Each Monday throughout the fantasy basketball season, we go around the league and identify highly available players (owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues) that can help improve your team in certain statistical categories.
Here are some players to target this week, with their ESPN ownership listed:
Points
Maurice Harkless, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (5.5) - Harkless' rise is a big reason for Portland's resurgence, and scoring is what he does best. The former first-rounder has averaged 14.4 points over the last five games, and added 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 threes per game.
Jon Leuer, PF, Phoenix Suns (3) - Leuer started at power forward in the first game following the Suns trade of Markieff Morris, then came off the bench behind Kris Humphries in the second game. As long as he plays around 20-25 minutes, Leuer as well as veteran shooter Mirza Teletovic (9.4) are two offensive-minded forwards worthy of picking up due to their scoring prowess.
Rebounds
Ian Mahinmi, C, Indiana Pacers (17.3) - Mahinmi's ailing ankle got rest over the All-Star break, and he has looked like a new guy on the court ever since. He pulled down 20 rebounds over two games last week, and averages 7.2 rebounds per game on the season.
Alex Len, C, Phoenix Suns (13.2) - Tyson Chandler is dealing with a shoulder injury, and the rebuilding Suns surely want to see if Len can be a part of their future. Though his minutes come and go, the former lottery pick tends to make the most of his time on the court; over the last nine games, he has averaged 8.6 points and 8 rebounds per game.
Assists
Dennis Schroder, PG, Atlanta Hawks (30.3) - Schroder filled in admirably for Jeff Teague after Teague went down with a wrist injury on Saturday. He scored 25 points and added eight rebounds, 10 assists as well as a steal, block and three 3-pointers. You can't expect these numbers to continue, but assists are difficult to come by on the waiver wire and Schroder's 4.7 APG this season makes him valuable.
Brandon Jennings, PG, Orlando Magic (32.9) - Jennings wasted little time making an impact on his new team in Orlando, playing 25 minutes per game in his first two contests with the Magic and averaging 15 points and 5.5 assists. If Elfrid Payton isn't careful, Jennings could leapfrog him for more minutes at the point.
Steals
Marcus Smart, PG, Boston Celtics (41.6) - Smart stuffs the stat sheet in many ways, but his best quality in fantasy is accumulating steals in bunches. He has two or more in three of the last four games, and is averaging 1.8 SPG over the course of the season.
JaMychal Green, PF, Memphis Grizzlies (2.5) - Green didn't rack up steals when playing a few minutes here or there behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph this season, but now that Gasol is out and the playing time is there everything has changed. He has had at least one steal in four-straight games, and is available in just about every league.
Blocks
Steven Adams, C, Oklahoma City Thunder (15.5) - Adams won't wow you with anything he does on the court, especially playing alongside a couple stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who wow on a regular basis. But he has blocked one shot per game through 205 NBA games, and has two blocks in each of the last three games. He can help you with blocks and rebounds.
Timofey Mozgov, C, Cleveland Cavaliers (6.5) - While Mozgov's game has had a marked drop-off this season, for whatever reason, the 29-year-old appears to have benefited from the extended All-Star break (11 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 BPG last week). He's also one of the few low-owned bigs that can deliver close to a block a game.
3-Pointers
Isaiah Canaan, PF, Philadelphia 76ers (4.2) - Canaan has been inconsistent since losing the starting job to Ish Smith, but his ability to hit the 3-ball hasn't waivered. He hit seven 3-pointers in the first two games after the All-Star break, and is making 2.2 threes per game this season.
Doug McDermott, SF, Chicago Bulls (11) - McDermott is playing big minutes, averaging 29 over his last five games, and has connected on 2.2 threes per game during that span. The second-year forward is in the middle of his best stretch of games as an NBA player, and his confidence from the perimeter is obvious right now.