FANTASY BASKETBALL (WEEK 15) WAIVER WIRE & PLAYOFFS

FANTASY BASKETBALL (WEEK 15) WAIVER WIRE & PLAYOFFS

By Muntradamus

*Playoff Schedule Updated (On bottom)

*MARCUS CAMBY. J.J HICKSON. J.R. SMITH. All move way up in rankings.

LIVE CHAT WITH MUNTRADAMUS!  SUNDAY APRIL 1^st (7-10 PM Pacific Time)

BEAST DOME: PLAYOFF FANTASY BASKETBALL MVP CANDIDATES.

*In order to be thee PLAYOFF FANTASY BASKETBALL MVP the “Player” must be someone that was not drafted in a majority of leagues to start the season.

*Updated 4/5

1. Jordan Crawford

2. Goran Dragic

3. Ramon Sessions

4. J.J. Barea

5. Gordon Hayward

6. J.J. Hickson

6. Tristan Thompson

7. Isaiah Thomas

8. Kemba Walker

9. Byron Mullens

10. Donald Sloan

(This is the leaderboard now.  It will change at the end of each week)

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LIVE CHAT WITH MUNTRADAMUS AND THE BEAST DOME COMMUNITY
SUNDAY NIGHT (7-10pm) Pacific Time.  Join the Chat Here.

Muntradamus

March 25, 2012 – 7:30 pm

Jenkins needs to be more consistent. His game tonight shows his potential. But he has had too many bad games as well.

Scream

March 25, 2012 – 7:36 pm

True true, on another note, do you think Antawn Jamison’s ankle injury (as shown today) will effect his playing during playoffs?

boom

March 25, 2012 – 7:38 pm

I don’t think it will affect him, he said he felt fine after the game.

Muntradamus

March 25, 2012 – 7:39 pm

Jamison’s problem today was that he had 3 fouls in the 1st quarter. He missed the whole second quarter. Never found his rhythm.

Muntradamus

March 25, 2012 – 7:41 pm

Do you guys think Kevin Love will be the 1st pick in next year’s draft?

boom

March 25, 2012 – 7:44 pm

I could definitely see him being picked #1, but I would still take him 3rd after Lebron and Durant. Although Love has monster value in 3’s, PTS and REB, the other two contribute in nearly every stat every night.

Scream

March 25, 2012 – 7:45 pm

Most definitely, his shooting 3pt percentage is incredible and rebounds amazing. I mean he is the top 3pt All Star candidate over Kevin Durant (lol). Furthermore, it will Kevin Durant next, then LeBron unless the King starts hitting his 3pts like in the all star game again.

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Fantasy Basketball Playoffs.  What we have been playing for all season comes down to one week.  You could be the top team all season, then lose it away because you were not focused on making sure your roster is elite.  That is why I am here to help.

(If you want to read straight to the point notes on all your fantasy players, read the Daily Show).  Don’t Forget to check out the new, Trade Analyzer (COMING SUNDAY).

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WAIVER WIRE:

*If there is a Free Agent in your league that you are thinking about getting, post him in the comments section.  Never hesitate to ask any question as an expert will answer it.

(Players are ranked on who I would own)

MUST-OWN IN ALL LEAGUES

1. Jordan Crawford- If Crawford is still laying around as a FA, it is time to pick him up.  He has emerged as the go-to-guy in the Wizards offense all week, and explosive games are coming as he is shooting around 10 3PT FG attempts a game.

2. Brandon Knight- With Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon injured, the reigns of the offense have officially been given to Brandon Knight to do his thing.  He is not a rookie anymore as he has been playing 30+ Minutes for a majority of the season.  Big numbers are expected everynight.

3. Goran Dragic- Kyle Lowry will not be re-evaluated until April 7^th, that is enough to guarantee another week of one of the top Fantasy PGs in the game.  Every night you can expect Goran to fill the stat sheet at a premium level.  Huge for the fantasy playoffs. 

4. Ramon Sessions- Sessions has been struggling since his breakout 20 Point 11 Assist game.  Kobe Bryant continues to run the offense while Ramon does what he can.  The potential for huge numbers are there, but for now he is not giving must-start numbers.  The flip could switch any night.

