With the end of the season approaching, start looking at players specific match ups on a given day. Even if you have to drop one of your impact players because of injuries or lack of games in the week, do it! You need the points and every game counts at this point. You’ll often find the waiver wire pool being a bit richer with established talent. Some of the guys on this list have been owned by teams all season, but because of injuries, their ownership percentage has dropped over the last few weeks. Good luck to all!
Trey Burke PG NY-40% Ownership: Burke has been in the spotlight a bit more lately because of his high scoring games. The Knicks Coaches aren’t impressed with Emmanuel Mudiay’s defense and Burke should be seeing a lot minutes for the rest of the season. Burke has scored in double figures in his last five games, including a 42-point game. Burke has not only bee helping out on the offensive end, but he’s also stolen the ball at least once in each of his last four games. Burke has used his speed to get back on defense to stop the transition. Burke has been a pretty good floor general as well. He’s dished at least six dimes in three of his last four games. Burke will look to stop and pop even on the break. He’ll hit three’s in the majority of his games and he’ll also look to drive and draw contact. He’s been going to the line in most of his games. The Knicks have nothing to play for and Burke has become a priority scorer in their offense. He’s essentially their third scoring option behind Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter.
Rodney Hood SG/SF CLE-39% Ownership: Hood is starting to heat up down the stretch. He was dealing with a Back injury and now that he’s healthy, he’ll be picking up more playing time and he should be able to get a good amount of shots as the Cavs primary bailout shooting option. Hood has scored in double figures in his last three games and he hit multiple three-pointers in all three of those games. Hood is mainly scoring dependant, but he’s stepped inside the arc and has grabbed at least three boards in his last four games. Hood plays solid perimeter defense and he’s good at closing out the defender in the corner and once the double-team comes, he’ll get opportunities to grab steals. He’s grabbed a steal in two of his last three games. Hood doesn’t need a lot of time to shoot and his sweet spot is at the top of the key. Hood should see playing time consistently in the late-20’s for the rest of the season and because other Cavs scoring weapons drive a lot to the basket, Hood is a good complimentary piece to hang at the arc.
Fred VanVleet PG TOR-16% Ownership: VanVleet is another guard who’s thrived since returning from injury. The Raptors depth is incredible and their second unit has been pulling their weight. VanVleet is in a timeshare situation with Delon Wright backing up Kyle Lowry, but he’s played no fewer than 22 minutes since returning from injury. VanVleet splits his offensive game between driving and jump shooting. He’s scored in double-digits in his last four games. VanVleet hit at least three three-pointers in his last four games. He’s also helped facilitate the offense and has dished four or more assists in two of his last four games. VanVleet has also earned more minutes because he’s been playing better defense. He’s stolen the ball in three of his last four games. With the Raptors being in the position there in heading towards the playoffs, they’ll likely want to ease Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to keep them healthy. Expect VanVleet to play in the 30’s in a good amount of his games for the rest of the way.
Domantas Sabonis PF/C IND-29% Ownership: Sabonis has played 24 minutes in both of his games since returning from an Ankle injury. The Pacers are another team in a good spot heading into the playoffs outside of Myles Turner’s inconsistent shooting. Sabonis has transformed his game from being a perimeter player, to being a strong big man inside. He’s been a great complimentary piece to Turner and Thad Young and he’s improved his rebounding tremendously. He’ll only pick up more playing time down the stretch. Owners can expect a consistent amount of inside scoring and rebounding. Sabonis doesn’t rely on his three-point shot as much this season, but he’ll still find ways to get to the basket. He’s improved his post-game this season. Collectively, he’s grabbed 14 boards in the two games he’s played in since returning Sabonis will help a bit with steals inside and as an added bonus, he’s been contributing assists since returning. He’ll be an impactful part of the rotation over the next few weeks and he’ll be able to do more as he continues to put his Ankle injury behind him.
Marco Belinelli SG/SF PHI-16% Ownership: Looking for a scoring boost? Belinelli has been getting steady playing time in the 20’s and he’s hit double figures in his last five games. Belinelli will serve as a bailout option and with Joel Embiid out, there will be more shots to go around. Expect multiple three-pointers from him in the majority of his games. Even though he stands at the arc waiting to be fed for the most part, he’s shown a commitment to defense. He’s blocked shots in three of his five games and he’s stolen the ball in two of his last four games. He’s good at anticipating screens and moving through them. Teams will often give Belinelli space so he can take long distance jumpers and he’s taken advantage my dribbling inside the arc and getting higher-percentage shots. His defenders give him space at the elbow. He’ll also provide a minimal amount of rebounding and assist help along the way. View boards and dimes from him as an added bonus.
