February 27, 2009, 2:53 PM

Working the Wire: Gomes, Garcia among best available

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McKitish By Brian McKitish
Special to ESPN.com
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I've always hated ranking fantasy players. Not only are most ranking systems flawed in one way or another, but individual rankings are worthless unless you consider the context of how well a player fits with the strengths and weaknesses of your team. For example, Roger Mason may be a great pickup for most folks right now, but his relative value is much greater to a team that is in a tight race for 3-pointers than it is for a team that is 40-50 3-pointers behind the next-closest competitor. In fact, if you're not close to gaining ground in 3s, Mason probably isn't even worth your time. It's all relative to the circumstances, particularly this late in the season when owners really need to start focusing on specific categories rather than overall value.

Jarrett Jack
Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty ImagesJarrett Jack has been a consistent offensive force during the past two weeks.
Still, I can understand why an owner might want to see rankings, particularly when it comes to pickups. When combining last week's trade deadline with the wave of recent injuries that has plagued the NBA, fantasy owners have had an abundance of quality players to choose from when scouring the waiver wire. Do you grab Aaron Brooks or Jarrett Jack? Ryan Gomes or Marquis Daniels? These are tough choices. And with that in mind, I've decided to rank my personal top five pickup options from the past week based on overall value. These players were profiled in last week's column, but they are still available in many leagues as owners continue to tweak their lineups.

Top Five Pickups

1. Ryan Gomes, SF/PF, Timberwolves: In case you hadn't noticed, Gomes has been a beast since Al Jefferson went down, and he'll continue to be a great option for points, steals, 3-pointers and free throw percentage while contributing modestly on the boards. He should perform close to his past-five-game averages of 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 3-pointers, while shooting 85 percent from the line.

2. Francisco Garcia, SG/SF, Kings: Garcia isn't dominant in any one category, but he's as versatile as they come, with the rare ability to contribute in points, steals, blocks, 3-pointers and free throw percentage. The fact that he's a potential 1/1/1 candidate in steals, blocks and 3s should make him a worthwhile addition in fantasy leagues. And no, I'm not that worried about Andres Nocioni's push for a starting gig. The Kings are in full rebuilding mode and they would be stupid not to give Garcia the opportunity.

3. Jarrett Jack, PG, Pacers: You probably wouldn't know it unless you owned him, but Jack is averaging a cool 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 3-pointers in his past five games. Of course, he won't be as productive once Danny Granger returns, but with Mike Dunleavy out as well, Jack should be able to sustain most of his value even after Granger returns.

4. Aaron Brooks, PG, Rockets: Brooks is winning the position battle with Kyle Lowry, and even though he isn't out of the woods yet, he is the point guard you want to own in Houston. He'll be a fantastic option for those who need 3s, and he is averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 3-pointers and a steal in 9 starts this season. Just be sure to monitor the breakdown of minutes between him and Lowry on a nightly basis.

5. Marquis Daniels, SG/SF, Pacers: Daniels would be higher on this list, but with Jarrett Jack playing so well, I'm less confident in Daniels' ability to sustain his value once Danny Granger returns to the court. That said, Daniels was solid earlier this season with Granger healthy and Mike Dunleavy out. He is averaging 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.8 3-pointers in his past five games and remains a quality pickup in leagues of all sizes.

Pickups (listed in order of confidence)

Players named last week who remain quality waiver-wire additions in fantasy leagues: Gomes, Garcia, Jack, Brooks, Daniels, Andray Blatche, Roger Mason, Matt Barnes and Antonio McDyess.

Delonte West, PG/SG, Cavaliers (28.9 percent owned): West returned to the Cavs' lineup Sunday to post 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 5 3-pointers in 33 minutes of action. Of course, he may have come out of the gates a little too strong because he was forced to miss his next game with soreness in his wrist. West will have some pain in his wrist the rest of the way, but he played Thursday and is a solid start whenever he's on the court. He is a versatile fantasy performer who was averaging 12.6 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 3-pointers prior to going down with the wrist injury in January.

