Muntradamus: FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE Prt.1 (Week 6)

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE Prt.1 (Week 6)

BY: Muntradamus

(Read Part 2 Here)

Every fantasy player that has any implications on any lineup will be listed in this article.  This is my perspective of what is currently going with every player.  If you have a question about a player, and a player only I will share my opinion on him.

For those that are new to the site, I spend hours upon hours of research and I man handle multiple high stakes fantasy basketball leagues at once.  I am here to help you win your league.

Daily Show is coming soon along with 3 NEW ARTICLES!!

Also Coming in February is the new TIER RANKINGS for each position.

Let’s get to it..

ATLANTA HAWKS

Josh Smith- Had an up and down week, but most importantly he still remains an elite option at the forward position.  J Smoove will fill up the stat sheet with the best of them any given night.

Joe Johnson– Had a bad week for the most part.  When it seemed like he was back on track with his 30 Point game Friday night that led the Hawks to a victory against the Pistons.  Johnson digressed the next game scoring less than 10 Points for the second time this week.  Joe is still averaging 19 points a game on the season and there is no need to panic.

Jeff Teague– Suffered an ankle injury late in the week, but showed Sunday night he was well past the injury and led the team in scoring with 24 Points.  Kirk Hinrich is no threat to Teague when he is on his game.

Zaza Pachuila– Had a decent week sandwiched with some nice double-double numbers.  He remains a low-end #2 Center who is a bit inconsistent.  The good news for Zaza, it is his job to lose.

Marvin Williams– Starting to put together some games that reminded us of the beginning of the season.  He still has ways to go win over fantasy owners hearts.  For now keep a close eye on the former #2 overall pick.

BOSTON CELTICS

Rajon Rondo- Rumors are that he will be out until the All-Star Break.  Tough loss for his fantasy owners.

Paul Pierce– Took his game to a whole new level with no Rajon Rondo.  He is getting assists like a guard but is still getting all the usual numbers with more consistency than he has in the past.  With Rondo out, Paul Pierce is an elite option at the forward sport.

Kevin Garnett– May have had the biggest fantasy impact week of any player.  He is very close to qualifying for center eligibility in all leagues, which could happen by the end of next week.  He is also playing at a high level with no Rondo, and his fantasy potential as a center would make him a must-start player in all formats.

Ray Allen– Returned from his injury to score 22 Points in 35 Minutes, in his first game back Sunday night.  With no Rondo the Celtics will need his scoring consistently, and he has the jump shot to fill the void.

Brandon Bass– Continues to see heavy minutes, and starts with the Rondo-less Celtics.  His numbers have been inconsistent, but when Bass is on you can count on the 13 Points 10 Rebounds type of night.  The Celtics need it, his fantasy owners need it.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Kemba Walker- Has really taken advantage of how terrible of a team the Bobcats are.  He is their future, which makes him a safe play in all fantasy leagues.  His 3×2 Saturday night is just the beginning of his fantasy potential.

D.J. Augustin– Is rumored to be out 4 more games, keep him and make sure he is not in your lineup.

Boris Diaw– Came out of left field to make a couple starts, including one which he played himself into 20 Points, and 10 Assists.  I would wait for one more good game before dealing him away.  His value is not high enough/safe enough for other owners yet.

Gerald Henderson– Is heading the wrong direction with his fantasy value.  He missed some time which allowed other players the chance to thrive.  Once D.J comes back, it is hard to imagine Henderson taking 10+ shots every game like he was to start the season.

Byron Mullens– Had a big game scoring 23 Points on Saturday night which could have played himself back into a starters role.  He will still have to battle the lottery pick Bismack Biyombo who has huge block potential, but simply not getting the minutes.

Tyrus Thomas- Had a huge week in blocks and steals, and is starting to build some consistency. For now he should not be on any waiver wire as he is the type of player that can single handily change your teams position in the intangible categories.

CHICAGO BULLS

Derrick Rose– Returned this week and despite having low assist numbers, his scoring was well above than what it usually was.  D.Rose should be an excellent fantasy option for the rest of the season, and still holds 1^st round trading value.

Carlos Boozer– Is back to being more consistent than he has been at any point since being a Bull.  He usually gets double-doubles if not exploding for MEGA double-doubles.  His fantasy value should be even higher if Luol Deng misses an extended period of time.

Rip Hamilton– Is starting to shoot the ball a lot more with no Deng in the lineup.  He is a great fantasy basketball pickup during this time with no other mid/long range shooting threat in the starting lineup besides Rose.

Ronnie Brewer– Has taken advantage of the no Luol Deng chapter as well.  He will not be consistent in the scoring department, but he brings you the intangibles in the steal department with the best of them.  He will remain a good fantasy start as long as Deng remains sidelined.

