Every week seems to bring about new injuries and, inevitably, injury replacements prime for picking in fantasy basketball waiver wires. This week is no different as the Lakers backcourt continues to struggle through injury, most recently to Jordan Farmar. At the same time, we have seen players like Michael Carter-Williams return from injury and displace replacements back to the bench.
Let’s take a look at who’s surging and who’s spending most of their time watching from the sidelines in the first stock market rundown of the year.
Buy:
Kendall Marshall (Owned in 11 percent of Yahoo leagues): We have gone through a ton of waiver wire pickups from the Lakers this season and it’s time to add Marshall to that list with Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake, and Steve Nash all out for at least three more weeks. In 28 minutes on Tuesday, Marshall made two threes and finished the game with 10 points and seven assists. He figures to start for the Lakers at point guard and could be a sneaky source of assists until the rest of the backcourt heals up.
Randy Foye (30 percent): After being benched for a couple of games during Christmas week, Foye has played 33+ minutes per game in two straight and has responded with 12.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. He’s an inefficient shooter but if he can keep his minutes up, his assist numbers and solid scoring will make up for it.
Trevor Booker (7 percent): Nene just hasn’t been hacking it so the Wizards have turned to veteran Trevor Booker. Booker responded on Wednesday, bringing down 19 rebounds while adding 10 points, a steal, and a block. Booker has now brought down at least nine rebounds in three of his last four games and is averaging 10.5 boards, nine points, and block over that stretch. If he continues to play 30+ minutes, he’s a must-have for rebounds and blocks, even if the scoring is inconsistent.
Terrence Ross (20 percent): Ross has been a mainstay on this list since Rudy Gay got traded and continues to perform with his newly found starting role. Over his last five games, Ross is averaging 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers, and a steal while playing 31 minutes. He’s an excellent three-point shooter, making 41 percent of his attempts this year, and can give you a few rebounds and a steal per game as well.
Terrence Jones (47 percent): Jones has been fairly inconsistent but, in a game of averages, the numbers are certainly there. Over his last five games, Jones is averaging a strong 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks while shooting 56 percent. The rebounds and blocks will more than make up for nights where he can’t get anything to go in or simply can’t even get a shot off.
Sell:
Al-Farouq Aminu: After a nice four-game stretch that saw him play 32 minutes per game while averaging 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, Aminu played just 13 minutes on Wednesday with Eric Gordon back in the lineup. He can have a lot of value when the rest of the team is banged up but he’s hardly a factor if everyone’s healthy.
Martell Webster: Webster had a great run as a starter but is back to a 20-24 minute per game bench role and has struggled since making the move. Over his last five games, Webster is playing just 24 minutes per game while averaging a mere 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds and shooting just 38 percent. Drop him until he’s back in the lineup.
Tony Wroten: Just like the rest of these guys, Wroten has seen the 76ers backcourt heal up around him and has played less than 20 minutes in his last two games. No player playing teen minutes is worth keeping around and Wroten only has value if Michael Carter-Williams or Evan Turner get hurt again.
Nate Robinson: Robinson has completely disappeared, playing in less than 18 minutes in five straight games and scoring no points in three of his last four games. Randy Foye is the guy in Denver for now so drop Robinson until he gets back to playing 25+ minutes.
