The Wire Troll: Amir Johnson Filling the Cream in Boston
Sean Kilpatrick should get more PT with Jeremy Lin out. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Welcome back to another week of Fantasy basketball action. Yours truly has returned to the writing throne of The Wire Troll, and a special thanks goes out to our site Editor anytime he steps up in our place as he did last week.
This week, Kevin Durant took his frustrations out on his ex-team with a 39-point explosion; DeMar DeRozan tied Michael Jordan as the only other player to start a season with five straight 30-point games (take that, Sports Illustrated); and Stephen Curry’s three-point streak came to an end at 157 games.
And now onto this week’s Fantasy basketball waiver wire choices…
GUARDS
Sean Kilpatrick, SG, Brooklyn Nets (ESPN: 21 per cent; CBS: 48 per cent): Though Kilpatrick is coming off the bench, he’s averaging two three pointers per game to start the season, providing some helpful scoring, and even enjoyed his first double-double in points and rebounds against the Pistons Wednesday. On Friday, “Skilpatrick” kept the party going with a team-high 19 points (see video below). On a team like the experimenting Nets, you might want to experiment with Kilpatrick before it’s too late.
Louis Williams, SG/PG, Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN: 28.3 per cent; CBS: 35 per cent): Williams has now dropped double-digits in points in his last three contests. His sporadic steals come in as a nice Fantasy surprise as well. If you need a deep-league scoring boost, give Williams a look as he’s getting a chance to provide some veteran leadership on the young Lakers.
FORWARDS
Amir Johnson, PF, Boston Celtics (ESPN: 12.5 per cent; CBS: 31 per cent): It’s not just the cream he’s filling in Boston, Johnson filled the stat-sheet with 23 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks and — most surprisingly — four treys across 30 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls. It’s not every night this will occur (obviously), but maybe you should take advantage of him as he’s getting the minutes with Al Horford and Jae Crowder temporarily out.
Cody Zeller, PF, Charlotte Hornets (ESPN: 12.2 per cent; CBS: 33 per cent): Zeller hasn’t done anything too stellar to start the season off, but the fact he signed a four-year extension might reflect some potential Fantasy upside. With Roy Hibbert (knee) still out, Zeller may have some time-sensitive opportunities on the court to prove he’s worth $56 million. We do like the fact that on Friday Zeller overcame early foul trouble to wind up flirting with a triple double (10 points, six boards, six assists with two steals and a block). Lines like that will work, thank you very much.
CENTRES
Kosta Koufos, Sacramento Kings (ESPN: 1.5 CBS: 6 per cent):
No impressive performances to reflect on here, but Koufas has recently moved back into the starting lineup. His ownership percentages are by far among the lowest across all standard leagues, which puts you in the best position to take a low risk for a potential high reward in your deep league. Just be aware that when the Kings opt to go small, Koufas will likely be back on the bench.
Zaza Pachulia, Golden State Warriors (ESPN: 24.1 per cent, CBS: 50 per cent): His 50 per cent ownership in CBS leagues shows that owners are on the brink of taking complete advantage of one of the Warriors’ newest additions. A vet of Pachulia’s stature is still showing his ability to work across the scoreboard as he did against OKC on Wednesday. If nothing else, he can still protect the paint with the best of them.
Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy basketball waiver wire pick of the week is.
