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.

Is Raymond Felton turning into a crafty veteran? Because here he sure looks like that old dude at the Y who somehow uses his off-elbow when he shoots. (Getty Images)

Danny Granger

I already posted an immediate reaction to Granger’s injury, and a lot of it holds true.  As a lot of you agreed, Mike Dunleavy is the guy to own, especially after a monster performance against the Wizards Friday.  Roy Hibbert indeed shifted into the starting lineup and has taken about 12 shots per game since DG went down, but he only hit those shots in one game where he went off for 20 and 9 (on his birthday).  Once those shots start falling, he’ll be a very useful fantasy C over the next month.  I’d expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 and 8 with 1.5 bpg.  And last but not least, Tyler Hansbrough has had three very solid performances, averaging about 18 and 7 with 1.7 spg.

Raymond Felton

It’s already almost been a month since Stephen Jackson was traded to Charlotte, and there are some clear patterns emerging.  First of all, I decided to play my “wild card” guess on Gerald Wallace, predicting that Jackson’s arrival would spark him, so I’ll pat myself on the back for that.  I also took an educated guess that Raymond Felton’s AST would go down, which was also true (barely), but I didn’t expect his value to skyrocket to the tune of a #57 ranking over the last month (Yahoo averages).

There’s a few things working in Felton’s favor here.  First of all, he’s enjoying what might be his most efficient stretch in his career, shooting 48% from the field (career 40%) with only 1.6 TO per game (career 2.7) over the last month.  A lot of that has to do with taking less shots because of Jackson, and also more efficient shots playing alongside another playmaker for once.  Over the last week in particular, he’s shooting 60% from the field with 3.7 spg, which probably qualifies him as a sell high candidate…

But here’s the problem with that.  He’s still, uh, Raymond Felton… so anyone who’s played fantasy for more than a couple years will probably not trust him.  But if he can knock down around 45% of his shots and average somewhere between the 2.2 spg he’s averaged the last month and his career average of 1.5 spg, there’s a good chance you have a top 60-70 player (the rest of the way) with a late round pick, or even a waiver wire add, as he’s still available in 31% of Yahoo leagues.

And by the way, the guy most hurt by Jackson’s arrival?  Boris Diaw.  You’ve probably already noticed this if you own him, but just be wary of Diaw if he’s offered to you in a deal, as his REB and AST are down over the last month — and a large part of Diaw’s value is/was his across-the-board production.

Brandon Jennings vs. Tyreke Evans

Jennings decided to re-join the fantasy ROY race, with his first career double-double against the Blazers and a nice 22-point outing with 4/2/2 3′s/stl/blk against the Raptors.  (Both of which came at home.)  Meanwhile, all Evans did was continue to produce 20, 5, and 5 games.  I personally value Jennings more, even though it seems like most people would rather have Evans right now (at least according to the latest poll).

I think Jennings will get his FG% back up to respectable levels with Michael Redd back and taking that much more pressure off of him.  It’s still to be seen what impact Kevin Martin will have on Evans when he returns, but Evans’ FG% is already pretty nice and doesn’t have much room to go up.  Also, Evans didn’t start his hot streak until Martin went down, whereas Jennings was already delivering pre-Redd’s injury.  Add in Jennings’ ability to hit they trey, and I prefer him, although they’re both going to be fun to own the rest of the way.  And yes, expect fireworks when the Kings visit the Bucks this Saturday.

Other Week 7 Highlights

Fact: Fantasy Hoopster has never looked so calm and under control when he has played basketball or ever in real life. (Getty Images)

It turns out Jose Calderon’s injured hip might be serious, and he’s at least going to miss Toronto’s upcoming road trip.  Jarrett Jack, who had been flirting with fantasy relevancy all year as Calderon struggled early, is worth a short-term pickup with potential long-term value.  In fact, he nearly posted a triple-double replacing Calderon against the Rockets Sunday.

