This wasn't a particularly busy week on the waiver wire. After the craziness of the trade deadline and buyout season, things have slowed down a good amount lately. In CBSSports.com leagues, only four players were added in more than 10 percent of leagues over the past week, and they aren't exactly the most enticing options across the board.
For this week's look at the waiver wire, we'll first run through those four most-added players to see if there is any reason to be excited about them, and then try to find other players worth adding who may not be on as many radars.
Most-added
Don't bury David Lee just yet! The former All-Star fell out of the rotation in both Golden State last season and then Boston this season, despite entering the season as a starter for the Celtics. However, the Celtics signed him after his buyout and have shown a willingness to put Lee into the rotation, playing him 20-plus minutes in two of his first four games. Of course, he has also fallen short of 16 in the other two, and isn't likely to see much more than about 20 minutes per game unless either Dirk Nowitzki or Zaza Pachulia suffers a serious injury. Lee can still produce solid scoring and rebounding numbers when given the chance, but his other limitations make it hard to play him much at this point. He is the most-added player in CBSSports.com, but I see little reason to run out to get him; ignore the name, and there just isn't that much to be excited about here.
Mirza Teletovic isn't a particularly varied player. He wants to accomplish one goal when he steps on a basketball court, and pretty much all of his efforts are going to be aimed toward that goal; getting off 3-pointers. He has taken 51 of them in six games since the All-Star break and has been a deadeye shooter, leading to 19.5 points per game in that stretch. With Brandon Knight still sidelined by a groin injury and the likes of Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker not yet ready to carry the load, Teletovic has been about as close as this team has had to a go-to scorer over the last few weeks. He won't keep scoring nearly 20 minutes per game, but Teletovic is pretty close to a must-add in his current role, especially in category-based formats. He would certainly be a priority over Lee if both were available.
Bojan Bogdanovic isn't likely to give you much across the box score. The 26-year-old has exactly one game with more than three assists in 61 tries this season, which matches the total number of double-digit rebounding games he has racked up; he has multiple steals or blocks in just seven games as well. However, one thing Bogdanovic might be able to give you is 3-point shooting, with multiple 3-pointers in 26 games, including three of four since Joe Johnson left the team. He is averaging 17.3 points and 2.0 3-pointers per game over the last four, and might be locked into nearly 35 minutes on most nights with the Nets' lackluster roster, making him a worthwhile specialist in category-based formats, if perhaps a worse one than Teletovic.
It is going to be interesting to see what happens with Bulls forward Doug McDermott when Jimmy Butler returns from his injury next week. McDermott spent most of the first year and a half of his career as a total non-factor, but has come on strong since Butler's injury, averaging 14.7 points and 1.4 3-pointers per game off the bench over the last 11 games. Butler is the Bulls' go-to scorer, so his absence has left a big hole in the offense that McDermott has tried to help fill, so his role is likely to be reduced when Butler returns. McDermott's ability to stretch the floor should help him stay in the rotation moving forward, but it probably won't be enough to make him much more than a low-end specialist, making him a weak pick up at this point.
Add these guys instead
After a largely silent rookie season, Gary Harris has come along nicely for the Nuggets this season, emerging as a potential starting shooting guard of the future. He has been playing 30-plus minutes consistently for months, but hasn't given you terribly impressive production so far -- he averaged between 10.6 and 12.2 points per game in each month this season. I would expect him to improve on that in March, however. He has scored 15-plus points in four straight games, his longest such streak of the season, and should see an increased role with Danilo Gallinari sidelined by a serious ankle injury. Harris hasn't done much beyond score and shoot 3-pointers this season, but if he can start giving you scoring in the mid-teens, there's no reason he shouldn't be more valuable than someone like Arron Afflalo, currently owned in 67 percent of leagues.
Alex Len's development has been slow, but it is starting to accelerate as this otherwise disastrous season has gone on for the Suns. Interim coach Earl Watson has shown a willingness to play Len in all kinds of starting configurations, even going so far as playing him with Tyson Chandler in a two-center look to start some recent games. Len is averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game since the All-Star break, and could be a solid starting option as long as he can avoid his recurring ankle injuries.
Donald Sloan isn't a terribly exciting player, but he has done enough as a starter to at least be on Fantasy radars. And, with Joe Johnson out of the picture, we should expect even more from him -- at least enough to get him to Fantasy respectability. The veteran finished February averaging 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and should be looking at about 30 minutes per game as the Nets primary ball-handler. For those of you in scoring formats that value assists, he could give you 5.0-plus down the stretch, which could be enough to be worth starting.
Bobby Portis is still theoretically more valuable than he actually has been. The 21-year-old's per-minute numbers remain impressive -- 15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks and steals per-36 minutes -- but he hasn't really translated them in a larger role. He finished February averaging 23.7 minutes per game with 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, solid numbers, but hardly enough to be more than a very low-end starter. Minutes may not be much of an issue for the next few games, as Portis has played at least 26 in three straight games. With Taj Gibson dealing with a hamstring injury, Portis' role should remain solid, and he is averaging 10.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game over his last three. Portis remains a solid breakout candidate down the stretch, especially if the Bulls can't pull out of this tailspin and fall out of playoff contention.
