It’s Tuesday of Week 20 and the season is quickly winding down. To help you finish strong in your league, consider picking up one of the following players listed as a “jewel” below and/or dropping one of the players listed as a “fool”. Good luck in the final stretch!

Jewels

1. Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks – Always a raw talent, Villanueva left UConn early and never really put it together. For some reason, I’ve always liked him, but he’s always been a disappointment. However, I think that Villanueva has begun to put it together. He has outplayed rookie Yi Jianlian and has averaged over 24 pts/game the past week with Mo Williams out with an injury. Although Williams will be back soon, Villanueva is still a great pickup for the stretch run.
2. Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves – I loved this guy in college but did not think his game would translate too well to the NBA. Still, I think Smith is a solid option. He has been averaging almost 14 pts/game with about 4 rebs/game while shooting over 70% from the field and the line over the past week. Keep him on your watch list, and with superstars like Dwyane Wade being shut down, considering scooping Smith up.
3. Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers – The energy guy playing with Lebron James, Varejao has been a rebounding machine recently. Although he has not been shooting particularly well, he has been averaging a double-double with Ilgauskas injured. Quickly scoop him up if he is available in your league.

Fools

1. Joe Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers – I really think that Smith has diminished in value since he was traded to the Cavs. Lebron James controls too much of the ball on this team and Smith does not see too many touches. Ilgauskas and Varejao will get more rebounds and Smith has seen a dip in shooting percentages lately. He is still scoring double digits per game, but does not add too much more value beyond scoring and rebounds. Get rid of him as soon as possible.
2. Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets – Do not be fooled by Wright’s 14 pts/game and 5.7 rebs/game in the past week. When David West returns from injury (most likely this Wednesday), Wright will be once again relegated to the bench and will see little playing time. If you picked him up based on last week’s stats, drop him for one of the guys above.
3. Kurt Thomas, San Antonio Spurs – I know that this guy is a grinder and adds a lot of defensive value for the Spurs, but that does not translate into fantasy value. Since being traded to the Spurs, Thomas has seen his touches diminish, and he is averaging almost 3 fewer points and rebounds per game. Thomas is a solid player, but with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, he has very little value.

Happy waiver wire-ing. And as always, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.

Mike
Senior Writer