Rip Hamilton and Michael Redd returned from injuries, with Rip posting a solid line (18 pts and 3 stl) versus the Warriors and Redd not hurting his owners as much as in his previous return.  It’s hard to get too excited about Rip, as Detroit still has Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, and Tayshaun Prince on the mend.  Redd, however, should be a solid play going forward.

Several guys who  rose out of obscurity the first month of the year to enjoy fantasy stardom have hit a wall in recent weeks, including Marc Gasol, Channing Frye, and Anthony Morrow.  I like Gasol and Morrow as buy low options if you can get them at the right price, and I am actively trying to snag both, while I’m slightly more cautious of Frye.  More on that in a post tomorrow.

Gilbert Arenas messed around and got his first triple-double of the year.  But he also might have lost the game with a late pair of missed free throws, not to mention losing his swagger.

Chris Duhon is quietly averaging 12 pts, 7 ast and 2.5 threes per game in 6 games this month.  His owners do not miss Nate Robinson one bit.  Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari is still producing great stats as a super-sub.

And finally, Allen Iverson unretired, although at this point he just looks plain tired.  So far, it’s been Iverson who’s the one adjusting to everyone else, especially Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Thaddeus Young.  Meanwhile, Samuel Dalembert continues to go on a rebounding tear, with about 13 rpg last week.  Yes, part of it is his increased hustle (as with the rest of the team) since AI arrived.  But Dalembert is traditionally a (somehow) streaky rebounder as well, so odds are he can’t keep this up.  But he’s a nice play this week with 4 games, two of them versus fantasy friendly GS and LAC, and two versus BOS and CLE.  If he can play well against the latter two, this latest tear might be legit…

WEEK 8 PICKUPS

I already mentioned Jarrett Jack (currently 29% owned in Yahoo leagues) Roy Hibbert (44%), Tyler Hansbrough (10%), or even Raymond Felton (69%) in more shallow leagues.  Here are some more:

C.J. Watson (15%)

This guy makes the top of my list for the second week in the row.  (Well, Jarrett Jack should probably be on top, but you get the idea.)  He put up another top 50 week with efficient, across-the-board production, including 1 3pg and 2.3 spg.  Yes, his emergence coincides with Anthony Morrow’s slump, but they have different enough roles on the team (Watson is much more of a distributor and doesn’t need a ton of shots to contribute) that I think Watson is roster-able in most fantasy formats, especially as he’s regularly becoming the first or second guy off the bench in GS.

Jameer Nelson (66%)

This is just a friendly reminder.  He is slated to resume practicing next Sunday and will likely be a popular add over the coming weeks.

Joel Przybilla (36%)

I’m surprised he’s only taken in 36% of Yahoo leagues.  If you need REB and BLK, he’s the best widely available option right now.

Mickael Pietrus (17%)

Pietrus has been inconsistent lately, alternating duds with monster games.  The Magic have 4 games this week, so his numbers should average out to being useful.

C.J. Miles (4%)

Miles returned from injury to post 3 very solid lines in 4 games.  Wesley Matthews (4%) is still the starter, but keep an eye on this situation.

Taj Gibson (6%)

Even with a recent demotion to the bench (in favor of Brad Miller), Gibson continues to put up decent numbers for deeper leagues.  Sure, some of those numbers came in blowouts, but the Bulls get blown out a lot.  Problem solved.

Josh Boone (5%)

If you need REB and BLK in deeper leagues, Boone is worth a look, averaging 9 and 3 respectively last week.  Plus, he doesn’t shoot enough FT for his horrid % to negatively affect you too much there.

Keep an eye on: James Harden (39%), Jonas Jerebko (7%), Earl Watson (4%), Donte Greene (3%), Omri Casspi (6%), Jose Juan Barea (6%), Maurice Evans (3%)

Good times! I only have one question. Which one's AI and which one's AI2 now? (NBA Media Ventures)

It’s official.  After a close call with the Knicks, followed by hours and hours of meetings with Philly’s top brass, Allen Iverson is un-retiring and returning to the 76ers.  According to Philadelphia’s own Stephen A. Smith, Iverson will step into the starting PG spot when he plays his first game Monday and is worth a roster spot in almost all fantasy formats.  (By the way, despite the content of my last several posts, this is not a 76ers fan blog.  It’s just the result of what I like to call Fantasy Dominos, starting with that broken jaw…)

But what exactly can we expect from AI?  And how will AI’s return affect Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, and the other 76ers?  Well, allow me to answer my two questions with two more questions:

a) What will be AI’s new role on his old team?

b) What will be AI’s role once Williams returns?

