Posts Tagged Corey Maggette
Week 21: Midweek status report [updated]
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on March 18, 2010
Week 21 has been predictable in some ways (LeBron, Wade, and Melo) and totally unpredictable in others. Who would’ve guessed that Rashard Lewis and Brandon Jennings would pick now to break out of their slumps? Or that Tim Duncan would save his worst FG% game in his entire career for the first round of the fantasy playoffs? Or that Hasheem Thabeet and Keyon Dooling would be so fantasy relevant?
Well, even if you’re down 2-7, don’t give up hope. Although the weekend is already upon us, the week is only halfway through. For those in daily leagues, there’s still a lot of upside on the wire.
First, hopefully you were able to snag some of the guys mentioned in this week’s pickups, especially Jrue Holiday, Toney Douglas, Jonas Jerebko, and Anthony Tolliver. (And hopefully you didn’t pick up Julian Wright for a Thursday spot start. I was oh-so-very wrong about Wright…) I still like them all for this weekend. As for the other mentions, here are some revised player updates, as well as some new additions. In no particular order:
Jason Maxiell
Maxiell has been a rebounding machine for nearly two weeks now, but with Ben Wallace set to return Friday, you have to expect Maxiell to lose some stats. He’ll still be useful, but the double-double streak might end pretty soon.
Reggie Williams
Williams has had one great game and one dud so far this week, and in the great game, all his 3′s came in 10-minute span. In other words, he’s still pretty unreliable. If you’re looking for 3′s, I’d take a flier on Rudy Fernandez instead.
[03/19 UPDATE: Fernandez left Friday's game early with a left quad strain that will make him an unreliable option the rest of this week. Meanwhile, Williams went on to hit 3 more treys -- again, all in the fourth quarter. He's streaky, but last time I checked, fourth quarter garbage time stats still count, and roughly one-third of Warriors games are garbage time anyway.]
Anthony Morrow
Morrow’s been dropped like a hot tampon lately (sorry, I got sick of saying “hot potato” and figured most people would be pretty quick to drop a hot tampon as well), but I don’t think his fantasy value is dead. At least not for this week. If you look at his two duds from this week, one came against the Lakers, where Morrow simply just didn’t have anyone to guard. (GSW needed Tolliver, Corey Maggette, and Chris Hunter to guard the Laker bigs.) In the other game, Reggie Williams caught fire in the fourth quarter, so Morrow never got back into the game. In other words, I wouldn’t expect any miracles from Morrow, but I think he’s still a safe bet for multiple 3′s, especially if Stephen Curry continues to miss any time.
C.J. Watson
Speaking of Curry, C.J. didn’t do much in his last game, but I’d expect nice across-the-board production if Curry misses another game.
Hasheem Thabeet
It looks like Marc Gasol might miss MEM’s game this weekend. If you’re in need of blocks, look no further than Thabeet, who has totaled 6 in two starts so far this week.
Bill Walker
He’s off to a slow start this week, but with Wilson Chandler rumored to miss extended time (and possibly the rest of the year) and Eddie House out through next week as well, Walker should get big minutes for the next several games.
Acie Law, Jannero Pargo, and Flip Murray
It looks like Derrick Rose will miss at least one more game this week, which means 1-2 of these guys should have a productive game. Good luck figuring out which 1-2 though.
Ronnie Price
Last I checked, he’s owned in 0% of Yahoo leagues. Well, that’s obviously rounded down because I just picked him up in one league. Consider him a cheap insurance policy in daily leagues in case Deron Williams is a sudden scratch and you don’t have anyone else to plug in, as all the other games will have already begun by 7 pm PST.
[03/19 UPDATE: Sundiata Gaines might have passed Price on the depth chart Friday, and if D-Will is an unexpected DNP, I might prefer Gaines if you had to pick one.]
Keep an eye on: Keyon Dooling (check Devin Harris’ status), Brandon Rush (check Danny Granger’s status), Alonzo Gee (the new James Singleton?), Ronnie Brewer (one game vs. GSW; could be a nice spot start for stls), and for next week Jose Juan Barea (nice schedule).
Week 21 Pickups (The real season begins)
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on March 14, 2010
Welcome to the real fantasy season. If you haven’t gotten fired from work yet for spending too much time on fantasy basketball, now’s your time.
