MUNTRADAMUS: PLAYER UPDATE Prt.2 (Week 5)

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE Prt.2 (Week 5)

BY: Muntradamus

(Read Part 1 Here)
(Daily Fantasy Basketball Recaps)
(Players to Sell, or Buy.  Check out the Fantasy Basketball Trade Market)
(Sleeper of the Week)

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…

Fantasy Trade Market is going to be updated multiple times a week as well.

Coming on the first day of February is the new TIER RANKINGS for each position.

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Lakers are a three man fantasy basketball team.  I’m going to keep opening up with that line until they prove otherwise.  Kobe Bryant was racking up the assists all week having multiple games of 7+ Assists.  Kobe is easily a top 3 guard in all fantasy leagues, if not #1.  Pau Gasol could look soft and weak all game, and still end up with good fantasy stats.  Sunday was a perfect example, (8 Points, 8 Rebounds, 10 Assists) while being out muscled all game.  I would sell high on him.  Andrew Bynum has been consistently getting double-doubles and remains a threat for 15 Points, 15 Rebounds any night.  His FT% should improve, and the Lakers need to get him more touches so he can bring that average above 20 a game.  His upside is still huge.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLES

Rudy Gay is still playing well and is always a threat to score more than 20 Points a game and add all the intangibles.  His value may take a small hit when Zach Randolph returns, but the truth is Marc Gasol will probably be the one who suffers the most when Randolph returns, as the low post shots will not come as frequently for the better Gasol brother.  Tony Allen continues to play out of his mind offensively and is holding OJ Mayo to a bench spot for the for seeable future.  Mike Conley is maybe the leading candidate for breakout player of the year.  He is getting double digit assists, big steal numbers, multiple 3PTM, and best of all he is shooting over 87% from the free throw line.

MIAMI HEAT

Lebron James remembered this week that he can make 3PT, which will make his fantasy owners happy again.  With Dwayne Wade out all week, Lebron was able to put up monster lines every night, reminding us why we took him #1 overall.  Chris Bosh saw a very positive spike in numbers with no Dwayne Wade, which came as no surprise, he scored 30 points twice this week, and is now averaging over 20 points/game.  Mario Chalmers is counting the days where he has to play 30+ minutes, once Wade returns expect Norris Cole and Chalmers to battle for playing time.  Udonis Haslem is not as consistent as we hoped, but he is still getting over 20+ minutes a game easily.  James Jones, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller will all battle for time when Wade returns.

MILWAKUE BUCKS

A week after Stephen Jackson exploded for consistent 20+ Point performances, he has now found his way to coming off the bench.  Once again for the owners that have him, you now have to wait again to sell high like you should have with the first opportunity you got.  Andrew Bogut continues to be the rock in the middle, he will end up with low double-double numbers when the season is completed.  The consistency of dominant, 20-10 performances are not as frequent as they have been in the past for the Australian.  Brandon Jennings is a stud this season and if he fails to get over 20 Points a game, you think he should have done better.  The assist numbers are solid as well at 5 a game, but the 6 3PT attempts per game is a great fantasy bonus. Carlos Delfino continues to draw starts, and continues to do nothing with them.  While Shaun Livingston is coming off of back-to-back 30+ minute games, and it will take a lot more than that for fantasy owners to take him seriously.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Minnesota has been without Michael Beasley for more than a week now, and nobody has stepped up to prove they are the man for his vacant spot.  Once Beasley returns, which may be another week, Wesley Johnson and Luke Ridnour will have a big decrease in value as they fight for minutes between each other.  Wayne Ellington will also be in that mix.  Derrick Williams, who the T-Wolves want to see do better, will continue to get 20+ Minutes a game as well.  All of those players are heading in the wrong direction except for, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.  Love continues to be consistently great as he finally had a game where he didn’t get a double-double.  That might be the only one.  Ricky Rubio had a couple near triple-doubles but still consistently finds himself with 7+ Assist almost every night.  Both are excellent fantasy options.  Rubio is Steve Nash version .8.

NEW JERSEY NETS

Deron Williams continues to play like a fantasy stud almost getting a triple double in his last game.  He is easily back to 1^st round value with his play as of the past two weeks.  MarShon Brooks continues to be a great scoring option for his team, but it would be hardly surprising if he lost some value once Brook Lopez returns in a couple of week.  The person who will lose the most value is Kris Humphries, those rebounds will not be there as often, and Brook demands the low post when he is in the game.  Lopez should be owned in all leagues, if he is not already.  Anthony Morrow is a nice fantasy option if you need 3PTM, do not look for much more than that.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

The Big man shuffle continues for the Hornets as now Jason Smith has become the starting PF.  How much longer that lasts after his 4 Point Performance Saturday remains to be seen.  Chris Kaman has seen a huge dip in value only seeing 7 minutes in his last game.  Carl Landry may be the most talented big man option the Hornets have, while Emeka Okafor remains the only safe option that I would play in my fantasy lineup.  Trevor Ariza returned this past week, and he is looking like the fantasy option he once was with the Rockets.  He is a good player to have on your roster, while Jarret Jack continues to thrive in that PG spot.  Jack is still putting up big lines including a 27 Point, 8 Assist game against Memphis.  News on  Eric Gordon’s return will be announced soon.    