From Stephen A.’s article:

“Team sources confirmed on Friday that Iverson would be a starter because Jordan had planned on starting Williams with rookie Jrue Holiday anyway, just to put some excitement and more ball-handlers into his Princeton-style offense.  So even once Williams returns from injury, he’d be in the starting lineup with Iverson.”

Oh.  Well that’s convenient.  As long as he stays healthy, Iverson is slated to start.  Does that mean an automatic return to AI’s numbers circa 2006, the last time he was in Philly?  Of course not.  Although the core of the roster is familiar, this is clearly Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams’ team now.  Or for the next 8 weeks, Iguodala’s team.  I can almost imagine the conversations between Iverson, Iverson’s agent, 76ers GM/President Ed Stefanski (since Dec 07), and head coach Eddie Jordan (since May 09) over the last few days in Dallas:

ED STEFANKSI

It’s an honor to meet you, Allen.  We’re all huge fans.

ALLEN IVERSON

You’re too kind.  But please, call me AI.

EDDIE JORDAN

Oh, no, that’s okay.  We’ll just call you Allen.  Wouldn’t want to disrespect the name your own mother chose for you.

IVERSON

Well then don’t worry, because my own moms calls me AI too.  So really.  Call me AI.

Awkward silence.

STEFANKSI

Well, here’s the thing.  We sort of already have an AI on our team.

Iverson stares blankly at Stefanski and Jordan.

STEFANSKI

You remember Andre?  (cutting off Iverson)  No, not the one you were traded for.  Andre Iguodala.  You know, our first round draft pick back in 2004?  One of only a handful of guys to average 18, 5, and 5 last year?  One of the most electrifying dunkers in the game today?

Iverson continues to stare blankly at Stefanski and Jordan.

JORDAN

Remember back in 2006, that lanky/athletic forward who always passed you the ball?

IVERSON

Ohhhhh!!!!!  AI-2.  Why didn’t you say so?

STEFANSKI

Well, here’s the thing.  Andre’s our AI now.  You’re going to have to be our AI-2.

Awkward silence.

IVERSON

Call me Allen.

STEFANSKI

Done.

Iverson gets up to leave, then pauses.

IVERSON

Or here’s a thought.  Instead of calling me AI, what if you call me your Brand-New AI?  Or just Sweet Lou?

STEPNASKI/JORDAN

Uh……

Fade out.

So, yeah, this isn’t the same 76er team Iverson used to play for.  There’s a lot more talent on this team than there was in PHI circa 2006 or Denver circa 2007.  In terms of the team’s talent level, it’s probably closer to Detroit circa 2008, when Iverson posted career lows almost across the board.

Back to the original question: What can we expect from Iverson?

(Disclaimer: Feel free to disregard any of this, as the only action you really need to take now is to pick up Iverson if he’s still available in your league.)

One would imagine Iverson will be controlling the ball a lot more before Williams returns.  So his value will likely be the tale of two seasons.  For the next 8 weeks, working with Iverson’s DET stats as a baseline, I like his AST to increase from the 4.9 he averaged in 08-09 as a Piston.  That DET team had more ball-handlers in Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum, Rip Hamilton, and even Tayshaun Prince at times last year.  Now he’ll only have to deal with Iggy and rookie Jrue Holiday, who underwhelmed as a starter after a few nice performances as a sub.

However, the increase might not be as much as you’d expect, given that PHI now runs that Princeton offense.  I can almost picture the other half of those Dallas conversations (don’t worry, I won’t write it out), with Eddie Jordan telling Iverson that they need him, but they don’t need him to control the ball as much as he’s accustomed to.  And when Williams returns, I wouldn’t be surprised if those AST numbers dip back down to around 4.9 per game.