Week 21 is the first week of the playoffs in standard Yahoo H2H leagues. Below are a mix of guys you want on your squad because a) they’re playing well or b) they have good schedules. And you can be sure I’ll point out some guys who are playing on Thursday (only 2 NBA games on the schedule) that you might want to/have to pick up well before Thursday before your opponent scoops them.
First, make sure guys like George Hill (59%), Courtney Lee (60%) and Marcus Thornton (59%) aren’t still available. Thornton is especially attractive next week as the Hornets play 4 times (with one game on the Thursday “Off-day”). Beno Udrih (52%) deserves some attention as well, although I might rather own some of the sub-50% owned guys below (or at least the top one)…
No, I'm not a fantasy basketball genius. But I did stay at a Jrue Holiday Inn Express last night. (Getty)
Jrue Holiday (25%, 4 games)
Holiday makes a jump from my “Keep an eye on” list to the top of my pickups list for two reasons. The first: He averaged 15.3, 4.5, and 6.5 last week with 1.8 treys/stl (and that was before going 4-for-5 from downtown on Sunday). The second: He’s entrenched in that PHI starting backcourt with the 76ers jockeying for lottery position, and that’s a good thing when you face NY twice and NJ once this week.
Terrence Williams (16%, 3 games)
March splits: 15, 7, and 5. He’s quietly filling the Yi Jianlian void in NJ and should continue to see around 30 mpg with Yi out.
Quentin Richardson (27%, 3 games)
Although MIA only plays 3 games this week, they happen to play on that Thursday Off-day. Like I mentioned in last week’s column, Q has always been an “approach with caution” type of guy, but you can’t deny the stats: 4.2 treys per game so far in March, not to mention healthy contributions in pts, reb, and stl. If Jermaine O’Neal and/or Michael Beasley continue to be slowed by nagging injuries, he might be worth a gamble as MIA will need to lean on his offense more. (I already picked him up in my main H2H league for a Thursday spot start.)
Jason Maxiell (9%, 4 games)
As long as Ben Wallace is out, I’d be happy marching out Maxiell and his 12+ rpg (over the last 4). The Pistons have a tricky schedule (4 games, but 1 against BOS and 2 against CLE), but if you need reb, he’s probably the best bet among FA pickups. (I picked him up for a Monday spot start, and potentially more based on Big Ben’s status.)
Jonas Jerebko (24%, 4 games)
I’ll just copy and paste my blurb from last week: Posted near-1/1/1 stats last week and is getting plenty of touches as DET continues to jostle for lottery position.
James Johnson (1%, 4 games)
He’s averaging 16.5 and 4.5 over his last two games with 1.5 treys/stl/blk. As long as Luol Deng is out, Johnson seems ready to play big minutes and contribute across the board.
C.J. Miles (5%, 4 games)
Doing his best Rasual Butler impersonation lately.
Toney Douglas (6%) and Bill Walker (6%, 4 games)
Speaking of jostling for lottery position, Douglas appears to have landed the coveted (at least in theory) starting PG job in New York, while Walker continues to post 20-pt games more consistently than Tracy McGrady.
Will Bynum (17%, 4 games)
20-assist games deserve attention. With Rodney Stuckey nearing a return, Bynum doesn’t appear to have much long-term value, but he might be worth a spot start this week.
Delonte West (24%, 4 games)
Before Sunday’s dud, West had been on a very nice streak (although some of that was due to LeBron’s recent 2-game absence). He might not have anymore monster games, but he’s an efficient source of across-the-board production (13, 4, and 4 over the last month).
Reggie Williams (2%, 4 games)
Williams has been doing his best Anthony Morrow (from last year) impersonation lately, hitting 3′s (and not much else) at a very efficient clip. Anybody wearing a Warrior jersey is always a gamble, but he’s worth a look in deeper leagues.
Derek Fisher (11%) and Shannon Brown (4%, 4 games)
Fisher has been solid lately, and with games against GSW and SAC on Monday and Tuesday, Brown might even rediscover some of the scoring touch he displayed when Kobe was on the shelf last month. They might be useful in deep leagues the first half of the upcoming week.
Keep an eye on:
C.J. Watson (39% — he’s been amazing the last month, but with Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette back, hello Inconsistency), Earl Watson (9%), Anthony Tolliver (18% — see last week), JaVale McGee (25% — see last week), Matt Bonner (6%).
