FANTASY BASKETBALL: PLAYOFFS & WAIVER WIRE 4/10

FANTASY BASKETBALL: PLAYOFFS & WAIVER WIRE 4/10

By Muntradamus

Since the season is coming down to the wire, I will do the Daily Show with a new style.  There will be Headlines, Waiver Wire look, and then daily notes from your fantasy players if there is any news to report.

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DAILY HEADLINES:

D.J. Augustin returns to the starting lineup to put up 16 Points, 11 Assists on 6/14 shooting.  That line appears safe to say he is their starting PG moving forward, though that does not appear to be the case. Kemba Walker came off the bench to shoot 9/13 from the field in 24 Minutes for 20 Points.  Coach Silas has no definition of the word “consistency” when it comes to his lineup besides Biyombo and Henderson.  It is possible we see Henderson move to the SF spot to make room for Kemba and then everyone is happy in fantasy land.  But then again, it is Coach Silas and who knows what he comes up with next.  For all we know, Corey Maggette could lead the team in scoring next game.  Fantasy Take:  Scout the Kemba and D.J. option for the next couple of games before moving forward with either.  If I had to pick one winner, Kemba Walker would be my answer.

Lester Hudson came off the bench for his 2^nd Monster performance in a row.  25 Points, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block, and 2 3PTM.  He played 36+ Minutes and is clearly the #2 shooting option behind Antawn Jamison.  Kyrie Irving is doubtful for the rest of this week, if not the rest of the season.  Donald Sloan is not effective as a starter playing 28+ Minutes putting up 4 Points and 5 Assists.  Fantasy Take: Add Lester Hudson immediately as he can give you some big performances in the rest of his 5 game week.

Marcus Thornton returned to the court to put up 16 Points on 16 FG attempts.  That is about typical for him, and in return Isaiah Thomas had 16 Points on 15 FG attempts, while Tyreke Evans had 16 Points on 14 FG attempts.  This seems too balanced for this group, and I do not expect it to be this even again.  DeMarcus Cousins was THE BEAST DOME PLAYER OF THE DAY with 25 Points, 18 Rebounds, 6 Steals, and 2 Blocks.  He can dominate any game he wants to.  Fantasy Take: Isaiah Thomas stands to lose the most value as Thornton and Evans will take their shots before Thomas gets his.

Kobe Bryant is due to miss 3^rd Game on Wednesday.  This once was just a little shin injury, but it appears to be much worse.  On top of everything it is happening during everyone’s fantasy playoff runs!  Kobe remains questionable for Friday, but it does seem like it is time to panic.  Knowing Kobe, he will be able to tough out the sore tendon and put up a monster game.  Fantasy Take: Hold on and hope he plays Friday.

 

DAILY WAIVER WIRE LOOK:

 

PLAYERS WHO SHOULD BE OWNED:

Jameer Nelson puts up another big game with 19 Points, 7 Assists, and 3 3PTM.  He has been a big part of this Magic offense for about three weeks now, and he will be a solid contributor down the stretch of the season for your Fantasy Championship run.

 

PLAYERS WHO CAN BE OWNED:

Kevin Seraphin was a monster with 24 Points, 13 Rebounds, and 4 Blocks.  That game will get the job done for all of his fantasy owners, but Booker and Nene could come back soon which would slow-down his value.  If  neither are playing, I would start Seraphin with confidence as he has been in the DAILY RANKINGS.

Brandon Bass had a solid 12 Points, 10 Rebounds with a steal/block combo in 39 Minutes.  The Celtics have been running him big minutes every night, the only thing that slows down his fantasy value is the return of Ray Allen which limits his shot attempts.  Still, you can expect double-double type numbers with the scoring always north of 10 Points.

J.R. Smith came off the bench to play 34+ Minutes and take 13 FG attempts which was T-2^nd on the team with Landry Fields.  J.R. was not impressive with 2 3PTM, 14 Points and 2 Steals.  Amare still remains out for another two games at least, most likely more.  This could be the last week you could count on J.R. because once Amare comes back, it is over.

J.J. Redick played his 35+ Minutes to put up 15 Points, 2 3PTM, and 3 Steals.  Redick is ready to be a fantasy contributor on a daily basis with Hedo Turkoglu out for the regular season.

Jason Richardson is getting the opportunities to be a fantasy contributor, but his consistency is not there on a daily basis.  Tonight he went 4/16 from the field with 10 Points and 2 3PTM.  The potential is there with nearly 39 Minutes.

Gerald Henderson is no doubt one of the Franchise players for Charlotte.  He plays 30+ Minutes most nights, and tonight he played 35+ to score 21 Points and grab 5 Rebounds on 14 FG attempts.  With the emergence of the Walker vs. D.J. battle, it does not appear Henderson will be winner for FG attempts.

Iman Shumpert played a big 34+ Minutes, but only had 12 Points.  He does not do much and his consistency is not rock solid.  It does not help that Amare could be back next week, and Shumpert will have to split time with J.R. Smith off the bench.

Mario Chalmers does two things well.  Steals, and 3PTM.  Tonight was no exception as he had 3 3PTM, along with 3 Steals.  He usually does not offer much else to go along with it, but tonight he added 18 Points.  That is a bit high for his usual line.

Bismack Biyombo saw 37 Minutes of action to put up a big 12 Points, 8 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, and a steal.  With 3 more games left for Charlotte this week, now would be a good time to add Biyombo if you need some block juice.  He usually plays anywhere from 25-35 Minutes, when he plays 37 you know he is doing something right.