Then again, there’s also the chance that Eddie Jordan jumps ship on his Princeton offense and lets Iverson run the show a la Gilbert Arenas in Jordan’s WAS years, as John Cregan from ESPN points out.  And while I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens (purposefully if the season wanders away or accidentally if Philly just lapses into it at times), I’m not sure Jordan/Stepnaski/whoever will allow a one-year sideshow to get in the way of their building plans, especially in Jordan’s first year.  I mean, that’s why Memphis and New York already passed on the former MVP.  Of course, MEM has a clear youth movement and NY is playing for 2010-11, whereas who knows what PHI’s plan is…  So stay tuned.  (By the way, John Cregan is a really smart dude. And he’s not the only smart dude who thinks the Sixers are tanking the season.)

Lou Williams

It’s not like the arrival of Iverson destroys Williams’ fantasy value.  It definitely makes it a lot harder to digest Williams’ goose eggs for the next 8 weeks, but once he returns, Williams should still have a chance to approach his current stats.

He was always more of a shoot-first PG anyway, now (assuming Stephen A.’s source has it right) he’ll be a pass-friendly SG in that Princeton offense.  So, yes, his AST will probably decrease some, but that’s not why you owned him in the first place.  As for his nice STL stats, as I mentioned in a previous post, they’re actually on par with his career per-minute STL numbers, and I don’t expect his MIN to decrease much when he returns.

What I’m actually most worried about is his FG% (and correspondingly, his PTS).  He was absolutely en fuego the first month of the season, and it will be hard to regain that shooting touch immediately (if ever) once he returns.  And since I don’t see him getting more shots, that means his PTS will probably drop too.  Or who knows, maybe he can regain his form right away, and he can maintain his AST levels with an added finisher in Iverson.  Personally, I think slight dips across the board are more realistic.

What do I do if I own Williams?

If you’re in the middle of the pack in your league, I’d probably cut Williams, especially in H2H leagues where Williams isn’t expected back until only 6 weeks or so remain until the fantasy playoffs.  If you’re safely in or near the lead in your league though, it might be worth holding onto him, as he will still be a viable fantasy player flirting with top 50 (by averages) status.  It all depends on how deep your league is (i.e., which FA are available).  At the exact moment he’s down to 46% ownership in Yahoo leagues (which will likely eventually drop to the 20s/30s), and I wouldn’t be surprised if a good number of the teams who keep him are in deeper roto leagues.  (As a side note, if you’re going to stash someone, I’d rather have Jameer Nelson.)

Whatever the case, at least Williams seems like he’s on board with the move, and he seems like a genuine guy, so I wouldn’t expect too much drama on his part.

Andre Iguodala

As an owner of Iggy in one league, I’m not very excited about this situation.  In the last 4 games without Williams (basically the last week), Iguodala didn’t shoot particularly well, but his across-the-board numbers as Philly’s undisputed go-to guy have him ranked #16 by averages in Yahoo leagues (versus a #46 ranking on the whole season).

Sure, Iggy could benefit from the fact that defenses (might) need to pay more attention to AI, but Iggy might be hurt by handling the ball less.  It’s the classic improvement in FG% and TO, but decrease in AST (and maybe PTS).  Add in the fact that there will likely be some growing pains the next couple weeks as Iverson gets adjusted to the new system, and as Iguodala gets readjusted to Iverson, and it’s really hard to predict how Iguodala’s net value will be affected, but I think it will unfortunately be worse than #16.

When Williams returns, Iggy’s numbers might slide some more (again with the FG% and TO improvements but PTS and AST decreases).  And, of course, there will be another round of growing pains.  Overall, I think it hurts Iguodala’s overall value on the year, although hopefully Iggy can be a consistent and more efficient player by the time the fantasy playoffs roll around in H2H leagues.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the efficiency counteracts the drops in counting categories.  To reiterate, this is not a “panic” scenario, more a “mild irritation” one.

Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, Thaddeus Young, and the bench (starring Jrue Holiday)

How will the other 76ers be affected?  Again, we’ll have to wait and see for the exact changes, but it will likely be a mix of Iverson spreading the floor for everyone versus Iverson taking away touches from everyone.  Instead of making wild guesses, I’ll make a few observations:

As far as I can recall, Iverson has never really played with a true post player like Elton Brand.  The old Philly teams had a bunch of role players, Nene Hilario was hurt most of the time AI played in Denver, and Rasheed Wallace had his moments, but Brand is the first back-to-the basket kind of guy.  He bounced back nicely from a strained hamstring in his last game, so his owners can only hope having a new distributor won’t derail his resurrection too much.

Samuel Dalembert has really been coming on his last few games (most of the them without Brand).  Then again, Dalembert has had similar flashes the past several years, only to follow them up with a string of duds.  I don’t know what goes on in his head of course, but he seems like a guy who gets things done when he’s motivated.  And in a totally stat-less news item, Dalembert actually had a dream AI would rejoin the Sixers last week.  Maybe he can use his excitement as motivation to keep  dominating the boards.  If his numbers come back to earth, I certainly don’t think it will be because of AI.  He’s a hot pickup now, and I decided to hang onto him after picking him up for a spot-start last week.

Another guy who got off to a slow start but has picked it up recently is Thaddeus Young.  He’s also another guy who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to put up his numbers.  He’s a likely efficiency-up-but-points-down candidate as well.

Jrue Holiday takes an immediate hit to his borderline fantasy value, or rather potential value.  The funny thing is he might actually be a better player as a sub (matching up against the other team’s second unit and also being more of a go-to guy for his own squad).  As of now, I’m not rushing to own him in any leagues though.

Wow.  That was a lot more overanalysis than I was planning on.  I guess I have Virgin America/Google’s current Free Wifi promotion to thank/blame for that.  Here’s to blogging from the friendly skies…

Don't call it a comeback, Brand's been here all year long. He's just finally making some noise. (Getty Images)

WEEK 4 RECAP

They’re Ba-aaack

Week 4 featured the return of several fantasy studs: Rashard Lewis, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, and Pau Gasol.  (Thanks for playing, Ryan Andersen and Rafer Alston.  Here are some nice parting gifts…)

As for Murphy and Gasol, their fantasy impact is a little more complicated.  Murphy will definitely take away some of Roy Hibbert’s stats, but I think the young center will still be valuable contributing a near double-double with 2 bpg.  Meanwhile, if you didn’t sell high on Andrew Bynum before Gasol’s return, please don’t panic and let someone buy low on him these next few (or more?) games as he readjusts to Gasol.  19 and 11 might be a little much to expect, but he’ll be much better than 11 and 8 (his first game with Pau back).

On the flip side, Week 4 also saw some key injuries, including Jameer Nelson and Andrew Bogut.  If you’re looking for replacements, Jason Williams has had a couple decent games thus far, while Kurt Thomas/Hakim Warrick have each had a nice game (depending on the matchup) in Bogut’s absence.  (There are some more exciting pickups further below.)

They’re “Ba-aaack”

Week 4 also featured the “return” of two stud centers: Elton Brand and Al Jefferson. With Marresse Speights out of the way due to injury, Brand absolutely erupted, averaging 20 and 10 with 2.7/3.7 spg/bpg this week, good for the #2 ranking by averages in Yahoo leagues.  I’m not sure what to make of this unexpected outburst quite yet, as the 76ers lost two of those games and barely beat a new-look CHA team in the other game, but I’ll have my thoughts on whether Brand is a sell high or buy low guy shortly.

As for Jefferson, he put up back-to-back strong outings (in the form of 20 and 10 games) as well.  The most telling number here might be his 36 minutes played in a blowout loss to POR.  Looks like Big Al is finally getting his legs back.

ROY = Brandon Jennings.  Fantasy ROY = Not so fast…

Brandon Jennings has already bagged ROY honors, but Fantasy ROY is still up for grabs... (Getty Images)

In week 4, Tyreke Evans continued to give Brandon Jennings a run for fantasy rookie of the year.  Before missing his last game with a sprained finger, Evans was on a torrid 6-game run averaging about 24, 6, and 6.