Other Thursday 3/18 options:
If you consider your H2H league competitive, there's a good chance Wright will be picked up by Thursday. (Getty)
Julian Wright (6%)
Wright has gotten big minutes in Peja Stojakovic’s absence, and that has translated into solid albeit unspectacular fantasy lines. If you’re looking for a spot start, you could do worse than an athletic SF getting 30+ mpg
Matt Barnes (22%)
Ditto from above, although Mickael Pietrus (ditto again) might be the guy to own if Barnes’ wrist injury is serious.
Johan Petro (1%)
If you could use an extra 6 or 7 rebounds this week, you might as well start Petro for the one and only time in your entire life.
And for those of you with bye weeks:
Rudy Fernandez (24%)
Portland has a pretty awful Week 21 schedule (only 2 games), but I’ll mention Rudy because he’s been on fire recently, and those of you with first round byes might be gearing up for Week 22 already, when POR plays on some of the slower days.
Jose Juan Barea (4%) and Rodrigue Beaubois (14%)
The fast-healing Jason Terry is on the verge of returning, but if he experiences any setbacks, keep an eye on these two for Week 22, when DAL has one of the most attractive schedules after only playing 2 games in Week 21. Beaubois was better last week, but it sounds like Rick Carlisle prefers the veteran Barea.
20-Second Timeout: Lou Williams, Sergio Rodriguez, and C.J. Watson
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on February 22, 2010
A few quick newsy post-trade items. (Thanks to a friend of the blog, Alan, for pointing them out.)
Lou Williams
The headline from Liberty Ballers says it all: “Iverson out indefinitely; career with Sixers could be over”
Sweet Lou should be snatched up immediately and has a chance to regain top 50 status (the rest of the way) with Allen Iverson (potentially) out of the way. Jrue Holiday and Willie Green, once he returns from injury, also deserve looks in deeper leagues, while Andre Iguodala owners should be all smiles right now.
Sergio Rodriguez
Getting the start for NY tonight. The game just started, and there’s a good chance he might be gone by halftime. Depending on how far Chris Duhon has fallen, this could also be an extra bonus for Eddie House. (House, by the way, should probably provide bigger immediate returns, as he knows the offense much better already. Keep an eye on the situation, as he in fact might be the right add, even though nobody’s really talking about him yet.)
C.J. Watson
Corey Maggette will be out until at least March 8, freeing up some time for Watson, Anthony Morrow, and Anthony Tolliver as fantasy squads gear up for the stretch run. Watson has been very productive lately, and even though he plays a different position than Maggette, we all know that doesn’t really matter to Nellie. Check to see if Lou or Sergio are available first — if they’re gone, Watson is a nice consolation.
Week 16 Recap (That was short) and Week 17 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades on February 15, 2010
WEEK 16 RECAP
After a shortened week and a lackluster dunk contest, I have to admit the All Star game itself was kind of exciting, at least for an exhibition game. You could tell the 108,000+ spectators helped to motivate the players (or distract, in the case of one Deron Williams).
Hmm, did anything else happen last week? Well, there was that trade. And oh yeah, Stephen Curry put up a ridiculous triple-double (36, 10, and 13 with 7 treys) thanks to a buzzer-beating rebound with the help of one of the most clutch box-outs I’ve ever seen…by Anthony Tolliver (more on him below). Check out the 6:30 mark for the play:
In fact, Curry has been so impressive lately, I’m not even going to mention those two other guys until they show me they’re capable of making this a Fantasy ROY race again.
See, I told you Week 16 was short.
WEEK 17 PICKUPS
As has been the theme around here lately, most of these pickups will actually be speculative long-term adds based on trade rumors. Others will be named Anthony Tolliver. (p.s. Anthony Morrow and Darren Collison have both cleared the 50% ownership mark required for this list, but make sure neither are taken before continuing below.)
Andray Blatche (34%)
See my post from over the weekend. But essentially, with Brendan Haywood out of the picture and Antawn Jamison likely (but not surely) to follow, the door is open for Blatche to get 35+ minutes a night. In 4 games as a starter this year, Blatche is only averaging 11 ppg and 7.5 rpg with 1.8 bpg in 34 mpg, but that was as a starting PF playing alongside Haywood. Last year, he averaged 12 ppg and 6 rpg with ~1 spg/bpg in 28 mpg as a starting C without Haywood. Project that to 35 mpg, and those numbers come out to roughly 14 ppg and 8 rpg with 1+ spg/bpg. Add in the Wizards’ great playoff schedule in H2H leagues, and you want to own this kid.
