Despite the long nights he keeps, Austin Brown brings a lunchpail-like (Nick-Collison-like?) work effort to Jumping the Waiver Wire this week, as he does every week.

Last week I was tired when writing this article because it was 2-something in the morning and looking back on it I feel like I actually made myself sound condescending toward office workers with my opening. So seeing as how this week I’m finishing up and it’s going on 4 a.m. I think it’s smart just not to lead in with anything at all.

I’ll say this though. I like what Eno wrote in his article last week. When he was talking watching minutes, he said "large increases in minutes are a blunt tool: anyone can see them once they happen," and discusses what it takes to predict changes in the future. That’s a nice thought and a very true statement, but you may find that I work in blunt instruments from time to time. (My ability to read the future is suspect.) Read on and you will hopefully find that the thought and effort I've put into each Jumping the Waiver Wire shines through as I search for my divining rod.

Nick Collison (Owned in 40 percent of all Yahoo! leagues) Give Chris Wilcox a little more floor time this season and his numbers are pretty much in line with the last few years. Reduce him to barely over 21 a game and you get people talking about his “disappointing season.” No, he hasn’t gotten a fair shake so far this year and with the arrival of Nenad Kristic he seems to be a non-factor in the Thunder’s plans for the time being, following a 12 minute evening Wednesday with two DNP – Coach’s Decisions. Enter Nick Collison. Fresh off of a broken thumb that had caused him to log just five minutes in seven games, Collison has been reborn the last three Thunder games to the tune of 15.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG on 68 percent from the field in 33 minutes. Court time up front will probably fluctuate as Kristic becomes more acclimated to the Thunder’s system, but right now you simply can’t deny the numbers.

Linas Kleiza (Owned in 20 percent of all Yahoo! leagues) With Carmelo Anthony sidelined 3 – 4 weeks with a fractured shooting hand, Kleiza has supplanted him in the starting lineup and based on last year’s numbers has proven value if given the opportunity. Last season, in 13 starts, Kleiza averaged 17.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 1.5 3PTM in 35 minutes. The main difference between his starts this year and last year will be the absence of Carmelo Anthony (19 shots per game) and the replacement of Allen Iverson with Chauncey Billups (a difference of six less shots per game). If his first two games without Anthony are any indication he will be quite the roller coaster ride. As owners lets just hope he has more games like Wednesday (21 points on 13 attempts) than Friday (one point on six attempts). 

Sebastian Telfair (Owned in six percent of all Yahoo! leagues) Nine weeks ago when I recommended Telfair it was with a little hesitancy, which was well founded as he tailed off almost immediately afterward. Now I come back with him a little more secure in my choice for one reason, which is two fold: the Wolves have a new coach, Kevin McHale, and unlike the old one, McHale is willing to start their former lottery pick Randy Foye at his natural off guard position, whereas the old coach would rather have him come off the bench than start anywhere other than the point.  Well, I guess there’s a reason he’s their old coach. The Wolves are currently on a remarkable streak for a team losing as bad as they previously were, winning seven of their last nine games and five straight. And Telfair has played great in their last ten, posting averages of 12 PPG, 5.4 APG and 1.8 SPG. Since Kevin Ollie went down four games ago, Telfair has started and the team kept up its high level of play. In lieu of the shifting of the tides with Ollie out three weeks and Randy Foye’s rejuvenation, it would take a miracle to move Telfair from the starting lineup and if he continues his solid play, it would be hard to imagine him leaving. His field goal percentage — at 33 percent this year — can be a killer but the other stats and his newfound job security make him worth owning in standard and deep leagues.

Mardy Collins (Owned in six percent of all Yahoo! leagues) The ex-New York Knickerbocker is going to see a whole lot of court time for at least another week with Baron Davis out with a bruised tailbone. I was so close to recommending him to you last week but he’s still probably out there, even for some of you in competitive deep leagues. These splits are oh so clean. Baron has been out since the end of December and in six January games, Collins, a quality part of what the Clippers stole from the Knicks a month and a half ago, has averaged first and foremost 37 minutes a game to go along with 12.5 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG and a trey. Collins showed what he could do in the last month of the ’06–’07 season when he started every game for a depleted Knicks squad and put up approximately 15 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG, 2 SPG and a trey, the one deterrent being his four turnovers per game. This January he’s got the turnovers under control at 2.3 a game and is someone you should be targeting if in need of a point guard. With B-Diddy's history, he may even retain value after the starting point guard returns.

Ryan Anderson (Owned in two percent of all Yahoo! leagues) This is the definition of Jumping on someone as Anderson hasn’t even played one game with Yi out of the lineup, but this is exactly the kind of move I look to make in my leagues. Exchange your weakest bench player for Anderson and over the next 4 – 6 weeks I think you will be very pleased. This is a move few will make, however, because Anderson hasn’t seen the court in his last four games and over his last nine he hasn’t logged more than ten minutes once. But Coach Frank has announced that he’s starting Anderson on Monday, an opportunity he has yet to have in the NBA. Living in the Bay Area has made me an Anderson believer because at Cal he averaged 21 and 10 last year in less than 33 minutes a game. This season he’s been good in spurts but nothing spectacular, while holding impressive 48-minute averages for a rookie of 18 points and 11 rebounds.  

Zaza Pachulia (Owned in two percent of all Yahoo! leagues) There’s nothing special here. Al Horford should miss the next week with an injury and in his absence Pachulia will likely step into the starting role. Ugh, don’t remind me of when Zaza was actually worth owning in a standard league. Do you remember those days of 12 points, seven rebounds and one steal? No? Well maybe that’s because they’ve been replaced with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 0.5 steals since the moment Horford put on a Hawks jersey two seasons ago. If you’re in a deep league and you need to stream in a center this week, a reasonably common possibility, this guy is worth a look.

Rodney Carney (Owned in zero percent of all Yahoo! leagues) Go and grab him and you can be the first one to say you did just that — the guy is owned in zero percent of the leagues (assuming there’s no approximating). Carney, who has been a bust since becoming the 16th pick in the 2006 draft, followed his best game of the season Wednesday, with an even better one on Friday, throwing up a line of 22 points, four treys, three boards and a block with great percentages. If he starts showing flashbacks to his Memphis days it may be time to shed some light on this invisible man.

Austin Brown writes the weekly Jumping the Waiver Wire, an article that will help fantasy NBA managers everywhere pull the trigger on hot pickups throught the season. He also has a blog at www.efantasysportsblog.com .