NBA

Fantasy Basketball 2015-16: A Dozen Dimes, Volume 22

Who to add in fantasy basketball as we enter Week 23, including a look at the seemingly unleashed Willie Cauley-Stein.

With most fantasy hoops trade deadlines having already passed and the playoffs in the majority of head-to-head leagues rolling on this week, A Dozen Dimes has essentially converted into a waiver wire column for the rest of the season. In other words, instead of offering up 12 nuggets of adding, dropping, buying, and selling advice for this upcoming week and beyond, we're focusing on just the adding.

As usual, these are in relative order of importance. If you're looking for more advice, check the "related articles" section to cycle through other recent editions of this column. We try not to repeat ourselves too much from one week to the next, so you might find more ideas you like from previous weeks that are still valid.

Ok, let's get down to it.

Willie Cauley-Stein

Willie Cauley-Stein has played more than 28 minutes and scored 20-plus in each of his last two games, averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.5 steals, 1.0 block, and 2.5 turnovers in 28.7 minutes per contest over that span, while shooting 63.3% from the field and 81.8% from the line. There's some serious shutdown concern surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, so things might align for WCS to build on his last few gems and have a strong finish to his rookie campaign.

Ed Davis

Ed Davis has quietly been a fantasy stud since Meyers Leonard's season-ending shoulder injury opened up more minutes for him, coming in as the 21st-ranked player in nine-category leagues over his last five games. Over that span, he has averaged a solid 10.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.4 blocks, and a mere 0.8 turnovers in 22.1 minutes per game, while shooting 73.1% from the field and 70.6% from the free throw line. He's still available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues and could help his fantasy owners win some key head-to-head matchups during Portland's four-game week.

Maurice Harkless

Maurice Harkless has started over Noah Vonleh for the Portland Trail Blazers over their last three contests and has played like a mid-round fantasy asset in the process. During that three-game span, Mo has averaged 13.3 points, 0.3 threes, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 block, and only 0.7 turnovers in a healthy 28.5 minutes per contest, while shooting 50.0% from the field and 81.8% from the free throw line. He's currently only 3% owned in Yahoo leagues, so he's a great guy to look for if it feels like your league's waiver wire has been picked clean.

Amir Johnson

Despite a two-point dud on Saturday, Amir Johnson has been a stud over his last six games. Over that span, he has posted top-30 value in nine-category leagues on the strength of 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in 27.8 minutes per game, with a shooting split of 80.0% from the field (not a typo) and 50.0% from the line (but on only one attempt per game). Johnson's minutes are trending up as Boston's starting power forward, and he's still available in nearly 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Shane Larkin

The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls each play five games this week, so you should prioritize adds from those particular teams if you want to maximize games played during a head-to-head matchup. One of the hotter pickups from those two squads right now is Shane Larkin, who has started the last two games for the Nets. Over that span, he's averaging 15.0 points, 0.5 threes, 2.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 turnovers in 28.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 68.8% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line. Pick him up if you need help at point guard.

Sean Kilpatrick

The Nets roster is a bit of a wasteland right now, but there's value to be found among their guys getting big minutes with five games queued up this week. Sean Kilpatrick has played well over the last little while, averaging 16.3 points, 1.9 triples, 1.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 22.8 minutes over his last seven contests, while shooting a blistering 57.7% from the field and 90.5% from the line. Owners in need of points, threes, and a boost in their percentages should give him a look.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

One last Net to consider for their five-game week is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. In the three games since his return from ankle surgery, the rookie has averaged 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 turnovers in 16.0 minutes per game, while shooting 60.0% from the field and 75.0% from the free throw line. His minutes should start ramping up soon, so he's a great add for owners looking for a steals specialist.

J.J. Barea

Deron Williams is dealing with an abdominal strain that has kept him out the last two games and has already been ruled out for tonight's contest against the Denver Nuggets. J.J. Barea has started in D-Will's place the last two games and has played well enough over his last three to warrant ownership. Over that span, he's averaging 16.3 points, 1.7 threes, 2.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.3 steals, and 2.0 turnovers in 28.0 minutes per contest, while shooting 47.7% from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. You'll have to keep an eye on D-Will's status during Dallas' four-game week, but feel free to roll with Barea for as long as Williams is on the shelf.

Raymond Felton

Another beneficiary from the absence of Deron Williams has been Raymond Felton, who has started for the Mavericks for seven straight games, while playing big minutes (36.6) over the last two that the team has been without D-Will. Felton has scored in double figures in four of his last five games as well, averaging a serviceable 11.6 points, 0.8 threes, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 29.1 minutes per contest during that span, and shooting 44.2% from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. He posts the occasional dud, but Felton's a decent option during Dallas' four-game week because D-Will's status is in question.

John Henson

John Henson has been a solid block specialist all season long, averaging 2.0 per game in a mere 17.0 minutes per contest on the year. Over his last three games, however, he's offered more of a complete package, averaging 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.3 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in an increased 23.5 minutes per contest, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 72.7% from the line. Any owner in need of blocks and rebounds with decent upside in scoring and shooting percentage should take a look at Henson.

Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is so inconsistent on a game-to-game basis that it's hard to call him a must-own player, even after he put together back-to-back 20-plus-point performances last week. To wit, he failed to score in double figures in each of the two games he's played since those two explosive performances. Either way, he's been a mid-round player over his last five games with averages of 15.8 points, 1.6 threes, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers in 26.8 minutes per contest, and a shooting split of 55.4% from the floor and 69.2% from the free throw line. If you want the big-game upside and can handle the low floor, Lin is worth picking up.

Jordan Farmar

The point guard position in Memphis has been a bit of a black hole since Mike Conley went down with an Achilles injury, but Jordan Farmar has been serviceable since signing with the team last week. In three games since the signing, Farmar has averaged 10.3 points, 1.7 threes, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 turnovers in 25.5 minutes per contest, while shooting 41.7% from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Farmar replaced Ray McCallum in the starting lineup on Friday night, and he could certainly be worth owning if he sticks there going forward.