Drew Gooden (28%)
I also like Gooden’s value to take a step up as he’ll get more consistent minutes in WAS (assuming he isn’t flipped to a contender). In fact, the only downside to owning Blatche will be seeing Gooden gobble up double-digit boards on certain nights, while Blatche only snatches 5 or so. That being said, I’d still prefer Blatche for his steals and blocks, but Gooden will be an excellent source of rebounds.
Anthony Tolliver (7%)
Curry and Tolliver probably won't lead Golden State to many W's this year. Good thing we live in a fantasy world. (Getty)
Gasp! What is this — a player who likely doesn’t stand to benefit from a trade on this list? Well, with the rate that Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and the rest of the Warriors get injured, Tolliver is essentially getting theboost in minutes a trade would have. (Not to mention Andris Biedrins actually has been mentioned in some rumors. But then again, who hasn’t this year?) There are so many different ways to hype Tolliver, but I’ll just go with his averages from the last 3 games: 17 ppg and 8 rpg with 1.3/1.0/0.7 3s/stl/blk.
The Warriors recently decided to cut Speedy Claxton’s valuable expiring contract to keep Tolliver (a move that angered many GS fans), so you can expect management will give him plenty of minutes to prove himself the rest of the way. I recently picked up Tolliver, then dropped him for Blatche. If Carlos Boozer doesn’t get traded, I’m dropping Paul Millsap for this kid.
[02/18/10 UPDATE -- Boozer didn't get dealt, but Ronnie Brewer did, freeing up time for both Andrei Kirilenko and Millsap. Add in the fact that Millsap has been on fire lately and looks to get 30+ mpg, and no, I am in fact not dropping him for Tolliver at this point. Just to clarify...]
Robin Lopez (38%)
He sputtered a bit last week, but with Amare Stoudemire trade rumors swirling faster than a Mid-Atlantic snowstorm, Lopez is worth owning (or at least keeping a close eye on) over the next 3 days.
J.J. Hickson (9%)
Speaking of Amare trade rumors, Hickson will be a likely beneficiary of any trade the Cavs make because the Cavs will likely be bringing in a stud PF (Amare, Jamison, or Troy Murphy), leaving a nice, empty starting PF spot on the other team. Of course, Hickson wouldn’t have LeBron James feeding him for easy scores anymore, but considering the opposing team would most likely be rebuilding (except in the case of the Suns), and Hickson should get more run than he did/does in CLE.
Keep an eye on:
Wow, I didn’t realize this list was so F-C heavy. Here are some other guys to keep an eye on (including G’s!), either due to trade speculation or strong play: Brad Miller and Taj Gibson (43% and 10% respectively — Joakim Noah still hurting and Tyrus Thomas on the trade block), Ryan Gomes (32%), Marcus Thornton (38% — coming back from injury and should still benefit from Chris Paul’s absence), DeJuan Blair (25%), George Hill (38% — better with Tony Parker healthy?), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (8% — 11 rpg over last 3), Jared Jeffries (8%), T.J. Ford (33% — don’t get your hopes up, but back in rotation), Marquis Daniels (2%), Charlie Bell (4% — a trey in 12 straight games)
Week 13 Recap (It’s all about the…) Week 14 Pickups
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on January 24, 2010
Week 13 was really all about the pickups. I haven’t seen this many players resurrect their fantasy basketball seasons/careers in a week that didn’t involve any major trades in a long while. But first, the recap…
Mo Williams
The biggest fantasy news of the week involved Mo Williams’ shoulder sprain, which will sideline him 4-6 weeks. He passed the injury bug to his replacement, Delonte West (fractured finger in shooting hand), and while I still like West over the next several weeks, it might take him a few games to heal and the another few games to regain his shooting touch, so temper your expectations.
I'm sorry, Grant Hill. This is just wrong. (Getty Images)
Corey Maggette
The biggest fantasy news of the month is Corey Frickin Maggette. I’ve hated him for years and vowed never to own him (unless I owned Dwight Howard in a roto league). Now I hate him because I vowed never to own him. He continues to put up top 10 numbers — amazingly, despite averaging less than ONE three/stl/blk per game — which is a tribute to his efficiency. (He’s averaging 29 ppg on ~15 shot attempts per game.) The fact that I want to underline this entire paragraph makes me hate him even more.
