It seems like every year there is a player that everyone forgets about, whether it be due to an injury the previous season, adjusting to a new coach, new system, a mid-season trade or just a bad statistical year. You might be able to find one of these players on your waiver wire and if you can, in some cases these players can produce like a third or even second round draft pick when it comes to fantasy value. Here are a few of those players that didn’t have a great season last year that might be available on waivers or possibly as an easy trade target.

Andrei Kirilenko looks to prove he can still be a fantasy contributor.

Andrei Kirilenko: Maybe it was Baron Davis dunking on Kirilenko in the playoffs two years ago that did it or maybe his wife revoked his “once a year cheat clause” they have together but whatever the reason, Kirilenko has not the same player he was in the 05-06 season where he averaged 15.3 PTS, 8 REB, 4.3 ASST, 1.5 STL and 3.2 BLK per game. Two years ago, Kirilenko and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan had a well publicized falling out but have since reconciled their differences. “I never said that I want to leave Utah,” Kirilenko recently told HOOPSWORLD during an interview. “I love Utah. Both my sons were born there, but it’s always during the career of a basketball player that you have a year or a season that you don’t like or you want to change it. I would definitely change a couple of seasons ago.” He has since been sent to the bench to lead the 2nd unit for the Jazz. The move to the bench does not figure to be of huge concern to Kirilenko owners judging by the fact that he played 35 min. in the first game of the season. He has also taken the veteran approach to the demotion by saying he wants to be a leader on defense and set an example for the rest of his teammates. He is a great trade target if you need steals or blocks with a decent amount of assists from your SF position and you probably won’t have to give up anyone spectacular to get him.

T.J. Ford: Health has been the only issue with Ford. Nobody can question his game. If he can stay healthy he can put up some really good assist and steals numbers while chipping in 12-15 points per game. The Pacers have made a few changes to their team that should benefit them in the future by jettisoning Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto to get Ford while refusing to allow Jamaal Tinsley to even practice with the team while they wait to trade him. The Pacers system should fit Ford’s skill set well. In a full healthy season, Ford could put up numbers that would easily put him in comeback player of the year status or even a breakout season candidate where he could exceed everyone’s expectations.

Shaquille O’Neil: The new look Suns might not make a lot of people happy. It could however make you very happy if you happen to have Shaq on your team. A slower tempo and less minutes will only benefit the big man as his career winds down. The Suns are clearly going to focus all of their offense on Amare Stoudemire but Shaq will definitely play a role in it. Don’t expect too much from him though. Remember, Shaq enjoys taking time off in the early part of the season with some sort of injury so he might not be available all of the time but when healthy, on any given night he could give you 12-18 points, 10-15 rebounds, 1 steal and 1-3 blocks. Now if you have a weekly lock league I wouldn’t suggest using Shaq due to the fact that he might not play back to back days very often but if you are in a league with daily lineup changes feel free to take a chance on him.

Quentin Richardson: During the 04-05 season, his lone season with the Suns, Richardson averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.9 threes on a whopping 8 three point attempts per game. His coach that year was Mike D’Antoni, the same guy who is now the coach of the New York Knicks. Richardson has a chance to get back to those numbers in the new “old Suns” style of play. He will have to fight off Wilson Chandler for playing time but as everyone knows, there are plenty of minutes available in a D’Antoni run system. I see Richardson having a big year now that he will be able to chuck threes up at an alarming rate and won’t be criticized for it. Funny thing though, you’d think that Marbury (currently starring for the DNP list) would fit in this system perfectly until you realize that he’d probably throw up 60+ shots a night.

Chris “Birdman” Andersen: This guy makes the list just because he is back in the NBA after battling drug problems and being suspended for two seasons. He was reinstated March 4, 2008 and now he is one of a few players who are supposed to fill the void at center that was left after the Nuggets traded Marcus Camby to the Clippers. Now, by no means do I expect Andersen to come anywhere close to filling Camby’s shoes but he can be a good source of rebounds and blocks if given enough minutes. He’ll have to share time with Nene Hilario who in his own right could be a comeback candidate himself. I’m just glad to see that he has overcome his demons and was able to make any kind of comeback at all. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be the NBA’s version of Josh Hamilton.