FANTASY BASKETBALL Daily Show: Week 15 (April 2nd–April 9th)

FANTASY BASKETBALL Daily Show: Week 15 (April 2nd – April 9th) 2012

By: Muntradamus

*Updated 4/8

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Week Two of the Fantasy Playoffs.  Will Kevin Love continue to be Fantasy MVP?  Will Jordan Crawford continue to be the PFBMVP?

Check the Daily Rankings to see where your players are as the week progresses.

*Feel free to ask any questions at the bottom, I will answer them.  Join us for the LIVE CHAT W/ MUNTRADAMUS SUNDAY NIGHT from 7-10 (PM) Pacific Time.

JOIN THE CHAT HERE.

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MONDAY (4/2/12)

HEADLINES

• KEMBA WALKER IS MUST ADD IN ALL LEAGUES NOW THAT HE WILL START AT PG.
  
• Marcus Thornton hurts quad.  Tyreke Evans is ELITE.
• Luke Ridnour hurts ankle.  J.J. Barea becomes Must-Add.
• Derrick Favors plays 30 Minutes alongside Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson.
• O.J. Mayo scores 20+ with Conley out 2^nd time.  Also team leading 19 FG Attempts.
• Ekpe Udoh outplays Drew Gooden.
• Jordan Crawford remains #1 for PFBMVP.  Goran Dragic not close behind.

FANTASY PLAYOFF DAY #8 MVP- Tyreke Evans

 

ADD’EM: J.J. Barea. O.J. Mayo.

DEEP WAIVER WIRE WATCH: Derrick Favors. Kevin Seraphin. Delonte West. Terrence Williams. Tony Allen

*Fantasy Basketball Team-By-Team Notes From Around The NBA:

Milwaukee:

Monta Ellis started this game like all his fantasy owners were hoping for with 10 Points.  He only finished with 17 with 6 Assists and 5 Rebounds.  The low-end numbers feel normal.  Brandon Jennings continues his scoring spree with 19 Points, 7 Assists, 6 Rebounds.  He led the team in FG attempts for the 3^rd Straight game with 17.  Drew Gooden had one of his back to earth days with 8 Points and 3 Rebounds.  The worst part of this line is he was outplayed by Ekpe Udoh who exploded for 15 Points, 8 Assists, 5 Rebounds in 21 Minutes.  Ersan Ilysova does not have to worry about anything taking his PT after having another huge 16 Point, 11 Rebound line.  His PT and job are more than safe.  Mike Dunleavy was solid with 17 Points and 2 3PTM off the bench.  As long as Carlos Delfino is out, Dunleavy is a solid start.

Washington:

Jordan Crawford is a fantasy god with 23 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists, and 3 3PTM.  He will be responsible for a lot of teams winning their fantasy championships this season.  John Wall continues to struggle going 4/13 from the field, but his line looks okay with 14 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 9 Assists.  He should be doing much better.  Especially on a team that was without Nene Hilario and Trevor Booker which opened up the door for Kevin Seraphin to have a nice 15 Point game.  Chris “I just spent 10K on the lottery” Singleton is not a fantasy option but I just wanted to throw that joke out there.  He had 4 Points, 4 Rebounds, and 3 Steals.

Houston:

Luis Scola was his old-school beast self with 18 Points and 12 Rebounds.  Courtney Lee took 14 FG attempts but failed to do anything besides score 13 Points.  Kevin Martin is going to try to practice later this week, so this is now or never for Lee.  In the past he has responded well to this.  Goran Dragic is making a serious run for PFBMVP with 21 Points, 4 Steals, 1 Block, and 5 Assists.  Kyle Lowry will be re-evaluated at the end of the week.  Marcus Camby had another monster game with 12 Points, 11 Rebounds, a steal in 30 Minutes.  Samuel Dalembert only played 5 Minutes, so Camby is very safe moving forward with huge upside.  Chandler Parsons has a two game cold streak and losses his value quickly after scoring 6 Points in 27 Minutes.  Chase Budinger could make a move and replace him soon.

Chicago:

With no word on Derrick Rose returning anytime soon, the Bulls remains a 3 man fantasy team.  It was nice that Rip Hamilton returned to score 6 Points in 19 Minutes, but it will take him a week to be a fantasy option again.  Joakim Noah had another strong performance with 15 Points and 9 Rebounds to go along with 4 blocks and a steal.  He is in machine mode.  Luol Deng broke out of that mini-slump with a huge 24 Point, 7 Rebound, 2 3PTM performance.  The best part about it was the 40+ Minutes which means he is the man the Bulls want to run.  Carlos Boozer did some nice damage 16 Points, 13 Rebounds, and 7 Assists in 34 Minutes.  He has been very inconsistent and streaky, so we will see where this leads him.

Memphis:

Mike Conley sat this one out, which resulted in another 20+ Point performance for O.J. Mayo.  Mayo becomes the primary guard scorer in the situation, and Tony Allen managed to be effective playing 40+ Minutes with 15 Points and 8 Rebounds.  The huge difference between the two is Mayo took a team leading 19 FG attempts, while Allen took 11.  Mayo is MUST ADD.  Marc Gasol was less than solid with Roy Hibbert like 13 Points and 8 Rebounds.  Marreese Speights led the way with 13 Rebounds.  He has no value however because Zach Randolph and his 10 Points play behind him.  Rudy Gay had an off 4/15 night but still managed 12 Points and 8 Rebounds.  Like a G.

Oklahoma City:

Kevin Durant seems to be putting up 21 Point, 8 Rebound, 2 3PTM numbers every game.  He is falling in the fantasy ranks unless he explodes for a 40 anytime soon.  Serge Ibaka saw 28 Minutes and was able to do enough damage to keep his fantasy owners satisfied.  12 Point, 5 Rebounds, 1 Steal and 6 “Get out of my house” Blocks.  He would be a top 5 fantasy forward is he saw 40 Minutes consistently.  Russell Westbrook had a less than stellar performance and is not the 1^st round pick his owners were hoping for this season, 19 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, and 3 Steals.  On the season his assist total is at 5.4, last year it was at 8.2.  James Harden was a low-end Manu Ginobili with 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 3PTM, not bad.

LA Clippers:

Chris Paul reminded of us his disappointing season with 8 Points, 10 Assists, and 5 Rebounds on 3/12 shooting.  His scoring has been great at 19.3 Points, but his assists and rebounds are down across the board.  The Assists is what makes him so attractive, 8 a game is now CP3.  Blake Griffin continues to play his best basketball of the season with 15 Points, 16 Rebounds and a block.  Caron Butler and Nick Young continue to do nothing as Randy Foye is brilliant again with 28 Points and 8 3PTM.  Butler and Young will be worthless when Mo Williams returns.  DeAndre Jordan saw under 30 Minutes, dropping his value with a 4 Point, 6 Rebound effort.

Dallas:

Dirk Nowitzki had a less than stellar game with 19 Points and 4 Rebounds.  He either needs to be 20+, or have 10+ Rebounds.  Shawn Marion saw less than 30 Minutes, and put up 4 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks and a steal.  He did that in 24 Minutes, and that is not enough time for him to enter the MATRIX.  Remember that nickname…Delonte West started for the injured Jason Kidd and did nothing in 36 Minutes with 6 Points and 4 Assists.  He is on waiver wire watch.  Jason Terry was mediocre with 15 Points, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 3PTM.  Just a typical game for the JET.

Utah:

Devin Harris played 13 Minutes, Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson both played over 16.  Somehow Devin Harris was the most productive with 9 Points, 4 Assists, and 2 Steals.  Harris is not so safe.  Derrick Favors played 35 Minutes off the bench mostly in place for C.J. Miles giving the Jazz a huge team.  With this result, Favors had 11 Points and 11 Rebounds.  Al Jefferson was solid with 13 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 Steal, and a block.  Though the real winner was Paul Millsap who had 31 Points and 11 Rebounds.  We will see how this comes into play next game, but this definitely make Favors a lot more intriguing.  Gordon Hayward is more than safe with 20 Points, 1 Steal, 3 3PTM, in almost 40 Minutes of action.