Andres Nocioni, SF/PF, Kings (32.1 percent owned): Nocioni has played so well in three games since the trade to Sacramento that there has been some speculation that he could potentially steal Francisco Garcia's starting spot. I don't think that's likely to happen, but that doesn't mean that Nocioni can't have value off the bench. Since joining the Kings, Nocioni has averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 3-pointers and a steal in 29.0 minutes. He'll be solid as long as he continues to get 25-30 minutes per game.

Joel Przybilla, C, Trail Blazers (4.0 percent owned): I'm not going to lie: I'm more than just a little concerned about Greg Oden's knee injury. Oden has already missed five games with the so-called "minor" injury and is expected to miss his sixth Friday. With that said, Przybilla is a nice little addition for anyone looking to bolster their frontcourt. He won't do much on the offensive end, but he has averaged 10.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a block per game in his past five.

Drew Gooden
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty ImagesDrew Gooden recorded a double-double in his first game with the Kings.
Drew Gooden, PF/C, Kings (73.8 percent owned): Gooden would be higher on this list if it weren't for his worrisome groin injury and the fact that the Kings still want to see as much of Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson as possible. Gooden made his Sacramento debut Wednesday with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes but appeared to tweak his groin later in the game. He'll have some value as a double-double threat if he's healthy, but his upside is limited with the Kings in full youth-movement mode.

Matt Bonner, PF/C, Spurs (2.6 percent owned): Bonner had a nice little stretch earlier in the season, and he's back at it again with 11.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 2.2 3-pointers in the month of February. These aren't groundbreaking numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but Bonner can be useful for those who are looking for a boost from behind the 3-point line. Tim Duncan's quad injury will also give Bonner more opportunities to shine in the short term.

Jason Maxiell, PF/C, Pistons (2.2 percent owned): I'm taking a leap of faith on Maxiell, mostly because the struggling Pistons need to shake things up after losing eight straight games. The Pistons are going to have to do something drastic to get out of this funk and Maxiell might just be the guy they need to right the ship. Michael Curry has already shown signs that he's willing to give Maxiell more run, as the big man has seen at least 20 minutes in each of his past four games. During that time, he has averaged 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds and could potentially be a double-double threat if the Pistons continue to let him loose.

Thabo Sefolosha, SG/SF, Thunder (0.6 percent owned): I mentioned Thabo as a player to watch in last week's column, and I wasn't surprised to see him starting in just his second game with Oklahoma City. Sefolosha scored seven points while adding three rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes Tuesday night, and he figures to be the starting shooting guard for the Thunder for the rest of the season. His upside on the offensive end is fairly limited, but Sefolosha could be one of the league's best steals artists in the NBA the rest of the way. Be sure to give him a good, long look if you need help in steals.

Chris Andersen, PF/C, Nuggets (3.5 percent owned): If you need blocks, look no further than the Birdman. Andersen has swatted 3.6 shots per game with 6.8 rebounds in his past five, and he's getting it done on the defensive end with Nene sidelined. Unfortunately, Andersen doesn't do much else and Nene might return to action soon. Still, Nene should be somewhat limited upon his return, so Andersen will at least have some short-term value in the shot-blocking department.

Watch List

Anthony Randolph, SF/PF, Warriors (0.7 percent owned): Randolph was suggested last week, but deserves another mention here after Don Nelson said that he's willing to give his youngsters some more playing time down the stretch. Randolph has been super-productive in limited minutes this season, so there is a considerable amount of upside here if Nellie decides to let him loose.

Yi Jianlian, SF/PF, Nets (12.5 percent owned): I didn't put Yi on the pickups list because I'm not completely sold that he can become a consistent fantasy threat. He'll have his moments, particularly from downtown, but he will likely be too inconsistent to rely on in fantasy leagues. He's worth a look only if you're taking a flier on his upside and need some help in 3-pointers.

Brandon Rush, SG/SF, Pacers (1.8 percent owned): He's not quite ready for prime time yet, but fantasy owners have to like what they've seen out of Rush in limited minutes this season. I actually see him as a future 1/1/1 (steals/blocks/3-pointers) guy, and can't wait to see what is in store for him once he matures as a player. For right now, though, we'll have to settle for intermittent flashes of brilliance due to a lack of playing time. With both Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy out, Rush will see some extra run in Indiana and is worth a flier for his potential to put up a big game here and there.

Brian McKitish is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com. He can be reached at bmckitish@yahoo.com.