Fantasy owners must be diligent in checking the waiver wire throughout the season in continuing efforts to maintain the best roster possible to win their league.  Sometimes certain rising players go unnoticed for various reasons; hopefully you have snatched up some of the jewels.  HOOPSWORLD put together a list of players that you should be aware of right now, as we enter Week 7 in the wonderful world of fantasy basketball.

James Jones – Miami HEAT

We know a designated three-point shooter is valuable to category-based leagues, but a reliable one is not easy to find on the waiver wire.  Owners should take another look at James Jones at this point.  After a strong start to begin the season, followed by a major cooling-off period in mid-November, Jones looks to be heating up again.  In the past three games, Jones has jumped to just over 26 minutes playing time, and has connected on ten three-point shots at .571 shooting.  Nice in itself, but Jones has also averaged 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.  Miami is in serious need of a reliable long-distance shooter to take advantage when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade attract the attention of defenders, which is a lot, and Jones may be the guy to do just that.

Thabo Sefolosha – Oklahoma City Thunder

Thabo Sefolosha will never win any fantasy titles, not even close, but he has been contributing meaningfully in a variety of ways of late.  His season-high scoring is only 13 points (average 6.5 ppg), but he does a little bit of everything, including steals (1.7), assists (1.6) and rebounds (5.3).  On November 29^th, he logged a perfect four-of-four in field goals, two-of-two in three-pointers and three-of-three in free throws.  In the past eight games, he’s averaged 8.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 free throws at .688 FG shooting versus 5.2 points, 4.5 boards and .92 free throws at .397 FG shooting in the first 12 games.  He’s still carries the label of the team’s defensive stopper, but Sefolosha has stepped up his offensive game.

Fun fact: Sefolosha set the record for most minutes played so far this year at 55:25 in the triple overtime thriller against the New Jersey Nets on December 1^st.  And his six steals on December 3^rd was a career-high.

Leandro Barbosa – Toronto Raptors

Leandro Barbosa has lit up the scoring category since he returned from injury six games ago.  In general, we haven’t seen much more than nice scoring, but he is capable of contributing in several areas.  Sometimes that punch is just what you need on your team.  Since his return, he’s solidifying his sixth man role, averaging 13.8 ppg at .424 shooting.   He went off on December 3^rd for a season-high 22 points against the Kevin Durant-less Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as grabbing two steals and going six-of-nine at the charity stripe, seven-of-twelve in field goals and two-of-five beyond the arc…all in just over 26 minutes.  He’s looking like a smart pick-up right now.

J.R. Smith – Denver Nuggets

It appears J.R. Smith has officially been released from coach George Karl’s doghouse once again.  In the past three games, he has been a fantasy owner’s dream.  Check out these numbers: 21, 20, 30 in scoring, 4, 10, 8 in rebounds, 3, 2, 6 in threes made and averaging .544 in field-goal shooting.  He has averaged nearly 29 minutes of playing time in these three games.  After a wildly inconsistent start, in terms of production and minutes (including a three-game stretch of logging just over one minute on the court), Smith’s renewed positive energy and an improved attitude have put him in his coach’s favor.  His current season ppg of 11.3, FGM of 3.7 and 3PG of 1.4, his lowest numbers since 2005-06 should rebound.  For now, Karl and Smith are on the same page, which should translate into Smith being a valuable member of your fantasy team.

Jason Thompson – Sacramento Kings

{AUTHOR_BOX}Don’t look now but it appears the Jason Thompson we used to know is returning.  In the past three games, he has scored an average 14.7 points, and logged 8.7 rebounds.  His playing time has seriously increased.  Thompson has replaced Carl Landry in the starting lineup, so if he’s available in your league, go for it.

On The Bubble:

Jordan Hill – Houston Rockets

Rockets coach Rick Adelman recently summoned Jordan Hill to his office to advise him to expect increased playing time.  He was told in no uncertain terms to take advantage of the opportunity.  Hill appears to have heard the message, as he then scored in double-digit figures in five of the next seven games (yet scoreless in the other two).  In addition, Hill grabbed an average 5.4 rebounds versus the 3.7 boards he had averaged in the previous ten games in which he appeared.  Hill was particularly impressive, showing intensity and improved defense, in the Rockets win over the Lakers on December 1^st.  Adelman is infinitely more interested in Hill’s defensive game and rebounding over his offensive game; scoreless nights may continue to occur.  Just keep your eye on Yao Ming’s return; Adelman says no date is set, while Yao is targeting December 7^th.  Hill’s minutes will be affected with Yao back, but given his injury history, Hill may be worth a flier.

Players Who Appear Close To Returning:

Mehmet Okur – Utah Jazz

Finally, Mehmet Okur’s season debut is on the radar although no return date has been set.  It’s been seven months since his Achilles tendon surgery; he says he’s 100% healthy and working on leg strength-building now.  Beware that Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap threaten his minutes on the court (he averaged over 30 minutes the past four years), but he’s a viable candidate to stash now if you have room.

Kelenna Azubuike – New York Knicks

Reports indicate Kelenna Azubuike may make his season debut next week.  The Knicks will likely utilize him in a three-point role initially while he gets comfortable back on the floor, and he may have to compete for playing time.  Keep in mind that Azubuike has not appeared on court since November 14, 2009, but when healthy and given 25-30 minutes, he could log double-digit scoring and provide solid FG%.  One thing is for sure, he will fit the D’Antoni up-tempo system.

Aaron Brooks – Houston Rockets

It looks like Aaron Brooks is going to win the race over Yao Ming.  The two have been engaged in a friendly race to be the first to return from injury; while December 10^th is the targeted return date for Brooks, Yao and coach Rick Adelman are not on the same return date page.  Brooks only played five games before being sidelined with an ankle injury this season; he had 16.4 ppg, 5.4 apg (career-high), .433 in field-goal shooting and .929 in free throw showing (career-highs).  If he was dropped early in your league, it’s time to grab him.