WEEK 5 PICKUPS

First, just wanted to make sure I dotted my I’s and crossed my T’s.  These first six guys are likely not available in your leagues anymore, but before moving onto the pickups below, please make sure they’re already taken.  (Current % ownership in Yahoo leagues in parentheses)

Larry Hughes (68%)

Hughes has shown flashes of brilliance over the past few years, but they usually end after a week or so.  Under Mike D’Antoni, it looks like he’s flashed back to his fantasy prime back in WAS.  After 10 games, Hughes is flirting with that elusive 15, 5, and 5 status from the G-F spot, not to mention chipping in 1.3 3pg and 2.2 spg.  There are two stats that hint he might actually be able to keep this up (well, maybe everything but the 2+ spg): he’s averaging 34+ mpg, his most since his CLE days, and he’s hoisting 3.9 3-pt attempts per game, his most ever.

I keep waiting for Nate Robinson to eat into his minutes, and the addition of Allen Iverson would have certainly hurt Hughes as well, but neither seems to be happening for now, so unless you can score something great in a trade, I’d enjoy the ride.  (And by the way, if you already own him, I agree he’s a sell high candidate… but you have to own him before you can sell him.)

Chris Douglas-Roberts (60%) and Peja Stojakovic (69%)

Here are two guys at opposite points in their careers who are making the most of starting gigs due to injury.  Well, CDR had already posted a couple nice lines before Yi Jianlian got hurt, but he absolutely took over the offensive load for the Nets after Devin Harris’ injury.  Well, Devin returned Saturday night off the bench, and CDR still managed 24 pts on 19 shots.  This is scary, but it looks like CDR has a chance to at least maintain his 18 ppg this year.  Is it any wonder the Nets are 0-13?

Meanwhile, even though they obviously play different positions, Peja has been a huge beneficiary to Chris Paul’s injury.  Even though he doesn’t have CP3 setting him up anymore, the main reason is because Peja’s shot attempts have increased from below 10 per game to about 15 per game, translating into 20+ ppg over the four games Paul has missed.  I’m not exactly sure what will happen once CP3 returns, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Peja continuing to get at least 10 shots per game when that happens.

Rudy Fernandez (48%), Anthony Morrow (44%), and Stephen Curry (66%)

Just a friendly reminder, but here are three guys I mentioned in my last Pick Me Up post.  (You’ll notice Allen Iverson is no longer on this list.  And as long as AI isn’t a Knick — probably the only team desperate enough to start him — I’m not owning him.)  All three are benefiting from injury/trade, with Curry potentially benefiting from a Monta Ellis deal as well.

Now onto some more readily available guys…

Ben Wallace (47%)

Wallace is another guy (joining the ranks of Andrei Kirilenko and Jermaine O’Neal) who has seemingly found the Fountain of Youth this year.  He won’t help you on offense at all, but with his measly 1.7 FT attempts per game, he won’t hurt you as much as he did in the past.  And after a month of games, he looks like he has a legit chance at maintaining his 9+ rpg and 1.2/1.5 spg/bpg… especially if he can keep getting 30+ mpg.

Dahntay Jones (40%)

Here’s a guy who crushed the value of a popular preseason sleeper, Brandon Rush.  In 7 games as the starting SF, he’s averaging 19 and 5 with 1+ spg/bpg.  Keep an eye on this situation, as Murphy returned to action over the weekend, which will likely push Danny Granger to the SF spot again.  If Jones slides into that starting SG spot, Rush’s value drops even more (if that’s even possible), and Dahntay should probably be owned in more than 2/5 of leagues.

Mickael Pietrus (14%)

Pietrus is averaging 30+ mpg, 12.7 ppg, and 3.0 3pg in 3 games as the starting SF since Rashard Lewis returned.  Of course, he’s also shooting 9-13 from 3-pt range in that span, which is unmaintainable.  With Matt Barnes as a more-than-capable backup, it’s hard to recommend Pietrus with high confidence, but as long as he’s starting and getting minutes (it doesn’t hurt that the Magic are winning), he could be a nice play as he contributes a little everywhere.

