The waiver wire can get pretty crazy come playoff time. No one cares about finding a good investment for weeks to come because there’s a chance you won’t be there next week. Guys are either getting it done right now or they’re not, your days of speculative buys are over until next season.
You also need all the stat production you can get. Time to think beyond the points. Rebounds, steals, threes, assists, and turnovers are crucial right now. Suddenly guys like Reggie Evans become great rebound-heavy pickups and Maurice Harkless re-enters fantasy relevance with more than three swipes a game. Let’s take a look at our playoff pickups of the week.
Josh McRoberts (Owned in 10% of Yahoo Leagues): No one batted an eye when the Bobcats swapped Hakim Warrick for Josh McRoberts of the Magic at the deadline but McRoberts has basically leap frogged Byron Mullens and has started the Bobcats’ last four games. Over his last three games he’s averaging 10.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 2.1 SPG, and shooting 54% from the field. He’s a great guy to get with potential for a double-double every night.
Reggie Evans (16%): Single stat players are more valuable than ever in the playoffs and if you need a boost in rebounds you need to look no further than Evans who has pulled down 20+ rebounds twice in his last five games. He’s averaging 15.8 RPG over those five and his 9.2 PPG are decent enough to warrant a playoff pickup.
Rodney Stuckey (28%): Stuckey has started the last two games with Brandon Knight out with a badly sprained ankle but Detroit isn’t missing Knight yet. Stuckey has shot a combined 20 of 41 in his two starts and is averaging 38 MPG, 23 PPG, and 1.3 3PPG over his last three games. Stuckey can give you a nice scoring boost in your playoff matchup this week as long as Knight is hurting.
Maurice Harkless (16%): Harkless has the hot hand and is a good pickup until he cools off in the week-to-week playoff format. Harkless had 17 field goal attempts and put up 23 points with nine boards, two steals, and two blocks. He is averaging 34 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.3 SPG, and 1.3 3PPG over his last three.
Nate Robinson (42%): I’ve always disliked his inconsistency but he’s a great fantasy threat when he’s hot and he’s definitely on fire right now. Over his last four games Nate is averaging 18 PPG, 6.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.8 3PPG. Kirk Hinrich is a non-factor and Derrick Rose is still watching games from the sidelines.
Steve Blake (6%): In two games that Kobe has been out, Blake has emerged as a necessary offensive option and is a must-have until Kobe is really ready to go. Over the two games he is averaging 17 PPG, 7.5 APG, 5.5 RPG, 2.5 SPG, and 4.5 3PPG.
Antawn Jamison (32%): Like Blake, Jamison is suddenly a relevant guy in Kobe’s absence since the Lakers now need all hands on deck to replace his production. In the Lakers’ last two games he is averaging 22 PPG, 4.5 3PPG, and 7.5 RPG. Get him while he has the hot hand and don’t think twice about dropping him when he shows signs of cooling down.
Andrei Kirilenko (69%): Anytime a guy goes down for an extended period of time he gets dropped in a lot of leagues. There’s nothing better than picking up a good fantasy contributor because a restless fantasy owner had an itchy trigger finger. Kirilenko finally returned Sunday after missing nine straight games with a strained calf. He was eased back in with 25 minutes and put up eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Not great output but AK47 had put up double-digit points in 14 of 15 games before getting hurt with some decent rebounds and steals to boot.
Nikola Pekovic (75%): Pekovic returned Sunday after missing two weeks with an abdominal strain. Like Kirilenko he was eased back in with 25 minutes but put up a solid 13 point performance with six rebounds and two blocks. In the two weeks before his injury, Pekovic had been averaging 17.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.2 BPG.
Bradley Beal (67%): The 19-year-old rookie returned Saturday after missing six games with a sprained ankle. He only played 21 minutes but contributed 13 points, six rebounds, a steal, and a block. Over his nine games preceding the injury he had been averaging 20 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 2.1 3PPG.