Portland:

Wesley Matthews continues to be in BEAST MODE ever since the Gerald Wallace trade.  Tonight he was huge with 33 Points, 5 3PTM, and 2 Steals.  It helped Jamal Crawford sat with a knee injury.  Nicolas Batum was solid despite a poor shooting night.  He went 6/17 from the field, but managed to get 16 Points, 2 Steals, 3 Blocks, 10 Rebounds, and 4 3PTM.  Does not get more versatile than that.  LaMarcus Aldridge continues to be a beast with 27 Points, 7 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks on a team leading 22 FG attempts.  LaMarcus is their man, and on nights like that J.J. Hickson will get less attention and end up with 4 Points and 5 Rebounds in 28 Minutes.  He will be better than this on most occasions.  Raymond Felton had 8 Assists and 9 Rebounds.  The scoring was low at 4 Points, but his owners will not complain.

Minnesota:

Luke Ridnour hurt his ankle, and it did not look pretty.  J.J. Barea will instantly get a huge boost in all fantasy leagues and should be a monster for the foreseeable future.  Barea is due back Wednesday.  Kevin Love was his typical self with 23 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 3 3PTM, this is a so-so game for him.  The T-Wolves decided to move Brad Miller to the starting center spot where he had 11 Points, 6 Assists, and 3 3PTM.  He has no long term value as Nikola Pekovic had 17 Points on 7/8 shooting in 19 Minutes.  That about kills Derrick Williams who played 21 Minutes off the bench and went 3/10 shooting with 8 Points, who has no place to play now.

Sacramento:

Tyreke Evans owners got a huge fantasy blessing when Marcus Thornton left the game with a  calf injury.  He is day-to-day, but any day he does not play Tyreke Evans should blow up like he did tonight with 24 Points, 10 Rebounds, 7 Assists, and 2 Steals.  He will be in 3×2 mode all week.  DeMarcus Cousins was strong with 20 Points, 9 Rebounds, and 2 Blocks.  Of course he ended up with 4 Fouls and just played 30 Minutes, but the potential is huge for him every game.  Jason Thompson had 9 Points and 1 Rebound in 20 Minutes, very disappointing performance.  Isaiah Thomas was solid with 17 Points, 5 Assists, 1 Steal, and 3 3PTM in 26+ Minutes.  There is a bit to worry about with Jimmer Fredette scoring 19 Points, and Terrence Williams getting a 12 Point, 12 Rebound game in 31 Minutes.  But how often are these guys going to play great?  I would feel comfortable with Isaiah as my starter, especially with Thornton due to miss a game or two.

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TUESDAY (4/3/12)

 

 

HEADLINES

Live Chat every night, Join Here.

• D.J. Augustin outplays Kemba Walker from bench.
• Mario Chalmers and Lebron James have big games with no Dwayne Wade.
• Greg Monroe goes back to 20-10 form.
• Byron Mullens is making a late run for PFBMVP.
• O.J. Mayo stays hot.
• Evan Turner explodes with no Andre Iguodala.
• Carmelo was back to vintage form along with Andrea Bargnani.
• DeMarcus Cousins had 41 Points and 12 Rebounds, but he was not MVP for the day as that went to…

FANTASY PLAYOFF DAY #9 MVP- Lebron James (1st Time)

 

ADD’EM: Byron Mullens. O.J. Mayo. J.R. Smith. Shannon Brown. Evan Turner. Mario Chalmers.

DEEP WAIVER WIRE WATCH: Terrence Williams.

*Fantasy Basketball Team-By-Team Notes From Around The NBA:

New York:

Carmelo Anthony was in BEAST MODE.  He scored 39 Points, grabbed to 10 Rebounds, 2 Steals, a Block and hit 17 of 31 FG Attempts.  Unfourntaley the Knicks lost in the effort and were outscored by 23 Points in the 4^th quarter.  J.R. Smith came off the bench to play 28+ Minutes and take 11 FG attempts and ended up with 11 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists and 1 3PTM.  His value will continue to rise, especially when Iman Shumpert scores 6 Points in 37+ Minutes, and Baron Davis scores 5 Points in 29 Minutes.  Although Landry Fields was effective on 5/8 shooting with 15 points, he just does not take a lot of FG attempts every game.  Tyson Chandler did his part of being part of a Knicks win with 12 Points and 14 Rebounds.

Indiana:

Danny Granger had a huge 4^th quarter which resulted in a 27 Point, 5 3PTM game.  His owners are happy to see him on a hot streak.  Paul George decided to shoot tonight with 12 FG attempts, he ended up with 18 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 3 Steals.  Consistency has been George’s problem all season.  Roy Hibbert started big, but ended small with 10 Points and 5 Rebounds.  The alarming stat is only 24 Minutes, see how he bounces back.  Darren Collison was as effective as he usually is with 8 Points and 5 Assists, a very low-end guard.  David West continues to disappoint with 9 Points and 1 Rebounds.  The Pacers have too many shooting options to depend on any consistency outside of Granger.  He even has not been that consistent this season compared to his career.

San Antonio:

The game was a blowut, which hurt all Spurs fantasy value.  The noteable fantasy options were not in the game for the 4^th quarter.  Tony Parker had 19 Points and 5 Assists on an impressive 9/12 shooting.  Tim Duncan saw 23 Minutes and ended up with 7 Points, 8 Rebounds, and a block.  He would have been a lock for a double-double without sitting often in the 35 Point win.  Manu Ginobili only saw 18+ Minutes, yet he had an impressive 7 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 3PTM performance.  He is ready for a huge game.  Kawhi Leonard only had 8 Points and 3 Rebounds in 18 Minutes.  If you were thinking about adding him, you can stop those thoughts.

Cleveland:

Kyrie Irving returned from a shoulder injury, and despite the blowout he played 29+ Minutes with 13 Points and 5 Assists.  He took 15 FG attempts, so he is ready to roll as a high-end fantasy option.  Tristan Thompson was less than stellar with 10 Points and 4 Rebounds.  The hype train is coming to an end with him.  Alonzo Gee is turning into the 4^th or 5^th option on most nights, and tonight it happened again as he took 4 FG attempts in 29+ Minutes.  His value is dropping, especially with the news that Anderson Varejao will maybe start practicing later this weekend.  No other Cav is worth talking about.

Charlotte:

Kemba Walker finally became the starting PG, he ended up with 10 Points, 7 Assists in a mere 23 Minutes.  The worst part of the line was D.J. Augustin ended up with 18 Points and 7 Assists in 24 Minutes.  The situation is not looking good for either player, I expect Kemba to be the starter the rest of the season.  Gerald Henderson is not as aggressive as he was last week only taking 7 FG attempts.  He is a worthless fantasy option if he decides he is not ready to dominate.  Reggie Williams ended up with 4 Points starting for the injured Corey Maggette.  The Bobcats are in dissrray and the most impressive fantasy option right now is Byron Mullens who had another strong 20 Point, 14 Rebounds, 2 Block games.  Who knows how long this will last, but is sneaking up as PFBMVP candidate.  Add him if you could use his services over an inconsistent option.  Bismack Biyombo is slowly crawling up into a ball with 5 Points, 5 Rebounds, and a block in 25+ Minutes.  When the minutes go away, his fantasy value will crash and burn.

Toronto:

Amir Johnson was on fantasy watch with two games averaging out to nearly 30 Minutes, he put that thought to rest with only 13 Minutes.  I will pass on him.  Jose Calderon was his usual self with 11 Assists, that one point to go along with it will not make his owners happy, only 2 FG attempts.  The reason he shot so little was Andrea Bargnani shot so much.  Bargs was draining it also with 30 Points on 11/22 shooting.  The downfall was his 3 Rebounds, but a 30 Point game from your center is very unique.  Especially when he gets 2 3PTM.  DeMar DeRozan who is now clearly the #2 option had 20 Points with 4 Rebounds on 8/16 shooting.  Besides Points, he does not offer too much.  James Johnson was outplayed by Linas Kleiza, you can cancel out both players unless one is injured.

Philadelphia:

The fantasy headache team was at it again.  Andre Iguodala left with an eye injury, ended up with 11 Points and 5 Assists on 7 FG attempts in 26 Minutes.   He will want to be out there for the next game to get Philly in the playoffs.  Evan Turner turned up his game with 26 Points and 8 Rebounds.  The most impressive part was his 19 FG attempts, which shows he is ready to dominate in fantasy again.  Elton Brand did his thing with 3 Blocks, and 3 Steals.  Besides that he only had 8 Points and 6 Rebounds in 30 Minutes, and saw Thaddeus Young play 31+ Minutes with 8 Points and 7 Rebounds.  Both players can co-exist as playable fantasy options.  Jrue Holiday continues his disappointing season with 8 Points, 6 Assists, and 6 Turnovers on 11 FG attempts.  He just cannot get going this season, and when he does it never lasts a week.  A big reason to that is the presence of Lou Williams off the bench who was huge with 18 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, and 6/17 shooting.  If he can stay consistent he will be a monster.  Spencer Hawes is a still a low-end inconsistent center start with 12 Points, 2 Blocks, and 5 Rebounds.  The good news is he is starting to see 30+ Minutes.