James Harden (33%)

He's already on the Evite, but is James Harden finally ready to join the Class of '09 rookie PG party? (Getty Images)

Harden followed a 24 pt/6 3pm garbage time performance with a 25 pt with 4 3pm/stl performance in a more highly contested game versus WAS.  Maybe it’s just a hot 2-game stretch, or maybe Harden is finally turning the corner and playing up to the hype.  If he’s someone you’ve had your eye on, now is the time to pounce.  Although don’t be surprised if he’s back on waivers by week’s end.

Beno Udrih (40%)

While Tyreke Evans has gotten most of the attention post-Kevin Martin’s injury, Udrih has resurrected his fantasy career.  I’m not sure what happens to Udrih whenever Martin comes back, but he’s been very solid in his absence.  As a starter he’s quietly averaging 17 ppg and 5 apg with 1.3 3pg with great %s.  Martin is out at least 6 more weeks, so Udrih should probably be on more rosters.

Steve Blake (15%)

Blake was an unflashy yet highly productive fantasy play last season, and he’s slowly creeping back to that status, having averaged 2+ threes and 4+ assists in November (while average more mpg than Andre Miller).  He’s worth a look in deeper leagues if you need a PG.  Personally, I’d rather own him than Miller because of the threes.

Jared Dudley (19%)

Again, here’s another guy who’s not doing anything flashy, but he’s quietly a top 100 player (by Yahoo averages) because he hits 1.8 3pg and 1.2 spg.  His upside is limited with the talent on that team, but you could do worse on the end of your bench.

Ramon Sessions (33%)

I abandoned Sessions, one of my preseason sleepers before Jonny Flynn started impressing, in all my leagues long ago.  But if you’re looking for assists, Sessions has averaged nearly 5 over his last 5 games.

Luke Ridnour (7%)

With Michael Redd out of the lineup, Brandon Jennings has actually shifted over to SG much of the time with Ridnour running the point, including a 12-assist effort on Saturday night.  With Redd on the verge of returning, who knows what will happen to Ridnour’s minutes (Redd could spend more time at SF in the aforementioned arrangement, or he could squeeze Ridnour’s minutes altogether).  But if you’re desperate for a PG or are in a deep league, Ridnour’s worth a look.

Flip Murray (4%)

For some reason, Stephen Jackson’s arrival in CHA has caused Flip to catch fire, including a 31-point effort and a more well-rounded 17, 5, and 6 outing.  If anyone has theories, please let me know.  It’s most likely a coincidence, but keep an eye on the situation if it keeps happening.

Marco Belinelli (9%)

Before his latest goose egg, Belinelli had nailed 11 threes in a 4-game stretch.  He’s always been streaky, but if he can manage 24+ mpg like in that 4-game stretch, he might be worth owning in deeper leagues.

And finally, a look at some temporary rentals with long-term potential:

Will Bynum (42%) has been tearing it up lately with both Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince out.  Personally, I’d sell high if you can (by packaging him with someone else for an upgrade of that certain someone else).

Drew Gooden (25%) has been a double-double machine (even notching 3 blk against the Spurs) without Erick Dampier.  Once Dampier comes back, it will be interesting to see who starts, as Gooden was rumored to be the starter during the preseason.  Note: Both Gooden and Dampier’s strong play probably kills any (preseason) rumors of Dirk Nowitzki starting at C, gaining F-C status, and turning into the potentially most valuable player in fantasy this year.

J.J. Hickson (15%) has been a FG% machine with Anderson Varejao out of the lineup.  He’s certainly made the case for more playing time in CLE, but we’ll see what happens when both Varejao and Shaquille O’Neal return.

Ersan Ilyasova (13%) has made the most out of Michael Redd’s injury.  We’ll see if he can keep his spot in the rotation once Redd returns.

