Category Strategy: Post-Deadline Pickups

CATEGORY STRATEGY

Each week, this article highlights players who are widely available in standard leagues that can help in specific roto categories. Remember, while each player highlighted can help in a specific category, there's no guarantee for production in other areas.

POINTS

Gerald Henderson, SG, Bobcats - A lot of lesser owned players have boosted their value in this category recently, but if you missed out on the likes of Bradley Beal, Nick Young, Jeff Green and Gordon Hayward, then Henderson might be your best option on the waiver wire. Ben Gordon appears to have fallen out of favor a bit with coach Mike Dunlap, averaging less than 15 minutes over his last five contests. Gordon's loss has been Henderson's gain so far, with the Duke product averaging 15-plus points over that same stretch, while failing to see 30-plus minutes just once. Make no mistake, the Bobcats are terrible, and Henderson probably wouldn't be a key cog if he was on any other team, but right now, he's seeing enough looks to be valuable in mid-sized roto leagues, and he's only owned in 35 percent of Yahoo! leagues at the moment.

REBOUNDS

Thomas Robinson, PF, Rockets - The usual cast of characters are available here in Reggie Evans and Bismack Biyombo, and Jermaine O'Neal has somehow averaged almost 10 boards over the past two weeks, while barely seeing 20 minutes per night, but Robinson is the upside play, and let's face it, owning the active rookie is about 100 times more aesthetically appealing than inserting O'Neal into your lineup. Robinson is averaging 10.6 boards per 36 minutes this season, and the Rockets are pretty high on his potential, so it's not out of the question that he starts seeing 30-plus minutes, once he gets assimilated with the Rockets. Coach Kevin McHale said that he won't play Robinson until he practices with the team this week, so there is still plenty of uncertainty here, but in deeper leagues, he's definitely worth a flier.

ASSISTS

Andre Miller, PG, Nuggets - Once again, I'll mention Miller here, as he's unowned in more than 50 percent of leagues and is your best bet for assists off the waiver wire. Earl Watson is also an option in deeper leagues. As I've said in the past, assists are perhaps the most difficult stat to chase on the waiver wire, as typically only starting point guards are afforded the opportunity to distribute on a constant basis, whereas hustle stats like rebounds, blocks or steals can be more easily tracked down. If your league's trade deadline hasn't passed, targeting someone like Greivis Vasquez, Jeff Teague or Goran Dragic might be your best option.

STEALS

Avery Bradley, PG, Celtics - Bradley has been averaging 31 minutes over his past five contests, and he has 10 steals over that stretch. Jordan Crawford could potentially eat into his minutes a little, but Bradley brings so much to the table as an individual defender, that it's hard to see him not garnering close to 30 minutes per game the rest of the way. Plus, right now he's available in 62 percent of leagues. Tony Allen, Jason Kidd and Metta World Peace are also solid options.

BLOCKS

Tobias Harris, SF, Magic - Obviously, Harris won't block three shots every time out with Orlando, but it was certainly an impressive debut from that standpoint. Remember, he was getting drafted late in drafts in some deeper leagues this year with the expectation that he would possibly start at small forward for the Bucks. A change of scenery definitely seemed like the best course of action for Harris, as the Bucks' coaching staff had stopped playing the versatile small forward altogether. He saw 25 minutes off the bench in his first game with the Magic, and if he continues to impress, there's no reason they wouldn't continue to give him solid run. Moreover, he's available in virtually all leagues. Biyombo, O'Neal and Elton Brand will also accumulate solid numbers here.

THREE-POINTERS

Carlos Delfino, SF, Rockets - Delfino has been seeing big minutes since the Rockets traded away Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris and Toney Douglas, but even before those trades, he was hitting three-pointers at a high clip. He's attempted 31 treys over his past three games, and while that pace will certainly decrease a little, especially once Thomas Robinson starts getting worked into the rotation, it demonstrates just how able and willing Delfino is to let it fly from downtown. He is available in almost 75 percent of Yahoo! leagues and should be among the top pickups this week.

FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE

Thabo Sefolosha, SG, Thunder - Sefolosha's monster game against the Rockets has inflated his numbers here a little, as he's shooting almost 60 percent from the field over his last five games, but he's still a 48 percent shooter on the season, which is pretty commendable from the shooting guard spot. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook create a lot of open looks from the corner for Sefolosha, so he's rarely attempting well-contested shots. Jeff Green, Tiago Splitter and Chauncey Billups are also good options to help boost your team's shooting efficiency.