Miami:

No Dwayne Wade should mean a monster performance for the “Don’t take away my Fantasy Crown” Lebron James.  LBJ was an animal among villagers with 41 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block, and 1 3PTM.  He was back to being the center of the offense with 25 FG attempts.  His owners will hope Wade stays injured longer who was a late scratch with a knee injury.  Mario Chalmers stepped up his game without Wade like he did earlier in the year with 19 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, and 2 Steals in 32 Minutes.  He only hit 1 3PT shot, but that line is big enough for him.  Chris Bosh could have done better, but was nice with 17 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 2 steals.  He should have more than 12 FG attempts when there is no Wade.

Orlando:

No Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, or Ryan Anderson.  Hedo Turkoglu was on his way to a breakout game going 4/4 in the 1^st quarter for 11 Points.  He ended up going 6/7 and ended up with 16 Points which was not nearly as many as he should have gotten, and I do not trust him as nothing more as a, “get the job done” fantasy option moving forward.  Glen Davis was a beast with 22 FG attempts and a monster 31 Point, 10 Rebound, 3 Steal, 1 Block game.  His value hinges on Howard being active moving forward, if anything he will eat into Ryan Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu’s value moving forward.  Jason Richardson had the chance to step up with a huge game, he ended up with 10 Points and J.J. Reddick was even more disappointing going 1/9 from the field 4 Points.  Both are not reliable fantasy options, if any at all.

Detroit:

Rodney Stuckey is still out, but Ben Gordon was healthy and got the start.  In his return to the starting lineup, he ended up with 18 Points, 6 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 3PTM, and 2 Steals in 35 Minutes.  He may go straight to bench when Stuckey returns, or he will play more for Brandon Knight who played 42 Minutes and ended up with 11 Points and 4 Assists.  I am guessing he goes to the bench as the Pistons have nothing to play for.  Austin Daye got a DNP-CD, which could spell the end of his season.  It will also rise the value of Tayshaun Prince who was okay with 15 Points and 6 Rebounds.  For him, his owners will take it with that 1 Steal.  Greg Monroe had the size mismatch and took advantage with 22 Points, 11 Rebounds and 1 Steal/Block each.  The thing that has me still worried about him is his lack of FG attempts, going 9/11 tonight.  He needs to be more aggressive with the ball and dominate every game.

Golden State:

Klay Thompson is seeing fantasy reserve for good up close and personal with a 23 Minute game.  He is still solid, just expect some inconsistent games like this 2/8 shooting.  Charles Jenkins may have started, but Nate Robinson is the show for Golden State.  He was huge again off the bench 18 Points, 5 Assists in 25+ Minutes on 17 FG attempts.  Jenkins had 7 Points and 3 Rebounds, I would be fine waiving him if I had him.  David Lee continues his commitment to me of scoring 20+ Points with a nice 23 Point 13 Rebound effort on a team leading 22 FG attempts.  Dorrell Wright saw 17 Minutes, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush both played 30 and 25 respectably, neither is a great fantasy option.  If I had to pick one, Richard Jefferson has the hot hand despite scoring 7 Points.

Memphis:

Mike Conley scored 18 Points, with 5 Rebounds and 3 3PTM.  Nice way to open back with 7/11 shooting in 28 Minutes.  O.J. Mayo continues his hot streak as he scored 19 Points in 27 Minutes off the bench, Tony Allen saw more minutes with 30, but Mayo is hands down the player to have.  Marc Gasol was less than impressive with 12 Points and 6 Rebounds.  The 4 Blocks and 1 Steal help, he just did not make his shots going 6/13 from the field.  Rudy Gay is in a mini two game slump after another bad 11 Point, 4 Rebound night.  He did not make his shots going 3/13 from the field, but he did rack up 2 steals and 2 blocks.  Expect him to bounce back sooner than later, but Zach Randolph is looking dead in the water with 15 Minutes to go along with 6 Points and 4 Rebounds.  That knee brace is just so bulky that you cannot expect he is near 100%.

Phoenix:

Steve Nash was vintage with 18 Points, 12 Assists, and 6 Rebounds.  Once the Suns are eliminated from the playoff picture Nash could miss some time.  However right now they are in the thick of the 8^th seed chase.  The duo of Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley is an interesting fantasy situation, and I currently own and start both of them.  They combined for 27 Points, 11 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 3PTM, and a steal.  They are great insurance for one another and have the potential for some MEGA games.  Channing Frye went 0/7 from the 3PT range, but still managed 15 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks making him a solid start.  Marcin Gortat is all the way back to his vintage form with 20 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Steals, and 2 Blocks.  This is the same Gortat that carried you this far.

Sacramento:

No Marcus Thornton usually results in HUGE Tyreke Evans games.  Tonight that was not the case as he had 8 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block on 4/13 shooting.  You can expect better games going forward, he just had an off night.  Isaiah Thomas was his own Monster tonight with 25 Points, 7 Assists, 1 3PTM, on 8/13 shooting.  The most important stat for him was the 38+ Minutes.  Jason Thompson was useless with 2 Points and 4 Rebounds, in 17 Minutes.  That is too many inconsistent games in a row for Jason and he is waiver wire material.  Terrence Williams was solid again in Thornton’s  absence with 16 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Blocks in 31 Minutes.  Finally he is starting to play to his fantasy potential, could lead to a big season next year if he lands in the right role.  He will be worthless when Thornton returns.  DeMarcus Cousins went into straight ANIMAL mode with 41 Points, 12 Rebounds, 2 Steals and a block.  He is starting to catch fire, and as long as he stays out of dumb foul trouble he should dominate.

New Jersey:

Deron Williams was less than stellar with 6 Assists, but his 20 Points and 2 3PTM will keep his owners satisfied.  Gerald Wallace continues to get all the PT he needs to be a fantasy monster.  He only had 19 Points, 5 Assists, and 1 Steal but you can expect bigger games in his immediate future.  Speaking of big games, Kris Humphries is about as solid as it gets from a fantasy Power Forward with 18 Points, 15 Rebounds, 2 Steals and a block.  He is the Steve Nash of rebounds and points.  MarShon Brooks, Anthony Morrow, and Gerald Green all cancel each other out.  If I had to pick one I would go with Morrow.

LA Lakers:

No Andrew Bynum meant Pau Gasol had to man the middle and was big again with 22 Points, 12 Rebounds, and a steal.  He has been filling in for Bynum more recently than Bynum owners would hope for, but Andrew should be back for the Clipper game Wednesday night.  Kobe Bryant was very efficient with 10/16 shooting, 24 Points, 7 Rebounds, 1 Steal, and 3 3PTM.  One of those 3PTM clinched this game on a last second shot.  Nobody is more clutch than Kobe.  Ramon Sessions was solid with 19 Points, 11 Assists, 6 Rebounds, but most impressive was his 7/15 shooting and 2 3PTM.  With no Bynum, Sessions has to be more aggressive, but as stated earlier.  Andrew should be back for the next game against the Clippers in the BATTLE OF LA.

 

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WEDNESDAY (4/4/12)

 

 

 

 

HEADLINES

 

Live Chat every night, Join Here.

 

• Kemba Walker outplays D.J. Augustin, D.J. leaves with sore knee.
• Andrea Bargnani stays hot.
• Andrew Bynum returns with a vicious 30+ Point performance.
• Raymond Felton is the PG of the night.
• Monta Ellis has a vintage game.
• Nicolas Batum outshines Gerald Wallace in their matchup.
• Jarrett Jack misses Hornets game, Eric Gordon plays 30+ Minutes.
• Not Kevin Love, Not Josh Smith, Not Kevin Durant but…

 

FANTASY PLAYOFF DAY #10 MVP- Lebron James (2^nd Time)

 

 

ADD’EM:  J.J. Barea. Donald Sloan. Kevin Seraphin.

 

DEEP WAIVER WIRE WATCH: Stephen Jackson. Wayne Ellington. Anthony Morrow. Alan Anderson.

