Each Monday throughout the fantasy basketball season, we go around the league and identify highly available players (owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN leagues) that can help improve your team in certain statistical categories.
Here are some players to target this week:
Points
Jamal Crawford, SG, Los Angeles Clippers (33.9) - After a very slow start to the season, Crawford has averaged 15.2 points over the last 10 games, and is shooting much better in January (42.5 percent) than he did in November (34 percent) or December (39.1 percent).
Devin Booker, SG, Phoenix Suns (35.6) - The rookie lottery pick is getting big minutes (29.8 per game over the past five games) and filling it up, scoring 14.4 points a game over that span. Though the youngest player in the NBA this season, Booker plays with confidence and is already an above-average shooter (47.7 FG, 78.3 FT, 42.9 3PT).
Rebounds
Ed Davis, PF/C, Portland Trail Blazers (28) - Davis only plays around 20 minutes a night, but he hits the glass hard and the numbers back that up. He has pulled down 8.2 boards a game over the last five games, eclipsing double figures twice, and is a good streaming option available in nearly three-quarters of ESPN leagues.
Ersan Ilyasova, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons (28.2) - Ilyasova does more than rebound -- he averages 11 points and 1.6 3-pointers per game -- but the area where he's most consistent is on the glass. He has at least five rebounds in 13 of the last 14 games and has averaged seven rebounds over the last 10 games.
Assists
Jameer Nelson, PG, Denver Nuggets (13.8) - Emmanuel Mudiay may be back, but the rookie's inefficient shooting (31.2 percent) and propensity for the turnover (3.8 per game) make it necessary for the Nuggets to lean heavily on Nelson. The veteran has averaged 5.1 assists a game this season, and you can expect that to stay north of four with Mudiay in the lineup, which is pretty good considering how hard it is to find assists on the waiver wire.
Donald Sloan, PF, Brooklyn Nets (14.6) - Sloan leapfrogged Shane Larkin as the starting point guard in Brooklyn after Jarrett Jack was lost for the season with a torn ACL, and he has been a steady source of assists ever since. Sloan just missed a triple-double on Friday against Portland (15 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists), and has dished out nine or more assists in three of the last five games.
Steals
P.J. Tucker, SF, Phoenix Suns (25.9) - Tucker is an attractive fantasy option even though he typically only takes 6-7 shots per game, and the reason is because he's on the floor so much. He has averaged 33.7 MPG over the last 10 games, proving himself as a secondary scorer, rebounder and distributor, but nowhere does he contribute more than in steals (2 SPG in last 10 games).
Larry Nance Jr., PF, Los Angeles Lakers (22.7) - Nance is dealing with a sore knee that kept him out of Sunday's game against Houston, and it's important to keep an eye on that, but when healthy he is an efficient shooter (54.1 percent on the season) and strong rebounder (7.4 RPG over last 10 games) who happens to be very good at creating steals (1.7 SPG over last 10 games).
Blocks
Andrew Bogut, C, Golden State Warriors (15.3) - Bogut rebounds well (5.8 RPG) and dishes better than most centers, averaging two assists per game, but maybe his greatest attribute in fantasy is shot-blocking. One of the top defensive centers in the league the past few seasons, Bogut is averaging 1.7 rejections a game in 2015-16.
John Henson, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks (9.6) - Henson has averaged two blocks a game despite playing only 16.7 minutes per game this season, so when his minutes rise he can put up some healthy block numbers in a hurry. He has 15 blocks in his last four games (3.75 per game) and is still available in more than 90 percent of ESPN leagues.
3-Pointers
Mirza Teletovic, PF, Phoenix Suns (33) - A power forward that makes 2.2 shots a game from beyond the 3-point arc is great luxury to have, and that's exactly what the 30-year-old veteran is for his new team in Phoenix this season. Teletovic is shooting 43.5 percent from long range, and at this point should be considered one of the top 3-point specialists in fantasy.
Patrick Beverley, PG, Houston Rockets (15.3) - Beverley is red-hot from the field, shooting 53.5 percent over the last 10 games, and he has quietly become a force from beyond the 3-point arc this season, shooting 44 percent from long range and connecting on 1.8 treys per game. He is shooting a blistering 66.7 percent from 3-point land this month, and since the start of December he has eight games with at least three 3s.