5. Wesley Matthews- Wesley will give you 3PTM, Points, and intangibles every game.  He has been very consistent since entering the starting lineup.  His role could start to decrease with the increase role of J.J. Hickson, and Nicolas Batum finding his rhythm again.  One more rough game this weekend and his value will go down to Must-Own in 10 Team leagues.

6. Klay Thompson- Klay has not been as consistent as we have hoped for from a fantasy perspective.  The Warriors appear committed to give him his minutes, but he is not performing at an elite level.  His upside is nice, but just be ready for a lot of “Okay Games” as Brandon Rush is developing a larger role with the team.

*Marcus Camby- When the pogo stick is hot you have to put him in your lineup.  His rebounding potential is like no other and he can block shots better than the best of them.  Coach McHale likes the big man way more than he ever liked Dalembert, and it has shown with back-to-back 35+ Minute games.  If you need a center this week, add the Cambyman.

*(New Ranking) 18. J.J. Hickson– J.J. had a huge week and seems destined to be a starter in the Blazer offense.  Either way he will see enough minutes off the bench to be a fantasy contributor.  Just keep in mind, the Blazer have a lot of offensive weapons and it will be hard to depend on consistency everynight from Hickson.  You can still expect high double-double potential.

7. Iman Shumpert- With the news that Jeremy Lin is out for the season, that means Iman will continue to start and play a majority of the minutes at both guard positions.  He should be good for a lot of steals, 3PTM, and other intangibles while scoring around 20 Points.  His value is great right now as this reminds us of the beginning of the year.  Will he let us down again?

8. Gerald Henderson- Henderson is the franchise player for Charlotte.  That is how bad their team is, but as far as fantasy goes he is a guy that will take DeMar DeRozan amount of shot attempts.  Do not let him be a Free Agent in any league as he should put up points and other decent intangibles the rest of the way.

9. Tristan Thompson- Tristan is starting to be more aggressive, but Anderson Varejao is close to returning.  It could be this week, it could be next week, either way Tristan has to continue to put up monster fantasy performances for him to be must-own the rest of the season.  For now continue to roll the very high-upside fantasy center.

MUST-OWN IN 10 TEAM LEAGUES

10. Gordon Hayward– Hayward is the man for the Jazz when it comes to a swingman.  He has been putting up nice Manu Ginobili type numbers, but his role could take a small hit if Alec Burks continues to be a major factor off the bench.  For now do not worry about it and continue to roll with the intangible guard/forward.

11. Isaiah Thomas- Thomas is back to getting the minutes that made him must-start material before the All-Star Break.  His value is sky high right now, but it could also take a hit when Tyreke Evans returns to his older role.  For now continue to play Isaiah like the fantasy beast he is who has a great 3PT shot with good assist and points potential.

12. Raymond Felton- Felton has been a nice low-end double-double assist guy.  You hope for 10 Assists and 10 Points, but you get a lot more 9 Points and 8 Assist game.  Either way he is a solid option and has been playing far more consistently than he has earlier in the season.  Go ahead and give him a ride if you need a boost.

13. Baron Davis- With Lin out for the season, Baron Davis has the chance to be something special to end the season.  B-Diddy is dealing with an injury of his own, but when he returns to full strength you can expect Must-Start type production at somepoint.  I am pretty confident next time I do this list, he will be in a tier higher.

14. Brandon Bass- Bass continues to shoot the ball a lot.  He is not making a lot of the attempts which is discouraging, and he will probably see less shot attempts when Ray Allen returns.  For now though continue to use him as he has nice double-double potential every game.  It would be nice however if he could rebound more consistently, sometimes he will get less than

*44. J.R. Smith- J.R. has fantasy value once again now that Jeremy Lin is out for the season.  He should be able to get 25+ Minutes a game consistently which is enough time do some fantasy damage.  A lot of owners want to see the big game before adding him, but he will take 10 FG attempts a game which is only the beginning of his upside.

15. Eric Gordon- Gordon could be back next week, he could be back the week after that.  I fully expect Eric Gordon to return at somepoint, though it is unclear how many minutes he will get.  Either way he has the potential to give you 2^nd round value in the heat of the fantasy playoffs.  Not a bad idea to take a waiver claim on him.

