlee has averaged 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 3.0 blocks, shooting 50 percent from the field. Len could conceivably return immediately after the All-Star break, but in case there is a setback, grabbing Plumlee for a game or two may help.