Fantasy Basketball: Waiver Wire Scoops From Wednesday

Welcome back! We're really going to be hammering the heck out of the waiver wire for the next couple weeks as we help you get your team started off on the right foot. I hit on 12 guys to add yesterday in Fantasy Basketball Recap, so be sure to check that out here. It also will cover the way I break down the list of the guys that will be provided in this edition.

If you need you're fix for some discussion of the box scores, I've got ya covered for that too with the season debut of the Pick-N-Roll Show. (you can also click it at the bottom of this page so you can read this while listening to it without even leaving this page. Woo hoo!) I covered all of the box scores gave you all the info you need to know in an info-packed show. I throw out a lot of trade ideas and players that might be no-brainer adds for some of you in shallow leagues. Check it out!

The following is a list of 47 players that gained value on Wednesday and are available in 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Check it out after the jump:

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1. Brandon Knight- Knight is one of two guys on this list that is above the 50 percent-owned barrier. He was great last night with his 23 points (on 10-of-13 shooting), six assists, two steals and three triples in 29 minutes. Must. Own.

2. Paul George- George has some clout in fantasy circles for the way he can fill it up with threes, blocks and steals and it was just a matter of playing time for the sophomore. Well, how's 40 minutes? The Fresno State star put up 18 points, four boards and four threes in those 40 minutes on Wednesday. He's a guy that should really be owned in all leagues and has enormous potential.

3. Gerald Henderson- The Other Gerald took off last year after Gerald Wallace was dealt at the last second at the trade deadline last season. He suffered a bad hip injury to end his season, but the lockout helped him heal a bit and it looks like a non-issue. The Blue Devil worked on his three-point game to give his fantasy value a new wrinkle as well. He played a whopping 42 minutes and handed in a line of 21 points, four boards, four assists, two steals and two threes in the loss. He's another guy that should really be owned across the board even since Kemba was getting most of his minutes at the one.

4.Spencer Hawes- Owners of the U-Dub Husky have been on quite the roller coaster with his inconsistent play. So far it's been so good though with his most recent game on Wednesday producing nine points, 11 boards, two steals and two blocks in 26 minutes. There is nobody behind him at this point and he would need a major letdown to really lose his grip on the job. He's probably the best big on your wire in some shallow leagues.

5.James Johnson- Double J. has been one of the best producing guys for defensive stats so far with his eight steals and five blocks in his two games. He also hit a three in his debut on Monday and has been quite the find so far with deep-league owners. Rasual Butler is currently holding down the fort at the three with the strength of a 90-year-old butler name Jeeves. It won't be long until Johnson gets 30 minutes per game and can produce some major stats for roto owners.

6.Al Harrington- There are a lot of pieces missing to the puzzle in Denver. Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin are stuck overseas and Harrington is probably the biggest winner among the players that weren't drafted in standard leagues. Medium Al went nuts on Wednesday with 18 points, seven boards, four steals and two from downtown in just 21 minutes. Denver is going to run up and down the court a lot and Harrington is capable of putting up some multi-cat lines.

7. Ben Gordon- Gordon is the other guy on this list that is owned in over 50 percent of leagues. His arrow is pointing down, however, so that explains why he's here. The UConn product saw 40 minutes of action and hit four treys on his way to 25 points. He's not good for much else besides scoring, but hey.

8. Ramon Sessions- Ramon Sessions was suppose to be swept away by the Cavs and wasn't expected to be more than a backup. The thing about Ramon is that when the fantasy world rules him out, he steps up his game. Sessions had his second big game on Wednesday with 26 points, seven boards, six assists, a steal and two 3PM in 28 minutes. Of course Kyrie Irving's minutes (just 20 on Wednesday) are on the upswing and Sessions will eventually fall off from his current high perch. Until that happens, he's worth owning as a top-35 point guard.

9. Marvin Williams- I touched on Marvin yesterday and he had another good game with 17 points, eight boards, two steals, a block and two threes in 30 minutes. Grab him until he proves this is just a fluke again. For what it's worth, he looks reinvigorated.

10. DeJuan Blair- After Tiago Splitter usurped Blair's minutes last time out, Blair took them right back and turned in a nice game of 20 points and six boards in 26 minutes. Tim Duncan is no spring chicken these days and Blair would be a huge beneficiary should he miss a game.

11. Carl Landry- Landry won't do much outside of score, board and provide solid percentages. He did go 20-11 on Wednesday and is a career 54 percent shooter from the field and 77 percent shooter from the line. He will certainly be worth a roster spot on competitive leagues until he is yanked out of the starting lineup for Chris Kaman. He could still have some value off the bench too.

12. Richard Jefferson- We've seen this before. R-Jeff had a hot start last year and fizzled out. The hot start included a 19 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) with three triples in 27 minutes. It took a couple months for him to cool off last year, so maybe he'll repeat that as well.

