Wire to Wire aims to be your waiver wire resource for all of your fantasy basketball needs. It will dive into playing time trends, injury replacements, and even an occasional category specialist—all of which can be found on a typical waiver wire within your fantasy league at any given time.

Only a few nights back from All-Star weekend, and we’ve already had our first superstar go down with a major injury. All-World guard Dwyane Wade could miss up to six weeks with a separated shoulder. While this is truly unfortunate, it will provide a lot of opportunities for other players. Couple this with a few teams experiencing holes of their own, and we have ourselves yet another week of solid waiver wire potential.

(All statistics as of Feb. 22)

Shallow Leagues

Shaun Livingston, PG, Los Angeles Clippers
52 G; 30.2 MPG; 9.4 PPG; 3.5 RPG; 5.0 APG; 0.1 3PM; 46.1 FG%; 70.8 FT%; 1.1 SPG; 0.6 BPG; 2.0 TO
What caught my attention about Livingston has been his sneaky-good ability to rack up steals over the last month. What makes me even more intrigued is that the Clippers labeled him as one of the “untouchables” before this year’s trade deadline, meaning he’s definitely in their future plans. Sam Cassell can’t hold down the fort forever, and Livingston has the tools to be a top point guard for the next seven years. I would assume that this plan would commence soon, but for now enjoy the assists and steals.

Joe Smith, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
28 G; 23.4 MPG; 8.1 PPG; 5.6 RPG; 0.5 APG; 0 3PM; 43.6 FG%; 83.8 FT%; 0.5 SPG; 0.3 BPG; 0.9 TO
I was all over Smith once Chris Webber was cut, but Philadelphia threw a curve ball out of the gate and gave Steven Hunter some moderate playing time, effectively lowering Smith’s. February has brought a different twist, allowing Smith’s minutes to creep back into the 30s, enough time to put up several double-digit games with solid rebounding totals. What gives Smith a bump into a shallow-league addition is his ability to hit free throws at a high rate for a big man, which has been a surprisingly shallow position this season.

Standard Leagues

Anderson Varejao, SF/PF/C, Cleveland Cavaliers
53 G; 23.2 MPG; 7.1 PPG; 6.6 RPG; 0.8 APG; 0 3PM; 46.9 FG%; 61.9 FT%; 0.8 SPG; 0.6 BPG; 0.8 TO
With Zydrunas Ilgauskas missing the last few games, the fantasy world has gotten a chance to see what Varejao can do with extended minutes—including a studly 16-point, 15-rebound, one-block evening against the Raptors. I would put him in as a shallow recommendation if it wasn’t for the eventual return of Ilgauskas. Varejao will still get his chance to shine, and likely will get enough minutes to produce, but be prepared for those nights when foul trouble looms, as he’s been known to tack them on early and often.

LaMarcus Aldridge, SF/PF/C, Portland Trailblazers
46 G; 19.4 MPG; 7.1 PPG; 3.9 RPG; 0.4 APG; 0 3PM; 49.1 FG%; 71.1 FT%; 0.2 SPG; 1.0 BPG; 0.7 TO
Aldridge’s stats are eerily similar to those of Varejao, right down to the position eligibility. The main difference here is that the rookie gets his minutes every night, so Aldridge’s production is limited to the nights that he can log minutes at the center slot along with Joel Przybilla and Jamaal Magloire. Both of the aforementioned are fading fast, and the future is in Aldridge’s hands. With that said, I expect Aldridge to be a fantasy factor for the rest of the season.

Eddie Jones, SG/SF, Miami Heat
7 G; 15.3 MPG; 5.0 PPG; 1.9 RPG; 0.9 APG; 0.7 3PM; 59.1 FG%; 80.0 FT%; 0.7 SPG; 0 BPG; 0.4 TO
The injury to Dwyane Wade will free up a ton of touches for the rest of the Miami Heat. I think that Jason Kapono (along with any healthy point guard) will be the biggest benefactor(s). Odds are, they’re already on rosters, while Eddie Jones is not. He won’t give you Ray Allen numbers, but his contributions over the next six weeks should give fantasy teams a boost in scoring, threes and free throw percentage.

Andray Blatche, SF/PF, Washington Wizards
33 G; 9.3 MPG; 3.0 PPG; 3.1 RPG; 0.6 APG; 0.1 3PM; 41.0 FG%; 58.3 FT%; 0.3 SPG; 0.5 BPG; 0.6 TO
Though Kevin Garnett is apparently not a fan, fantasy owners should be as Blatche has been hitting the boards hard since Antawn Jamison went down. Owners looking for a quick fix on the glass should give Blatche a look because Jamison is slated to miss the next two weeks nursing his knee injury. An added bonus is when Blatche does his best Jamison impression and nails the occasional deep ball.

Deep Leagues

Mike James, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
54 G; 28.0 MPG; 11.1 PPG; 2.3 RPG; 4.1 APG; 1.0 3PM; 42.4 FG%; 87.8 FT%; 0.7 SPG; 0.1 BPG; 1.9 TO
James has been one of fantasy’s biggest busts this season and has lost his starting job to rookie Randy Foye. So why should you add him? Apparently, James has taken fine to his new role and has added quite the scoring punch off the bench to the tune of at least 17 points in each of his last two games despite limited minutes. Mike James is hardly the answer for your team, but at this rate, it’s worth giving him a shot in deeper leagues.

James Posey, SG/SF, Miami Heat
43 G; 25.1 MPG; 6.8 PPG; 4.7 RPG; 1.3 APG; 1.4 3PM; 41.7 FG%; 82.9 FT%; 0.9 SPG; 0.3 BPG; 0.7 TO
While I think Eddie Jones will see an increase in his fantasy production that standard league owners can use to their advantage, James Posey likely also will see an increase in playing time. Posey used to be one of fantasy’s best kept secrets a few years back, so he has the potential to make an impact. If he can get his minutes in the upper-20s, 12 points, four boards, two assists and a steal for good measure could be possible.

Gerald Green, SF/PF, Boston Celtics
52 G; 19.4 MPG; 9.2 PPG; 2.4 RPG; 0.9 APG; 1.3 3PM; 43.9 FG%; 78.2 FT%; 0.5 SPG; 0.4 BPG; 1.3 TO
Near the top of the list of players who simply can’t stay healthy this year is Wally Szczerbiak. His absence has allowed us to see the potential of players like Green and Tony Allen. Unfortunately, Allen is done for the season with a knee injury of his own, so this leaves the high-flier Green to gather up any extra minutes that may come his way. He hasn’t been cracking the 20-minute mark as of late, but this could change as the Celtics head into lottery mode.