Logic says to sell high, although I probably wouldn’t do so unless I was getting a near-sure bet in return. (That GSW squad just can’t seem to stay healthy, so Maggette will likely get his minutes.) But, because of the sub-1 threes/stl/blk, once Maggette’s 55% FG rate dips closer to his career averages, he’ll likely plummet out of top 10 status back into the top 50 range. That’s still nice, but if you can snag someone like, say, Brandon Roy from a panicked owner (in a packaged deal), go for it. Hey, you never know…
ROY Race
Aided by Monta Ellis’ gimpy anke, Stephen Curry continued to take steps forward, and in my mind he took a big step ahead of the pack in the fantasy ROY race, averaging 23, 5, and 5 with a whopping 3.8 threes and 1.5 spg. Tyreke Evans, on the other hand, had a mediocre week (still averaging 20+ ppg with great percentages), although in his defense that entire SAC squad had a pretty terrible week.
And while he’s in danger of becoming an Also Ran, Brandon Jennings showed some signs of life, averaging 18 ppg and 7 apg with 2 threes/spg (albeit still shooting sub-40% from the field). The emergence of Carlos Delfino and return of Jerry Stackhouse — both of which (at least for this week) seem much more like playmakers than Michael Redd ever was this year — seems to be having a positive effect on Young Money. Sure, his big games this week also came against PGs that couldn’t quite abuse him (Aaron Brooks and Jonny Flynn), but at the least Jennings’ trade value has some life again, in case you need to unload that FG% off your squad.
And in other Week 13 news…
Randy Foye continued to hit his shots until a 3-9 dud on Sunday, which made me feel a little better about ‘selling high’ on him earlier in the week. What also made me feel better: Dwyane Wade’s awesome 2 games after my deal went through. (In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I traded Iggy, Foye, and Yi Jianlian for Wade + 2 scrubs who turned into Carlos Delfino and Drew Gooden. Robin Lopez was sadly picked up before my trade cleared waivers.)
Rashard Lewis is still missing a lot of shots, but also seems to be a more active member of the offense. There is hope…
F my life — Joakim Noah has plantar fasciitis. He seemed to be upbeat about the situation, but if he’s just being optimistic, Tyrus Thomas owners have to be thrilled. (Thomas had 6 blk in 20-something minutes against the (undersized) Rockets in Noah’s DNP over the weekend.) And by the way, here’s a message to FourPointPlay — I know you rigged my last poll!! Lol.
Andre Miller continues to excel in Brandon Roy’s absence.
Lastly, Lou Williams’ fantasy season is on life support, but if you can afford to, I’d try to wait until the trade deadline next month before bailing on him. Many think the 76ers will be active in trades, which might even include Lou but will more likely include Elton Brand or maybe even Andre Iguodala, the departure(s) of which would really help Lou’s fantasy life. If you need more immediate assistance, see below.
WEEK 14 PICKUPS
It seems like we’ve reached a point in the fantasy season where a lot of managers (namely, the ones out of contention) have checked out. This actually has a fairly significant impact on fantasy leagues — especially leagues that aren’t as deep — because it means there is a lot of talent in the free agent pool. If you’re in a H2H league where a lot of these guys are available, it might actually pay off to cut those iffy players and start churning players. (Although you probably want to hang onto some of these guys.)
Robin Lopez (42%)
Last week when I mentioned him, Lopez was owned in 7% of Yahoo leagues. That’s up to 42% now, and it should be even more. After Lopez posted two great lines to start the week, Channing Frye bounced back with a nice performance himself against CHI. But it’s telling that Lopez and not Frye got the minutes in PHO’s next game against run-and-gun GSW. Expect defenses to pay closer attention to Lopez in the future, but his starting job seems secure for now.
Since I think this site has more pictures of Robin Lopez than it can handle, I'll give Delfino some well-deserved publicity. (Getty Images)
Carlos Delfino (33%)
I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves: 16.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 3.5 apg with 3.0 threes and 1.5 spg in 4 games last week. Who knows if this can last, but you want to own Delfino while we all find out.
Drew Gooden (21%)
Gooden was projected by many to be the starting C in Dallas when the year began, but due to injury and Erick Dampier’s strong play, he’s mainly played a bench role. Sunday may have just been a spot start (Dampier was a DNP-nagging injury), as Gooden probably matched up better against the more mobile David Lee anyway, but even in a bench role Gooden has quietly put up top 50 numbers (by averages) over the last month, with 10 and 8 to go along with ~1 stl/blk and great percentages before Sunday’s 15 and 16 outburst.
