With the NBA trade deadline and All-Star weekend behind us, it’s time to shift gears and focus on teams who are essentially forfeiting the rest of the season. The concept of tanking lives and breathes in the NBA and teams such as the Suns, Cavs, Mavs, Knicks and Pelicans are looking to put themselves in the best possible position to claim the No. 1 draft pick. Just because teams are tanking, it doesn’t mean that you should totally dismiss them when it comes to fantasy. For both season long fantasy and DFS it becomes a lot easier to find value on those teams, especially if the starters (such as Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday of the Pelicans) are restricted for the rest of the season. Tanking teams will look to the end of their bench to get more experience on the court. All teams should be considered when making waiver wire pickups.

Dion Waiters SG, SF MIA-20% Ownership: Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson being off the team, it opens up more room for Waiters to get playing time and shots in the Heat’s offense for the rest of the way. Waiters has scored in double figures in his last five games and he’s been consistently hitting multiple three-pointers. He’s been playing into the 30’s in games and he’s been helping out on the boards. Waiters has grabbed at least three boards in his last four games and he’s grabbed steals in three of those game’s. Waiters has also been a bit helpful dishing assists, but with Goran Dragic returning the lineup, his time running the point will be limited. He has good ball-handling skills and will have a secure rotation spot moving forward. His usage will only go up and when he’s hot from the field, the Heat will keep feeding him.

Dorian Finney-Smith F DAL-6% Ownership: Finney-Smith is a short-term solution until the Mavs can figure out what to do with the huge void to fill up front. Finney-Smith has been a strong defender and he’s had three multi-steal games in a row. He’s been playing steadily in the 20’s and 30’s. He grabs a lot of rebounds right outside the paint and he’s secured five or more boards in his last four games. Finney-Smith will use his size to get to the rim, but the one issue is that he doesn’t score in double figures consistently. He’ll get open a lot on the wing. If you need help with the defensive stats, he’s a good candidate to pick up. He’s been drawing contact in the lane, which is a good sign that he’ll continue to attack the rim. He also has an outside game, but will mainly shoot from downtown only when he’s open. He’ll keep plays alive on the offensive glass by following up his own shots.

Elfrid Payton PG NO-40% Ownership: The Pelicans are heading towards the lottery and with Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday getting restricted for the rest of the season, the team will rely on Payton to contribute more on offense. Expect his scoring average to improve over the next few weeks. The big thing with Payton to watch out for is his health. He’s dealt with multiple injuries this season. When he’s on the court, he helps keep the pace of play quick for Pelicans and he’ll drive the lane a good amount. He scored 15 points in his first game since returning from injury. Expect Payton to dish five to seven dimes per game for the rest of the way. Payton should see about 30 minutes per game moving forward. He’s an aggressive perimeter defender who will be a big help with steals. Payton will be a priority scorer moving forward and even if the Pelicans are in close games, they won’t overextend their other weapons and Payton will still be in the mix to close out games.

Taj Gibson PF, C MIN-38% Ownership: Gibson is a volume scorer and rebounder who doesn’t need a lot of playing time to produce. Karl-Anthony Towns was involved in a car accident and he’s dealing with a Concussion and at least for the short-term, Gibson will pick up more playing time. He’s scored in double-digits in his last three games. Gibson is excellent at setting himself up in the paint. It’s hard to box him out and he has a few up and under moves that will help his scoring stay in double figures. Gibson has also grabbed steals in two of his last three games. Expect Gibson to get to the free-throw line in each game he plays in and he won’t hurt shooting percentages. Robert Covington still being out helps Gibson’s cause to play more minutes. Once his minutes and points and boards production start dropping, release him, but remember, for the last few years he’s been one of the few players who can produce even if he plays less than 20 minutes.

Allen Crabbe SG, SF BKN-40% Ownership: Crabbe is notorious for having stats that are all over the place, but with Spencer Dinwiddie still out, now’s the time for Crabbe to earn his keep in the Nets rotation. He’s scored in double figures in his last four games. Crabbe will be used primarily as a bailout shooter from long-range. He’s been helping out on the glass a bit more over his last few games grabbing at least three boards per game during that span. Crabbe does have the ability to take it to the hole. He’ll also fight for steals on the defensive side of the ball. He’s grabbed steals in three of his last five games. Crabbe’s main competition for minutes down the stretch will be Joe Harris . Going back to how much of a bailout option Crabbe is, he’s hit multiple three-pointers in his last four games. The Nets can use all of the help they can get scoring the basketball and Crabbe has been seeing playing time in the 20’s and 30’s over his last handful of games.

