Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the season, a willingness to entertain competition for the last spot or two on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding.
In this weekly series, we identify players available in more than 40 percent of ESPN leagues at each position who can either help with a category or two in roto leagues, or who can provide all-around value in leagues of all kinds.
Point guard
J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (Rostered in 32.4 percent of ESPN leagues): Found just ahead of Jeff Teague and Kyrie Irving at 14th in the league in potential assists per game over the past 10 games, Barea is the only player among the top 20 in this metric so widely available in ESPN leagues. While the team is still grooming its young star point guard, Barea is the team's productive lead distributor for the time being.
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings (28.2 percent): The team was patient with Fox while recovering from a quad strain, as he's averaging an awesome 34 MPG and 17.5 PPG in two games since returning from the injury. Even if he would benefit from an up-tempo scheme (the Kings are 29th in pace), there is still some value for him in leagues of at least 12 teams.
Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons (28.2 percent): Reggie Jackson is out of the picture for several weeks with a serious ankle injury, which has afforded Smith 74.6 touches per game over the past five outings, placing him just ahead of Kyle Lowry and Joel Embiid in this indicator of opportunity. You'll want to also seek out some shooting specialists when streaming Smith, as he offers almost no help from beyond the arc.
Delon Wright, Toronto Raptors (6.4 percent): Earning more minutes of late as a key contributor for Toronto's second unit, Wright has averaged 12.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG on strong shooting rates over the past eight appearances.
Shooting guard
Courtney Lee, New York Knicks (39.5 percent): Lee has averaged 15.5 PPG and 33.5 MPG over the past 12 games, all starts. Lee is 61st overall on the Player Rater over the past month and he's 15th among shooting guards over the past 15 days.
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics (38.8 percent): You won't get many big scoring nights or clean percentages from Smart, but you can net a respectable assist rate and stellar steal rate with the Celtics' combo guard.
Tyler Johnson, Miami Heat (23.6 percent): The Heat are once again dealing with a series of injuries, which has added to Johnson's already versatile statistical value; he's averaging 15.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.4 SPG in 35.3 MPG over the past nine outings. I'm likely most intrigued by the incredible pattern of minutes Johnson has enjoyed. We should prioritize minutes when streaming and maximizing utility spots, thus Johnson deserves more attention.
Wayne Ellington, Miami Heat (7.5 percent): The degree of difficulty on some of Ellington's shots off screens has been impressive this season, as he's developed into a devastating shooting specialist. The UNC product is lofting a career-high seven shots from 3-point range per game, evidence he's a strong source for shooting help in roto leagues.
Small forward
Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks (37.8 percent): When sorting by averages, Prince is 21st among small forwards on the Player Rater this season. This means he's providing more value, at least per this simple standard deviation model, than the likes of James Johnson and TJ Warren. My favorite part about Prince is that his minutes and touches are never in question on a lackluster Atlanta team that currently as the least wins, or most lottery balls, in the league.
Gerald Green, Houston Rockets (33.7 percent): The absence of James Harden and the team's need for increased perimeter pop with Ryan Anderson fading this season has propelled Green to an awesomely rewarding role for the Rockets. Released earlier in the season by the Bucks and just signed in late December by Houston, Green has impressively stepped right in to average nearly 28 minutes en route to 19.8 PPG and an astounding five made 3-pointers per game over his past five appearances. It might not last long, but I'd add Green and enjoy the fun for now.
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz (33.6 percent): Ingles provides balance across several categories and has been particularly prolific as a passer of late.
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic (1.5 percent): Jonathon Simmons is currently ailing, which means this talented, if inconsistent, shooter earns more exposure. With 33.6 MPG and 14 shots per game over the past two appearances, it's a good time to get aggressive with shares of Hezonja in deeper leagues.
Power forward
Michael Beasley, New York Knicks (34.4 percent): It's a privilege to endorse both Green and Beasley in the same column, as both talents are enjoying rare shooting freedom on their respective teams. Beasley has averaged 18.5 PPG and 24.8 MPG over the past 11 games, so the sample of scoring success is quite impressive. The minutes could continue, as the Knicks need his scoring and he's even helping clean the glass, with nine boards per game over the past five outings.
Trey Lyles, Denver Nuggets (31.8 percent): Suddenly a viable scoring threat with at least 15 points in all but one of the past 11 games, Lyles has been vital in approximating Paul Millsap's production.
Ersan Ilyasova, Atlanta Hawks (22.9 percent): The Hawks present several undervalued fantasy assets, with Ilyasova key among them; he's averaging 16 PPG and 2.1 3PG over the past seven games, all starts. With freedom to fire from beyond the arc and nearly eight rebounds per game over the past two weeks, Ilyasova is a solid addition.
Center
Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat (32.2 percent): With some key perimeter contributors ailing, the Heat are relying on this stretch big's shooting gravity lately. With 15.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.1 3PG in 30.6 MPG over the past eight games, acquiring Olynyk is one of the savviest transactions you can make this week.
John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks (21.7 percent): Join the block party, as Henson is 12th in the league in denials per game. The Bucks have been rumored to be interested in additional frontcourt help, but until and unless they strike a deal, Henson is enjoying steady minutes and rebounding opportunities.