16. Courtney Lee-  Kevin Martin has still not practiced with the team, which is a good sign for Courtney Lee to continue to get 36+ Minutes a game with a lot of shot attempts.  Either way when Kevin Martin returns, Lee will still have a role on this team.  If you need a one week player, Courtney Lee should be a great stoppage gap as he has 17 Point potential with a lot of intangibles across the board.

17. Kemba Walker– Kemba is slowly taking over as the role we have been all waiting for.  Soon he will see 35+ Minutes and around 20 shot attempts a game.  It may happen this week, but it is more likely we are still a week away from that.  Though you never know what coach Paul Silas will do to build his team for the future.  Not a bad idea to add him now before the news breaks.

19. Spencer Hawes- Hawes is pretty much back to full strength, but the 76ers are such a deep fantasy team that you never know what type of production you are going to get.  More often than not he should approach or even exceed double-double numbers.  Though there will be a lot more clunkers than you would hope for.

20. Jason Thompson- Thompson is a beast, and returned with a beastly performance.  Just when you thought he was safe again, he had a 4 Point performance on a night Tyreke Evans did not play.  That does hurt his value as there is less security in knowing he will be solid offensively night in and night out.  For now you can add him, but a couple bad games in this upcoming week and he will not be trustworthy.  Especially with DeMarcus Cousins back to VINTAGE form.

21. Luke Ridnour – Luke caught a lucky break in his season when J.J. Barea was forced to miss this whole week, and even up to Wednesday with a quad injury.  Ridnour was being outplayed completely, but now looks great with the role all to himself.  Two double-digit assist games this week shows he can handle the PG duties, and although J.J. could be a threat later on, it is not as likely as you would think.

MUST-OWN IN 12 TEAM LEAGUES

22. Charles Jenkins- Jenkins had a strong 18 Point, 12 Assist performance Friday while Nate Robinson sat on the bench for 10 Minutes.  A lot of people will wait to see if it happens again, if you want to beat the bandwagon, add him now.  Nate appears to be a non-threat as he was not as explosive as many expected before the injury.

23. DeAndre Jordan- If DeAndre has a 30+ Minute game in back-to-back games he becomes must-add.  His potential to be a block shot/rebound machine is too huge to be on the waiver wires.  The only reason he has been is his inconsistent minutes.  Hopefully the Clippers figure it out and let the young big man play.

24. Austin Daye- Daye has the potential to be the biggest fantasy beast in the land.  The injuries to Stuckey and Gordon has entered him in the starting lineup temporarily, if both are out next week Daye moves up two tiers.  He fills up the stat sheet quicker than most of the elite forwards in fantasy basketball.

25. Alonzo Gee- Gee has been playing a lot better as of late.  There are going to be a lot of games where he leaves you disappointed, but there will also be a lot of nice scoring games with double-double potential.  Anderson Varejao could return next week as well, which would hurt Gee’s value as one more offensive option enters the rotation, and Tristan Thompson will be searching for more PT.

26. Brandon Rush- Rush is seeing a consistent 30+ Minutes every night.  Does not mean he is being very productive with it, but the potential for solid games are there.  He will help you out in the 3PTM and blocks category from the forward position which is nice, everything he does on top of that is a bonus.

27. Danilo Gallinari- Danilo should be back next week.  He is no guarantee to be a consistent fantasy option moving forward with how deep the Nuggets are, but he should be able to put up some solid games.  I would only add him if I had a player I was confident to drop, who knows what type of consistent minutes he will see.

28. Bismack Biyombo- Biyombo continues to disappoint to the point where he is droppable in a lot of leagues.  Just keep in mind that all it takes is one 7 Block game and everyone will jump all over him again.  He has a 5 game week coming up which is his bread and butter for winning you the block category.  However he has to prove he can be effective in that time by starting to put up big games.  Byron Mullens is a bit of a concern for Biyombo, though we all know Mullens does not bring too much to the table on a consistent basis.

29. Jared Dudley– With Grant Hill possibly out for the season, Dudley can slowly gain Forward eligibility in all leagues.  He has been horrible as of late when you compare his 10 Point performances to his used to be consistent 20 from a couple of weeks ago.  Not a bad idea to hold onto him and hope for the best.  Do not give him too long of a leash.

