By Charlie Zegers, RotoWire.com

Nazr Mohammed finds his way in the starting lineup via trade. (Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images)

Several teams are considering lineup and rotation changes this week, which may create opportunities for waiver wire watchers; this week’s picks include new starters in New Jersey (Josh Boone), Houston (Aaron Brooks) and Miami (Daequan Cook).

More changes will likely follow. Nazr Mohammed is expected to step into Charlotte’s starting five once he’s had the chance to get comfortable with his new team. It’s not yet clear how the players on the other size of the Mohammed trade, Detroit’s Walter Herrmann and Primoz Brezec, will fit in Flip Saunders’ rotation, but it seems clear that there will be opportunities for both. And then there’s pure speculation: Will the Suns make a move to shore up their defense? Will the Nets trade Jason Kidd? What about Ron Artest and Mike Bibby? Kwame Brown?

Look for the rumors to really start flying after Christmas.

This Week’s Picks:

The first set of picks is intended for players in shallow leagues. The recommendations will be players who are available in 40-70% of all Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner leagues on NBA.com. The second group is for deep leagues – more speculative picks, more “sleepers” – guys who are available in more than 70% of Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner leagues. Feedback and questions are always welcome – look me up over on The Opening Tip blog and give me a shout.

Shallow Leagues

Yi Jianlian – MIL [PF]: Yi has received a fair amount of hype as one of the most productive rookies in the league, but thus far that hasn’t translated into a high ownership percentage in Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner. In his last five games he’s averaging over 30 minutes, and scoring 14.2 points with six boards, but he’s there for the taking in over 70 percent of the leagues on NBA.com.

Joel Przybilla – POR [C]: Henry Abbott of True Hoop has a really interesting post this week on Przybilla’s effect on Portland’s team defense. Long story short – Pryzbilla in the middle makes the entire team better on D, and that’s become obvious with LaMarcus Aldridge (plantar fasciitis) on the shelf. The implication for fantasy owners is that Przybilla might see more playing time, even after Aldridge returns.

DeSagana Diop – DAL [C]: Diop gets some love in that same Henry Abbott post, as another guy who makes the entire team more cohesive on defense when he’s on the floor. It’s not hard to imagine him taking more playing time away from Erick Dampier. Both Diop and Przybilla are available in nearly every Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner league.

DeShawn Stevenson – WAS [SG]: When Gilbert Arenas got hurt, Antonio Daniels was the obvious replacement. With Daniels out too, the options are a bit iffier. Stevenson isn’t a big part of Washington’s offense when everyone is healthy, but “when everyone is healthy” isn’t a factor for the next month or so. His “percentage owned” in Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner jumped seven percent this week, but he’s still out there in over 90 percent of all leagues. More potential pickups from the Wiz below.

Antonio McDyess – DET [PF]: You don’t see too many starting big men from good teams sitting out on the waiver wire. We attribute McDyess’ puny owned percentage (under 10%) to a healthy skepticism regarding his health and his role. The Pistons are gonna sign Chris Webber any day now, right? Or promote Jason Maxiell to the starting rotation? I mean, Dice’s knees can’t take this sort of pounding, can they? Apparently they can. McDyess is averaging just shy of 30 minutes per game and posting double figures in scoring with respectable rebounding and the occasional double-double – and showing no signs of slowing down.

Primoz Brezec – DET [C]: If you’re still not a believer in McDyess, Brezec might be the reason. Brezec put up respectable numbers as a starter for the Bobcats in 2004-05 (31.6 mpg, 13 points, 7.4 boards, 1.2 assists) and 2005-06 (27.4/12.4/5.6) but dropped off the map in the last two seasons. The Pistons have been playing – and winning – without a real center in the rotation, but Brezec might carve out a productive role on this team.

Deep Leagues

Josh Boone – NJN [PF,C]: Laurence Frank has announced that he’s going to give Boone – and Working the Wire favorite Sean Williams – a shot in the starting lineup. We’re highly skeptical of such announcements, generally, but maybe desperation has finally set in at the Izod Center. Boone’s not what you’d call a scorer, but given the minutes he should get enough easy baskets on put-backs or feeds from J-Kidd to score in double figures, while contributing in boards and blocks.

Aaron Brooks – HOU [PG]: We’re even more skeptical of Houston coach Rick Adelman’s announcement that he’s considering starting Aaron Brooks in an attempt to get some production out of his back court; the rookie has only appeared in three games this year. On the other hand, veterans Rafer Alston, Mike James and Steve Francis haven’t exactly set the world on fire for Houston this season, so what does Adelman have to lose, really?

Daequan Cook – MIA [SF]: Another rookie being asked to energize an under-performing veteran team, Cook will reportedly get a shot at shaking up the lethargic Miami Heat. Cook has tons of scoring ability but his defensive lapses have limited his playing time thus far.

Paul Davis – LAC [C]: Davis has been productive in a limited role – he scored 10 points and grabbed five boards as a fill-in starter on Friday when Tim Thomas couldn’t go. We’re liking him more and more as a waiver wire pick, mostly because it sounds like Elton Brand’s Achilles’ tendon will take a bit longer to heal than originally anticipated. Brand was originally targeting a February return, but in interviews this week he told reporters that estimate was optimistic. That could mean more opportunities for fill-ins like Davis – currently “zero percent” owned in Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner.

Roger Mason – WAS [PG]: Nick Young was moved into the starting lineup in Antonio Daniels’ place, but Mason got the lion’s share of the point guard minutes in Washington’s first game without either of their top two point guards. He played 35 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win over Sacramento, scoring 13 points. That scoring number would have been higher if his jumper was falling – he had five attempts from long range but hit only once.

The views expressed by RotoWire.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.