Jeff Green F WSH-38% Ownership: Green has tremendous value because of all of his skills. He can play multiple positions and even bring up the ball. He’s the Wizards change of pace option and I’m shocked he’s as available to pick up as he is. He’ll have his quiet scoring games every few games, but because he helps in other categories such as steals, blocks, boards and assists, he’ll do just enough in those categories to make up for quiet scoring games. Green is speedy and is able to get from one baseline to the other very quickly. He’ll bring up the ball a good amount with the Wizards second unit. He’s dished at least three dimes in four of his last five games. Green is a committed defender at the elbow and on the perimeter. He’s grabbed steals in his last two games and he’s swatted away shots in three of his last five games. Green also has an outside shot and he’ll utilize it, but he won’t be stupid about it. He’ll take high-percentage long-range jumpers and he should see steady minutes in the 20’s and 30’s for the rest of the way.

Patty Mills PG SAS-15% Ownership: Another change of pace player to keep track of is Mills. Always keep Mills in mind if you need a scoring boost. Between his quickness and long-range scoring ability, Mills will frequently be a double-digit scorer. He’s hit double figures in nine of his last 10 games. Mills will also be the facilitator of the Spurs offense and he’s dished at least four dimes in four of his last five games. Mills will infrequently help grab boards. He’ll step inside the arc and grab long rebounds. Mills will hit multiple three-pointers in most of his games. When the lane is open, he will drive and draw contact and get to the free-throw line. He’s hit the charity stripe in his last three games. Mills will take advantage of other second units around the league my out-running them and getting open for an open three-pointer in the corner.

Robin Lopez C CHI-23% Ownership: I brought him up a month ago and now I am URGING you to pick up Lopez. Lopez has completely benefitted from Wendell Carter Jr. being out for the season and Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis being traded, Lopez has every opportunity to succeed and he doesn’t even need a lot of playing time to produce. Unlike his Brother Brook, Lopez will fight for loose balls in the lane and play exclusively in the paint. He’s grabbed four or more boards in four of his last five games. Lopez has four multi-block games in his last six. Lopez has good one-handed post moves and because of his size, he’s able to tower over defenders and his shots don’t get contested. He has a hook shot that is very consistent. He draws in the defender in the post and then is able to back his way in score in the paint. He barely has any competition at the position.

Avery Bradley G MEM-22% Ownership: Going to the Grizzlies will benefit Bradley’s fantasy value because they are running out of options. Marc Gasol and JaMychal Green were traded away and Kyle Anderson and Jaren Jackson Jr. are hurt. Bradley has scored in double figures in his last three games and he’s been getting more love in the Grizzlies rotation. Bradley will provide mainly scoring and steals. He’s grabbed steals in his last four games. He will fight for long rebounds. Bradley has also been getting minutes at PG backing up Mike Conley . He’s dished at least five dimes in two of his last three games. Bradley is perfectly capable of running the point if Memphis decides to hold out Conley to keep him healthy. He’s also grabbed 10 rebounds total in his last three games. The multi-category production makes Bradley a safe pick up. The Grizzlies need all of the help they can get scoring the basketball.

WILD CARD PICK UP: Joakim Noah PF, C MEM-5% Ownership: Please view Noah as a short-term pick up. We’re still unsure how many minutes the Grizzlies plan on playing Jonas Valanciunas moving forward, but Valanciunas has proven that he’s good in small doses meaning he’s more productive when he plays fewer minutes. Ivan Rabb will have to focus on filling the void at PF until Jaren Jackson Jr. returns and that leaves room for Noah to get a commitment in the rotation. He’s played at least 20 minutes in 3 of his last 4 games. He’s recorded back to back multi-block games and he’s grabbed double-digit boards in two of his last four games. Noah can still get to the basket and he’ll draw a lot of contact in the paint. Noah has inside moves and he fights for boards under the glass. Surprisingly, he’s also dished at least three assists in each of his last four games. View him as a short-term solution for now.