30. Chandler Parsons- Parsons has been very consistent up until Fridays game.  His value will take a hit when Kevin Martin comes back as Courtney Lee will play some minutes at SF.  For now continue to roll with him, just expect a clunker every now and then to go along with Mr. Intangibles.

31. Evan Turner- Turner will not give you consistent value, but he has continued to put up consistent minutes.  The 76ers offense is a complete flux and that could be the perfect opportunity for Turner to start taking 20 FG attempts again.  However it is more likely that someone else steps up as the 76ers have 8 players who can put up points.

MUST-OWN IN 14 TEAM LEAGUES

32. Mario Chalmers- Chalmers was playing very weak ever since the All-Star Break not even cracking double digit in points.  Now he is starting to put it all together as he was more than solid in back-to-back games.  One more big one and he moves up a tier no question about it.  He will help you in 3PTM, Steals, and now potentially assists, while not hurting you in anything as his scoring has increased.

33. Jamal Crawford- Crawford is high-risk/medium reward.  He is not taking as many FG attempts as he was before, but he is still in the double-digit range.  The problem with Crawford is that he misses a lot more shots than he makes.  The Blazers are not afraid to limit his minutes as they make a push for the playoffs.

34. Carl Landry- Landry is starting to look great as the go-to-forward with all the Hornet injuries.  It is still unclear how the whole situation will unfold once everyone is healthy again, including Landry who is now bothered by a sprained ankle.  He was putting up 20 Points like it was nothing before the injury.

35. Gerald Green- Green is playing elite basketball right now and appears to be destined for a larger role as the season comes to a close.  He still has to compete with Anthony Morrow and MarShon Brooks which makes his value a bit less attractive going forward.  If he starts seeing 30+ Minutes, he could potentially leave both players in the dust.

36. Brook Lopez- Brook may not return this season, but that has not been ruled officially.  If he does return you have a top 10 potential center in the heat of the playoffs.  You can hold onto him, but if there is a more attractive option the fantasy basketball world would not judge you for dropping him.

37. Kawhi Leonard- Leonard has been playing the type of basketball that made him a popular waiver claim in the opening weeks of the basketball season.  Now is a good time to make a move if you need a stoppage gap as this hot-streak will not last forever.  Once he begins to fade, Stephen Jackson will become relevant in the fantasy world again.

38. Greg Stiemsma- If you want blocks, Gerg is your man.  He has a 5 game week coming up soon, the only problem with him is his lack of minutes as he will often play less than 20.  He can still block 4 shots in those games.  He only gives you blocks, hurts you in everything else.

39. Jason Smith– Smith has too much competition for PT when all the Hornet bigs are healthy.  For now he is a good play with Chris Kaman out with bronchitis.  He can easily still sit as a FA and nobody will be too quick to make a move.

40. D.J. Augustin- D.J. is barely keeping himself alive with back-to-back 8 Assist games.  He will soon lose his value altogether when Kemba Walker becomes the full-time PG.  Apparently that time is not now, but it should be by the time I write this article again next week.

41. Kenneth Faried- Faried would be a fantasy monster if he had no competition for PT.  Playing for Denver that is not the case at all.  He has double-double potential every game, but that could come to an end when Danilo Gallinari returns to the team adding another forward into the rotation.  The Nuggets are a fantasy nightmare.

42. Amir Johnson- Amir would be a fantasy starter in a majority of leagues if he was an actual starter in the NBA.  The Raptors gave him 30+ Minutes for the first time this month and he put up 12 Points, 12 Rebounds and a couple of blocks.  Monitor him closely to see if he has a role moving forward with this team playing for the future.  He could definitely move up a couple tiers.

43. Anderson Varejao- Varejao could return in a week, but the truth is the Cavs seem to have moved on without him.  They will work him back into the rotation, but is it not likely to see those consistent double-doubles we were becoming accustomed too.

45. Marco Belinelli- Belinelli is having nice value now that the Hornets are all beat up.  Though that will all come to an end when Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon returns.  It also hurts that Greivis Vasquez is starting to have a larger role off the bench leaving Marco with very little to show for.