 

*Fantasy Basketball Team-By-Team Notes From Around The NBA:

 

Indiana:

 

Playing on a back-to-back, Danny Granger continued his solid play with 20 Points and 5 Rebounds in just under 27 Minutes.  He is feeling it going 8/12 from the field.  Darren Collison was solid with 17 Points and 11 Assists on a sharp 7/8 shooting.  This was a nice bright spot for the struggling guard, it will be key for him to build off of it.  Roy Hibbert played big with 13 Points, 4 Blocks, on 6/8 shooting.  But his rebound and minute numbers were very small.  He is the BIG inconsistent.  Paul George and David West were the other guys who both scored under double figures, with 4 FGs, and 3 Rebounds each.  The Pacers were tired, and their bench played a big factor in the victory.

 

Washington:

 

No Nene and no Booker continued to leave more touches for the Jordan Crawford show.  Jor-Craw was in the zone with 28 Points and 5 3PTM.  This coming with a bad second half.  The ceiling is sky high for Crawford every night as he continues to lead the PFBMVP (is now updated).  John Wall continues to struggle with 13 Points and 3 Assists, to go along with 5 Turnovers.  He is not motivated.  Kevin Seraphin was very explosive with 19 Points and 10, which now makes him a great fantasy option while the two big men are out.

 

Toronto:

 

Andrea Bargnani is on “Fire” if this was a NBA Jam video game.  Bargs continues to be on scorching hot scoring 24 Points with 3 3PTM, and most impressive on 8/15 shooting.  Over the last 5 games he is averaging 25 Points, a total of 10 3PTM, and 31/33 from the FT line.  He is shooting over 50% from the field during that span as well.  Jose Calderon continues to rack up assists like it’s nothing with 13 dime to go along with 12 Points.  The points are a nice bonus, especially the 3PTM.  Alan Anderson got the start at SF since the Gerald Wallace 2.0 (James Johnson) situation could not stay healthy.  Anderson played 31 Minutes, made 3 3PTM on 5/7 shooting, he is a guy to keep an eye on.

 

Philadelphia:

 

The odd men out were; Evan Turner, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams.  The odd men in were; Jrue Holiday, Spencer Hawes, Elton Brand.  This team is like playing the lottery ever game.  Elton Brand is the “most consistent” fantasy option at the moment, if you have to choose one.  Jrue had his night, but 9/14 will not come often.

 

Charlotte:

 

Kemba Walker lost his starting job.  So he decided to play like the starter we have been waiting for off the bench.  8/15 Shooting, 3 3PTM, 4 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 21 Points, 33 Minutes.  To make the situation better for him, D.J. Augustin had 2 Points and 3 Assists in 10 Minutes.  To make the situation even better than that, he left with a sore knee.  Gerald Henderson decided to shoot again, which was a good move going 7/14 from the field with 15 Points and 7 Rebounds.  He is the Kemba blocker.  Bismack Biyombo was efficient with 8 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Block on 4/4 shooting.  The most important stat was to see 27+ Minutes.  It also helped that Byron Mullens played 22 Minutes with 8 Points, 7 Rebounds, on a bad 3/9 shooting.  The wheels are starting to fall off.   Reggie Williams is getting the opportunities, but for now he is not worth mentioning outside of 30+ Minutes, 10+ Shot attempts.

 

Atlanta:

 

Jeff Teague played under 30 Minutes for the first time since February 23^rd.  Let that sink in for a little bit.  He was still very strong with 17 Points, 6 Assists, 7/7 from the FT line, and a steal/block each.  His respect level has risen.  Josh Smith making a run for top 3 forward in fantasy basketball, continues to play strong with 24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists.  Joe Johnson had 16 Points, 2 3PTM, and 5 Assists.  The Assists are nice, but it does not feel like a Joe Johnson game if he scores under 20.  Zaza Pachulia continues to bang with 11 Points, but only 6 Points.  Doing all this with 4 fouls.

 

San Antonio:

 

Tim Duncan continues to defy the fantasy law of age.  10 Points, 16 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks.   He did all this on a bad shooting night going 4/16 from the field.  His draft value next season will be very interesting to watch.  Tony Parker had a bad 10 Point, 2 Assist night.  His owners are not used to seeing that.  Go rub some dirt on it.  Stephen Jackson had the most minutes off the bench with 26 and shot the ball a lot going 2/9 from the field with 8 Points and 9 Rebounds.  He is due to take Kawhi Leonard’s starting spot soon and is worth watching, if not adding now to jump the time loop.  Manu Ginobili like Parker had a bad game with 5 Points and 2 Assists.

 

Boston:

 

Rajon Rondo continues to play very well with 17 Points, 11 Assists, and 4 Steals.  Nice to see his scoring over double figures.  Ray Allen returned and played 34+ Minutes going 2/6 shooting from the field.  He was outplayed by Aaron Bradley off the bench with 33+ Minutes and went 9/16 shooting with 19 Points.  Ray Allen could get his game going at any point.  Kevin Garnett had 16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists, with a block on 19 FG attempts.  He is in vintage form.  Paul Pierce had 16 FG attempts to go along with 15 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 3PTM, and 2 Assists.  Not the strongest game, but he is in playoff mode.

 

Cleveland:

 

Kyrie Irving could be shut down for the season which makes Donald Sloan a solid add with 12 Points and 8 Assists.  Those are numbers we can see the rest of the season, he is a solid PG.  Anthony Parker went lights out 11/14 shooting with 27 Points.  This will probably not happen again.  Antawn Jamison took a team leading 17 FG attempts, but ended up with 17 Points, 3 3PTM, 7 Rebounds.  A high volume option that is shooting the ball very cold.  Alonzo Gee and Tristan Thompson both scored 12 Points, and ended up with near double-figures in rebounding.  These two will see a nice value boost with Kyrie out.

 

Milwaukee:

 

Monta Ellis went Bananas with 15/25 shooting.  I feel like nobody on this site owns him, but it was nice for him to get his game going with 30 Points and 8 Assists.  These are the type of numbers you have been wanting more consistently.  Brandon Jennings continues to shoot the ball a lot as well with 14 FG attempts.  No Monta numbers, but he still had 19 Points, 4 Steals, 1 Block, 4 Assists.  Ersan Ilysova played big with no Drew Gooden going 8/13 from the field, with 18 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 1 3PTM.  Ekpe Udoh did the placement start, scoring 11 Points with 2 Blocks and 8 Rebounds.  Mike Dunleavy was less than decent with 5 Points on 2/6 shooting.  Luc Richard played a big role with 9 Points, 7 Rebound, 2 Steals in 36 Minutes.

 

Golden State:

 

Charles Jenkins went into baller mode with 19 Points, 7 Assists on 8/13 shooting.  Those numbers will put little Nate Robinson and his 2 Points to sleep.  Klay Thompson continues to get shot volume with 16 attempts, but only had 13 Points.  It was also bad to see, Dorrell Wright, Brandon Rush, and Richard Jefferson all played 22-26+ minutes each.  Richard Jefferson continues to be the favorite with a leading 26+ Minutes, 3 3PTM, 2 Steals, 5/7 shooting.  David Lee continues to be BEAST with 31 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, and a team leading 25 FG attempts.

 

Minnesota:

 

J.J. Barea started, and dominated with 15 Points, 8 Assists, 6 Rebounds, and 3 3PTM.  If he is still a Free Agent in your league, you are lucky.  Because I told you to add him as soon as the Ridnour injury happened.  Nikola Pekovic started and only had 10 Points with 4 Rebounds in 20+ Minutes.  He will get back to his vintage 20-10 form soon.  He is still Marcin Gortat 2.0, maybe.  Wayne Ellington is playing like his UNC days, and once again had 17 Points, 7 Rebounds, on 7/11 shooting with 3 3PTM.  He is soon worth the add in all leagues, I see Jordan Crawford type potential if he reaches the level he can play at.  Kevin Love is a beast with 25 Points, 12 Rebounds, and 5 Assists.  The amazing part was, this line was pretty solid despite the fact he went 0/7 from 3PT land.  FANTASY MVP ribbon is coming soon.

 

Start the campaign now on the chat for you think should be #MVP.

 

New Orleans:

 

Jarrett Jack missed the Hornets game tonight.  His job will never be the same.  Eric Gordon returned and played 33+ Minutes with 15 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists on 3/11 shooting.  He will be at 2^nd round value very soon.  Greivis Vasquez played 37 Minutes, which is a huge factor in Jarrett Jack being consistent moving forward.  11 Points, and 10 Assists is a very solid game, especially on 4/5 shooting.  Chris Kaman started at center now that he is fully healthy with 14 Points, 10 Rebounds, 5 Blocks on 6/11 shooting.  Jason Smith and Carl Landry canceled each other out, but both were decent with 10 and 12 Points, and about 5 Rebounds each.  Trevor Ariza is back as well and he was strong with 15 Points and 6 Rebounds.  So with all this added firepower, Jarrett Jack loses a lot of fantasy value.

