In this edition of Working the Wire, we’ll take a look at the games scheduled for week six, including those teams that have a back-to-back set. Before looking ahead, let’s quickly take a look at last week’s waiver wire pickups and whether we struck gold or came up empty. We will then run down the list of players you could consider picking up for longer than a couple of games, although do remember that not every player is going to suit your needs. Finally, we take a look at a list of current streaming options, based on categorical need.

Games Schedule – Week 8

Back to Backs

Mon/Tues: SAS
Tues/Weds: BKN, BOS, DAL, NYK
Weds/Thurs: DEN, MEM, PHI, UTA
Thurs/Fri: LAL
Fri/Sat: CLE, HOU, SAC
Sat/Sun: ORL, SAS
Sun/Mon (of Week 9): DAL, MIL

A Look Back…

Guards

De’Anthony Melton (112th ranked player) – Despite frustration, I’ll take a win

Pat Connaughton (85th ranked player) – An obvious win here

Alec Burks (26th ranked player) – An even more obvious win

Danny Green (144th ranked player) – Take the good and the bad, break even

Forwards

Marvin Bagley (250th ranked player) – Sadly, a loss due to not playing

Grant Williams (147th ranked player) – Probably a loss with Timelord returning

Dorian Finney-Smith (108th ranked player) – A solid win

Royce O’Neale (37th ranked player) – I’ll take a win, although he was injured

Centers

P.J. Washington (34th ranked player) – Clearly a win

JaVale McGee (281st ranked player) – Two bad matchups this week, a loss

Waiver Wire Options

Guards

Chris Duarte – After starting the season red hot, Duarte cooled quickly as the Pacers started getting players back on the court. He was rightfully dropped in a number of leagues, but the time has come to go and grab him again. Indiana is going to be without a couple of rotational pieces, at least for the foreseeable future, meaning Duarte is going to get minutes on a regular basis once again.

Killian Hayes – Here was have a case of a player who is worth adding but only if he fills a need for your squad. Hayes’ playing time has finally increased to the point where the Pistons look invested enough for him to have consistent value. That said, he is really just going to help you in steals and assists only, meaning he won’t be for everyone.

Ish Smith – With the Hornets going through a minor crisis, Smith could be in line for an increased role. COVID has hit the team badly, ruling at least four of their regular pieces out. Smith is by far the most experienced ball-handler and so while he won’t set the world on fire, he should be logging plenty of minutes.

Eric Gordon – As hard as this is for me to say, Gordon has been playing well for the Rockets who are now on a five-game winning streak. His value generally ties into his ability to hit 3s, making him an option for some, but not for all. He will almost certainly cool off in a big way at some point but until then, he is worth a look.

Forwards

Cameron Johnson – With Devin Booker sidelined, Johnson has been able to get up a few extra shots. Even prior to the Booker injury, he had been playing well enough to be thought about in 12-team leagues. If you are after an efficient scorer of the basketball who has no issues stepping out beyond the perimeter, feel free to pick him up.

Jeff Green – Green is another player who has stepped into a larger role as a result of injuries to others. He has been added in quite a few places but remains available in a number of competitive leagues. In terms of fantasy value, his ceiling and floor are almost exactly the same, meaning he makes for a solid enough plug-and-play option.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – The pickings are obviously thin when we are looking at KCP as a potential standard league asset. Coming off one of his worst games of the season, KCP had been playing well prior to that and appears to have established himself as a starter for the Wizards. There is very little upside here, but he can bring a few 3-pointers with a nice amount of steals on any given night.

Juan Toscano-Anderson – JTA is a fun player to watch, although that rarely translates into consistent fantasy value. With Otto Porter and Andre Iguodala on the sideline, JTA has stepped into a larger role over the past couple of games. This increase could fall away very quickly, especially if Porter gets back for the next game. However, he can bring a lot of energy to the game and so maybe he can have some sustained value moving forward.

Centers

Dewayne Dedmon – With Bam Adebayo on the shelf for at least the next 4-6 weeks, Dedmon is basically a must-roster player right now. He is unlikely to put together a run of top-60 numbers, but the top-100 is a realistic possibility.

Maxi Kleber – Kleber struggles with consistency but of all the fringe frontcourt options in Dallas, he is by far the most appealing. He won’t score a ton but can chip in both rebounds and blocks, while contributing a handful of 3-pointers.

Streaming Targets

Points

Malik Monk

Garrison Mathews

Kevin Love

Danilo Gallinari

Armoni Brooks

Caleb Martin

3-pointers 

Malik Monk

Garrison Mathews

Joe Ingles

Max Strus

Luke Kennard

Armoni Brooks

Assists

Facundo Campazzo

Joe Ingles

Eric Bledsoe

Tyus Jones

Cameron Payne

Dennis Smith Jr.

Rebounds

Steven Adams

Dwight Howard

Willy Hernangomez

Kevin Love

Chimezie Metu

Marvin Bagley

Steals

Tyus Jones

Gary Payton II

Facundo Campazzo

Delon Wright

Gary Harris

Herb Jones

Blocks

Brandon Clarke

Derrick Jones Jr.

Chris Boucher

Dwight Howard

Isaiah Hartenstein

Xavire Tillman

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