Empty the Bench

We’re through the doldrums of the fantasy season and into the all-important playoffs. It’s go time (whatever that means). On Tuesday I discussed the all-important tactic of streaming players in and out of your roster to maximize games played. Another wrinkle to this time of year is keeping track of all the tanking and injuries major and minor that will have youngsters across the league earning more playing time. These are some of the beneficiaries so far, and all of them make for solid streaming options or outright adds:

Kirk Snyder, G, Minnesota Timbrwolves: Nobody made much of the Kirk Snyder acquisition before the trade deadline, and rightfully so. He’s never been much of an impact player in the NBA and his natural skill and defense are the only things that kept him on a roster. Over the last month Snyder has actually been playing some pretty good basketball though, potentially fantasy-roster worthy basketball, and now it’s time to take note. Snyder has been in double-digit scoring for four of the last five games. He’s been in the starting lineup for 12 games and managed a line of 10 points, 4.6 boards, 2.3 assists, .6 steals and .6 blocks with percentages of 52.5% FGs and 80% FTs that make him especially streamable.

Martell Webster, G/F, Portland Traailblazers: Whenever Brandon Roy misses time Martell Webster steps up his offensive game, and that’s the case again. Initial reports on Roy’s injury don’t look good, and there’s a lot of speculation that he could miss the rest of the season. To be honest I’m surprised Roy lasted this long and that it’s his groin, not his foot, that is keeping him out — I projected Roy to go down a lot sooner. Webster’s percentages aren’t great, but he’s a tremendous source of threes and points — he’s dropped 45 points and 9 threes in the last two games.

Wilson Chandler, F, New York Knickerbockers: Isiah Thomas is determined to get the youngster involved as the season, and the Knicks roster, wears down. Chandler has been starting for ten games and he recorded his first career double-double last night. That marks five straight games of double-digit scoring for him and over the last week he’s put up 13.0 points, 5.3 boards and just 1.0 TOs on 54.8% FGs.

Chris Quinn, G, Miami Heat: It’s looking more and more like Jason Williams, along with the Miami Heat as a team, will be packing it in and calling it a season. That means the recently maligned Quinn should get ample opportunity to produce at least serviceable fantasy stats. He’s not great, but as a starter this season he’s averaging 9.3 points, 3.4 dimes, 1.4 steals and 1.1 threes on 46.5% FGs and 83.3% FTs. That can help a lot of teams, and he’s worth a spot-start for the others.

Six more players to check out after the jump…

Thaddeus Young, F, Philadelphia 76ers: After losing his starting gig and managing just 32 total points in a five-game stretch recently Thad got dropped in most leagues. He’s back, and he should be owned until further notice after three straight useful perofrmances. Over the last two months he’s been around 11 points, 5.5 boards, 1.2 steals and less than 1 TO on 57% FGs, a line that can be extremely useful on the right team.

Damien Wilkins, G/F, Seattle Supersonics: Wilkins is notorious for flirting with fantasy relevance a couple times a year, then falling off the face of the earth. He’s at it again with double-digit scoring in four consecutive games. He’s always going to mix in some boards, assists, steals and treys as well, so he might be worth grabbing for a start here and there.

Shawne Williams, F, Indiana Pacers: The 6-9, 22-year-old Williams has been on and off of rosters in deep leagues all season and his spotty play doesn’t make him somebody to hold on to, but he started for an injured Troy Murphy last night and is putting up 12 points, 3.3 boards, 1 three and nearly 1 block a game in the last week. He’s in line for more playing time as the regular season wraps up, so keep him in mind for add/drops.

Desmond Mason, G/F, Milwaukee Bucks: Desmond Mason is just coming back out of a funk after a minor injury, and he’s a smart add . Only the New Orleans Hornets have as many games as Milwaukee from here on out, so Mason is worth and end-of-the-roster spot. He’s been starting and playing well in February and March, and he’s the rare guard who can shoot over 50% FGs (51.2% in March after 52.1) in February), which has unique value for a lot of you.

Radoslav Nesterovic, C, Toronto Raptors: He’s probably gone in most leagues, but if not it’s time to scoop up Rasho. He got dropped by a lot of people expecting him to return to the bench with the return of Chris Bosh, but Nesterovic got the start over All-Bust Team candidate Andrea Bargnani last night and played over 46 minutes, scoring 15 points, snaring 9 boards and swatting 4 shots. That puts Rasho at a very respectable 13.2 points, 6.9 boards and 1 block on 56.4 FGs in March.

Travis Outlaw, F, Portland Trailblazers: Outlaw has been on a lot of rosters this season, but his poor March has caused him to be jettisoned en mass. He might be worth an add again while LaMarcus Aldridge is out. Outlaw started at power forward on Tuesday and played nearly 38 minutes, finishing with a line of 20 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, a block and a trey.