We’re over a month into the season meaning that players who were brought up in previous articles from the first couple of weeks of the season will be brought up again at times. The waiver wire is all about trends and you must know which players can be consistently found on it in case you’re in a pinch and need a quick injury-replacement add. Will I saturate these articles with repetitiveness? Absolutely not! It’s a long season and we’re riding the wave on these players. It’s all about finding the NEXT guy. The Grizzlies are a land of opportunity right now and you need to get a piece of them.
OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES: Yahoo! Sports
Mario Chalmers G MEM-27% Ownership: With Mike Conley out for the next few weeks, Chalmers will start in his place. Chalmers has good speed and driving ability, but his decision-making has always been questionable. Chalmers has dished at least six assists in his last five games. Even thought his scoring has been a bit inconsistent, there will always be a certain amount of shots that he’ll need to take because of openings on the court. Chalmers rebounding has been excellent lately as he’s grabbed at least four in his last five games and that commitment to defense and getting long rebounds puts him in position to log more minutes once Conley returns. Chalmers has a long-range jumper, but will try to push the ball inside, and take it to the rim himself if he has to. Chalmers also has had two multi-steal games in his last three. His playing time is secure and should be seeing a lot of games playing in the 30’s and should be added.
Kyle Anderson SG/SF SAS-30% Ownership: In week 1, Anderson was my wildcard pick up and ever since, he’s proven himself from a scoring and rebounding standpoint and is not a legitimate fantasy basketball bench option. With Kawhi Leonard’s return still up in the air, Anderson will continue to pull down boards and has grabbed at least five in four of his last five games. Anderson has scored in double figures in his last three games and recently posted a double-digit assist game. Anderson is now dishing over three assists per game this season. Anderson has also blocked at least one shot in his last five games. The commitment to defense has given him more playing time and he’s even been helpful with steals. Anderson runs the floor well and sets up nicely to be a bailout option when defenses collapse on Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge inside. Until we get more information on when Leonard is returning, Anderson can continue to be relied on as a multi-category producer.
J.J. Barea G DAL-23% Ownership: Barea continues to take advantage of Seth Curry being out and even though he plays mainly in the mid-20’s, he serves as the Mavericks spark-plug attacker in the second unit. He’s scored in double figures in his last three games and averages just under three rebounds per game this season. Barea has dished at least four assists in his last five games. Barea has been able to play minutes at both guard spot and has incredible quickness base line to base line. Even when Curry returns, Barea will be used as the change of pace guard off the bench and his scrappiness and hustle on the court will keep his minutes secure. Barea can also hit the knockdown three pointer and has hit multiple three-pointers in his last three games. Barea being used as a bailout option off the ball will also give him more security when the Mavs eventually return to full strength.
JaMychal Green PF/C MEM-28% Ownership: ADD HIM NOW! The fantasy basketball universe has forgotten about Green and how they view him as a building block for their future. He’s over his Ankle injury and is coming into a lot of minutes. The Grizzlies have been dealing with injuries at all positions all season and Green is already seeing playing time in the 30’s. Green scored in double figures in two of his last three games and more importantly he’s been attacking the basket while doing it. It’s never easy avoiding big men in the lane with an injured Ankle and his aggressiveness under the basket shows that he’s over most if not all of the pain. Expect to not only score and rebound, but he’ll log a a lot of minutes. Green is known more for his defense and the Grizzlies need all of the help they can get maintaining their reputation as one of the best teams defensively. Green swiped three balls total in his last two games. Another sign that Green’s over his Ankle injury is the nine-rebound game he just posted. He doesn’t have much competition at the position in Memphis and will average playing time in the 30’s moving forward.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SF CHA-36% Ownership: It’s been an emotional ride for MKG to start the season. Kidd-Gilchrist should be viewed as a defensive specialist. He’ll rebound, swipe and swat consistently, but scoring in double figures will be inconsistent. Kidd-Gilchrist’s minutes are safe and should see playing time in the 30’s in most games. MKG scores a lot from mid-range, but does have a drive that he uses very infrequently and it’s frustrating because he can use his reach to grab offensive rebounds and draw contact. Kidd-Gilchrist has blocked shots in his last three games. He’s grabbed four or more rebounds in six of his last seven games. He plays very well defensively on the perimeter and at the elbow. He’s a role player, but will not see threats for playing time, unless the Hornets want to rotate Nicolas Batum to the SF spot.
