This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The news dominating the headlines has been Steph Curry and Klay Thompson both succumbing to injuries. Curry's ankle problems have continued, while Thompson broke his thumb. And, as a result, the table is set for us to bear witness to an inordinate amount of ill-advised Nick Young heat checks. This is not only great from an entertainment standpoint, but also from a fantasy one.
I admit there are other storylines worth spending time on, from a fantasy perspective -- like Corey "The Drunken Dribbler" Brewer's attempt to carry Russell Westbrook into the playoffs, Emeka Okafor re-materializing out of thin air after literally half a decade, and Kyle O'Quinn having a better true shooting percentage than the supposedly-efficient James Harden.
Without further delay, here are this week's waiver targets, in the order that they were just honored.
Nick Young, Warriors (11 percent owned)
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry (ankle) and Klay Thompson (thumb) at least until the middle of next week, leaving a hole in coach Steve Kerr's backcourt. In the team's first game missing both players Wednesday against the Lakers, coach Kerr deployed Nick Young for 31 minutes, Quinn Cook for 28 minutes and Shaun Livingston for 20 minutes. Young was the most productive and took the most shots of the group, finishing the game with 18 points (6-13 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Make no mistake, Young won't rack up enough supplementary stats to have a massive ceiling
The news dominating the headlines has been Steph Curry and Klay Thompson both succumbing to injuries. Curry's ankle problems have continued, while Thompson broke his thumb. And, as a result, the table is set for us to bear witness to an inordinate amount of ill-advised Nick Young heat checks. This is not only great from an entertainment standpoint, but also from a fantasy one.
I admit there are other storylines worth spending time on, from a fantasy perspective -- like Corey "The Drunken Dribbler" Brewer's attempt to carry Russell Westbrook into the playoffs, Emeka Okafor re-materializing out of thin air after literally half a decade, and Kyle O'Quinn having a better true shooting percentage than the supposedly-efficient James Harden.
Without further delay, here are this week's waiver targets, in the order that they were just honored.
Nick Young, Warriors (11 percent owned)
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry (ankle) and Klay Thompson (thumb) at least until the middle of next week, leaving a hole in coach Steve Kerr's backcourt. In the team's first game missing both players Wednesday against the Lakers, coach Kerr deployed Nick Young for 31 minutes, Quinn Cook for 28 minutes and Shaun Livingston for 20 minutes. Young was the most productive and took the most shots of the group, finishing the game with 18 points (6-13 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Make no mistake, Young won't rack up enough supplementary stats to have a massive ceiling (3.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 assists per 36 minutes). But, as a 38.8 percent three-point shooter, he should provide value in that category, assuming he takes around eight threes per game, as he did Wednesday. Once Thompson (and possibly Curry) returns, Young's fantasy value will likely dip back to normal. Though it's not exactly clear when Thompson will be back, as he's set to be re-evaluated March 22. There's no guarantee he'll return at that point.
Corey Brewer, Thunder (12 percent owned)
Coach Billy Donovan made the switch to insert Brewer, who the team acquired via waivers at the beginning of March, into the starting five starting with a game against Phoenix on Mar. 8. In the four games since entering the starting lineup, Brewer has averaged 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.5 threes across 30.8 minutes while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
His strengths have been his efficient scoring and ability to force turnovers, both of which have led to him becoming the 42nd ranked player over the past seven days -- a full 299 spots higher than his complete season rankings. There's little reason to believe his role will change, either, considering how successful he's been. That said, Brewer continuing to be the 42nd ranked player for the remainder of the season does seem ambitious. So, while you should temper your expectations regarding his production, he's clearly proven to be worth a roster spot in many different fantasy formats.
Emeka Okafor, Pelicans (8 percent owned)
Putting fantasy aside for a moment, Okafor has been a great comeback story, last playing in 2012-13 with the Wizards prior to this season. The 35-year-old, former second-overall selection to the Bobcats in the 2004 NBA Draft had been spending time in the G-League prior to DeMarcus Cousins being lost for the season due to a torn Achilles.
Okafor was inserted into the starting five after just two games, and has averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and a combined 2.0 steals and blocks in just 20.6 minutes while shooting 66.7 percent from the field over his past five appearances. Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but he's been the 106th ranked player over the past seven days. That certainly makes him worthy of ownership in leagues than lean deep. He hasn't cracked 26 minutes in any game this season, essentially capping his production, but his ability to rebound the basketball consistently and play good defense gives him plenty of value.
Kyle O'Quinn, Knicks (17 percent owned)
O'Quinn has simply fallen under the radar over the past month, as odd as that seems. His role hasn't expanded dramatically; he hasn't played out-of-this-world over the past week or two. It's possible that the just 19.4 minutes per game he's seen over the past 30 days is scaring people off. At the same time, however, it's not exactly a secret that O'Quinn is a high-level player on a per-minute basis (14.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steal per 36 minutes).
Sitting at just 17 percent owned, O'Quinn has been the 72nd ranked player over the past month, averaging 8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. On a game-to-game basis, he's extremely hit-or-miss, but everything undeniably balances out long-term. Even in shallow leagues, O'Quinn is arguably worth a bench spot. In deep leagues, he can be a staple starting player.