While most of the hype immediately after Chris Paul’s injury centered on Darren Collison (11%), Marcus Thornton (3%) has been slightly more relevant because of his 3-pt range.

It probably makes more sense to own Andres Nocioni (14%), but for those of you in deep, deep leagues, Omri Casspi (3%) and Donte Greene (1%) are worth a look after posting some solid lines without Kevin Martin.

Nobody is hoping S-Jax gets traded more than Anthony Morrow. And all you fantasy basketball geeks. (AP)

While I’ve never been a huge fan of using pre-season box scores to strongly influence my fantasy draft, they are helpful in some respects.  (I’d rank them about a notch higher than the helpfulness of summer league box scores.)

To clarify, I’m talking about stats from game situations that seem like they might pop up again in the regular season, such as if a team is running a particular rookie or second year player out with the starters every night.  I’m not talking about monster stat lines guys put up when all the starters are sitting.  See: DeJuan Blair without Duncan or Ginobili (28, 4 and 4), Marcin Gortat without Dwight Howard (14 and 14 with 6 blocks, and Anthony Morrow without Stephen Jackson (although his last game might make me reconsider).

Now on to the pre-season’s most interesting stat lines:

Roy Hibbert

In my opinion, no other player has raised his fantasy stock higher than Hibbert this pre-season. Already slated as Indiana’s starting C, Hibbert has made the most of his new status by exploding with 20 and 11 with 8 blocks versus the Nuggets (10/08) and 21 and 9 with 4 blocks versus the Nuggets, again (10/11). Remember when people talk about that sophomore bump? Hibbert is a guy most people, including me up to now, have left off their lists. I’d love to snag him in the late rounds of my draft.

Brandon Jennings

I’m not big on drafting rookies, but Jennings’ stat line versus the Pistons (10/07) caught my attention, as he put up 18, 4, and 6 with 2 threes and 6 steals in just 27 min. And as I’m writing this post, he just dropped 10 points and 12 assists against the Bulls, albeit on 2-13 shooting. A good reminder that, yes, he has a chance to put up numbers in MIL, but that they might not come every night.

Will Bynum

Meanwhile, Bynum added 23 pts and 6 asts on 12-12 from the charity stripe versus the Bucks in that same game (10/07). While I can’t fully endorse him given he’s fourth in line for minutes in that crowded DET backcourt, he’s worth a look in deeper leagues. More importantly, I bring up Bynum to compare him to this next guy:

Rodney Stuckey

Stuckey didn’t play too shabby in that Bucks-Pistons game either, chipping in 21 pts.  However, he only added a single assist…which is even more disturbing considering he also had only 1 assist in 29 min in his next game versus the Hawks (10/08).  I’m no math genius, but I think that comes out to a 1 apg average, which is a little low from a “PG”.  Yes, it’s only the pre-season, but I’m already downgrading Stuckey in the back of my head.

Chase Budinger

In the Rockets’ three most recent pre-season games, Budinger was 1-1 on 3′s in 32 min vs. the Spurs, 0-5 on 3′s in 29 min vs. the Celtics, and 3-6 on 3′s in 36 min vs. the Magic.  So… why exactly am I mentioning him?  He’s led the Rockets in minutes in every pre-season game so far.  That’s no guarantee he’ll get big minutes during the regular season, but it sure looks like the Rockets are auditioning him.  I’d keep an eye on him in deeper leagues.

D.J. Augustin

Augustin already made a small splash last year, when the Raymond Felton trade rumors flooded the blogosphere. His 22 pts on 16-18 FT, 2 threes and 3 steals is more just a reminder that he’s worth snatching up late in drafts, especially in deeper leagues.

Stephen Curry

I’ll finish with yet another one of those guys I hate to draft. Rookies. Curry put up a pretty impressive 18, 7, and 7 with a block and 2 threes the other night. Granted, it was against the Suns. And the Warriors were without Stephen Jackson. But I bag on rookies so much, I figured I’d give Curry some love.

And if you’re ever in LA, check out the fried chicken curry at Hurry Curry.  I guarantee they will deliver the goods more consistently than any rookie this year.