Richaun Holmes PF/C PHI-17% Ownership: With Embiid out for what seems to be the rest of the regular season, his handcuff Holmes will take over. He’s played a minimal amount of minutes while Embiid’s been healthy, but when he’s been out, his minutes have seen a major increase. In just 22 minutes in his previous game, he scored 15 points and grabbed 7 boards. Holmes is scrappy and will do a lot of the dirty work under the basket. Even a few games ago, he scored seven points and grabbed five boards in 12 minutes. Expect Holmes to mainly provide points and boards as an inside player. Luckily for Holmes, he shouldn’t see too much defensive pressure because Dario Saric and Robert Covington are effective long-range shooters. Holmes will compliment them by waiting for the shot to go up, gain positioning in the paint and score off of offensive rebounds. He can also drive in the paint with the ball and that should give him even more opportunities to produce in the offense.
Tyler Ulis PG PHX-8% Ownership: Ulis has taken advantage of Elfrid Payton being out with a Knee injury and he’s played 30 minutes or more in three of his last four games. He’s scored in double figures in his last four games and he’s been an effective floor general. He dished at least five dimes in three of his last five games. Ulis has also helped out on the defensive end. He’s grabbed steals and blocked shots in two of his last four games. Ulis has also been helpful on the glass grabbing three or more boards in three of his last five games. He has quickness and he’s very familiar with the offense as he should still be able to log consistent minutes even when Payton is fully healthy. He hit multiple three-pointers in his last two games. The Suns are another team with nothing to play for and Ulis should be a safe add for the remainder of the season. Expect mainly scoring.
Marquese Chriss PF/C PHX-34% Ownership: Chriss has increased his production overall over the last few weeks. He’s been getting a true rotation commitment in his last four games. He’s logged two 30-minute games in his last four and he’s scored in double figures in his last six games. He’s grabbed double-digit boards in two of his last four games and he’s coming off of a four-steal game. He’s grabbed steals in four of his last six games. Chriss does have a small long-range game and owners can expect him to hit a three-pointer in a game more often than not. He’s also blocked shots in four of his last six games. Tyson Chandler is dealing with multiple injuries and Alex Len who was dealing with an Ankle injury has not been playing that well. Even with Alan Williams picking up more minutes, Chriss will likely have the edge over him and he can rotate to both PF and C and that will keep him on the court even more. Dragan Bender hasn’t been a threat. Chriss should be highly productive for the rest of the way.
Kevon Looney PF/C GSW-6% Ownership: We’ve spotlighted the Warriors lately in this article because of all of their injuries. Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant (when he’s not getting thrown out of games) have been banged up. Looney has been providing relief and with Jordan Bell in and out of the lineup, he’s racked up minutes and stats in multiple categories. If you need help with defensive stats, Looney has been productive. He’s blocked multiple shots in five of his last six games and he’s grabbed multiple steals in three of his last five games. Looney has also grabbed five or more boards in three of his last five games. When it comes to offensive production, he’s flirted with double figures in a good amount of his games, but has only scored in double figures in two of his last six games. View any scoring and assist help that he provides as a bonus. With all of the injuries and needs on defense to stop inside scoring, Looney should be able to stay part of the rotation for at least the next week.
WILD CARD PICK UP: Isaiah Taylor PG ATL-4% Ownership: Taylor could literally be a ne-game add as we’re still unsure what Dennis Schroder’s status is moving forward. Even if Schroder is healthy, he could still get rested. The Hawks have been at the bottom of the Eastern Conference all season. With Kent Bazemore out for the rest of the season, Taylor could still see a true rotation commitment of 20 minutes per game for the rest of the way. He’s scored 20 or more points in his last two games and he’s hit double figures in three of his last four games. Taylor will mostly look to drive, but will shoot from long-range if open. Taylor has dished at least six dimes in two of his last three games. He’s also grabbed steals in three of his last four games. Like his teammates Schroder and Taurean Prince, Taylor is not afraid to take contact and he’ll often go to the free-throw line. His aggressiveness and hustle should solidify his spot in the Hawks rotation.