13. Rashard Lewis- Is he overpaid? Oh yeah. He wasn't overpaid for in fantasy drafts and went undrafted in quite a few leagues. He has the starting gig and can hit threes which means he has value. Wednesday's line featured 13 points and two bombs in 28 minutes. Not too shabby.

14. C.J. Miles- Miles had a mega dud on Tuesday and rebounded on Wednesday with 13 points and three triples in just 22 minutes. He is a bit of a chucker, but he brings some steals and blocks while he's out there. His upside makes him worth owning in most leagues.

15. Gordon Hayward- I'm not quite sold on Hayward just yet since his game really lacks the aggression that fantasy starters tend to have on the wing. He did have seven assists, which bodes well for him getting the ball in his hands while Devin Harris figures out how to play basketball again. His range and shiny new starting gig makes him worth owning.

16. Jonas Jerebko- Jonas didn't play last year due to a torn Achilles after his phenomenal rookie campaign as a relative unknown. The Swede had 17 and five in the opener and had another tidy line of eight points, six boards, two steals and a three in 31 minutes. He starts and is one of the better big guys on the roster next to Greg Monroe. Owners needing a big man could do worse.

17 Lou Williams- Jrue Holiday is dealing with a minor knee injury and had to miss some time. It's believed to be a minor ailment and he shouldn't miss time. Lou hits threes, drops some dimes and can score to give him some value in competitive leagues.

18. Brandon Rush- Stephen Curry missed Wednesday's action with his perpetually injured ankle. Rush filled in admirably with a stellar line of 19 points, six boards, two steals, two blocks and two from distance in 26 minutes. He will have great value while Curry is on the mend and could emerge as a deep-league option off the bench as a sixth man since Klay Thompson doesn't look to be ready.

19. Grant Hill- He's an old, old man at 39 and had 16 years of experience on the tires. The Suns felt he had some good mileage left and signed him, so fantasy owners certainly shouldn't write him off yet. He got 27 minutes on Wednesday that yielded 14 points. He shoots the occasional three and adds some D and boards, too. There's not much upside, but most teams should have some safe guys to play in competitive leagues.

20. Evan Turner- He's coming off the bench behind Jodie Meeks right now and isn't exactly living up to the billing in his second season. Although he got 29 minutes on Wednesday (27 on Monday) and is firmly entrenched in the rotation. He hands out more assists than most SG, shoots some threes and is an adept interceptor. His arrow should point up in due time.

21. Jeremy Pargo- Mike Conley rolled his ankle on the tip and Pargo stepped in and played great with his 15 points, seven assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action. He also took three attempts from beyond the arc, so there's that as well for his value. If Conley is out for more than a couple games, you'll want to add J.P. in most leagues as a middle-class man's Lowry.

22. Mario Chalmers- Super Mario got a mushroom on Wednesday with 15 points, four assists and a three in 31 minutes. Norris Cole got just 17 minutes. I'd rather have Cole when it's all said and done though.

23. Landry Fields- Fields would have been barely worth owning in most leagues, but the injury to Iman Shumpert's MCL opens the door for him a bit. He is a decent rebounder for a two and he'll obviously hoist threes in D'Antoni's offense.

24. Ishmael Smith- Some of you might remember that before Kyle Lowry took off as the Waiver Wire Add of the Year Award winner (an unofficial award), Ismael Smith got out of the gate pretty quick following Aaron Brooks' devastating ankle injury. Smith is back with another ankle injury, this time with Stephen Curry. Ish was very good in his starting debut for GSW with 11 points six boards, four assists, two steals and a three in 29 minutes. That's solid production as a spot-start point guard even though it did come against a very friendly matchup vs. NYK.

25. Markieff Morris- The Suns were the biggest disaster on Wednesday and Morris was able to be on the court for 27 minutes. He has upside since he shoots the three and even made one in this game on his way to nine points and three boards in 4-of-5 shooting. The Suns have to be one of the worst teams in the league and it's only a matter of time before the youth movement is put in action.

26. Samardo Samuels- Samuels got a DNPCD in the opener because, well, he's a 260-pound man named Samardo Samuels. The Louisville Cardinal confessed he was out of shape because of the lockout and got some burn on Wednesday with 25 minutes. Those precious minutes equated to 17 points and four boards for him. Samardo takes high-percentage shots and should be helpful for those needing boards, points, and FG%. That's about it though.

27. Bill Walker- When a player gets hurt or has foul trouble, most of the time the common perception is that his backup will get the bulk of the vacated minutes. That's not the case with the Knicks. Tyson Chandler got into foul trouble and it looks like Walker got most of the spare time since the Knicks don't really have another capable big man. D'Antoni is more than comfortable trotting out STAT as his five and going small, so Walker is a suitable forward mate for Melo. Walker played 28 minutes against the Warriors, scored 14 points and hit a couple threes. He has shown some flashes and could be a decent guy in deep leagues. Also if Chandler, STAT or Melo go down, Walker would likely be the player to grab in some standard formats.