Delonte West (23%) and Daniel Gibson (8%)
West is the guy to own in February, but for this week Gibson will hit some threes and get some assists just being in the same building as LeBron.
Craig Smith (5%)
I mentioned that Rasual Butler (and Al Thornton) was worth long-term consideration after it was learned Blake Griffin would miss the entire season. But it’s Craig Smith who has really thrived while not having to look over his shoulder. He has solidified his place as the third wheel in that Clipper frontcourt, averaging 15 and 5 on 69% shooting over the last week.
George Hill (8%)
Hill has started three games in a row at SG and produced 16 ppg with 2.3 treys. Keep an eye on this situation.
Other guys to pick up/keep an eye on: Mike Miller (44% — slowly coming around), Corey Brewer (42% — #38 in Yahoo rankings by averages last week), DeJuan Blair (29% — see last week), Matt Barnes (40%), Brandon Rush (26% — he’s been hot since Granger returned), Rasual Butler (30%), Chase Budinger (3% — if you need 3′s in deep leagues), Cartier Martin (1%).
Loading ...Injury Timeout(s): Anthony Randolph, Blake Griffin, and Kobe Bryant
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Injury Timeout on January 14, 2010
Anthony Randolph
Most of you have heard about Randolph’s ankle by now. Unless you’re faaaaar (notice all those a’s?) out in the lead in a H2H league (or are in a keeper league), you can probably drop him, as he’ll likely miss at least two months. However, those savvier H2H owners who are a lock for the fantasy playoffs should consider stashing him sometime in February, as he might be back in time to help some teams (who of course didn’t draft him and didn’t have to sit through his wild inconsistency) win some leagues this year.
In the meantime, guys like Vladimir Radmanovic (if his Achilles injury isn’t too serious), Ronny Turiaf (if his ankle injury isn’t too serious), and Andris Biedrins (if he can get back into shape after his injury which was serious) should all see a boost in production, with Biedrins a decent buy-low candidate. Anthony Morrow has also been coming along lately and had a big game against the Heat in VladRad and AntRand’s combined absence. Corey Maggette should continue to get big minutes, and even though I vowed long ago never to own him, if I had to, this would be the year. And rookie Cartier Martin is worth a look in deeper leagues, as he posted a solid line in 34 min in his first NBA game.
Blake Griffin
And we are once again reminded why, sometimes, it doesn’t pay to stash away injured players. Griffin has pulled a Greg Oden and will miss the entire season. Hey, at least he’s been consistent all year; you can’t say that about all rookies. Owners of Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby should breathe a slight sigh of relief as the only thing that stands to cut into their minutes now are their own achy backs and knees. And in case those don’t hold up, DeAndre Jordan is the big winner here.
One of my preseason busts, Al Thornton, has a chance to put up decent numbers now that he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder (as much) anymore. I’m not rushing to pick him up, but he’s worth a look. Also, one of my favorite waiver wire plays of late, Rasual Butler, has a real chance to keep hitting 3′s while scoring in double figures from here on out.
Kobe Bryant
Okay, I didn’t mean to scare any Kobe owners. His finger injury (and now, also back problems) is nowhere as serious as the other two guys’. But it probably affected fantasy matchups a lot more, at least so far this week. The good news about Kobe is he’ll play through anything. That’s maybe the reason you drafted him above, say, Danny “Away in a” Granger. The not-so-good news is you probably won’t know exactly which Kobe you’re going to get any given night — scorer or facilitator — considering his aches and pains will feel different from one game to the next. And yet, there’s no way you can sit him when he suits up. If I owned Kobe, I’d curse the earth, and then probably just sit and wait this one out before making any drastic moves.
But this is good news if you own Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol (and Ron Artest to an extent), the only other consistent offensive threats on the Lakers. As long as Kobe isn’t feeling the shooting touch, you better believe the Lakers will feed the post. I’m not too worried about Gasol, but maybe baby brother Bynum can learn to co-exist now that the Lakers actually “need” him.
20-Second Timeout: Anthony Morrow, Elton Brand, and Lou Williams
Posted by fantasy hoopster in 20-Second Timeout, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Pickups, Fantasy Basketball Strategy on November 25, 2009
Who has been the most valuable 76er in fantasy this year? Here's a hint: NOT Elton Brand. (Getty Images)
Anthony Morrow
After last night’s performance, this will probably be your last chance to snatch Morrow off the FA list. Against a solid defensive team in DAL (although granted they were without Josh Howard and Shawn Marion), Morrow poured in 27 pts, 9 reb and 5 ast on 9-16 shooting (6-8 from downtown) while chipping in 3 stl. Sure it took him 48 minutes to do, but when your team only dresses 8 players and only plays 6 of them, you’re going to end up playing 48 minutes some nights. (Or in Morrow’s case, 48 minutes 2 games in a row.) He’s somehow still available in 47% of Yahoo leagues.