 

Denver:

 

Denver is turning into a pretty routine team as of late.  Never thought I would say that.  Ty Lawson, 20+ Points, 6 Assists, 2 Steals.  Check.  Aaron Afflalo somewhere around 15 Points with a  3PTM, and a steal.  Check.  Javale McGee under 20 Minutes.  Check.  Al Harrington taking 10+ FG attempts and decent scoring with nothing much else to show for it.  Check.  Kenneth Faried ridiculous almost double-double numbers in less than 30 Minutes of playing time.  Check.  Andre Miller either bad game, or okay game. 6 Points and 5 Assists, Check.  When Gallo returns, this could all change.  Wilson Chandler was out, but Corey Brewer filled in for the bad stat line role.

 

Oklahoma City:

 

Kevin Durant had a strong 30 Points, with 2 3PTM and 9 Turnovers.  He needs to just shoot more going 11/21 from the field.  Russell Westbrook is not afraid of shooting going 9/26, he ended up with 28 Points, 3 Steals, and yet again a disappointing 2 Assists.  He does not pass the ball like he used too.  Serge Ibaka had 5 Blocks, 2 Steals, 7 Rebounds, and 4 Points in a not surprising 24 Minutes.  It makes no sense he is not getting any PT.  James Harden was his all-around self with 12 Points, 5 Assists, 5 Rebounds.  He is the better version of Manu Ginobili this season, and that is all he can really be on this team.

 

Miami:

 

Dwayne Wade returned from his surprise knee injury.  He was effective with 19 Points, 3 Steals, 2 Blocks, on 7/18 shooting.  He is starting to cool down off of that hot streak, and Lebron James is trying to come back and grab his crown.  Vintage LBJ tonight 34 Points, 10 Assists, 7 Rebounds, 4 Steals, 1 Block, and 3 3PTM.  That is better than Love numbers, and he is Fantasy MVP for back-to-back days.  Chris Bosh continues to be inconsistent with a 12 Point, 6 Rebound on 4/14 shooting.  Mario Chalmers did his thing with 3 3PTM, 3 Steals, and 13 Points.  Sneaky, Sneaky, Sneaky, fantasy option.

 

Memphis:

 

Just when you thought it was safe to drop Zach Randolph.  It is still safe as he scored 4 Points and grabbed 5 Rebounds in 22 Minutes.  That is great news to Marc Gasol owners who do not have to worry about a decline.  Gasol had 10 Points, 10 Rebounds, 7 Assists, and 4 Blocks on a dreadful 3/13 shooting.  If he made his shots, he could have been FANTASY MVP of the day.  Can you imagine?  O.J. Mayo continues to be hot with 17 Points and 4 3PTM.  His scoring is slowly dropping, but he is still doing it off the bench in a big way.  Mike Conley was aggressive with 5/14 shooting, but only had 11 Points and 5 Assists to show for it.  Rudy Gay, what’s cooler than being cool?  ICE COLD.  Rudy needs to heat up after another 8 Point, 4 Rebound effort.  It is only getting worse.

 

Dallas:

 

Dirk Nowtizki went German on Dallas tonight.  He dropped 23 Points with 10 Rebounds and a steal/block combo.  Vintage Dirk right there.  Shawn Marion had a big game with 16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, and a steal.  The most impressive part was he did it under 30 Minutes, which breaks his rule and now you can own him.  Is what you want me to say, but in reality on 7/11 shooting will not happen every night, but those minutes could see a boost.  Jason Terry played 30+ Minutes and did not bring down the house with 15 Points, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block, and 1 3PTM.  Delonte West continues to start for J-Kidd from the block and went 6/7 shooting with 14 Points in 20 Minutes.  It is now Jason Terry’s backcourt.

 

Phoenix:

 

Michael Redd was the story for the Suns with a team leading 17 FG attempts and 19 Points.  Nights like these come every blue moon, and because of it all the other Suns starters scored 10-14 Points.  Marcin Gortat led the way with 14 Points and 8 Rebounds.  Channing Frye hit 3 3PTM, and Steve Nash dished out 9 Assists, while both scoring 13 Points.  Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley had 11 and 10 Points each.  The Suns are one of the few teams that every one of the starting 5 is an effective fantasy player.  They all have upside for big nights, and none will absolutely destroy your night.

 

Utah:

 

Al Jefferson continues to score at a smaller rate than he was a couple weeks ago.  16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 1 Block/Steal combo will get the job done.  He is still taking a lot of FG attempts with 15 tonight.  Paul Millsap is definitely turning into the better player with another huge 25 Point, 8 Rebound, 6 Assist, 3 Steal, 2 Block performance.  Those are elite numbers right there.  C.J. Miles was able to have a welcome back to life game with 22 Points and we will see if he can build off of that and his team leading 18 FG attempts.  Surprisingly Gordon Hayward was able to be a major fantasy contributor with 20 Points, 10 Rebounds, and 2 3PTM.  It was good he did it on 8/11 shooting.

 

New Jersey:

 

Gerald Wallace returned to Portland to put up the same numbers he was putting up with them.  8 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Steals was Vintage G-Wall from earlier this season.  Kris Humphries was his classic self with 21 Points and 11 Rebounds.  He is one of the safer forwards in fantasy right now.  Deron Williams had the stomach virus, which allowed Gerald Green and Anthony Morrow to score 20 Points.  MarShon Brooks had his chance and went 1/7 from the field.  Clearly he is the one to not own of the three.

 

Portland:

 

Nicolas Batum pulled a number against his former competition Gerald Wallace.  24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, and a huge 2^nd half which won them the game.  Batum has bounced back from his slump completely.  J.J. Hickson is out to prove he is not hit and run fantasy option, with 18 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks.  He was an impressive 7/10 from the field which helped propel his night.  Wesley Matthews had his worst game in sometime with 7 Points on 1/9 shooting.  He still got 35+ Minutes which left Jamal Crawford and his 3/10 in 18 Minutes on the bench.  Raymond Felton is playing like his vintage form with another strong 14 Point, 8 Rebound, 9 Assist, 2 Steal, 1 Block, and 3 3PTM performance.  That is top fantasy PG numbers of the night from Raymond Felton!  Reminds me of Kyle Lowry.  LaMarcus Aldridge was big with 24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, on 10/18 shooting.  He is back to 1^st round value form on a consistent basis.  The volume is not the same, but Aldridge can handle it.

 

LA Lakers:

 

Andrew Bynum returned and was a beast in the Laker victory.  36 Points, 8 Rebounds, 4 Blocks, 1 Steal.  He even got a 3PT attempt in there.  He is making a solid play for #1 Center in fantasy basketball this season.  Kobe Bryant continues to be the best player in the NBA with 31 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Block, 2 3PTM, on 13/19 shooting.  Those are #1 Guard in fantasy basketball numbers.  Ramon Sessions stayed great despite the return of Bynum with 16 Points, 8 Assists, 2 Steals, 6 Rebounds, and 2 3PTM.  He is going be making a run for the top of PFBMVP.   Pau Gasol was the odd Laker out, yet still decent with 12 Points, 7 Rebounds and 2 Blocks.  He should be a double-double player nearly every game.  Despite getting posterized twice.

 

LA Clippers:

 

Chris Paul continues his better play of late with another strong 22 Point, 16 Assist night.  Randy Foye had an off 11 Points in 30 Minute performance, while Nick Young had 13 Points in 19 Minutes.  This could create a situation where they start to split time.  Especially with Caron Butler having the game of his season with 28 Points and 4 3PTM.  Enjoy it while it lasts.  DeAndre Jordan saw 40+ Minutes and had 11 Points, 13 Rebounds, 4 Blocks, and a steal.  He should not be a free agent on any waiver wire.  Blake Griffin continues to make highlights and have 15 Point, 14 Rebound games.  These are still less than his vintage numbers from a season ago.

 

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THURSDAY (4/5/12)

 

HEADLINES

Live Chat every night, Join Here.

• Derrick Rose will return Sunday.
• Dwight Howard gives the Magic no effort.
• Jordan Crawford could drop in PFBMVP voting.
• Rodney Stuckey returns with solid shooting off the bench.
• Jason Thompson has a big game with Cousins in Foul Trouble. 

