Start & Sit: Top 150 for Week 16
As the season goes on it becomes easier to find players on waivers. Injuries start to stack up, teams start to make roster changes with an eye on the future and all of a sudden there is help to be found on the wire.
Things will get even better over the next few weeks, with the trade deadline looming, ready to shake up rotations around the league. Still, this is a great week for the wire in its own right, so go out there and get to adding.
Add These Guys
Yogi-nsanity? Coach-Ferrell-a? It's not clear what we are going to call what is happening in Dallas these days, but we need a pithy name for it. We're not quite at Jeremy Lin-levels here, but we're close, as Yogi Ferrell has jumped right into the starting lineup for the Mavericks, averaging 37.8 minutes per game in his first four while playing until a 10-day contract, and has played so well the Mavericks are set to reward him with a longer term deal.
All Ferrell has done is averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, while turning the ball over just six times, and shooting 44.4 percent from the field. As a point guard, it's hard to ask for a better situation than running endless pick and rolls with Dirk Nowitzki while surrounded by shooters, but Ferrell still has to make the shots and hit his teammates with usable passes. Right now, he is succeeding on all fronts, and should be a top priority in Fantasy. Deron Williams' pending return could mess up a good thing for us, but Ferrell has to be more of a priority for the Mavericks at this point than Williams, so don't be surprised if they stick with him.
I'm happy to see Khris Middleton is nearly back from his torn hamstring, with an expected return set for Wednesday's game against the Heat. There's no question Middleton can be a difference maker for the Bucks and Fantasy players, and though it is certain he will be worked back in slowly, his early return might even free him up to play something like a full role by March.
That can be a championship-winning addition if he gets there for you. However, I can't help but feel concerned about this. When he initially suffered the injury, Middleton wasn't even a lock to be cleared to play at all this season, so he might be beating his initial timetable by two months. That's great news, but you have to be worried about rust first and foremost, but also the potential for re-injury.
Middleton could get through the rest of the season without incident, but he is going to be a big injury risk, to the point where anything you get from him should be viewed as a bonus.
We'll have more on the Knicks' center situation in due time, but we need to talk about Willy Hernangomez. The second-round pick from 2015 has helped further the international flavor in the Knicks' frontcourt, and has actually been making a real basketball impact of late. Hernangomez went from a limited role -- he played just three minutes four games ago -- to a huge one for the Knicks, averaging 31 minutes per game over the last three, while scoring in double figures in all three and recording a pair of double-doubles.
Hernangomez's record of success in the NBA doesn't stretch much beyond those three games, and it's entirely possible his role starts to shrink again as the Knicks move forward. On the other hand, they've found something that works, a rare thing at Madison Square Garden these days. Hernangomez may fade away in the long run, but given his age and recent showing, he is someone worth a look.
Shabazz Muhammad was already seeing an increased role prior to Zach LaVine's season-ending knee injury, averaging 25.1 minutes per game over his last 10, and he wasn't exactly doing much with it. Muhammad averaged 13.6 points per game, but was adding just 4.0 rebounds, and almost nothing else in terms of secondary stats. At his best, Muhammad can be a valuable contributor thanks to his high-volume scoring and solid rebounding as a guard, but that hasn't been the case so far.
However, LaVine's absence leaves a big hole for the Timberwolves to fill on offense, and Muhammad is as well equipped to fill it in as anyone else. He isn't at all a similar player to LaVine, and his post-up heavy style could make him an awkward fit on a team that already relies so heavily on two big men and Andrew Wiggins. However, Muhammad is a talented scorer with a unique skill set, and this is his best chance to turn into a Fantasy contributor.
John Henson? Again?
I know, we've done this before, and we've all been bit by Jason Kidd's inconsistent big man rotations too many times before. But I just can't stop myself, because every time Henson gets an opportunity, he just puts up huge numbers, most recently combining for 31 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the last two games. He has been back in the starting lineup and playing big minutes in the wake of the Miles Plumlee trade to Charlotte, after earning a DNP in four of the previous five.
His role might never be consistent, but anytime Henson gets a chance, I'm going to be interested. Maybe this trade is what finally fixes things.
Cut 'Em Loose
It's pretty clear Joakim Noah isn't the sure-fire best option at center for the Knicks, but at what point do we start to ask just how far he has fallen down the hierarchy. If they wanted to slide Porzingis to the five, he'd pretty clearly be the better option than Noah at this point. Hernangomez certainly looks like the better player right now, and Kyle O'Quinn has arguably been more effective as well. Are the Knicks paying $72 million for a fourth-stringer?
For what it's worth, the team does appear committed to keeping Noah in the starting lineup, although he has topped 20 minutes just twice in the team's last 10 games, and has been held scoreless in three of his last eight, missing two. Overall, he is averaging just 2.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and just 1.0 combined blocks and steals per game in that stretch, while playing 17.3 minutes per game.
Somehow, Noah is owned in 67 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, which just goes to show how valuable a name can still be. At this point, that's all Noah is. He was once an elite option at center, but those days are long gone. The Knicks are stuck with him; you don't have to be.