By the way, every Warrior who played was worth starting tonight. Monta Ellis went off for 37, Stephen Curry had a nice all-around game, and even Vladimir Radmanovic recorded his first double-double since who knows when (adding 4 stl) as Corey Maggette and Andris Biedrins sat out with injuries. Curry should be owned in most leagues; Radmanovic should be owned in more than the 4% of Yahoo leagues he’s currently owned.
Elton Brand
When Marreese Speights went down with an injury a week and a half ago, some astute fantasy basketballers noted these next couple weeks could really define Brand’s value this season. Well, after last week’s dominant 3-game stretch, Brand fell back to earth with a resounding thud against the Wizards. EB only mustered 4 pts and 7 reb on 1-9 shooting, not to mention only recording one measly block and no steals after having 11/8 blk/stl his previous 3 games.
Initially, I thought it might have something to do with the front line WAS marched out against Brand: Brendan Haywood, Fabricio Oberto (one of those pesky defensive post players), and Antawn Jamison. (If I’m not mistaken, Brand’s only bucket came against Andray Blatche.) If this were the case… no big deal. Even first-rounders will have their off-nights against solid defenses.
However, Brand wound up leaving the game in the 3rd quarter with a sore hamstring, which is much more worrisome because his age/conditioning is the biggest red flag surrounding him this year. Last week he wanted to prove coach Eddie Jordan wrong by playing big minutes (35+ for 3 games); tonight he proved that maybe he actually can’t handle big minutes.
What’s it all mean? Brand probably goes back to having his minutes monitored somewhat (at least for the immediate future), which means we probably won’t see as many nights like last week’s. Then again, he’s also proven that he can still bring it. Unfortunately, I’d expect inconsistency (start him against J.J. Hickson and Ilgauskas; sit him against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum), but overall I think he can still average 16 and 9 with 1.5-2.0 blk, which is pretty much what he did last year (with one extra made FG per game). In other words, if you can get a top 50 player for him, I’d probably cut my losses and take it. If not, not all is lost as Brand can probably still provide value in the 50-75 range. (This, of course, is a moving target. This next week where we see what Brand can do with 30 mpg without Speights should be telling.)
Lou Williams
Lost in the Elton Brand Stock Panic of 2009 is the rise of Lou Williams in Philly. I doubted Sweet Lou in the preseason (because I’ve never been a fan of shoot-first PG’s), but Lou has been the most consistent 76er so far this year. He probably can’t keep shooting 50%, so I still think he’s a SELL HIGH candidate, but just don’t sell yourself short, as I think he can maintain his sneaky-good 1.7 spg (which is pretty on-target with his career steals per minute averages).
By the way, since Williams’ sleeper days are long gone, there’s a new sleeper in Philadelphia and his name is Jrue Holiday. 11 pts, 6 reb, 3 treys, and 2 stl last night…in 10 minutes as the 76ers almost came back against the Wizards. Keep an eye on him in deeper leagues as he makes his case for more playing time.
Loading ...Fantasy Fallout: Stephen Jackson Finally/Already Traded! (updated 11/17/09)
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Injuries, Fantasy Basketball Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Trades on November 16, 2009
Did the Warriors just pull a fast one on S-Jax? Or did S-Jax pull a fast one on all of us? (Getty Images)
Ask and you shall receive! Stephen Jackson has been traded along with Acie Law to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. Bet he (or anyone) didn’t see that coming! To be honest, this trade caught me off guard in three respects:
a) It finally happened?!? I thought it would’ve happened in the off-season.
b) It already happened?!? If it didn’t happen in the off-season, I thought it would’ve drug itself out, giving me plenty of time to shop Jackson in fantasy leagues.
c) He got traded to a non-contender? Looks like I lucked out. For now…
Before I get to the fantasy fallout, J.E. Skeets at Ball Don’t Lie has some great links to some nice not-necessarily-fantasy-related but still interesting reactions to the trade, some of the best of which include:
- Queen City Hoops observes that “Yes, Jackson is averaging 16.6 points per game this season, and Bell just 12 — but per 100 team possessions the difference is just two points: Jackson has scored 23.1 points per 100 team possessions, and Bell is at 21.1.”