FANTASY PLAYOFF DAY #11 MVP- John Wall

 

ADD’EM:  Kevin Seraphin. J.R. Smith

DEEP WAIVER WIRE WATCH:

*Fantasy Basketball Team-By-Team Notes From Around The NBA:

New York:

Carmelo Anthony took over early, but J.R. Smith continued his excellent play and took over late.  J.R. played 33+ Minutes and took 12 FG attempts, knocking down 3 3PTM, while grabbing 15 Points and 9 Assists.  J.R. is playing at the next level and is a solid add in majority of leagues.  Melo scored 19 Points and grabbed 8 Rebounds, but he went 6/16 from the field with 2 3PTM.  Tyson Chandler admitted to playing with a fractured hand but that did not matter with his 12 Point, 12 Rebound effort.  Baron Davis barley had to play since it was a blowout, the Knicks seem to want to keep him healthy for the post season and limit his minutes if they can.  Iman Shumpert continues to see a lot of minutes with nearly 37, but ended up with 9 Points and 4 Rebounds.  He will not consistently put up good fantasy stats.

Orlando:

Dwight Howard returned to play nearly 40 Minutes, but only took 8 FG attempts and ended up with 8 Points, 8 Rebounds.  Luckily he blocked 3 shots and added a steal to make the line a little more okay than it was.  D12 is heading in the wrong direction at the wrong time.  Jameer Nelson returned as well to go 3/14 shooting, with all three of his makes to be 3PTM.  He ended up with 10 Points, 5 Assists, and 6 Rebounds which shows he will have a big role to end the season.  Jason Richardson came back to life for the first time in too long with 16 Points on a team leading 18 FG attempts.  He made 7 of them and this could be the start of his hot streak, keep an eye on him.  Glen Davis was big in 27+ Minutes with 15 Points and 7 Rebounds filling in for Ryan Anderson.  Glen could be an intriguing add with all of his recent success and the downfall and injuries of the Magic players.  Hedo Turkoglu continues to not be aggressive going 3/5 from the field in 18 Minutes.  He is not on the same wavelength that he was on earlier this season.

Washington:

Jordan Crawford had his worst game in sometime going 2/13 from the field with 9 Points.  But I will look at this positives.  First, he played 33 Minutes in a close game.  Second he was shooting all the way until the end, which shows he has confidence.  Three, he was 2^nd on the team in FG attempts and minutes total.  He should be fine going forward.  John Wall had a great game because the Wizards did not have the usual services of Jor-Craw.  Wall ended up with 28 Points, 10 Assists, 2 Steals, on a nice 8/18 shooting.  Hopefully that puts an end to his cold streak for the owners that were getting worried.  No Nene or Booker, so Kevin Seraphin continued to see a lot of PT with 30 Minutes, 15 Points, 9 Rebounds, and most impressive of all.   He did it with foul trouble the whole game ending up with 6.

Detroit:

Greg Monroe played big in 20+ Minutes with 18 Points and 7 Rebounds.  No word on the limited minutes, but he is ready to explode again.  Brandon Knight continues to see his value shrink with another poor 6 Points, 1 Assist.  The most alarming part of the line was his 27+ Minutes.  Ben Gordon went 6/14 shooting in 35+ Minutes with 13 Points and 3 Rebounds.  He is due to lose a lot of value now that Rodney Stuckey is back and went 6/7 shooting off the bench in 18+ Minutes.  Soon it will be his team again.  Jason Maxiell got a rare double-double, does not happen frequently enough to consider starting him in most leagues.  Tayshaun Prince stays steady with 14 Points, 3 Assists, and 1 3PTM.  Not the greatest option, but owners can do much worse.

Boston:

Paul Pierce continues to be boss with a 22 Point, 8 Rebound, 4 Assist, 2 Steal performance.  The best part about the line was a team leading 21 FG attempts, 3 3PTM, and 40+ Minutes.  He is in prime mode.  Kevin Garnett continues to be  beast when everyone wrote him off, 12 Points and 14 Rebounds on 5/16 shooting shows that he has potential for some monster lines.  Ray Allen did not start, but he played 30+ Minutes and had 14 Points with 1 3PTM which shows he is just about ready for a big game.  This will probably mean bad news to Brandon Bass owners who were hoping he can build off of his 15 Point, 5 Rebound, 3 Steal, 1 Block performance.  Those 12 FG attempts will probably be cut down.  Rajon Rondo continues to slice and dice with 12 Assists, he only had 1 Steal and 10 Points to go along with the typical line.  With Ray Allen returning to full strength, you can also expect these 10 Point games to be more frequent than they already are for Rondo.

Chicago:

Derrick Rose will play Sunday, so C.J. Watson decided to go all out with 16 FG attempts in the start.  He ended up with 15 Points, 2 3PTM, 8 Assists, 2 Steals, and a block.  He will most likely go back to the bench, but the spot start was nice for whoever used him.  Joakim Noah had one of his better games in sometime with 17 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, on an impressive 5/6 shooting.  He went 7/7 from the FT line and is putting up the numbers we have been waiting for since the ASB.  Luol Deng continues to be the leader of the team with no Rose and took a team leading 21 FG attempts to finish with 26 Points, 4 Steals, 6 Rebounds, 1 Block.  Deng is sure to take a small hit in value once Rose returns as those 21 FG attempts will not happen often.  Carlos Boozer is playing strong with 12 Points and 14 Rebounds.  His consistency could go down if Noah continues to produce at a high level.  Rip Hamilton is still getting back to 100%, but he took 11 FG attempts in 20 Minutes which shows he is ready to shoot.

LA Clippers:

Chris Paul had a disappointing, 13 Points, 8 Assists.  The 5 Steals help the line, but his 4/16 shooting is just not like him.  Randy Foye led the team in scoring with 20 Points, and Mo Williams could return this weekend which will hurt Nick Young and his 3/10 shooting more than any Clipper.  Caron Butler went 6/11 shooting with 14 Points, a night after breaking out with 28.  The inconsistency will continue to be there, and it could also get worse for him when Mo Williams comes back.  DeAndre Jordan played less than 22 Minutes and had 4 Points, and 4 Rebounds.  He cannot be depended on for consistent fantasy value after a game like this.  The Blake Show had 14 Points and 9 Rebounds, which is not the type of lines he has been getting of late.  He can blame himself for not shooting more going 7/11 from the field.

Sacramento:

Marcus Thornton did not play once again, which should result into huge lines for most Kings.  DeMarcus Cousins decided to drop out of the party with 8 Points and 3 Rebounds with you can guess it, foul trouble as he fouled out.  Jason Thompson decided to take the slack with 15 Points, 16 Rebounds, and 2 Blocks.  The line was nice, but you can definitely give credit to Cousins for making it easier.  Tyreke Evans was less than stellar with 14 Points, 6 Assists, 2 Blocks, and a steal.  This is supposed to be his best time as a fantasy option with no Marcus Thornton.  Isaiah Thomas continues to take advantage of the situation with a team leading 17 Points, on a team leading 15 FG attempts, on a team leading 40+ Minutes.  He also added 5 Rebounds, 2 Steals, and 3 3PTM to make his line that much sweeter.  Terrence Williams only saw 24 Minutes of action with 11 Points, 3 Steals, and 3 Rebounds.  He does not look to be as consistent of an option his owners were hoping for and is best left for the waiver wire.

 

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Friday (4/6/12)

 

HEADLINES

• WAIVER WIRE ARTICLE & Week Ahead Coming soon..Check out this older article where I projected this week (16) back in early March.
• PISTONS: Rodney Stuckey takes 22 FG attempts off the bench to score 27 Points.  Brandon Knight, Ben Gordon, Tayshuan Prince, and Greg Monroe all take under 10 Attempts.  Stuckey is taking over the team again.  Ben Gordon can be dropped.
• HAWKS: Jeff Teague blows up for 24 Points, 11 Assists.  Josh Smith continues to beast with 22 Points, 12 Rebounds, and intangibles across the board.  Joe Johnson saves his value with his recent high assist totals, 7 on Friday to go along with only 16 Points.  Zaza Pachulia is losing consistency quickly, which is resulting in a loss of value.
• WIZARDS: Kevin Seraphin continues to gather 15 Points and 9 Rebounds with no Nene or Booker.  They do not look like they are coming back anytime soon.  Jordan Crawford struggles for the 2^nd game in a row going 3/12 from the field, his owners are starting to worry but he has been too consistent over the past three weeks to give up now.  John Wall did not feed off of his MVP day scoring 18 Points and grabbing 6 Rebounds.  The 3 Blocks are nice.
• NETS: Deron Williams continues to be MVP of the PG’s in fantasy with another strong 19 Point, 13 Assist, 3 3PTM effort.  MarShon Brooks woke up from the grave to put up an 18 Point game, despite the nice effort there is  still Anthony Morrow off the bench who went 8/11 shooting.  Brooks will never be a safe start.  Kris Humphries only had 8 Points, but was safe as always with 12 Rebounds.  Gerald Wallace was strong with 19 Points on 6/9 shooting with 3 3PTM, 2 Blocks, and a Steal.
• GRIZZILES: Zach Randolph shot the ball 17 times off the bench for a strong 14 Points and 14 Rebounds.  He could be ready to come back.  With all the shot attempts, Marc Gasol only ended up going 3/7 from the field with 10 Points and 9 Rebounds.  It will be interesting to see how this progresses to the next game.  Rudy Gay tried to shoot himself out of his funk, and sort of did with 17 Points on 8/19 shooting.  The line was not great, but the points look nice.  Mike Conley scored 15 Points with 3 Steals, and 3 3PTM.  The vintage line is starting to O.J. Mayo and his 10 Points back to the waiver wire.
• HEAT: Lebron could not keep up his MVP of the week pace with only 21 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists.  Dwayne Wade had a strong 20 Points and 7 Rebounds, while Chris Bosh was not far behind with 19 Points and 4 Rebounds.  Mario Chalmers hit rock bottom with 1 Point and 2 Assists, you can waive him as the Heat are back to healthy.
• HORNETS: The team got blown out, but Eric Gordon got in better game-shape playing 31+ Minutes and scoring 31 Points on 11/19 shooting with 2 3PTM, and 3 Steals.  He is bringing 2^nd round value to the table right away.  All other Hornets played limited minutes, Jarrett Jack continues to sit with the foot injury.  His value has dropped tremendously.
• SPURS: This game was not close so starters did not play much of the 2^nd half.  Tim Duncan remains strong with 19 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks in 20 Minutes.  Stephen Jackson continues to outplay Kawhi Leonard and they could switch roles sooner than later.  Manu Ginobili is playing well 5/6 from the field with 14 Points, but the Spurs are trying to rest him for the playoffs with 20 Minutes.
• TRAILBLAZERS: Raymond Felton is a candidate for MVP of the day with 30 Points, 7 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 5 3PTM, and 2 Steals.  Wesley Matthews scores less than double figures for the second time in a row after scoring 33 Points earlier this week.  His value is decreasing.  Nicolas Batum fell back to his old habits with 6 Points, 9 Rebounds, and 5 Assists.  LaMarcus Aldridge played elite with 25 Points, and 12 Rebounds.  He is back to 1^st round value for the past couple of weeks.  Jamal Crawford and J.J. Hickson put up very low-end fantasy options, neither are worth trusting on a daily basis.
• MAVERICKS: Dirk Nowitzki was vintage with 23 Points and 14 Rebounds.  He does not offer much else besides those two categories.  Shawn Marion played 40+ Minutes, but only had 12 Points, 9 Rebounds, 1 Steal/Block to show for it.  He is not a player to depend on.  Jason Terry had a big night with 18 Points, 4 3PTM, and 3 Steals.  He is turning into his vintage self for this Maverick Playoff Push.  Delonte West continues to start, but puts up very low-end numbers with 10 Points, and 5 Assists.  Jason Kidd should be coming back soon.
• BOBCATS: Byron Mullens had a BEAST 31 Point, 14 Rebound, 2 Blocks, and 1 3PTM performance.  Surprisingly he did not lead the team in FG attempts as Kemba Walker did with 26.  He only hit 6 of those shots to have 18 Points, 7 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 2 Steals, and a block.  His value has skyrocketed to must-start after this performance.  26 shot attempts is more than Lebron will shoot.  Bismack Biyombo came back to reality with a double-double on 14 Points and 14 Rebounds in 35+ Minutes.  That 5 game schedule next week is starting to look better, and if he finishes the weekend strong he will be must-own.  Derrick Brown may start starting at SF with 11 Points and 9 Rebounds.  Gerald Henderson played 40+ Minutes but only took 13 FG attempts to have 14 Points and 8 Rebounds.  He is not the most trustworthy option.
• BUCKS: Monta Ellis is starting to be very aggressive on offense with 21 FG attempts to lead to 25 Points.  Brandon Jennings is being more of a PG with 9 Assists and 5 Steals, he did add a solid 18 Points to go along with it.  Drew Gooden missed the game, so Ersan Ilysova easily doubled up with 12 Points and 15 Rebounds.  Even hit a 3PTM with 2 Steals in the game.  Mike Dunleavy saw 30+ Minutes off the bench and had 15 Points to go along with 2 3PTM, 5 Rebounds and a block.  He could lose some value when Delfino returns.
• WARRIORS: Klay Thompson was back to his vintage form with 31+ Minutes to go along with 23 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Steals, and 4 3PTM.  Coach Smart decided to even play Dorrell Wright 31+ Minutes but he went 3/12 shooting with 6 Points.  Brandon Rush and Richard Jefferson both saw under 20 Minutes for the first time since they have been on the Warriors together, with the loss I am sure they go back to eating into everyone’s minutes.  Charles Jenkins had 7 Assists with 8 Points, but saw the same amount of PT as Nate Robinson and his 2/10 shooting.  Neither are worth owning.  David Lee continues to be a fantasy star with 26 Points and 14 Rebounds, he will be way overvalued come draft day next season.  This is a dream fantasy team for Lee to dominate with all the injuries.
• JAZZ: Big Al Jefferson dominated a small Golden State team with 30 Points, 11 Rebounds, and 5 Blocks.  He made it look easy, and the performance hurt Paul Millsap who only had 12 Points and 7 Rebounds.  He was a game-time decision with the stomach flu but fought through it and played 39+ Minutes.  Devin Harris had his best game in sometime with 28 Points, 5 Assists, and 2 Steals on 8/13 shooting with 5 3PTM.  His fantasy value goes way up, but it could be the Warriors terrible defense.  Gordon Hayward disappoints with 14 Points and 3 Assists, games like this will happen every so often with Gordon.
• SUNS: Shannon Brown took a team leading 18 FG attempts, and lead the team with 18 Points.  He is getting very comfortable with the Suns.  Steve Nash continues to rack up Assists with 11, to go along with his 14 Points.  Channing Frye stays inconsistent with his shooting going 4/10 from the field, but still manages 13 Points, 11 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks.  Marcin Gortat only took 7 FG attempts, but still managed a big 14 Rebounds to go along with 9 Points.  He may find it harder to score 20 with all these great options in the starting 5, even Jared Dudley took the second most shots on the team with 14.  He was very strong with 17 Points, 4 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 1 3PTM.  He now qualifies at forward in every league with his start at SF last game.
• NUGGETS: Aaron Afflalo had his night with 30 Points and 5 3PTM.  Afflalo had to play big as Ty Lawson went 1/8 from the field, but still managed 8 Assists.  Lawson owners were not happy to see Andre Miller have a mega game with 15 Points, 7 Rebounds, 7 Assists.  Look for Lawson to bounce back.  Kenneth Faried almost double-doubled, and Al Harrington remains consistent off the bench with 30 Minutes, 23 Points, 4 3PTM, and tied with a team leading 19 FG attempts, Afflalo was the other.  Javale McGee now comes off the bench and is completely droppable in all leagues if you have not already.
• THUNDER: Russell Westbrook nearly 3×2 with 21 Points, 11 Rebounds, 9 Assists.  Great game for him to build off of, but he is still taking too many shots away from Kevin Durant.  Durant had 24, Westbrook had 23, but the difference is Durant had 44 Points.  Durant is a beast and could score with the best of them, look for him to heat up.  Serge Ibaka played under 20 Minutes, but that did not stop him from blocking 7 Shots.  He only had 6 Points and 2 Rebounds while Coach Brooks continues to kill his value.  James Harden hits a low going 1/5 from the field, but still manages 10 Points because of FTs to go along with 4 Assists.  He is not as safe of an option as he was drafted too high this year.
• PACERS: Paul George did his part with 16 Rebounds and 3 Steals.  He did however shoot 3/13 from the field, which will not get it done.  Danny Granger continues to play hot with 26 Points, 2 Steals/Blocks, and 6 Rebounds.  He has been their leading scorer the past 4 games.  Roy Hibbert came back to life with 21 Points, 12 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks.  Consistency has been his issue all season.  David West and Darren Collison continue to put up bench numbers, however West is improving with a nice 14 Point, 5 Rebound game.  Right now it is the Granger show in Indiana.
• CAVS: Lester Hudson had 23 Points and 7 Assists to bring a lot of job insecurity to Donald Sloan who had 5 Points with 7 Rebounds.  Both played 30+ Minutes, but as of now this looks like a bad fantasy situation.  Tristan Thompson continues to fail as a fantasy option with 6 Points and 4 Rebounds.  Antawn Jamison is now the heart & soul of this team with no scoring competition.  He was strong with 25 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 3 3PTM, on a team leading 16 FG attempts.  He will be a nice option the rest of the way.  Alonzo Gee had a rough game shooting going 3/10 from the field, but still managed 7 Rebounds to go along with 9 Points.  He should see an increase in value with no Kyrie Irving.
• RAPTORS: Jose Calderon was out, James Johnson got DNP-CD.  That leaves Linas Kleiza as an interesting add as he can be a solid double-double machine.  Today he came off the bench for 8 Points and 8 Rebounds in 28+ Minutes.  Look for those numbers to increase.  Andrea Bargnani continues to shoot at will, but tonight was not so great on 8/22 shooting for 19 Points.  He did add 7 Rebounds which gave him an edge.  DeMar DeRozan went to his vintage form with 28 Points, surprisingly on only 16 FG attempts and he made 10 of them.  Nights like that will not happen often.
• ROCKETS: Goran Dragic may have moved to the #1 spot in race for PFBMVP with a strong 26 Point, 11 Assist effort.  He led the Rockets to a victory over the Lakers and had 3 3PTM, with 3 Steals to along with it.  Luis Scola had a huge game which comes about once a week, 25 Points and 2 Steals is more than a solid game for him, still rebounding problems with 4.  Chandler Parsons played 37+ Minutes but only had 13 Points.  Courtney Lee was weak with 10 Points and 4 Assists.  His value will drop when Kevin Martin returns.  Marcus Camby was great with 12 Points, 11 Rebounds, and 2 Blocks.  He only played 25 Minutes, while Dalembert played 22 off the bench with 12 Points, 3 Steals, 6 Rebounds.  A timeshare looks very possible despite Camby being much better.
• LAKERS: Andrew Bynum got ejected in the 4^th quarter but still had 19 Points with 7 Rebounds and 2 Blocks.  He is probably the #1 fantasy center by the time the season ends.  Pau Gasol had 14 Points and 10 Rebounds with 5 Assists.  He made some bad plays towards the end of the game, and is clearly the 3^rd option behind Bynum.  Kobe Bryant went 8/20 shooting with 28 Points and 2 Rebounds.  A very bland stat line for him with absolutely nothing else.  The 28 is nice.  Ramon Sessions had an off shooting night but still managed 10 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 7 Assists.  He has great potential every game.

FANTASY PLAYOFF DAY #12 MVP-  Byron Mullens

 

ADD’EM: Kemba Walker. Byron Mullens. Rodney Stuckey. Kevin Seraphin. Jared Dudley. Shannon Brown. Linas Kleiza.

DEEP WAIVER WIRE WATCH: Bismack Biyombo.

 

 

——————————————————————————————————————–

SATURDAY (4/7/12)

@QOD- Dragic has earned himself for more minutes off the bench with his play, but I expect Lowry to grab his starting gig back when he’s 100%

HEADLINES:

• Kobe has a hurt shin, so Bynum and Gasol take 25+ Shots each.  Lakers Lose.
• Eric Gordon limited with a lower back injury.
• Nicolas Batum has chronic knee issues, could slow him down to the finish.
• Kyle Lowry could return Sunday or Monday.
• Wilson Chandler could be ruled out for the season, that leaves the gate open for Gallo.
• J.J. Reddick starts at SG, plays 40+ Minutes.
• Shannon Brown continues to dominate.

FULL IN DEPTH WAIVER WIRE COMING SUNDAY EVENING.

PLAYOFF FANTASY MVP OF THE DAY #13- CHRIS PAUL (19 Points, 15 Assists, 7 Steals)

ADD: SHANNON BROWN. 

 

 

I brought up questions in Saturday’s version of  Daily Rankings..Here are the answers.

• Will Ray Allen make a big splash today?

Yes he did with 7/18 Shooting and 5 3PTM.  This game was overdue, and Brandon Bass suffered on 0/6 Shooting.

 

• Can Danny Granger stay hot?

 

Yes he can with another 20 Point game.  He did it on a surprisingly low FG% going 6/15 from the field.  Roy Hibbert stayed hot as well with 17 big Rebounds, 2 Blocks and 9 Points.

 

• Will Nikola Pekovic play 30 Minutes today?

The answers is NO, as he played nearly 26 Minutes.  He did end up with 11 Points and 6 Rebounds, so that seems to be promising for him to get back to a double-double machine soon.  Michael Beasley played 30+ Minutes off the bench and had 20 Points to go along with 7 Rebounds, 3 3PTM, Steal, and a block.  Keep an eye on him as one bad shooting game may put him in the doghouse again.

 

• How does Eric Gordon do on a back-to-back?

25 Minutes, 3/12 shooting, 10 Points.  Not anything to brag about, but at least he tried to score big.  Chris Kaman and Jason Smith were both the story as they each played 30+ Minutes to score 20+ Points and 10 Rebounds each.  The Hornets are becoming too cluttered of a fantasy team.

 

• Is Kemba Walker going to take 20+ FG attempts again?  And will Bismack Biyombo play 30+ Minutes?

 

NO to both questions.  Kemba was conservative with 10 Points and 6 Assists on 3/8 shooting and 2 3PTM.  Bismack had 4 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks.  But only played 24+ Minutes making him a shaky start and can only be counted on for his blocks.

 

 

• Is Dwight Howard going to go into BEAST MODE?

Sort of..He  went 4/14 shooting, and 12/18 from the FT line.  Which resulted in a 20 Point, 22 Rebound, 2 Block, 1 Steal night.  So in short the answer is yes.  J.J. Reddick entered the starting lineup for the injured Tukoglu while Jason Richardson slid to the SF role.  J.J. played 40+ Minutes and went 7/13 shooting with 19 Points and 1 3PTM.  He makes a solid add if you need 3PTM.

• How will Marc Gasol bounce back after Zach Randolph had a big game?

He will continue to do worst as Gasol ended up with 9 Points and 7 Rebounds.  Not fantasy material his owners were looking for.  The real problem was Zach Randolph who beasted once again with a team high 15 FG attempts to go with 15 Points and 11 Rebounds.  Gasol is trending down quickly.

 

• Does Monta Ellis have what it takes to have three good scoring games in a row?

In short, I am going to say NO.  17 Points and 7 Assists, is not considered great Monta numbers.  These are low-end solid and that is enough where if he has a big game after this you can consider it all part of the hot streak.  Drew Gooden returned, but Ersan Ilysova continues to dominate with 20 Points and 12 Rebounds.  He appears ready to go.

• No Marcus Thornton, will Tyreke Evans have a monster game?

14 Points and 6 Turnovers with 1 Assist is not what Tyreke owners were looking for.  The only solid King tonight was DeMarcus Cousins who had 20 Rebounds to go along with 15 Points.  Kings did not look good at all tonight, and they could definitely use Thornton’s services.

 

• Andre Miller and the Ty Lawson battle.

21 Points, 6 Assists, 34 Minutes.  Vs. 14 Points, 4 Assists, 26 Minutes.  The winner is Ty Lawson.  Though the lead is a lot closer than his owners want it to be.

 

• Klay Thompson getting 30+ Minutes, or Brandon Rush and Richard Jefferson getting 25+ Minutes.

 

Brandon Rush saw 30 Minutes and scored 20 Points.  Richard Jefferson saw 25+ Minutes and scored 10 Points.  Klay Thompson scored 15 Points in 22 Minutes.  This situation does seem fantasy friendly right now.  They could disappoint in their playoff matchups.

 

• Shannon Brown to keep up his momentum against the Lakers.  18 FG attempts and now against his former team.

 

You bet he did with a team leading 24 Points and 4 3PTM.  You can safely add him in all leagues right now as he is on FIRE.