Joakim Noah– Had one of his best weeks getting double-doubles in each game.  With this news some owners will sell high, I personally like the high energetic center to continue his success as he creates a lot of plays on his own.  The blocks and steals, will come with the minutes, which will come with the overall production.

Luol Deng– Tough situation for fantasy owners, if you waive him someone will pick him up.  I would wait until there is an official timeline released before releasing Deng.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Kyrie Irving- Remains a solid fantasy guard who at times plays like a 2^nd round pick, but in reality is more of a consistent 4^th round guard.  Once he starts getting 35+ Minutes a game, Kyrie will put up huge numbers.  Kyrie scored 32 Points earlier this week to tease us with his potential.

Antwan Jamison– Had a weak week only scoring 20 Points once, and the others he had 15,10,5.  Antwan is not as important to the team as he was to start the season, however he is still a great basketball player.  As long as Tristan Thompson does not make too much noise off the bench, Jamison will continue to get his minutes.  Not a bad time to sell high on the veteran.

Anderson Varejao– Is the most underrated fantasy center in the game.  He gets double-doubles almost every night, and there is no reason to believe that will stop anytime soon.  The Cavs have no other centers, and the 30+ Minutes will always be there.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Dirk Nowitzki- Sat out the whole week, and returned for a solid double-double in his first game back Sunday night.  Hopefully for his owners, this is the re-birth of his season.  I would count on him bouncing back, as I am sure he was ashamed of his poor play.

Shawn Marion– Was having a great week just to have it ruined by the return of Dirk.  However he continues to see 30+ Minutes a night, and Marion is the type of player who can do a lot of fantasy basketball stat filling in that time.

Lamar Odom– Showed off that he could still play this week.  Once Dirk returned the Mavs threw him back on the bench, meaning he should go back on your bench if you used him for a plug-n-play.

Jason Kidd– Went down with a calf injury.  Who knows when he will return, my guess is he misses at least this week.

Rodrigue Beaubois– Is a high potential fantasy player who is finally getting his chance this season.  After two starts, I am sold that if I need a guard in my league I would use him with confidence.  The intangibles are there in the steals, and surprisingly 3 Blocks Sunday night.

Jason Terry– Who has now broken past Delonte West after a 34 Point game against the Spurs, should be ready to be the fantasy player owners drafted him to be.  This is the beginning of his new season, just like all the Mavs now that Dirk is revitalized.

Vince Carter– Normally I would not write about players who should not be owned in fantasy leagues.  But it is hard to look past VC’s 30+ Minute, 21 Point start he had on Sunday.  Keep an eye to see if he builds off of that performance.

Brendan Haywood– Remains inconsistent, but his fantasy potential with rebounds and blocks could help you out if you are desperate for a center.  Very desperate.

 

DENVER NUGGETS

Ty Lawson- Lost more fantasy value than any player this week.  His absence with the ankle injury has allowed Andre Miller to demonstrate that he may be the best PG for the team.  However they did lose Sunday night to the Clippers without Ty.

Andre Miller– Saw a huge boost in fantasy value and remains an elite option if you are looking for assists.  He should continue to see 30+ Minutes a game even when Ty Lawson returns.  Andre has had 10 Assists or more in every game dating back to Jan. 21^st.

Danilo Gallinari– Remains a bit inconsistent, but is still showing the ability to score 15+ a night every game.  Fantasy owners/Nuggets fans are expecting a lot more.  He should continue to get better as the season rolls on as his confidence as a scorer grows.

Nene Hilario– Has been a fantasy beast since playing at his comfortable position PF.  With center eligibility Nene is a great fantasy option in all leagues, and there is no reason to have him on your bench.

Al Harrington– Had a mediocre week that ended on a positive note scoring 16 Points Sunday.  His scoring will always be there, the question is will the minutes, and the rebounds keep up?

Rudy Fernandez– Is looking like the option at SG for the Nuggets, however his minutes will take a hit once Ty Lawson returns.  So don’t get too excited.

DETROIT PISTONS

Austin Daye- Finally broke out this week after talking about him almost every Pistons game since the beginning of the season.  He will a great fantasy player down the stretch of the season, if not anytime soon.  Pick him up.

Greg Monroe– Is starting to put together some monster lines consistently.  Greg is an elite option at the center position because of his rebounds, points, blocks, and steals.

Brandon Knight– Continues to see 35+ Minutes almost every single night.  He is not doing that much on a minute per production type basis, but he will be a huge fantasy asset at the end of the season.  Trade for him, while you can.