46. Jason Kidd– Kidd does not play enough minutes to be a huge fantasy option, but he can give you low-end numbers across the board in a lot of categories.  You could do a lot better than Kidd, but if you are desperate for a bit of everything, he is your man.

47. Alec Burks- Burks the slam dunk champ is slowly building a huge role for himself on this Jazz team.  He is playing 30+ Minutes and C.J. Miles is a complete afterthought.  There are a lot of nights where he is taking 10+ FG attempts a game.  He may not be worth the add now, but he is one huge explosive game from saying, “I told you so.”

48. Shannon Brown- Brown now has a clear path to be the player he has always dreamed of being since leaving the Lakers.  Will he take advantage?  We will see, if he has a strong performance anytime soon you might as well take your chances.  It is either Dudley or Brown who is going to emerge as a fantasy option, or both will keep eachother at deadlock.

DROPPABLE

1. Wilson Chandler- Wilson is losing fantasy value quicker than any player.  He went from Must-Own, to Must-Drop in a matter of one week.  The news of Gallo coming back within this upcoming week puts a complete damper on Chandler’s potential to do anything consistently moving forward.  He has been a disappointment since starting for Danilo.

2. J.J. Barea- J.J. has an uphill battle to get his value back.  When he returns Wednesday he has to perform at an elite level right away to get the T-Wolves to think about benching Luke Ridnour.  For now you can drop him as he is not usable this upcoming week, and that does not leave him a lot of time to be a starting fantasy option.

3. Nate Robinson– Nate had his chance to be a fantasy star this season, but that chance looks to be in the rear view mirror as Charles Jenkins is about to take over as the starting PG leaving Robinson with nothing.  He is not worth holding onto in any league.

4. Stephen Jackson- Jackson is firmly behind Kawhi Leonard on the SF depth chart.  That will not change anytime soon unless Kawhi Leonard falls back to his old self who fails to record double-digit points or 6+ Rebounds.  For now continue to watch the situation closely, but you can drop him in all leagues.

5. Kirk Hinrich- Hinrich continues to start, but the Hawks have finally figured out he is not a good player.  His PT has decreased tremendously and there is not a lot of reason to believe he will see 30+ Minutes again.

6. Jerryd Bayless- Out for the season.  It was an interesting season for Bayless who should be a nice draft pick in fantasy basketball next season if the right role is there for him.

7. Jeremy Lin– Lin-Reality has hit the end of what was a historic season that people will look back at and smile 4 years from now.  Hopefully he makes a complete recovery and is a fantasy star next season, for this season you can cut bait as he just had surgery on his knee that will keep him out for 6 weeks.

8. Grant Hill– He just had knee surgery that will keep him out at least two weeks.  It was a solid season for the veteran who hopefully can continue to play, but it looks like this season is officially over.

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FANTASY PLAYOFFS WEEK 2 AHEAD

5 Games

Memphis

Sacramento

4 Games

Boston

Charlotte

Cleveland

Dallas

Detroit

Golden State

Houston

Indiana

LA Clippers

LA Lakers

Miami

Milwaukee

New Jersey

OKC

Philadelphia

Phoenix

Portland

San Antonio

Toronto

Utah

3 Games

Atlanta

Chicago

Denver

Minnesota

New Orleans

New York

Orlando

Start’Em

(5 Game Players)

ALL KINGS STARTERS- 5 Games is enough for all the Kings players to have one bad game and still have a better week than most players.  I would not be afraid to start any King starter including Isaiah Thomas and Jason Thompson.

Marc Gasol- No brainer here with 5 games.  Throw him in your lineup.

*Mike Conley- Check out to see if his ankle injury is okay, if he is roll with him and hope for 50 Points and 50 Assists with 10 Steals for the week.

O.J. Mayo- If Conley is out, Mayo could have a monsterous 100 Point week.  Stay tuned  and claim him off your waiver wire if he is sitting there.

Rudy Gay- Gay is the offense for Memphis, he will get a lot of shot attempts, and in a 20 game week the sky is the limit for him.

Zach Randolph- Despite coming off the bench, Randolph is putting up close enough double-double production to have a solid 5 game week.  One missed game could ruin everything, but I would roll with him especially I have a starter who has a 3 game week.

