CBB Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

It's pretty hard to believe it's already February, which means we're one month away from college basketball's pinnacle, and we're also nearing the end of season-long leagues. We won't see a ton of role changes, barring injury, but there is still time to make a late push to win your league. Hopefully, someone here can help that cause.

Power Conferences

Jericole Hellems, F, North Carolina State

Hellems is surely rostered in ACC leagues, but he looks like he'll be the biggest beneficiary of Devon Daniels' season-ending injury. Hellems stepped in to an alpha scoring role Sunday at Syracuse, finishing with 24 points, while adding nine rebounds and four assists. That should make him a target in larger player pools moving forward. Cam Hayes started this contest in Daniels absence, but didn't show much in limited action. I don't trust Braxton Beverly as anything more than a shooter. ACC-only leagues may want to consider Thomas Allen in the hopes he can break out of a shooting funk (5-23, 21.7 percent over his last three games)

Naheim Alleyne, G, Virginia Tech

There may still be time to get in on Alleyne after his down performance over the weekend against Virginia. He'd posted 35 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in his previous two games, and looks like he'll take on a more offensive role following the suspension of Tyrece Radford. Hunter Cattoor merits consideration in ACC circles too if you're in need of some shooting boosts, as his minutes are up with Radford out as well.

Jacob Grandison, G, Illinois

It's a pretty slim week in Big 10 circles for pickups. Grandison, however, moved into the starting lineup last week, and responded with a double-double Saturday against Iowa. He was a solid rebounding guard at Holy Cross prior to transferring, so it's possible he can help there and with some steals. He saw only 14 minutes in his first start, and has replaced Da'Monte Williams, who wasn't doing much in the top five to begin with. Consider this a speculative move in Big 10 leagues only, one that can easily be reversed again next week.

Cade Cunningham, G, Oklahoma State

While this likely comes with a "duh", this is just a reminder to check your wire and be sure Cunningham is owned. Because of schedule and fatigue, Cunningham played Saturday for the first time since January 12. Maybe, just maybe, you're in a deep enough player pool that managers can't be patient during an 18-day layoff.

Brady Manek, F, Oklahoma

Manek hasn't regained his early and/or prior season form since his return from COVID protocols, but the Sooners are shorthanded as a result of other teammates' issues with the virus, with both Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams out. As such, Manek saw 24 minutes over the weekend, and should see a boost Monday against Texas Tech, if not beyond. He could come with center eligibility, and makes for a nice one-week streamer.

Jahvon Blair/Jamorko Pickett, F, Georgetown

Just a reminder that the Hoyas finally returned to action over the weekend for the first time in three weeks. These two need to be comfortably added where dropped due to the lack of games, Blair more for his scoring and Pickett for his work on the glass. Chudier Bile flashed Saturday as well, and can make for a speculative play in Big East heavy formats. He'll certainly feature here if he turns in a good week.

Ray Salnave, G, DePaul

Adding Salnave is strictly tied to the health of Charlie Moore, who didn't play over the weekend due to an elbow issue. If that turns into a nothing burger, so does Salnave, but he put in 21 points and five rebounds in Moore's absence, and clearly has potential if the opportunity remains constant.

Cody Riley, F, UCLA

It may be a bit late to get in on Riley given that Chris Smith's season-ending injury happened at the beginning of January, but Riley hasn't been consistent enough to be on all fantasy radars. He turned in a double-double over the weekend, his second since Smith went out, and is averaging 12.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg and 1.0 spg in seven contests, which is good enough to at least provide bench depth, or spot start duty for your lineups.

Bennedict Mathurin, F, Arizona

Mathurin has started four of the Wildcats' last five games, averaging 28 minutes in that stretch, up from his 23.1 mpg season average. He's averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in that span, buoyed by a 31-point outburst against Oregon State. That shows the high ceiling and inconsistency the freshman has, but he's a viable option in Pac-12-heavy formats, or where freshmen are required in your lineup.

JT Thor, F, Auburn

Thor has been a fixture in the Tigers' starting lineup, but he's finally displaying some consistency, which will make him appealing in all formats, not just SEC-heavy leagues. His big appeal is defensively, where he's averaged 2.5 blocks over the last two weeks, but he's scored in double-digits in four straight and six of Auburn's last seven. The 6-foot-10 freshman is surely just scratching the surface of his ability, and you'd expect his frame to find it's way into better rebounding totals over the final month of the year.

Josh LeBlanc, F, LSU

Darius Days is facing an extended absence due to an ankle injury, and it's expected that LeBlanc enters the starting-five as a result. He hasn't done anything of note as a reserve for the Tigers, but was a capable scorer and rebounder for Georgetown prior to transfer. As such, he's probably worth a speculative add in SEC formats this week in the hopes of being proactive rather than reactive. 

Tier 2

Tylan Pope, G, Tulane

Pope has started two of the Green Wave's last three games, and put up a double-double over the weekend against Temple (12 points, 13 rebounds). He saw 29 minutes in that outing, a career-high mark after seeing only 20+ minutes once prior, so it's possible the team was riding the hot hand, but Tulane gains little by not giving their freshman extended run over the season's final month.

Emmanuel Bandoumel, G, SMU

Bandoumel has started all of the Mustangs' games to date, but hasn't done anything spectacular, averaging 11.3 points and 3.0 rebounds. His role likely isn't changing by leaps and bounds, but Darius McNeil and his 24.5 minutes are facing an extended absence due to plantar fasciitis, and Bandoumel will assume some additional run as a result. We can ignore Sunday's stinker, as the entire Mustang attack was corralled by Houston; a more favorable schedule awaits.

Darnell Brodie, F, Drake

Brodie has started every game for the undefeated Bulldogs, and while he's rebounded at a reasonable clip throughout the year, he's on a three-game heater, having pulled down 39 boards of late. He's also coming off of his first double-double of the year and is beginning to exhibit signs of offensive consistency. As such, he's worth a look in leagues where the MVC features.