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It’s another new week, with a slate of games coming on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Here are my five fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups approaching the midpoint of January.
Note: all stats, ownership rates are as of entering game action on Sunday, Jan. 14.
Tyrone Wallace, PG, Los Angeles Clippers
In five games since being signed from the G-League, Wallace has stepped into a solid role for the injury-riddled Clippers.
Wallace has played more than 30 minutes in four of those five contests, starting the last two, while averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Wallace has maintained his role since Milos Teodosic returned two games ago, and Austin Rivers (heel) does not appear close to returning. For the short term at least, that makes Wallace worth an add in deeper leagues.
Yahoo! Ownership: 10% ESPN Ownership: 59%
Reggie Bullock, SG/SF, Detroit Pistons
Bullock has started the last 15 games for the Pistons (30 minutes per game), averaging 11.7 points per game while making over half of his three-pointers (4.2 attempts per game) and over 83 percent of his free throws.
Stanley Johnson has missed six of the last seven games with a hip injury, over which time Bullock has played at least 32 minutes five times.
Bullock’s fantasy value rides strictly on his scoring, driven partially by playing time. A low usage rate (12.8 percent as a starter this season) is a broader concern, but while he’s starting and going pretty well Bullock has some value in deep leagues.
Yahoo! Ownership: 7% ESPN Ownership: 2.1%
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
Caldwell-Pope’s off-court penalty is over, so he can travel to games outside California again.
He has scored in double figures with multiple three-point makes in five of his last six games, with at least eight field goal attempts in those same five contests and multiple attempts from beyond the arc in all six games.
Caldwell-Pope will contribute some in other categories (4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season). But his fantasy value is driven by scoring, and while his efficiency isn’t great shot volume is there as long as he’s on the floor it’s worth checking to see if Caldwell-Pope is available in your league.
Yahoo! Ownership: 74% ESPN Ownership: 54.6%
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings
Over his last four games, Bogdanovic is averaging 17.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting over 58 percent from the floor and nearly 54 percent from beyond the arc.
He is still primarily coming off the bench, with four starts in his last 25 games, but it may only be a matter of time before Bogdanovic is back in the starting lineup. Garrett Temple and Buddy Hield are also in the mix for minutes, but Temple in particular should not be keeping Bogdanovic off the floor.
How well Bogdanovic will be able to continue his hot streak is a question, but with increased shot volume (10.4 field goal attempts per game over the last five games) has come a spike in production. That’s worth buying into in fantasy leagues, even if the Kings’ lineup seems to change every game.
Yahoo! Ownership: 33% ESPN Ownership: 17.5%
Markelle Fultz, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers
Fultz has missed 35 games with a shoulder issue and the 76ers have been tight-lipped regarding when he’ll return, but he has recently progressed to 5-on-5 work in practice and may be close.
Much has been made of Fultz’ odd-looking, clearly altered shooting form, in a chicken or the egg scenario regarding the shoulder injury. But there’s no denying his talent (23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game during his lone season at Washington) if he can get right physically.
Fultz will surely be eased back into action when he does get back on the floor. But he’s well-worth adding and stashing right now, with an eye on a meaningful cntribution late in the season.
Yahoo! Ownership: 51% ESPN Ownership: 21.7%