"I prefer carrying an expendable player on my fantasy team. It may sound strange, because many owners attempt to stockpile depth, but with the volatile nature of the waiver wire it's important to have the freedom to readily pounce on current "hot hands." Additionally, impressive bench depth isn't especially beneficial, unless your team becomes ravaged by injuries, and you're better off exchanging depth to upgrade your starting rotation. If nobody on your bench is droppable, you're prone to miss out on gems that surface on the waiver wire, and if they are undroppable they're probably worth starting on somebody's team -- so pursue a trade.
Below are some widely available players whose numbers have recently improved. If you analyze your roster and deem nobody worth dropping, I strongly suggest pursuing a 2-for-1 type trade that frees up a roster spot for a waiver wire addition and upgrades your starting rotation.
Tiago Splitter, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs (33.7 percent owned): Splitter's ownership has jumped significantly after five consecutive double-digit scoring efforts in which he's averaged 14.6 points on 72.5 percent shooting and 7.4 rebounds. He was a star in the Spanish ACB league, averaging 22.4 points on 58.3 percent shooting with 9.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in his final season, and although he's capable of helping in points, rebounds and blocks, his highest value category is field goal percentage. He's shooting 63.2 percent from the floor this season, the third-highest of any player with 20-plus minutes per game (behind DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler) and highest of anybody with at least five attempts per game. He's shot at least 50 percent from the floor in all but two games this season. He's also averaging 0.9 blocks in 20.9 minutes, and beginning to see increased run as Tim Duncan sees regular rest due to his age and the condensed season. Splitter's not getting enough minutes to be an unquestioned starter in most fantasy leagues, but he's got a high ceiling and will only see more playing time as his NBA career evolves.
James Johnson, SF, Toronto Raptors (18.7 percent owned): Johnson became a favorite of fantasy enthusiasts after averaging 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals in 25 games with the Raptors last season, boasting a rare combination in those categories. His offensive game is underwhelming, although he's shown some flashes of competency recently, with games of 18 and 23 points in the past week. He's the type that is regularly added and dropped due to his penchant for posting strings of single-digit scoring efforts, but if you plug him in and don't pay too much attention to the nightly contributions, the high steal and block totals will average out to be fantastic overall. He's averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in just 24.6 minutes and has 13 blocks in his past four contests. There are bound to be some bumps as his game develops, but if your team is in need of defensive stats, Johnson is already one of the best contributors in the league in his limited playing time.
C.J. Miles, SG/SF, Utah Jazz (12.0 percent owned): Miles proved he has scoring chops last season after averaging 17.1 points, 1.6 3s and 0.9 steals per game in March. He's emerging as the Jazz's primary wing scorer off the bench, with double-digit scoring efforts in his past four games, and averages of 13.8 points, 1.0 3s and 1.6 steals per game in his past five. His peripheral stats are mediocre, but points are difficult to find on the waiver wire, and Miles can score -- his 24.7 points per 48 minutes ranks 29th in the league, ahead of guys like Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay and Danny Granger. After notching at least 21 minutes in each of his past four contests, his PT seem to be on the rise, and he should see more and more floor time, as long as he keeps putting up double digits on the regular."