Alonzo Gee had 13 Points with 6 Rebounds.  He added 2 Steals and a block, but either way his ceiling is a little bit higher than this.

Shawn Marion had 10 Points and 12 Rebounds Tuesday.  The most surprising part of that stat was he only played 21+ Minutes.  Usually the Matrix is strictly only good when he gets 30+ Minutes, so there is reason to believe he may a semi-dependable option moving forward.

Byron Mullens was ugly with 0 Points and 5 Rebounds.  That fad lasted just about as long as it did last time he was a fantasy option.  Proceed with caution if you are still rolling the dice.

Tristan Thompson has turned to a new low with 22 Minutes scoring 6 Points and 7 Rebounds.  The performance was not a new low, Coach Scott saying that Anderson Varejao will replace Thompson in the starting lineup is the low.

 

PLAYERS TO LEAVE SCOUTING:

Glen Davis is a great fantasy option when Dwight Howard is injured, but that should not be too much longer.  It will be interesting to see what the Magic do with their rotation since Davis continues to be a threat when he starts with another double-double Tuesday.

Rip Hamilton had a big 20 Points with 5 Assists in 20 Minutes on 14 FG attempts.  It would be nice to see those minutes at 30+ as his chances for consistency would be much higher.  Regardless this game will not go unnoticed and if he has another big one, he could move up a category.

 

DAILY FANTASY NOTES:

Rajon Rondo gets 18 Points, and 15 Assists.  His fantasy value is at an all-time high as has 10+ Assists in every game since March 11^th.  That is 18 games in a row.

Chris Bosh is the master of hit or miss.  Tonight he had 13 Points with 9 Rebounds, and considering that you expect 20-10 when you draft him, I would call this a miss.

Antawn Jamison will shoot until the lights go out with 19 FG attempts.  He only scored 17 Points, but his potential for 30 Point games is every night as he has averaged 16.5 Attempts per game in his last 6.  This coming after a 1/4 FG performance the game before the streak.

Carmelo Anthony continues to dominate with 29 Points, 4 Steals, 5 Assists.  This is the 1^st round Melo that you drafted, however it may last only the rest of this week once Amare could possibly return.

Kevin Garnett continues to be the ageless monster with 24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks.  Just another vintage night from a guy who could carry them in the playoffs. 

Kris Humphries continues to dominate with a solid 20 Points and 10 Rebounds.  He is the foundation of what a Fantasy PF is by definition. 

Joakim Noah had 7 Points and 9 Rebounds.  It was nice to see 2 Blocks go along with the effort, but he has to do better than this with no Derrick Rose.  Foul trouble was the problem tonight as he only played 22+ Minutes.

Jason Terry had an off night with 13 Points and 5 Assists.  You cannot win them all with the JET, but at least he did what he does best getting 3 3PTM.

Carlos Boozer is inconsistent just like Chris Bosh.  But with a much lower ceiling, tonight he only had 10 Points and 8 Rebounds.  Too bad he did not reach his vintage Jazz form this season.

Dwayne Wade shot a healthy 21 FG attempts to put up 20 Points with 5 Assists, 3 Steals, and a block.  Wade will fix up the box score for you, it would be nice if he could get some elite 30 Point games more often.

Tyson Chandler was BIG with 10 Points, 15 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, and a steal.  T-Chand has been as good as ever in the fantasy basketball world this season.

Deron Williams is hitting that rough slow stretch of his season with 14 Points, 5 Assists, and 6 Rebounds.  He is no longer the #1 Fantasy PG anymore as that honor goes to possibly Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo.

Luol Deng had to be the leader of the Bulls with no Derrick Rose, and he more or less was with 19 Points, 10 Rebounds, and 3 3PTM.  He even added 4 Assists, and it is games like these that remind you how solid he could be if Rose was not around all year. 

Andre Iguodala had 13 Points, 7 Assists, and 2 Steals.  Still Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes and Louis Williams were the stars of the 76ers squad, all coming off the bench to score 58 of the teams 107 Points.  That is more than 50%, and with that being said I trust no option to be consistent night in and night out.

Dirk Nowitzki has an off shooting night going 4/14 from the field, but still manages 15 Points and 8 Rebounds.  He does not do much outside of those two categories.

John Wall continues to fall short of his fantasy potential with only 15 Points and 7 Assists.  My guess is he is not motivated on this awful Wizards squad.

Ryan Anderson had a terrible game with 7 Points and 4 Rebounds.  The good news is the nearly 39 Minute of court action he saw, the bad news is the 2/10 from the field.  He is inconsistent, but sometimes great.

Paul Pierce stays strong with 27 Points to go along with 7 Boards and 3 3PTM.  Pierce is not getting assists as often as he used to, with March 14^th being the last time Pierce has had 6 Assists or more.  But he is still elite.

Lebron James is getting back into elite form with 36 Points, 7 Assists, 7 Rebounds.  The intangibles come with that as he is making a late push to be the MVP of all Fantasy Basketball in the biggest time of the year.

Jordan Crawford took a team leading 18 FG attempts to score 20 Points with 4 Rebounds and 4 Assists.  He is the Wizards best offensive player, and he should continue to put up big scoring games like this.

Ray Allen continues to come off the bench, but player starter minutes at 34+.  He is still underperforming with 9 Points and 2/7 from 3PT range.