(4 Game Players)

Jose Calderon- Calderon is an assist machine, and with 4 games he can easily eclipse 40 on the week.  Start him in all leagues as he has no competition for PT.

Goran Dragic– Dragic is a must-start fantasy player with no Kyle Lowry.  He is playing better PG than nearly every option you have to consider for your lineup.  Lowry is in no threat to come back until at the earliest next week.

Brandon Knight– It is Brandon Knights team in Detroit.  He is running the show and should continue to put up elite numbers.  He is someone you do want to lean on in the crucial week of the season.

(3 Game Players)

Josh Smith- Despite only having three games you still have to roll with Smith in any format.  He is the most likely Fantasy MVP of week #1 and can still do huge damage in 3 games.

Dwight Howard- Dwight is good enough to be the most dominant center in three games.  All it takes is one explosive performance to make up for the lack of one game.

Ryan Anderson- A bit risky but starting Ryan could pay off as he can make 8 3PTM in one game to dominate the week in that category.  Even with one dud, he can be great.

Joe Johnson- Johnson has been off and on as of late, but he has the potential to put up 20+ Point games in three straight.  That is much better than going with a  so-so bench option with 4 games.

Kevin Love- No explanation needed here.

Ty Lawson- Lawson only has three games, but he is the one Nugget I would trust out of this dysfunctional group.  Gallo could come back in the mid-week, but that should not slow down Lawson who looks to be back in vintage form.

Carmelo Anthony- With no Amare this is Melos squad.  In three games he can do enough damage for 5 games if he really wants to.  The groin injury is slowing him down, but this is his chance to carry a team to the playoffs.

Luol Deng- Deng only has three games, but with the reality that Derrick Rose will not be back all week means he will be the go-to-guy in that offense.  Three games is a bit worrisome, but he can do enough damage in each game to make him worth it.

Sit’Em

Devin Harris- Harris is losing fantasy value quickly and there is no reason to trust him at a crucial point of the season.  If there was ever a time where Earl Watson could take over as the main PG for Utah, this would be it.

Luke Ridnour- Barea is coming back mid-week which could halt Ridnour very suddenly.  One bad game in a three game week will really hurt your team.

Tristan Thompson- Tristan is too inconsistent to trust in a 4 game week.  He usually has two bad games a week and it is very possible Anderson Varejao returns sooner than later.  I would only start Thompson if I had a worse option that is playing 3 games.  He is playing 4.

Derrick Williams- By now his owners should have given up on him, if you have not then you should this week as a 3 games and the return of Nikola Pekovic spell doom for Williams.

Jameer Nelson & Hedo Turkoglu- Despite Nelson playing better as of late, only three games is a bit risky.  All it takes is one bad game, and one Magic blowout and you have yourself a terrible week from Jameer or Hedo.

Nick Young & Caron Butler- Both are being completely outplayed by Randy Foye and neither is worth trusting in any playoff fantasy scenario.

Jeff Teague & Zaza Pachulia- Teague has been playing better as of late, but in a three game week I will pass on the potential dud game.  I would rather start a more upside J.R. Smith who only has three games.

Marco Belinelli & Jarrett Jack- Marco Polo will lose his role when Trevor Ariza returns, which could be next game.  That combined with Eric Gordon returning and Greivis Vasquez demanding more minutes will halt his fantasy value quickly.  Too many guards to truly count on either one, I would rather start Jack.

ALL NUGGETS (Besides Lawson)- Three games for the most inconsistent fantasy squad spells fantasy disaster.  I am going to avoid all player, even Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington.

ALL BULLS (Besides Deng)- Even Carlos Boozer gets included on this list as you never know if one of them has a dud.  In a three game week it is unsafe to count on fantasy consistency from any Bull, if I had to trust one it would be Deng.

ALL KNICKS (Besides Carmelo)- The guard situation is like playing roulette.  Baron Davis will be the most modest, Iman Shumpert is the safest, and J.R. Smith offers the most upside.  In a three game week one of them is due to have a bad game at least once.  Tyson Chandler is okay, but he can have one dud to really ruin your week.