Carmelo Anthony can score. His 62-point outing was against the Bobcats, but not to take anything away from Melo, it's still 62 points.
Chandler Parsons can shoot. Just about as well as anyone and probably the best shooter on the Houston Rockets.
Terrence Ross had a freak outing with DeMar DeRozan getting hurt with an ankle sprain. Who knows if he can keep up that scoring outburst in consecutive games? I don't think so.
Thornton and Thomas are good... if Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins are out. They managed to get off 58 shots between the two of them.
So at this point in the season, who's available on the waiver wire still? Deeper leagues have real problems with the waiver wire. Mainly, there's nobody worth having on it. However, that doesn't mean you can't snag a solid player if you make good decisions. So take a chance. Here's my list of waiver-wire adds for Week 14:
1. Andray Blatche - Brooklyn Nets, PF - The main thing I like about Blatche is his consistency. The Nets have no Brook Lopez, and Kevin Garnett is far from the KG we all used to know. Blatche can shoot a mid-range jumper, finish in the post, rebound, and play defense. He's a good player, and over the last two weeks, Blatche is averaging 16.4 PPG, 8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in just 26 minutes per game. Normally, I don't like adding players to my roster who aren't playing 30-40 minutes every night, but Blatche is nice, and he's definitely someone to keep an eye on, especially if KG starts resting or Blatche starts getting more minutes.
2. James Johnson - Memphis Grizzlies, SF - James Johnson is an interesting player. He is literally the definition of a stat-sheet stuffer. He won't contribute in quantity, but he will do a little bit of everything for you. He really is the missing piece of the Grizzlies. Over the past two weeks, Johnson is averaging 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game in less than 23 minutes a game! He does it all, and if you watch them play, you'll see just how important he is to their success, making big plays in late game situations. Pick him up if you need help in every statistical category. He should be owned in all but shallow leagues.
3. Tyson Chandler - New York Knicks, C - Obviously, Chandler should be owned in all formats. However, his production had been slumping, so frustrated owners decided to drop him. He's slowly getting back into the swing of things, but with all of the injuries plaguing the power forwards of New York (Stoudemire, Bargnani, and Martin) there are many rebounds to go around and Tyson can lock down the paint. Pick him up if you're in the 22% of leagues where he's available.
4. Markieff Morris - Phoenix Suns, PF - Markieff is the better of the Morris twins, needless to say. So when you're looking for this guy, be sure not to pick up Marcus. Morris has been on a tear lately, averaging 17.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over the past couple of weeks, pretty solid numbers for a waiver-wire power forward pick up. The problem with any Suns player is the fact that, because there are no superstars, the entire team gets involved, so it's hard to predict who that will be on any given night. Obviously, Dragic and Plumlee will produce, but other than that, it's up in the air. However, Morris has started to solidify his mark as a necessary player on this team, posting some stat lines of 24 pts-7rbs, 23 pts-12 rbs, and 27 pts-15 rbs in recent games.
5. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings, PF and Derrick Williams, Sacramento Kings, SF - With injuries falling upon Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins, that opens up a lot of opportunities for the rest of the Sacramento players. The first game following the injuries, Thornton went for 42 points, but I don't think this is indicative of the production without the Kings focal points. However, look into Williams and Thompson. Williams will see the highest benefit here, though. Gay is averaging almost 17 shot attempts per game in addition to 6 rebounds, and Cousins is averaging almost 17 shot attempts per game, too, with almost 12 rebounds. We're talking about 34 shots and 18 rebounds that need to be filled up. Who better to do that than Williams and Thompson?
A few other free agents I thought I'd throw out there in case you're daring that might do some work for you: DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta SF; D.J. Augustin, Chicago PG (if available); Miles Plumlee, Phoenix C; Taj Gibson, Chicago PF; Larry Sanders, Milwaukee C; Alec Burks, Utah PG (as long as Gordon Hayward is sidelined and potentially upon his return)
Best of luck to all in Week 14 of Fantasy Basketball!
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