College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.

Power Conferences

Earl Timberlake, F, Miami

This is three times in four weeks this column is led off by a Miami Hurricane, and I promise that has nothing to do with the fact I donate there (minimally!). The fact is Jim Larranaga's squad remains riddled by injury and nightly rotations will vary. They recently got Timberlake back from an ankle injury, and the talented freshman provided 12 points, five boards and two assists in his debut. In the short term, he looks like he'll be forced to play, and will in turn produce. The long term could see him slide down as the 'Canes get healthy before he rises again, as the talent is too great to keep him sidelined.

Trey Wertz, G, Notre Dame

Last week's ruling, declaring all transfers eligible, should create a waiver wire frenzy for season-long redraft leagues, with Wertz square atop the target list. He didn't start in his first eligible game, but did so in his second with he Irish playing a small, four-guard lineup. It led to 27 points, five assists and four rebounds. The scoring isn't sustainable, but the overall body of work is, and Wertz should be an immediate add as a result.

Pete Nance, F, Northwestern

We've seen Nance flash previously, as evident by his inclusion in this same column just over a year ago. Last year, he flamed out a bit, but early returns in 2020 are encouraging that his increased production is here to stay.

Power Conferences

Earl Timberlake, F, Miami

This is three times in four weeks this column is led off by a Miami Hurricane, and I promise that has nothing to do with the fact I donate there (minimally!). The fact is Jim Larranaga's squad remains riddled by injury and nightly rotations will vary. They recently got Timberlake back from an ankle injury, and the talented freshman provided 12 points, five boards and two assists in his debut. In the short term, he looks like he'll be forced to play, and will in turn produce. The long term could see him slide down as the 'Canes get healthy before he rises again, as the talent is too great to keep him sidelined.

Trey Wertz, G, Notre Dame

Last week's ruling, declaring all transfers eligible, should create a waiver wire frenzy for season-long redraft leagues, with Wertz square atop the target list. He didn't start in his first eligible game, but did so in his second with he Irish playing a small, four-guard lineup. It led to 27 points, five assists and four rebounds. The scoring isn't sustainable, but the overall body of work is, and Wertz should be an immediate add as a result.

Pete Nance, F, Northwestern

We've seen Nance flash previously, as evident by his inclusion in this same column just over a year ago. Last year, he flamed out a bit, but early returns in 2020 are encouraging that his increased production is here to stay. He's scored in double-digits in four of five, and has at least seven boards in every outing, posting his first double-double over the weekend. He's a solid two-category option in Big Ten leagues.

Eric Hunter, G, Purdue

Hunter is another repeat from this time last year. For this season, he's coming along nicely after missing four games to open the year. His scoring has improved in every outing, up to a season-high 18 Saturday against Notre Dame, where he also dished out eight assists. That facilitation isn't sustainable, but he's averaging 3.8 assists and if he can push that number north of four, he'll be a viable option beyond Big Ten circles.

Avery Anderson, G, Oklahoma State

Anderson started Sunday for the first time this year, and while the return wasn't huge (11 points, six boards, three steals) nor was the result desired (losing 77-74 to Texas), the fact is Anderson played 34 minutes. It's rare at any point in a year to find someone with new-found playing time, and as such, Anderson is well worth a speculative add in Big 12 circles with the hope this new role is permanent. 

Kevin Samuel, C, TCU

Gauging ownership is never easy for this column. In Big 12 leagues, Samuel is likely an early round pick, but in deeper player pools, he may still be available as his game-to-game production is very inconsistent. That said, he swatted seven shots his last time out and is averaging a cool 3.0 blocks to go with 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. Likely having center eligibility only boosts the appeal, and you can find your scoring elsewhere to supplement.

Paul Scruggs, G, Xavier  

Scruggs is playing at an elite level, and given that the Musketeers haven't had schedule interruptions, he's likely been scooped up in most leagues. But if not, that needs to change immediately. He pumped in 29 points Sunday against Marquette, his third-straight 20-point effort, and is averaging a robust 7.0 assists and 2.1 steals. 

Joel Brown, G, California

Brown is an interesting fantasy option. Full disclosure, he's not going to have national appeal as he's an absolute albatross in scoring, averaging a mere 4.5 points. But scoring is the easiest stat to find, and Brown can be a nice roto player in Pac-12-heavy leagues. He's started four straight, has contributed 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals across 29.8 minutes. That can certainly help lineups.

L.J. Figueroa, F, Oregon

The Ducks lost N'Faly Dante to a torn ACL, and Figueroa stepped into the starting lineup as a result. We won't read too much into the 22 minutes played, as Oregon blew San Francisco out. Figueroa posted a season-high 15 points, and we expect similar results to follow, hopefully allowing him to at least mirror last year's production while at St. John's, 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.9 spg.

Luis Rodriguez, G, Mississippi

Rodriguez is rebounding at an elite clip for a guard, averaging 8.6 boards and posting double-figures twice in five outings. He's scored at least nine points in four straight, and is chipping in 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals as well. 

Iverson Molinar, G, Mississippi State

Hopefully we're not too late to the Molinar party, as the sophomore is in the midst of a big breakout season. He averaged a mere 5.9 points and 1.1 rebounds across 15.4 minutes last year, but the playing time has essentially doubled, and the production has done more than that. Molinar is averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg, numbers that will play in any lineup.

Tier 2 Conferences

Damian Dunn, G, Temple

The Owls just got their season underway Saturday, so it's likely their rotational pieces are available given their delay, and it's also likely we didn't know how their lineup would shake out. Dunn had a brilliant debut, going for 18 points, seven boards and four assists. That came against NJIT, so likely isn't repeatable against better competition, but Dunn played 37 minutes and had a 28.1 percent usage rate, which should lend itself to staying power.

Alexis Yetna, F, South Florida

Yetna has been brought along a little slowly after missing last season due to a knee injury, but he's now scored in double-digits in four straight, and is coming off of his first double-double of the year while playing a season-high 37 minutes, somehow doing so with only a 14.1 percent usage. The Bulls don't have much depth, playing only six folks here extensively, so Yetna should remain a key rotational piece.

Jake Laravia, F, Indiana State

Laravia was white hot Saturday, dropping 27 points in just 23 minutes. He's been in double-figures in all four of his outings to date, and is averaging 15.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg after just 9.4 ppg and 5.9 rpg a year go. We'd expect him to find more success once league play begins as well, so a small uptick wouldn't surprise.

Desmond Cambridge, G, Nevada

The Brown transfer is still finding his way at his new home, as consistency has plagued him. He pumped in 23 points or more in three straight outings over the last 10 days, but also has five games this year with single-digits. It's led to an up and down 14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.7 apg. He's taking a tick over 13 shots nightly, and with that volume, we'd think the scoring becomes a bit more stable on a nightly basis as the shots just need to fall.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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