Rodney Stuckey– Did not take advantage of his fantasy opportunity with Ben Gordon out.  However there is no timetable when BG returns which should allow Stuckey the chance to continue to work on breaking 20+ Points consistently.

Tayshaun Prince– Not only lost a member of his family, but he lost a majority of his fantasy value.  It will be tough for him to keep his job/minutes for long with the way Austin Daye performed this week.

Ben Gordon– Shoulder injury does not look good at all.  If you want to waive him for a good up and coming fantasy option, I do not blame you at all.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Stephen Curry- Has finally returned for a full week, and he did not skip a beat.  Curry had some huge lines, and is in line for a big rest of the fantasy season.

Monta Ellis– Had a bad week as he readjusted to Curry returning.  I expect Monta to bounce back quickly, as he has proved in the past that playing with Curry is no problem.

Dorrell Wright– Had a bit of a breakout performance this weekend knocking down 6 3PTM in one game.  However he will still have to battle Brandon Rush and Klay Thompson every single night.

David Lee– Has been a great fantasy option all season, and that continued with Steph Curry returning.  The 10+ rebounds should be there every single night, and now the 15+ Points is looking like a real possibility.  David Lee is fully back to the David Lee the Warriors signed last season.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Kyle Lowry– Had one of the worst shooting weeks from an elite fantasy option going less than 20%.  However he did have a 3×2 this week and is still Jason Kidd 2.0 in my eyes.

Kevin Martin– Was injured for the past two games, it opened up the door for Courtney Lee who did nothing with the opportunity.  Kevin Martin before the injury was lighting it up and even had a 30+ Point performance game to start the week.  Kev Mart is a great fantasy option when healthy.

Luis Scola– Has not done much to impress me, especially with his poor rebounding numbers still averaging around 6 per game.  He is not the fantasy player of a year ago, but at least he still has potential for 15+ Points every night.

Samuel Dalembert– Is a rebounding machine, it does not hurt when he gets the occasional 4 blocks to go along with his 10+ Rebounds.  At times he will give you 10+ Points, but you did not draft/pick-up Samuel for scoring.

Chase Budinger– Is a bit of a fantasy sleeper with his impressive play over the weekend.  Chandler Parsons has not done enough to keep the job from the high-flying 3PT shooting product out of Arizona.  Mr. Chase.

INDIANA PACERS

Roy Hibbert- Has taken his game to the next level, and there is no reason to believe he will slow down.  However it is worth noting that David West has been more aggressive in the offense, which at times has slowed down Hibbert’s scoring potential.

Danny Granger– Is still Danny Granger, and if you can snag him in a trade where you are not giving up an elite player you will come out on the other end very happy.  He is a bit inconsistent, but even when he plays poorly the numbers are still good enough to get you by.

Darren Collison– Is barely holding onto his starting PG spot.  Darren is doing a nice job running the squad but George Hill may be the better player.  As long as Collison is racking up those assists, he will remain the starter and get 30+ minutes a night.

David West– Finally David looks near 100%.  He has been a big part of the Pacers offense over the past two weeks, and he is getting the minutes consistently now.  Indiana is thrilled that they took the risk on the Xavier Beast.

Paul George– Continues to get mediocre stats with huge minutes.  It would not surprise me if George Hill replaced Paul George at some point within the next two weeks.

George Hill– Read about Darren Collison, and Paul George.

Tyler Hansbrough– Is making himself a very comfortable spot on the bench, as there is no need for him to get big minutes with the way David West and Roy Hibbert are playing.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Chris Paul- Looks 100% now that he has played three games since his hamstring injury.  No setbacks, and his stats are looking good.  They will only get better with each game, as CP3 gets more comfortable with his team.

Blake Griffin– Continues to hold his 1^st round value of a player who will get monster double-doubles on the reg.  He is consistent, and most importantly he will be on every highlight reel in case you missed his game.  Blake however is shooting 50% from the FT line.

DeAndre Jordan– Will continue to block shots with the best of them, his rebounding is getting better, but DeAndre’s scoring has been on the low side.  His potential is through the roof, and I expect his numbers to have an increase as the season rolls on.

Caron Butler– Is a solid F who will do well in the steals, 3PTM, and Points department.  The problem is the Clippers are very deep, and his scoring will not be needed every night.

Chauncey Billups– Is a great guard demonstrated by his Sunday night performance with 32 Points that he is not on his last legs.  However he has been inconsistent because of Mo Williams and his deadly 3PT shot off the bench.

Mo Williams– If an injury occurred to CP3 or Chauncey, Mo would be an excellent fantasy plug-in.  Coming off the bench however, it is hard to trust him for consistent scoring nights.