Welcome back! The draft and the first couple weeks of the season are by far the most important times for you and your fantasy team. It's with that idea in mind that we are going to beat the waiver wire to death on guys you can add to help you. I touched on 47 guys (!!) that gained value and were widely available in ESPN Leagues in Waiver Wire Scoops, so you absolutely have to check that out. Today we're basically going to do the same thing. I also did another Pick-N-Roll Show that went over all the injury news, the box scores from Thursday and gave a preview of players to watch for every game on Friday. If it looks like I'm trying too hard to be your go-to fantasy hoops analyst, it's because I am. Send me any question, add/drop decision, or trade prop to me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher and I'll get to it at my earliest convenience.
Daily Waiver Wire Scoops and Pick-N-Roll after the jump:
Line of the Night: Ty Lawson stole the show with a colossal line of 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, four boards, three assists, two 3-pointers and an incredible eight steals. He is one of the best point guards going in fantasy and looks like every bit of a fantasy star.
Here are the guys that gained value from Thursday's action:
1. Ryan Anderson- Anderson had another big game with 22 points including three treys in 33 minutes in the starting role. Orlando is not as deep as usual and Anderson doesn't have much in his way from being a productive player for points, boards and threes. He went on a tear last year for over a month and he is one of the hottest fantasy properties right now. Grab him.
2. Samuel Dalembert- Sammy D should probably be owned in your league and if he's not it won't be long before he's swooped up. He blocked four shots and grabbed seven boards in 20 minutes. He can block with the best of them and he should be able to grab 27 MPG with his new team once he gets acclimated.
3. DeJuan Blair- The Pitt Panther followed up his 20-7 game with another gem on Thursday to the tune of 22 points and 12 boards in 29 minutes. We've seen Blair do this before and he could fall off as soon as this weekend. We should give him the benefit of the doubt in the new season and he's really a must-own guy in all competitive leagues.
4. Chuck Hayes- Yes, DeMarcus Cousins, or CHUG DMC as I like to call him, was in foul trouble and that allowed Hayes to play 34 minutes that yielded a line of seven points, 10 boards and a steal in the loss. Boogie Cousins is going to be in foul trouble quite a bit and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see Hayes play over 28 MPG even on a night where Cousins doesn't foolishly foul. He has a nice roto game and is someone to consider in most leagues.
5. Marshon Brooks- In the interest of full disclosure, you should probably take this with a grain of salt since I'm a big Marshon Brooks fan. OK. Well, Brooks put up 17 for his second game in a row and this line was a bit more impressive with three assists, a steal and two threes on his 7-of-15 shooting. The Nets have a bunch of garbage on the wing besides Anthony Morrow with Damion James, Sundiata Gaines and DeShawn Stevenson, so it won't take much for Brooks to make a splash even in the short term. Morrow could slide to the three to give the Nets more of a presence on the perimeter since they don't have the personnel to win in the paint right now sans Brook. Marshon might go beast mode soon enough, so pick him up before it's too late in most leagues.
6. Al Harrington- Harrington didn't really gain value, per se, but he didn't lose it either. He scored eight boards, pulled down five boards and stole two in 23 minutes. He also took four threes (missed all of them), too.He has nice upside as a power forward that can connect on threes and should get consistent minutes on a relatively thin bench.
7. Mehmet Okur- Okur got the start and withstood Dwight Howard to a degree with a so-so game of nine points, six boards and a three in 26 minutes. He is only going to get better and he really should be owned in most leagues since not many center-eligible guys can bury treys. He should be averaging 12-8 lines with some threes mixed in there, which is niiice for standards.
8. Jimmer Fredette- Jimmer Time is starting to gain some steam and he is starting to make the transition from pure scorer to ball handler. Coach Westphal was coaching him up on the sideline and Jimmer was bringing up the ball more in the second half even with Tyreke Evans on the court. As for his stat line, nothing to be embarrassed with 14 points, three assists and two threes in 24 minutes. He is on the upswing and it won't be long before his ownership starts to approach 100 percent. I don't fault you for not grabbing him, but if you are the slightest bit interested for a guy that really has a nice upside, the clock is ticking and he probably won't be available for owners in standards much longer.
9. Delonte West- West got the start for Dallas and is starting to get in the swing of things with his new teammates. He was on the floor for 23 minutes and filled it up nicely with 15 points, four boards, six assists, two steals and a three. Those numbers will help almost any team in fantasy and he's someone that should at least be on every radar. Only 14-team leagues should grab him at this point though. It's also worth noting that Roddy Buckets did not play in this game.
10. J.J. Redick- J.J. had his second productive game in a row and is likely to see a mild boost in value with one of his backcourt mates down with Jameer Nelson hurt (neck). The Duke star poured in 15 points with two triples and a steal in 23 minutes. He should be able to touch 28 minutes per game (assuming no Nelson) this weekend.
11. Bill Walker- Amare Stoudemire sprained his ankle on Thursday and is considered as day-to-day. I touched on Walker yesterday as a guy that would be a nice handcuff for STAT, Melo and Chandler, and it looks like we could find out if I was correct pretty quick. The Knicks don't have much behind STAT with Josh "Don't Call Me Woody" Harrellson and Renaldo Balkman not really capable of playing more than 20 minutes per night. Walker has nice upside with some boards, threes and D, so he's a decent guy to try and add for owners looking for a head-to-head edge this weekend.
12. Tiago Splitter- Splitter, like most of the San Antonio frontcourt guys, will likely have a roller-coaster season with minutes and production. Splitter was a sleeper last year based on his work with the Brazil National Team with points, boards and blocks. Splits double-double with 10 points, 11 boards and a block in 25 minutes. Beware of his ugly shooting from the line of 54 percent in his career.
13. Chris Duhon- Jameer Nelson suffered a neck stinger on Thursday and could miss some time. Duhon did a fair job out there by turning in a line of nine points, four assists, a steal and three from downtown in 28 minutes. He won't be piling up the assists or anything, but it wouldn't be a stretch to see him have a 10-6 line with a couple threes. Plan accordingly.
14. Ian Mahinmi- Brendan Haywood's 32-year-old frame is starting to show signs of wear and tear. He looked tired in the fourth quarter and had trouble making his presence felt in the paint against the athletic Thunder squad. Mahinmi looked fresh out there and was fairly efficient with nine points and two offensive rebounds in 21 minutes. He's a decent shooter from the line with a career average of 74 percent. He's someone to think about for owners in deep leagues that completely missed the boat on a center.
15. Kawhi Leonard- The San Diego State Aztec got the start in the second half and looked like he belonged even though the Spurs were already out of it by trailing 35-53 at half. Leonard finished with eight boards and four boards in 25 minutes. The bright side here is that he took three attempts from beyond the arc and added a steal. He can plug a lot of potential holes once the Coach Pop decides to rest guys, so consider him for your watch list in most leagues.
16. Sundiata Gaines- Gaines got the start against the Magic and wasn't the worst player on the team. He made 3-of-9 shots for eight points to go with four boards, three assists and a steal in 25 minutes. The Nets do not have their rotation set at this point and Gaines could be able to hit the 25-minute plateau every now and then. Deep only. Obviously.
17. Steve Blake- Blake had his shot working on Thursday and hit three from far away on his way to 11 points. He could be a decent source for threes for daily leagues looking for that extra edge (no max move leagues). His value would also go up if D-Fish missed time.
Thanks for reading! Post your comments below or send them to be on Twitter.
Here is the embedded Pick-N-Roll: