FANTASY BASKETBALL Daily Show: Week 4 (Jan 16th-Jan 23rd)

FANTASY BASKETBALL Daily Show: Week 4 (Jan 16^th-Jan 23^rd)

*If you are new to MaddenArena for Fantasy Basketball.  Check out our Season preview.

This article will be updated every day this week. Saturday and Sunday are specifically designed for Q&A, though questions will be answered throughout the week.

Last Updated: 1/20/12 (am)

In this column, Muntradamus will share Fantasy Basketball Observations that you can take or leave to help your team get better.  Feel free to ask questions, our experts (SFD and myself) will answer them. Check this page daily to see what I have to say about your players.

(For a Recap of all the Fantasy Players up to date Prt. 1)
(For a Recap of all the Fantasy Players up to date Prt. 2)
(Players to Sell, or Buy.  Check out the Fantasy Basketball Trade Market)

Monday (1/16/12)

• Luol Deng (39 Minutes, 20 Points, 3 Steals, 8/18 Shooting) is going to be counted on to have games like this when Derrick Rose does not play.  The only problem with this line is that we’ve seen him score more in the past with Rose in the lineup.  Hard to tell if his value goes up or not, but his shot attempts should temporarily.
• Mike Conley (20 Points, 8 Assists, 7 Rebounds, 4 Steals) is turning into a fantasy stud.  Now that he his 100% he has put up 6 Assists and a steal + in every game.  If you can somehow trade for him, you should as his numbers will get better even with Zach Randolph for those easy assists.
• J.J. Reddick (21 Points, 3 3PTM, 37 Minutes) with no Jason Richardson the spot is all JJ’s to take over.  However long this lasts, it should be consistent as J.J. has tutorial videos on how to be a good 3PT shooter.  That says it all. 
• Dwight Howard (2/9 FT) its tough to own a big man who goes to the line so often, and shoots under 50%.  Especially when all he does is put up 8 Points and 10 Rebounds.
• Carmelo Anthony (9/27 Shooting, 33 Points, 8 Rebounds, 14/16 FT) is back to his ball hogging ways.  Fantasy owners will be pleased, but not if you own Shumpert (12 Points) or Amare (10 Points).  Melo made a statement that this is his team, and he is going to take over games when he wants to.  The result of this performance…a Knicks loss.  It will be interesting to see if he continues to pull these stunts. 
• Andrew Bogut (20 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) on a night where Brandon Jennings (7 Points) and Stephen Jackson (9 Points) did not have their game going, Bogut stepped it up for his Bucks.  Andrew has always been a solid fantasy center and will continue to be so as long as he can avoid injuries.
• Jrue Holiday (24 Points, 5 Steals, 5 Assists, 11/17 Shooting) broke out of his funk.  Jrue is a talented player and with no Evan Turner, there was one less guard to worry about taking his minutes away.  This will be a nice game to build off of, but I do expect inconsistency when Evan comes back as Andre Iguodala is starting to find his own again (9/14 Shooting) and Louis Williams is still the leading scorer on the team (6/17 Shooting). 
• Kyrie Irving (35 Minutes, 25 Points, 7 Assists) the Cavs are finally letting their future play 30+ minutes a game.  The results were great as he is putting up #1 guard type numbers.  That is his 5^th consecutive game of 20+ performances.  Ramon Sessions (9 Assists) still managed to get his, while Antwan Jamison continues to be Twan with another (20 Point, 7 Rebound) consistent performance.
• Kemba Walker (38 Minutes, 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists) I was telling you in earlier episodes of the Daily Show that Kemba was a great buy low candidate.  It is too late as he has some serious value and some very high potential.  He knows how to get buckets, and will soon figure out how to do it in the NBA.  D.J. Augustin (24 Points) and Gerald Henderson (17 Points) still got theirs, while Byron Mullens failed to get 10 Points, but he made up for it with 12 Rebounds.  Still a solid fantasy center.
• Kevin Martin (25 Points, 8 Assists) welcome back.  What if I told you his numbers could get even better than this, he shot 7/16 from the field and those numbers will go up with confidence.  Confidence that he should have after this performance.  Kyle Lowry continues to fill up the stat sheet (3 Steals, 6 Assists, 5 Rebounds, 16 Points) and Luis Scola only grabbed 5 rebounds, common trend for him this season.  Samuel Dalembert has no competition for playing time and grabbed 20 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks.
• John Wall (38 Points, 6 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 0/0 3PTM) nice game here.  Fantasy owners will definitely take it, but they would have liked to see the Wizards win this game as well as that would solidify the importance of his stats.  Jordan Crawford (17 Points) could be a X factor for this team, and I mention him in the fantasy player update.
• LaMarcus Aldridge (22 Points, 9 Rebounds) has been consistent on a great team.  That speaks volumes about his talent this season.  Nicholas Batum came off the bench to score 19 Points in 32 Minutes which threw off the games of; Gerald Wallace(14 Points, 7 Rebounds), Raymond Felton (2 Points, 12 Assists), Wesley Matthews (10 Points), and Jamal Crawford (5 Points, 7 Assists)
• Jarret Jack (21 Points, 4 Assists, 9/10 FT) is still the glue of this team with no Eric Gordon.  Most definitely the steal of most drafts.  Chris Kaman came off the bench to shoot the ball 15 times.  He only made 6 of those shots, while Carl Landry came off the bench for only 10 minutes.  Emeka Okafor had a typical game of 12 Points and 10 Rebounds.
• MarShon Brooks (19 Points, 8 Rebounds) has been a nice fantasy contributor all season.  The Nets look for him to take over games when Deron Williams (5/14 Shooting, 6 Assists) is not on, which was the case Monday.  Anthony Morrow was sent back to the bench, while Kris Humphries comes back to LA and scores 14 with 7 Rebounds.
• Leandro Barbosa (22 Points, 30 Minutes) continues to take advantage of no Bargs more than any Raptor.  He is averaging over 20 a game since his injury and is turning into a serious threat to Jose Calderon owners.  Especially with Jerryd Bayless coming back soon as well.  Calderon continues to get his (13 Points, 11 Assists) but the room for error is shrinking.  DeMar DeRozan (5/17 Shooting) has to turn it up a notch.
• Josh Smith (28 Points, 15 Rebounds, 1 Block) is turning into a fantasy MVP with no Al Horford around.  Joe Johnson (27 Points, 6 Assists) and Jeff Teauge (4 Steals, 6 Assists) continue to do their thing as well.
• Thabo Sefolosha (19 Points, 5 Rebounds) threw off James Harden (5 Points, 2 Steals) could be the Sir Fantasy Drake jinx, but now it makes Harden an easier candidate to buy off of other owners.  Sef will not shoot 7/9 very often.  Kevin Durant (28 Points) and Russell Westbrook (26 Points) both put up (7 Rebounds and 4 Assists).  Ibaka continues to get little playing time at 23 Minutes.
• Paul Pierce (39 Minutes, 24 Points, 5 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 1 Block) is a nice fantasy pick and looks to get closer and closer to 100%.  KG was solid with 12-12.  Rajon Rondo got a near triple-double with 9 Rebounds and 9 Assists.  Brandon Bass went back to the bench and did nothing.
• Kevin Love (33 Points, 11 Rebounds, 2 3PTM) is easily the #1 fantasy pick in all drafts that start today.  He does it all while not hurting you in any category and qualifies at the rarest position of forward.  Luke Ridnour continues to get his with another 25 Point performance, he has been pretty consistent this season averaging nearly 10 shots a game.  Ricky Rubio almost triple doubled, with 8 Rebounds and 8 Assists.  Solid fantasy player.
• Tyreke Evans (3/11 Shooting, 9 Points, 8 Rebounds, 10 Assists) looked out of sync with Marcus Thornton back.  8 Kings player’s shot between 6 to 12 shots.  They have to find their offense again as they have too many players that demand the ball.
• Dirk Nowitzki (21 Points, 7 Rebounds) is the only Mav to put up more than 10 Points and is the only Mav worth owning.  The sad thing about this line, this is a good game for Dirk…
• Kobe Bryant (7/22 Shooting, 14 Points, 7 Assists) had his first bad game in a while, but owners will not complain about 7 assists.  Andrew Bynum (17 Points, 15 Rebounds) continues to be a beast.  Pau Gasol is weak, soft, and he should be traded when a good offer comes up (8 Points, 6 Rebounds).

Tuesday (1/17/12)

• Lebron James (33 Points, 10 Assists, 4 3PTM) reminded us all that the 3’s will start coming quickly.  7 in his last game.  Chris Bosh (30 Points, 8 Rebounds, 4 Steals) dominated with no Wade, while Mike Miller in his first game went (6-6) from  3PT range.  Things are looking good for the Heat to win the finals, especially when Chalmers (13 Points, 4 Assists) is on his game.
• Tony Parker (18 Points, 3 Assists, 3 Steals) is the only reliable fantasy option for the Spurs with Ginobli out.  Jefferson failed to score, while Dejuan Blair had a good game for his standards (13 Points, 6 Rebounds).  Leonard remains solid with 12 Points and Duncan failed to score 10.  Spurs will win games, but their players will not win fantasy championships.
• Paul Millsap (2o Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Steals) is turning into the real deal and is doing it consistently.  The starters did not need to play much of the 4th quarter in this one.  Al Jefferson continues to be a beast with 13 Rebounds in 26 Minutes.  CJ Miles (19 Points, 4 Steals) may have ruined Josh Howard’s current fantasy value.  Devin Harris looked good, but only got 13 Points and 4 Assists in limited action.
• Clippers (79 Points, lost by 29) all Clipper fantasy players looked bad without CP3.  Griffin (10 Points, 11 Rebounds) double-doubled and nobody else did anything to write home about.  Chalk this one up in the lost column and move forward with all Clips.
• David Lee (29 Points, 9 Rebounds, 35 Minutes) continues to be a fantasy beast all season.  With no Steph Curry, Lee has had a huge offensive role.  Monta Ellis left the game after an elbow to the nose (it did not break).  He should be back shortly, while Dorrell Wright’s (10 Points) trade value will not.  Hopefully you unloaded him like I suggested after last weeks comeback.  Brandon Rush (14 Points) and Klay Thompson (14 Points) both outscored Wright, and both are solid NBA players that will steal his minutes.  Nate Robinson (17 Points, 10 Assists) can light up the stat sheet with Curry out.  Not a bad pickup, and could be a long term option once we find out more about Steph’s ankle injury.
• Kyrie Irving (18 Points, 8 Rebounds, 5 Assists) ended his snap of 20+ games at 4, but his fantasy value has not even reached his peak yet.  Antwan Jamison (19 Points, 5 Rebounds) remains consistent and Anderson Varejao (10 Points, 13 Rebounds) continues to be a nice fantasy center to own.
  
• Dwight Howard (25 Points, 17 Rebounds, 4 Blocks) dominated Byron Mullens and anything the Bobcats threw at him.  Nights like these will come often with D12 along with his 3/8 FT performance.  Jameer Nelson (17 Points, 4 Assists) had a nice game to build off of, while Ryan Anderson (13 Points) needs to remain more consistent to be that fantasy stud we all want.  Hedo Turkoglu (15 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists) is on his game while J.J. Reddick (30 Minutes, 5 Points) did not step up his with no J-Rich to deal with.
• Kemba Walker (15 Points, 6 Assists, 2 Steals) continues to be put up good fantasy numbers with Charlotte now, and will be even better as the season rolls on.  D.J. Augustin (13 Points, 5 Assists, 4 Steals) is still getting his with the emergence of Walker. So is Gerald Henderson (22 Points) who has been the go-t0-guy for the Bobcats in the early part of the season.  The story of the game was Bismack Biyombo (11 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Blocks) against D12.  He was forced into this game because Byron Mullens is simply no match for the bigger stronger D12.  This could be a problem for Mullens owners, but his offensive skill set is are far superior than Biyombo’s.
• Steve Nash (25 Points, 9 Assists) had a season high on a night the Suns had no offense going.  His fantasy value will rise when he is traded to a team where he can potentially get 20 Assist games.  Marcin Gortat (14 Points, 15 Rebounds) was an excellent Buy candidate from Sir Fantasy Drake, his value is rising with him emerging as the #2 option offensively on that team.All other Sun fantasy players had bad games in the blowout loss.
• Carlos Boozer (31 Points, 6 Rebounds) continues to phunk with our hearts.  He had 25 Points in the 1st half and 6 in the 2nd.  Even on a good night he still shows some inconsistency.  CJ Watson (23 Points, 5 Assists, 4 Rebounds) is a nice fantasy reserve to hold onto in case something happens to Derrick Rose long term, Rose should be back soon.  Luol Deng (15 Points, 6 Rebounds) is still a sell high candidate, especially with Boozer now expecting more touches.  Joakim Noah (13 Points, 12 Rebounds) bounced back with a solid game, lets see if he can keep up the momentum.
• Brandon Jennings (30 Points, 6 Assists, 3 Steals) was the only good thing that came from this game for the Bucks.  They only lost by 10, but Andrew Bogut (2 Points, 5 Rebounds) and Stephen Jackson (2 Points, 1 Assist) were absolutely worthless.  I told you to sell Stephen Jackson high when you could since opening day, and last week was your best chance.  Now you have to wait for the circuit to start over again with him.  
• Denver Nuggets (had 6 Players with 10+ Points) including the leading scorer Corey Brewer (22 Points, 4 Rebounds) looks very comfortable in this system.  That throws off all the guards including Ty Lawson (11 Points, 9 Assists) who will see less run time with Andre Miller (8 Points, 11 Assists).  The Nuggets are an offensive juggernaut and Nene (14 Points, 9 Rebounds, 26 Minutes) Danilo (14 Points, 5 Rebounds, 27 Minutes) both scored less than Al Harrington (16 Points) off the bench.  Nights like these come with the Nuggets often.
• Greg Monroe (4 Points, 11 Rebounds, 37 Minutes) was simply shut down by Samuel Dalembert.  That speaks volumes about Dalemberts defensive abilities, and I expect Monroe to bounce back next game.   Ben Gordon (18 Points, 40 Minutes) , Brandon Knight (14 Points, 35 Minutes) , and Rodney Stuckey (16 Points, 20 Minutes) put up solid games.  I expect Stuckey to eat into both of those players minutes, while Tayshaun Prince (20 Points, 2 Steals) continues to eat Austin Dayes (DNP-CD) fantasy value.
• Kyle Lowry (13 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Steals, 3 3PTM)is still filling up that stat sheet.  Jason Kidd 2.0 is very real.  Luis Scola (14 Points, 5 Rebounds) continues to have a down season in the rebound category (5.9/game).  Kevn Martin (11 Points, 4/12 Shooting) goes back to the ways he has all season a night after scoring 25 Points.  Samuel Dalembert (14 Points, 12 Rebounds) is not only a beast defensivley shutting down Greg Monroe, but he is the most important part to this Rockets team and is a great fantasy player to own with his rebound/block potential.

Wednesday (1/18/12)

• Josh Smith (17 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 2 Steals) is having a career year and it will continue with Horford out.  Joe Johnson (24 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists) was solid as well and Jeff Teague (13 Points, 5 Assists) has had better games.  But these are the three Hawks to own.  Marvin Williams (12 Points, 8 Rebounds) was good, but consistency will be a focus going forward.
• Jamal Crawford (8/22 shooting, 22 Points, 5 Assists) was the flavor of the game for Portland, he has good fantasy value but will have some clunkers.  LaMarcus Alridge (22 Points, 11 Rebounds) continues to be the consistent start for Portland.  Raymond Felton had a nice 8 assists.  Gerald Wallace (4/12 Shooting) still remains a sell high candidate because of all the talent Portland has.  I didn’t even mention Wesley Matthews who took (13 Shots).
• Evan Turner (29 Minutes, 8/17 Shooting, 20 Points, 11 Rebounds) has a ton of fantasy potential.  The problem is, Jrue Holiday, (13 Points, 4 Assists) Andre Iguodala (11 Points, 10 Rebounds, 9 Assists) Lou Williams (2/9 Shooting, 10 Points) and Jodie Meeks (30 Minutes, 8 Points) are all fighting for playing time.  Elton Brand (16 Points, 7 Rebounds) thrived with no Spencer Haweswhile Thaddeus Young (22 Points, 7 Rebounds) showed he can take over a big role for the 76ers when they need him to.
• Andre Miller (28 Points, 10 Assists, 8 Rebounds) definitely gave Ty Lawson (13 Points, 7 Assists) a big punch to his fantasy value.  Both players are capable of running that offense and George Karl may go with the hot hand more likely than not.  Nene (20 Points, 14 Rebounds,38 Minutes) is healthy and playing like a fantasy stud.  Danil Gallinari (1/3 Shooting, 3 Points, 33 Minutes) just had a really bad game.  Hope he bounces back.  Al Harrington (12 Points, 8 Rebounds) is a solid low-end forward to use in most leagues.
• DeMar DeRozan (4/16 Shooting, 11 Points) pretty much sums how good the Raptors are wih out Bargnani.  Jose Calderon (9 Points, 4 Assists) the end is coming, like I predicted it would in past articles.  James Johnson (Started, 1/7 Shooting) got a surprise start but because of the blowout, and low production he only played 25 Minutes.  Ed Davis (9 Points, 9 Rebounds) did not do enough to pull away big minutes from Amir Johnson (4 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Fouls) but he is heading in the right direction.
• Rajon Rondo (7/8 Shooting, 21 Points, 2 Assists, 28 Minutes) could have done more if it was not a blowout.   Non of the Celtic starters played a lot of minutes; Paul Pierce (23 Minutes, 8 Points, 7 Assists) Ray Allen (6 Points, 3 Rebounds) KG (15 Points, 7 Rebounds).  Brandon Bass got some nice run time (30 Minutes, 13 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) that is a great game for his standards.
• Carmelo Anthony (5/22 Shooting, 12 Points, 11 Rebounds) again had a tough game in a close Knicks loss.  That is two times in a row, and it will be interesting to see if they change their team philosophy moving forward.  Amare Stoudemire (7/22 Shooting, 23 Points, 7 Rebounds) had a tough night shooting, but his fantasy owners like the aggressiveness.  Iman Shumpert (20 Points, 4 Steals) continues to be a great fantasy asset.  While Tyson Chandler grabbed a career high 17 Rebounds.  
• Steve Nash (26 Points, 11 Assists) has great fantasy value, for a great reason.  I am excited to see his assist potential on a more talented team, which should happen later this season.  Marcin Gortat (11 Points, 12 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) is playing like a #1 Fantasy Center option.  Ronnie Price (0 Points, 14 Minutes) got the start for Jared Dudley (o Points, 17 Minutes), that was a bad coaching move both ways.  Markieff Morris started, played 6 minutes and that was it.  Too many big men on that team with Frye, and Warrick coming off the bench.
• Mike Conley (18 Points, 10 Assists, 4 3PTM) how many times do I have to tell you this guy is the breakout candidate of the year.  Marc Gasol (22 Points, 12 Rebounds, 7 Assists) continued to dominate with Zach Randolph out.  His production may drop a little, but he was still productive even when Randolph was in there earlier.  OJ Mayo (16 Points) continues to battle Tony Allen (12 Points) for playing time.  Rudy Gay (12 Points, 5 Rebounds) lets forget about this one.
• Jarret Jack (27 Points, 8 Assists, 4/4 3PTM) this guy is on one.  He is the steal of any draft and should continue to put up great numbers all season even when Eric Gordon returns.  Jack is back to his Georgia Tech days.  Chis Kaman (4 Points, 4 Rebounds) Emeka OKafor (4 Points, 4 Rebounds) Carl Landry (2 Points, 2 Rebounds)…What is going on here?  I would wait for this shuffle to get more solid before I drop any of these players.  Trevor Ariza (18 Points, 7 Assists, 4 Steals) had a great return, and the Hornets will need production like that to win ball games.  You can pick him up now, or wait to see a game like this happen again soon.Consistency has always been an issue.
• Jason Kidd (10 Assists, 34 Minutes) pick him up if he is available.  I know his season has been terrible, but he will regain some trade value eventually once Dallas can figure out what is happening.  Dirk Nowitzki (17 Points, 7 Rebounds) is becoming too comfortable with these numbers.  He needs to break out for 30 soon, he is probably the bust of the season so far.  Jason Terry (12 Points, 2 3PTM) typical game for him as well.  Shawn Marion (12 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Steals) had a nice breakout game to keep Lamar Odom (25 Minutes, 5 Points) from getting 30+ minutes a game.
• Chauncey Billups (21 Points, 8 Rebounds, 7/19 Shooting) stepped it up with no CP3 in the lineup.  This game will definitely propel Billups’s value.  Mo Williams (35 Minutes, 26 Points, 2 3PTM) had a big comeback game and will see his value drop off from this game once CP3 returns.  Caron Butler (1/12 Shooting) keep moving forward, while Blake Griffin (14 Points, 17 Rebounds, 2/8 FT) continues to eat up the glass when he is out there.  DeAndre Jordan broke out in this one (19 Points, 9 Rebounds, 5 Blocks).  I told you not to drop him.
• Marcus Thornton (5/17 Shooting, 17 Points, 3 3PTM) tried to establish himself as the go-to-guy again for the Kings.  The result…they won by 4.  DeMarcus Cousins (13 Points, 19 Rebounds, 5/19 Shooting) was a beast out there, and he didn’t even shoot 33%.  Tyreke Evans (8 Points, 7 Rebounds, 6 Assists) continues to lose value with the return of Marcus Thornton, especially Jimmer Fredette (0 Points, 0/4 Shooting).  Jason Thompson (9 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Steals) started for J.J. Hickson, that will probably be the trend moving forward.
• Danny Granger (6/17 Shooting, 16 Points, 7 Rebounds) continues to be a poor shotter all season.  It will be intresting to see how much longer Indiana keeps letting him shoot away.  Roy Hibbert (13 Points, 8 Rebounds) has remained pretty consistent all season, holding Tyler Hansbrough (22 Minutes, 7 Points, 5 Rebounds) on the bench and putting up games like this far too often.  David West (13 Points, 5 Rebounds) is still finding himself, but the Pacers paid too much money to give up on him now.  Darren Collison (16 Points, 6 Rebounds) continues to hold off George Hill (24 Minutes, 8 Points) from getting those big minutes.  Paul George has been a disappointment and is not scoring enough (10 Points, 34 Minutes, 9 Rebounds).
• Tony Parker (25 Points, 9 Assists, 7 Rebounds) is the only fantasy option I would want currently on my team.  Kwahi Leonard (2 Points) came back to life, while Tim Duncan had a vintage type performance (17 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 Block) games like that do not happen frequently enough for Timmy.  Dejuan Blair (8 Points, 6 Rebounds) continues to split time with Tiaggo Splitter (10 Points, 6 Rebounds).  Richard Jefferson (11 Points, 1 Rebounds, 1 3PTM) is not putting up the numbers he needs to with Manu Ginobili out.
• Dwight Howard (24 Points, 25 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) is a machine, the fact he shot 60% from the free throw line as well will help with that dismal %.  Ryan Anderson (3/13 Shooting, 17 Points, 11 Rebounds) is still putting up big numbers when we all know he can shoot better than that.  He is a great fantasy player to own, Jameer Nelson (2/16 Shooting) has to bounce back with a big game.  J.J. Reddick (31 Minutes, 0 3PTM) is not acceptable when Hedo Turkolgu and Jason Richardson are not playing.
• Kevin Love (20 Points, 17 Rebounds) is a fantasy monster.  Still #1 pick in all drafts today.  Ricky Rubio (9 Points, 8 Rebounds, 7 Assists) almost pulled off another triple double, and added 6 steals to his total.  Luke Ridnour (3/10 Shooting, 7 Points) had a bad game.
• Tayshaun Prince (41 Minutes, 29 Points, 3 3PTM) is getting hot, but we all know in his career that he is a streaky player.  Brandon Knight (7 Points, 6 Assists, 5 Rebounds, 35 minutes) is pretty inconsistent, but he can help you out in multiple categories which is nice.  Rodney Stuckey (26 Minutes, 10 Points, 3 Assists) wants his old job back.  Greg Monroe (13 Points, 12 Rebounds, 6 Fouls) was simply out of rhythm because of foul trouble, but still managed to have a nice game.
• Russell Westbrook (36 Points, 7 Assists) is fully back, and the owners who were patient with his turnover problems earlier in the season have been rewarded.  Kevin Durant (33 Points, 3/10 3PT shooting, 8 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 3 Blocks) is a fantasy juggernaut and is making his case that he is more valuable than Love.  10 3PT attempts could lead to monster performances from K Dirty.  Serge Ibaka (6 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 30 Minutes) still did not do much with a lot of playing time.  James Harden (13 Points, 3/8 Shooting) has had back-to-back off games and is a nice buy low candidate in a trade.
• John Wall (25 Points, 7 Rebounds, 8 Assists) continues to be a great all around fantasy performer, despite not making any 3’s or a good FT%.  Andray Blatche (12 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 34 Minutes) has had back-t0-back good games, and that is enough for me to try to get him cheap in a trade.  JaVale McGee (7 Points, 11 Rebounds, 1 Block) continues to be nothing special in fantasy, while Nick Young (24 Points) and Jordan Crawford (18 Points) need to get this team rolling and shoot higher %s.  I like them both, in reality and fantasy.
  
• Monta Ellis (30 Points, 5 Assists, 6 Steals) had a great fantasy game after taking an elbow to the face the game before.  Nate Robinson came back to life (9 Points, 7 Assists) still not bad numbers.  Dorrell Wright (17 Points, 3 3PTM) is due to see a big decline when Curry comes back from that ankle injury, especially with Brandon Rush (3/4 Shooting) needs his minutes as well.  David Lee (12 Points, 10 Rebounds, 5 Fouls) had a mediocre game to his standards he has been a great fantasy option this season.
• MarShon Brooks (40 Minutes, 22 Points, 8 Rebounds, 6 Assists) is an important part of this New Jersey team that won it’s first home game of the season.  He will continue to be a fantasy asset all season long.  Deron Williams (24 Points, 8 Rebounds, 10 Assists) is back to having 1st round value, as he is over the inconsistency he experienced earlier this season.  Kris Humphries (18 Points, 15 Rebounds) is having a nice season, and although a decline should happen with Brook Lopez coming back, you still have to like his double-double potential.

Thursday (12/19/2012)

• Kobe Bryant (8/21 Shooting, 24 Points, 7 Assists) the good news is, the Assists are coming in bunches now.  Once everything evens out with Kobe you are looking at potentially the #1 Guard to own in all of fantasy basketball.  Andrew Bynum (15 Points, 12 Rebounds, 6/13 Shooting) is not getting enough touches to be the fantasy monster he could be.  Expect Bynum to have more upside moving forward as the Lakers realize they need their big man.  Pau Gasol (26 Points, 8 Rebounds) sell high now!  This guy is inconsistent, he’s soft, and at times is just a complete non factor for the Lakers.  He has his moments, but they usually are not consistent.
  
• Lebron James (12/27 Shooting, 31 Points, 8 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 4 Steals, 3 Blocks, 2 3PTM) alright I was wrong to say Kevin Love is the #1 overall pick, this guy is the man for all fantasy teams and is now starting to shoot the 3 ball consistently.  Chris Bosh (15 Points, 8 Rebounds) is playing well with no D.Wade, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his value upon his return.He’s playing well enough where I feel he is ready for that.  Mike Miller (3 Points, 2 Rebounds) came back to earth after a huge debut, while Mario Chalmers (10 Points, 6 Assists) was a good sell high candidate a couple weeks ago.
• Trevor Ariza (10 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 45 Minutes) came back to life as well Thursday night.  The first game was great, but at least he played 45 minutes in an OT game.  Good addition to any fantasy roster with potential for good games, and potential for games like these.  Jarret Jack (15 Points, 7 Assists, 5 Rebounds) continues to be rock solid and has great fantasy value moving forward.  Emeka Okafor (26 Minutes, 12 Rebounds, 8 Points) Jason Smith (17 Points, 9 Rebounds, 30 Minutes) Chris Kaman (5 Points, 8 Rebounds, 26 Minutes) and Carl Landry (6 Points, 2 Rebounds, 21 Minutes) all find themselves in a similar situation the guards for the 76ers deal with.  Here they are all big men who all have their moments but never put it together.  Besides Okafor, it’s hard to depend on any of these guys for consistent fantasy value. 
• Kevin Martin (12/27 Shooting, 32 Points, 8 Rebounds, 5 3PTM) has had his ups and downs all season, but his ups have such high potential for games like this that he is a must-start at all times in any fantasy league.  He is a scoring machine, and the Rockets need him to be that for them to be successful.  Kyle Lowry (10 Points, 9 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block) just when you thought he put up a mediocre line, he does the intangibles that make him a huge fantasy asset to own.Luis Scola (4 Rebounds, 42 Minutes) I have been talking about his rebounding all season, and he continues to not find the glass at all.  I have no idea what his problem is, and at any moment he could grab 10 rebounds a game.  Samuel Dalembert (17 Rebounds, 15 Points, 2 Blocks) continues to dominate and also answers the question about Scola’s rebounding.  Though 4..Really Scola, in 42 Minutes?  Chase Budinger had 5 Rebounds, in 12 Minutes.
• Jason Kidd (2 Points, 11 Assists, 5 Rebounds, 1 Block) continues to find his way on the fantasy radar.  An excellent candidate who is almost ready to sell high on.  Back-to-back 10 Assist performances will get you some value, but one more and you could steal a quality player for the aging veteran.  Dirk Nowitzki (12 Points, 5 Rebounds) continues to get worse and worse everytime I mention him.  This guy is a joke this year after showing flashes of being one of the most dominate PF’s in the history of the NBA, less than  8 months ago.  Shawn Marion (22 Points, 7 Rebounds, 33 Minutes) remains hot, and should be scooped up in all fantasy leagues due to fact he fills up the stat sheet when the minutes are there.  Jason Terry (2 3PTM, 10 Points) continues to get you 2 3PTM a game, but that’s about it.
  
• Al Jefferson (22 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Steals) is easily the #2 center to own in all of fantasy basketball.  He is consistently around the 20 Point mark, sometimes 30.  He also blocks shots, and rebounds the ball consistently in double figure.  Paul Millsap (16 Points, 13 Rebounds, 40 Minutes) is still very fantasy relevant and is finally showing his talent.  He is a top notch PF in this league, and in fantasy.  Devin Harris (0/7 Shooting, 1 Point, 2 Assists) yikes.  His upside is too high to let him go for nothing, but he is playing like he is worth nothing all season.  C.J. Miles (17 Points, 2 Steals, 21 Minutes) has been showing up lately for the Jazz and is looking like the SF they need, sorry Josh Howard bad timing on that quad strain. 

Friday (1/20/12)

• James Johnson (23 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Blocks, 2 Steals, 1 3PTM) after getting another start James Johnson finally paid off to those owners who were patient with him such as myself.  He is going to be Gerald Wallace 2.0 all season long, add him if he is available in your league!  Jose Calderon (13 Assists) is counting down the days until Jerryd Bayless comes back.  Last chance to sell extremely high for him.
• LaMarcus Aldridge (33 Points, 25 Rebounds, 5 Assists) where did this game come from.  He absolutely dominated in all aspects and is showing why he is hands down the best Blazer fantasy player to own.  Raymond Felton (14 Points) was the second leading scorer and that just goes to show how many inconsistent performances you will get from Gerald Wallace (8 Points) Wesley Matthews (8 Points) Jamal Crawford (10 Points) and Nicholas Batum (9 Points).  Too many options on that team.
• Andre Miller (0 Points, 5 Assists, 4 Rebounds) just gave Ty Lawson (21 Points, 9 Rebounds, 6 Assists) a lot of value that he stole from last game.  Danilo Gallinari (21 Points, 5 Assists) bounced back strongly, he will continue to be solid all season.  Al Harrington (29 Points, 7 Rebounds) busted out and is looking like one of the better steals of all drafts.  Nene sat this one out.
  
•  Andray Blatche (2 Points, 6 Rebounds, 0/7 Shooting) continues to be a tough guy to own, but a guy you want to buy low on.  His potential is too high for him to stay at this level.  John Wall (13 Points, 10 Assists, 9 Rebounds, 4/17 Shooting) continues to fill up the stat sheet and despite missing 13 shots the Wizards lost by 4 Points.  JaVale McGee (13 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) continues to have trouble getting double-doubles, at least the blocks are still consistent.  Nick Young (25 Points) Jordan Crawford (18 Points) continue to be the two explosive scorers for this team and are great fantasy additions.
• Josh Smith (10 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 5/15 Shooting) finally had a game that did not make him seem like a fantasy monster.  Just a bad game for all Hawks players as they failed to reach 80 Points as a team.  Jeff Teague (12 Points, 6 Assists, 5 Steals) continues to be consistent with his steals and handful of assists.  Joe Johnson (3/8 Shooting, 8 Points, 4 Rebounds) is still a rock solid fantasy option.
• Jrue Holiday (16 Points, 11 Assists, 6 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 36 Minutes) is starting to pull away from the pack of guards.  Leaving Lou Williams (6 Points, 18 Minutes) Evan Turner (5 Points, 23 Minutes) and Jodie Meeks (12 Points, 26 Minutes) all inconsistent fantasy options, as you never who is going to get the big minutes.  Elton Brand (16 Points, 10 Rebounds) continues to be a beast while Spencer Hawes is out.  Andre Iguodala (11 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists) is a nice consistent option who does a little bit of everything, though his role is shrinking by the season.
• Mike Conley (14 Points, 11 Assists, 4 Steals) continues his break out season, no owner will give him up cheap anymore.  Rudy Gay (24 Points) should always be scoring 20+ a game with no Zach Randolph in the lineup.  Marc Gasol (17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Block) is enjoying a breakout season as he is finally a very consistent option.
• Greg Monroe (10 Points, 13 Rebounds, 31 Minutes) should be putting up better offensive games, he has scored 30 already this season and I expect him to approach the 20 range more frequently.  Brandon Knight (22 Points, 4 Assists) is already the #1 Guard on that roster, and it will stay like that all season long.  Austin Daye (17 Minutes, 9 Points, 2 Blocks, 3 Rebounds) pick him up, Tayshaun Prince (14 Points, 5 Rebounds) will not stay hot all season, and Daye can fill up the stat with the best of them when he gets the minutes.
• Brandon Jennings (36 Points, 5 Assists, 6 3PTM) is continuing his breakout season.  Andrew Bogut (11 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Fouls) will have better games, while Stephen Jackson is already racking up the DNP’s.  Told you to sell high when you could.
  
• Iman Shumpert (4 Points, 4 Steals, 5 Assists) is starting to come back to life, and if you took Sir Fantasy Drakes advice to sell high on him, you probably got a good deal in the long run.  Carmelo Anthony (11/26 Shooting, 35 Points, 5 Rebounds) has shot the ball 20+ times every game this week.  Their record is 0-3 when that happens.  Not good news for Melo owners.  Amare Stoudemire (15 Points, 11 Rebounds) should start to get his again, once the Knicks make the change to spread out Melo’s shot attempts.  Tyson Chandler (11 Points, 12 Rebounds) is a great fit at center for the Knicks.
  
• Steve Nash (11 Points, 9 Assists) continues to pickup around 10 Assists per game, I would try to get him on my team if I could.  Marcin Gortat (24 Points, 12 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) continues to be a great fantasy center and was highly recommended by Sir Fantasy Drake in the last Trade Market episode.  No other Sun player is worth playing as the rotation is changing frequently.
• Rajon Rondo (Did not play) Celtics ended up scoring 71 Points against the Phoenix Suns…In Boston.  Paul Pierce (5/14 Shooting, 12 Points) KG (10 Points, 5 Rebounds) Ray Allen (14 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists) are not the big 3 of two years ago.  This is Rondo’s team as the Boston Celtics lost to the Phoenix Suns.  Let that sit for a little bit.
• Luol Deng (21 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) continues to not impress me while D-Rose is out.  Where is that 30 Point game Deng?  Carlos Boozer (19 Points, 14 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) remains solid.  CJ Watson (15 Points, 7 Assists) more on him later.  Joakim Noah (8 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) is starting to put his season together. 
• Cavs (Got blown out by 39 Points) tough to read into any fantasy game in this situation.  Kyrie Irving (13 Points, 23 Minutes) was one of many Cavs to have a bad game.  Not worth going into great depth.
• Kobe Bryant (30 Points, 8 Assists) is a fantasy monster.  Andrew Bynum (10 Points, 12 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 5 Fouls) was outplayed by D12 and there was nothing he could do about it.  Luckily he kept his double-double streak alive.  Pau Gasol (13 Points, 10 Rebounds) did not impress in a game where Bynum played 26 Minutes, and Gasol played 40.
• Dwight Howard (21 Points, 23 Rebounds, 9/17 FT) was too much for the Lakers to handle.  He is a beast no doubt, the FT% does really hurt you though.  Ryan Anderson (13 Points) is still not as consistent as he needs to be.  J.J. Reddick (15 Points, 3 3PTM) continues to do well in J-Rich’s absence.  Jameer Nelson (17 Points, 9 Assists) is heading in the right direction again, and should be a very valuable fantasy asset moving forward.  Turk did not play.
• Tyreke Evans (23 Points, 11 Rebounds, 7 Assists) has been flirting with 3×2 since Marcus Thornton’s (17 Points, 17 Shot attempts)  return.  DeMarcus Cousins (17 Points, 13 Rebounds, 4 Steals) is still beasting it up all season long.
• Tim Duncan (10 Points, 10 Rebounds, 25 Minutes) is looking pretty solid, and once again you should trade him if you can.  The DNP’s will come eventually.  Kawhi Leonard (4 Points) has had back-t0-back bad games, and that might be the beginning of the end for Leonard.  Daniel Green (8 Points, 28 Minutes) is the next best bet for the Spur of the week.  Of course Tony Parker does his thing (24 points, 6 Assists).
• Kevin Love (17 Points, 14 Rebounds, 2 3PTM) continues to be a consistent fantasy stud, no surprise there.  Ricky Rubio (9 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists) will have better game than this.  Luke Ridnour (13 Points, 6 Assists) continues to be semi-solid and at least consistent.
  
• Blake Griffin (21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 Steal) is putting up similar numbers to what he did a season ago when there was no CP3, which is the case right now.  Chauncey Billups (20 Points, 5 Rebounds) continues to put up solid numbers in this current situation.  DeAndre Jordan (1/3 Shooting, 11 Rebounds, 3 Blocks) should have taken more shots with no Caron Butler in the lineup.
• Stephen Curry (29 Minutes, 12 Points, 5/15 Shooting, 2 3PTM, 3 Assists) finally returns.  Not a terrible line in a first game back, but owners would hope for more.  The good news is he played, and is probably going to play the next game.  Monta Ellis (25 Points, 6 Assists) went right back to what he normally does when Curry is in the lineup, while Dorrell Wright (18 Points, 4 3PTM) showed a glimpse of what he was last season.  Once again, it is always a great time to sell high on him because of the depth behind Wright this season.  David Lee (10 Points, 14 Rebounds, 2 Steals) continues to be a solid double-double machine.
• Danny Granger (26 Points, 10/16 Shooting, 3 3PTM, 2 Steals) showed why you should never give up on a star when he is down.  He is one of the best fantasy forwards in the league.  David West (18 Points, 7 Rebounds) had a nice flashback game, hopefully that continues, though Tyler Hansbrough (4 Points, 3 Rebounds) might not feel the same about that.  Roy Hibbert (10 Points, 16 Rebounds) has taken his game to the next level this season.