28. Tristan Thompson- The Cavs are likely going to be unloading Antawn Jamison's expiring contract once the deadline comes around. Thompson could be thrust into a starting gig once that happens. Until then, he'll be relegated to a bench role. That wasn't all that bad on Wednesday with 25 minutes that produced 10 points, four boards, a steal and two blocks. He made 5-of-8 from the field and should continue to shoot efficiently from the there. His owners will want to hope he doesn't get fouled based on his 48.7 percent made last year at Texas.

29. Hakim Warrick- Hakim Warrick got a DNPCD in the opener, then he leads the team in minutes with 32. Go figure. Warrick scored 14 and your guess is really as good as mine with regards to how these minutes will play out. Warrick has gone on hot stretches though.

30. Rudy Fernandez- Crazy Rudy did some damage off the bench for Denver with his 11 points, eight assists, and three triples in 30 minutes. He surprisingly got more burn that Arron Affalo (20 minutes) and this was partially due to the Jazz being downright awful. Rudy can get hot though and it wouldn't be a shock to see him knock down 2.0 3PM over a month at some point this season.

31. Jodie Meeks- Meeks is really a one-trick pony for threes. He got 30 minutes after getting just 17 on Monday and was able to knock down a couple threes en route to 13 points. Plan accordingly.

32. Ronnie Price- Ronnie Price has completely secured the backup job behind Steve Nash. He also gets some minutes at the two and could provide some deep-league value based on his game of 16 points, four assists, a steal, a block and a three in the loss to Philly. When the Suns play the really good teams, Price might be a sneaky play since there's no reason to play Steve Nash in a blowout.

33. Tracy McGrady- T-Mac looks fairly healthy. That is all.

34. Corey Maggette- Ditto.

35. D.J. White- White got the start and saw 35 minutes of action against the Heat on Wednesday. He had a nice night statistically with eight points, 11 boards and three blocks. If Tyrus Thomas misses more time with his gimpy ankle, he's a decent spot start. Hey, look what happened with Kwame Brown last year with Charlotte, right?

36. Marco Belinelli- Marco stepped in for the injured E.J. and was a big part of the win with 13 points, six boards, a steal and three triples. He should have value while Gordon is out of the lineup with a bruised knee. He probably won't miss much time though.

37. Robin Lopez- As I've said several times, the Suns are a mess and anything is possible. Ro-Lo had a big opener (21 & 7) and cooled off a bit on Wednesday seven points and six boards. The reason why he gained value is because of the level on uncertainty in the 602 (that's the Phoenix area code for the hip-impaired folks).

38. Chris Singleton- Singleton was one of the better defenders coming out of the draft this year and the Wizards were very wise to pick him. While Jan Vesely will get a lot of hype, Singleton should have a much faster track to relevance since defense translates a lot quicker to the league. He hit a three on Wednesday and could also occupy the steal and block cats for fantasy owners.

39. Kawhi Leonard- The R-Jeff hot start does rain on Leonard's parade a bit, but he's showing some production in his limited action. He pulled down eight boards in his 20 minutes on Wednesday. He'll be someone to think about as the geriatric Spurs need to rest.

40. Greivis Vasquez- Vazquez, despite just being traded to the team, has proved he is Jarrett Jack's backup.

42. Nikola Vucevic- Spencer Hawes has been great so far, so the days of Vucevic possibly hopping over Hawes appear to be way down the line. He did find the floor in garbage time and looked good in the process. Six points, six boards and a steal in 20 minutes is not a bad way to start an NBA career for a guy that can shoot the three.

43. Alec Burks- The Colorado Buffalo just saw 10 minutes of action on Wednesday. Those 10 minutes yielded 15 points in 6-of-9 shooting though. In case you haven't noticed, the Jazz are turrible and Burks could be used more at the two once they realize they had better get him some experience and look to the future. He doesn't have much of a three-point shot, but I'd expect him to command the ball quite a bit and should fill up the other categories nicely.

44. Bismack Biyombo- Ty Tom being out allowed Biyombo to show what he can do. He had an impressive swat on Chris Bosh and showed he had some quick feet on defense. He will need some time and hard work with the coaching staff to develop an offensive presence though. He finished with two points, four boards and two blocks in 13 minutes. It could have been worse.

45. James Anderson- Every time I watch James Anderson play, I'm impressed. He was a talented kid out of OK State and looks like his game could take it to the next level based on the preseason and what he has shown so far when it counts. Manu Ginobili generally has a tough time staying healthy and all signs point to Anderson being his understudy with George Hill out of the picture in Indy.

46. Greg Stiemsma- HEY! He blocked six shots in 20 minutes!

47. T.J. Ford- He is clearly Tony Parker's backup.

Thanks for reading and send me all your questions on Twitter @MikeSGallagher. Post your comments below, too.