Been offline for sometime, but with the NBA trade deadline come and gone, it is time for the return of the Waiver Wire Five, as fantasy teams begin their stretch run to the playoffs.

• TJ Ford:  It has been quite the season for TJ.  He started the year putting up career numbers, then took a horrendous fall, again hurting his fragile spine, to return and go out with a number of other ailments.  Well TJ is back on the floor again, and though the emergence of Jose Calderon is going to limit his overall value, when TJ is on the floor he gets his stats.  He may play with the Raptors second unit more now and become more of the first scorer for that group.  Watch his play over the next week, if he is seeing 24+ minutes, he is worth a look.
• Hakim Warrick: If Warrick somehow has not been picked up in your league, you have too many owners asleep at the wheel.  Warrick has been on absolute fire since the Gasol trade, averaging 35 minutes a game, 20+ points, 8+ rebounds and has been a decent source of free throws.  If he is still available on your waiver wire, grab him immediately, because the Grizzlies rotations are not going to change from here on out, especially for a player doing as well as Warrick.
   
• Joakim Noah/ Tyrus Thomas: The Ben Wallace experiment is finally over, and with the Bulls a long shot to make the playoffs, it is time to develop the young horses that have come in recent drafts.  Enter Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas.  The only issue in Chi-Town is that with Wallace leaving, Drew Gooden is entering, to make the front court even more crowded.  I expect Gooden, the most experienced player in this group to get his minutes once he is comfortable with the system, so either Noah or Thomas will take on the majority of the remainder minutes.  Watch the next few games closely to see if either player takes command of that role right away.
• Delonte West:  Another product of a recent trade.  With Gibson on the shelf for six weeks, Delonte enters for the Cavs at the perfect time.  West is not much of a playmaker, but he is a hard nosed defender who can shoot the three.  Given Lebron controls the ball much of the time, a traditional PG is not needed on this team.  West will be able to step in and play the role the exact same way Gibson was, as a scorer off the ball for LeBron.
• Travis Outlaw:  If you are in a deep league, there is a very good chance that Outlaw is not available, but if you are in a 10-12 team league then he might be one of those players who has just been on the fence of staying with a fantasy team all season but keeps getting dropped.  Outlaw’s averages are decent, but they come from inconsistent play of one big game then a nothing game.  Very frustrating for many owners.  If Outlaw is on your waiver wire it might be a good time to grab him again.  Brandon Roy has been suffering through ankle pain for a few weeks and left his last game early and will be getting an MRI.  If anything keeps Roy out of the lineup for an extended period of time, Outlaw will take a big jump in minutes and take on a leading scoring role for the Trail Blazers.