Fantasy College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Conference play is a grind, and many teams have been tinkering with lineups and roles to try to put their best foot forward and make a run. Below are a number of players who are ascending and deserve to be owned in more leagues than they currently are. 

Power Conferences

Keba Keita, F/C, Utah

Keita has now started the last four games, and it appears he could be the teams long-term answer at power forward. He is averaging 11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in those fours starts and is shooting a strong 65.5 percent from the field over that stretch. Keita has three double-doubles this season, and I would expect to see a few more before the regular season ends. 

DJ Davis, G, Butler

Davis averaged 15.0 ppg at UC-Irvine last season and has propelled that into a strong season in a much better conferences. Davis is coming off a season-high 28 points in a win over Villanova in which he knocked down five treys. The senior had three average games a couple weeks ago, but in his last three, he is putting up 20.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 three-pointers, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. 

Lance Jones, G, Purdue

The play of this Southern Illinois transfer is a big reason why many think Purdue has a great chance to win it all in March. Jones is absolutely hitting his stride, as he is putting up 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 three-pointers and 2.2 steals over the last five games. Jones gets a lot of open looks from the outside playing with Zach Edey, but he also has really stepped up his intensity on defense and worked to become a better distributor. 

AJ Storr, G, Wisconsin

Purdue is great, but it is Wisconsin that leads the way in the Big Ten. No longer a team that relies on defense to win, the Badgers boast the No. 4 adjusted offensive efficiency in the country, per KenPom. A big reason for that is the play of the St. John's transfer. Storr is 11th in the Big Ten at 15.9 PPG and has eclipsed 20 points on five occasions. Storr has flashed potential for contributions in other statistical categories, with a double-double and two games with at least three treys in the last four outings. 

Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State

Hubbard has been one of the best sixth men in the country, but he might end up being a starter going forward because he has completely outplayed veteran Dashawn Davis. Hubbard started his first game Saturday against Auburn and went for a ho-hum 17 points. The game before that, he hung 26 on Florida and jacked up a whopping 17 three-point attempts. If you need an inflection of scoring and outside shooting, there are few options better than Hubbard widely available in most leagues. 

Jabri Abdur-Rahim, G/F, Georgia

Abdur-Rahim has taken a big step forward as a senior. After a few down games to start SEC play, he has turned things around against some of the best teams in the conference. Over the last five games, Abdur-Rahim is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 three-pointers per contest. That includes a 34-point outburst against Kentucky. Georgia is continuing to push the pace recently, and that allows a player like Abdur-Rahim to thrive from a fantasy perspective. 

Felix Okpara, F/C, Ohio State

A lot of Okpara's value comes from his shot-blocking ability. He has at least one block in every game this season and his 2.5 BPG rank second in the Big Ten. The scoring is what it is, but Okpara is averaging 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks over his last six games. Those are enough to warrant fantasy consideration and make Okpara enticing in category-based leagues. 

Will Richard, G, Florida

Florida plays in the perfect kind of fast, high-scoring offensive system that makes a number of its players fantasy relevant. Richard has been the latest to feel the effects of that, averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks over the last three games. Be sure to pick up Richard this week to take advantage of that hot streak and get him in what should be absolute shootout against Kentucky on Wednesday. 

Other Conferences

Aaron Scott, G/F, North Texas

If you're looking a player who can contribute to your fantasy team in all categories, look no further than Scott. Over the last eight games the junior is putting up 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.3 steals per contest. Scott gets UAB, South Florida and Tulsa up next, all pretty middling defensive teams in the American Athletic Conference. 

Julius Mims, F/C, Idaho

Idaho has been one of the worst teams in Division I this season, but if there is a positive, it is Mims, who leads the Big Sky at 1.6 BPG. The 6-9 big man has also developed as a shooter as the season has gone on. Over the last six games, Mims is averaging 14.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 three-pointers per contest. He is shooting 71.1 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from downtown over that stretch. 

Jaquan Carlos, G, Hofstra

Hofstra has two elite scorers on their team in Tyler Thomas (21.4 PPG) and Darlinstone Dubar (18.9 PPG), but it's really the play of Carlos that keeps everything flowing smoothly. His 6.2 APG easily is tops in the CAA and he has posted double-digit assists on three separate occasions this season. Over the last eight games Carlos is averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers and 1.4 steals. 

Latrell Reid, G, Saint Peter's

While Reid is not a good shooter, he does find ways to be productive on offense by driving into the paint to draw fouls or kicking it out to open shooters. Reid has averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the last six games. He is a big reason why this team has won eight of its last ten games and is in the race to win the MAAC and return to the NCAA Tournament.