- Meanwhile, Aron Philips at Dime hypothesizes that this might not be Jackson’s final destination: “I see this trade making complete sense for the Warriors who bring in a hard-nosed defender in Bell and a long-ranger shooter in Radmanovic, but don’t see Jackson fitting in with the Bobcats’ plans. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s flipped like Rasheed Wallace was a couple years ago to a contender.”
And now, the fantasy fallout:
Stephen Jackson
I wrote in a previous article when the Jackson trade rumors reemerged that Jack would likely see a decrease in fantasy value if traded. He was asking to be traded to a contender (I guess the Bobcats are kind of contending… for the lottery. Zing!), which would likely have hurt his AST, assuming a contender wouldn’t be asking S-Jax to handle the ball as much.
Fantasy Basketball Draft Rankings: 101-125
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Draft, Fantasy Basketball Rankings on October 6, 2009
I’ve finished updating my draft rankings from 101-150. I’ll post it in two different entries, to make it a little more readable. Be sure to check out the complete list from 1-150 on the Draft Rankings tab, complete with one-liners.
Draft Strategy: Knowing where you stand
Posted by fantasy hoopster in Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Draft, Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy, Fantasy Basketball Rankings on September 30, 2009
Note: Since you can find some good links to fantasy basketball draft strategy here, I’ll try to focus on a few areas often overlooked.
Before draft day, everyone should compile their own cheat sheet. It just makes life easier, and it also minimizes potential mistakes you can make during the draft when the clock ticks down — 5, 4, 3, 2… — and you panic and take Richard Jefferson because he’s just so darn familiar. And then you realize Francisco
Please don't tell me I just auto-drafted Corey Maggette (Kevin P. Casey/AP)
Garcia and Thaddeus Young were still available when the next two guys draft them…and then thank you.
(Side note: You never want to be thanked during a fantasy draft. However, sometimes it’s fun to screw with people’s heads and thank them even after they’ve made a good pick.)
“Okay, Captain Obvious, I thought you were going to tell me something I didn’t know.” You’re right. So in addition to having your own cheat sheet, you should also be aware of the general public’s cheat sheet. I’m not talking about player raters, or made-up projections. I’m talking about ADP, Average Draft Position.
The most reliable list I’ve been able to find is Yahoo’s. Although they only show you the top 50 overall (and by position), you can kind of fill in the blanks yourself. (I can put together a list with the guesstimates for the blanks if enough people ask.)
Rotoworld- Beaussois hopeful for start of season - Rodrigue Beaubois (G) Dallas Mavericks
- Kleiza to face USA on Saturday - Linas Kleiza (G/F) Toronto Raptors
- Matt Barnes' fiancee says charges false - Matt Barnes (G/F) Los Angeles Lakers
- Ben Gordon says he's nearly 100 percent - Ben Gordon (G) Detroit Pistons
- Casspi says he's hurt by racisim - Omri Casspi (G/F) Sacramento Kings
- Jazz still waiting on Fesenko - Kyrylo Fesenko (C) Utah Jazz
- Jazz set to sign Francisco Elson - Francisco Elson (F/C) Utah Jazz
- Bulls, Nuggets talking Noah for Melo - Carmelo Anthony (F) Denver Nuggets
- Durant scores 33 to lead US over Russia - Kevin Durant (F) Oklahoma City Thunder
- Amundson considering Hornets, four others - Louis Amundson (F) Phoenix Suns
- Adrian Wojnarowski
- WojYahooNBA: RT @SpearsNBAYahoo: Vet free agent big man Joe Smith is expected to take a physical with New Jersey Nets on Friday & sign a contract, a ...
- WojYahooNBA: Column: Mike Krzyzewski's desperate, low-rent move with Team USA: http://tinyurl.com/3yjfw44
- WojYahooNBA: Still, Kevin Durant has 33 points the way he usually gets them: Smooth, in flow, efficient. He's such an incredible talent. USA, 89-78.
- WojYahooNBA: The dream scenario for Blatt would've been Kirilenko here for Russia, because he could've made Kevin Durant work a little more on both ends.
- WojYahooNBA: USA has worn down Russia with pressure defense and foul trouble in third quarter. Russia doesn't have depth to go distance. USA, 65-52. .