Chandler Parsons F MEM-17% Ownership: (The following defense of Chandler Parsons is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do). Before you throw tomatoes at me for suggesting this injury-ridden player, we have to look at the now and right now I see consistent playing time of 20-plus minutes. I see consistent long-range shooting and I see double digit scoring efforts in three of his last four games. The Grizzlies are an injury-plagued team. Parsons shares the court with Tyreke Evans (another injury-prone player). Mike Conley is hurt. Ben McLemore and JaMychal Green are just returning from injury. Conditioning-wise, Parsons is currently on the same level as most of the players on this team. If you need a scorer who can help with three-pointers and (for the moment) has a secure amount of playing time, Parsons, even for a short-term add, will help. He’ll provide minor rebound and assist help, but three-point shooting will be your biggest dividend for owning Parsons. As he continues getting more reps, expect him to attack the rim and help out with steals.
Wesley Johnson SG/SF LAC-14% Ownership: Even if it’s for the short-term, Johnson has been benefiting from Danilo Gallinari being out. With Patrick Beverley out, it opens up more long-range shooting opportunities for Johnson. He hit six three-pointers in his last game. Johnson has also grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game this season. Johnson has been a big defensive help and has blocked shot in each of his last four games with two of those games being multi-block games. He’s stolen the ball in his last six games with four of those games being multi-steal games. Johnson’s impact on both sides of the court has allowed Blake Griffin to work more inside, especially on offense. Johnson gives Griffin more production opportunities because of his perimeter defense. Everyone knows Griffin in the post is a BETTER Griffin and Johnson has been seeing playing time in the 30’s and even the 40’s. Ride that wave with him because the Clippers are struggling and need as much help as they can to salvage their season and their perimeter defense is much better when Johnson is on the court.
Cory Joseph PG IND-9% Ownership: Joseph has proven to be a solid back up guard and his playing time is steadily in the mid-20’s. Joseph has scored in double figures in two of 
his last four games, but that should be viewed as a bonus. His defense will keep his spot in the Pacers rotation secure. Joseph has grabbed two steals in three of his last four games. Joseph has dished 3.2 assists per game and will give fantasy owners consistent production. Joseph is smart with the ball and doesn’t force up too many shots. He’s effective both on and off the ball and he’ll hit long-range jumpers. Even though he’s a back up guard, he’s run effective second-units on different teams and an interesting stat for him is the 2.7 rebounds he averages. Joseph has grabbed three or more rebounds in two of his last three games. His defense alone with give him a ton of security in the Pacers rotation.
Noah Vonleh PF POR-4% Ownership: If you need a rebounding specialist, Vonleh continues earning more playing time in the Blazers rotation. It’s audition time for Vonleh because before long Al-Farouq Aminu will be back in action and Vonleh will be in a timeshare for playing time off the bench. His rebounding has been outstanding lately. Since November 13th he’s had three double-digit rebounding games. He’s averaging 7.6 rebounds per game this season and he’s been seeing a lot more playing time in the 20’s. Scoring is a bonus for Vonleh as he’s mainly a rebounder. He’ll be a small help in blocks depending on his match up. And will compile steals by grabbing loose balls in the paint. His rebounding should keep him just inside that rotation, but he’ll have more security with Aminu out.
WILD CARD PICK UP: Dragan Bender F PHX-2% Ownership: Even though the Suns have a lot of options up-front, Bender is seeing a lot more playing time which shows a lot more confidence from the Suns Coaches. Marquese Chriss continues to see games under 20 minutes. Bender has scored in double figures in two of his last three games and has grabbed five or more rebounds in two of his last three games. He’s also blocked a shot in two of his last three games. Bender is a reliable long-range shooter and has hit multiple three-pointers in two of his last three games. When looking at the landscape of the Suns frontcourt, Tyson Chandler won’t rotate from the Center spot and will play under 30 minutes. Alex Len will rotate to the Center spot. Chriss is struggling and getting less playing time and Monroe doesn’t have the shooting range but will see minutes. Bender brings the uniqueness of long-range shooting and the consistent playing time shows that he’s riding a wave right into the Suns rotation.