NEW YORK KNICKS

Carmelo Anthony decided this week he was going to be the Knicks offense.  He shot the ball 20+ times in all 4 games, even 30 times on Saturday.  The result was good for his Points and Rebounds, but the Knicks went 0-4 in all of those games.  Amare Stoudemire is still not playing like the 1^st round draft pick you gave him.  He is clearly 2^nd fiddle on this team, and his production has been dropping since Carmelo originally joined the Knicks last season.  Tyson Chandler is good for the low-end double-double and blocks.  Him and JaVale McGee are very similar players.  Iman Shumpert is still putting up numbers, and is still an important part of this team.  But his value is due to drop a little bit with the return of Baron Davis.  Landry Fields is not that bad for a fantasy reserve, though it is hard to get excited about his lack of upside.

OKLAHOMA CITY

Kevin Durant is starting to step up his all-around fantasy game, and is flashing 30 Point potential.  He still has more upside this season believe it or not, eventually he will go through his Kobe 40+ Point/game streak.  Russell Westbrook continues his strong surge of consistency after his slow unexpected start, nothing to worry about.  Serge Ibaka has been a terrible player to own, because even when he gets the minutes he still puts up mediocre numbers.  His fantasy value has dropped tremendously.  James Harden did not put up the high scoring numbers this week (no games of 20 Points) but he is still looking good out there, and he will find his groove and start lighting up the stat sheet.   Kendrick Perkins is a good real life center, not fantasy.  He is lucky to get a double-double, but he will give you a few multiple block shot games.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Dwight Howard was a fantasy beast this week averaging 23 Points, and 22 Rebounds and over 2 Blocks in his last three games.  The free throw % (45.8) isn’t great but those other numbers can simply not be beat.  Jameer Nelson is still figuring out his game this season, he is starting to be more aggressive, so he should be fine as the season continues.  J.J. Reddick did not impress enough with no Jason Richardson in the lineup, now J-Rich is back and when Hedo Turkolgu returns from his sore back injury J.J will be back on the bench.  Ryan Anderson still needs to be more consistent, but he breaks out for some huge games, and remains a great fantasy asset.  Especially in leagues where he qualifies at center.

PHILIDELPHIA 76ERS

Louis Williams will always be a problem to all 76er guards as he is a threat to be the leading scorer every night off the bench.  Evan Turner has shown huge fantasy play potential when he gets the minutes.  Turner put up a 20 Point, 11 Rebound game this week, as well as a 16 Points, 6 Rebound, also off the bench.  Jrue Holiday seemed to have his game going all week before Louis Williams took over as the better PG in the last game.  Jodie Meeks should not be playing 25+ minutes a game, and starting.  But he is, and that is where the true problem lies for all the other 76er guards.  Andre Iguodala is not a consistent fantasy threat this season, proved by his 4 Point, 3 Rebound, 3 Assist performance on Saturday.  He was drafted too high.  Elton Brand really stepped it up with a couple strong performances with no Spencer Hawes.  Thaddues Young is still an inconsistent bench role player with huge upside.  When Spencer Hawes returns, expect Elton Brand to lose some value.  Thaddeus Young needs an injury to Brand or Iguodala to see some serious value.

PHOENIX SUNS

Marcin Gortat continues to play the best basketball of his career as he is now capable of the 20-10 game.  Must own, must start for this guy.  No reason is selling high, the Suns know how important he is.  Steve Nash continues to remain solid with near double-doubles every night with the assist numbers always near double digits.  If he gets traded to a contender he could easily lead you to a fantasy championship.  Ronnie Price, Shannon Brown, and Jared Dudley are all canceling each other out at the 2 Guard spot.  Markieff Morris, Channing Frye, and Hakim Warrick are all canceling each other out at the forward spot.  Grant Hill is starting to get the minutes and deserves the chance to be in your fantasy lineup if you are desperate for a body in deeper leagues.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

The Blazers are the toughest defense for any of your fantasy players to face.  Remember that.  LaMarcus Aldridge continues to be the most consistent fantasy option rasing his averages to 23 Points and 9 Rebounds a game.  After that 5 Players range from 10 Points-13 Points a game.  That is bad news for fantasy owners especially when you consider that all of these could cancel each other out on any given night.  Ranked from most valuable to least; Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, Wesley Matthews, Jamal Crawford, Nicholas Batum.  All of these players are nice fantasy options, but they will never be fantasy stars this season unless someone gets hurt.  Felton at least will give you good assist numbers consistently.  Marcus Camby is a nice backup center but will only get you blocks, steals, and rebounds.

SACREMENTO KINGS

Tyreke Evans saw his value drop a little when Marcus Thornton returned, as Evans was not the #1 shooter on the team anymore.  But as soon as owners started to get worried, Thornton’s quad has acted up on him again forcing him to miss the first game of the week.  Tyreke will maintain his 2^nd round value for the time being.  Marcus Thornton should not be on any waiver wire, when he is healthy he is one of the few players that is capable of a 25+ Point night, with steals, and 3PTM.  DeMarcus Cousins continues to be a solid double-double center and looks to be over his premature ways when the season started.  John Salmons has been missing games because of an illness, but nobody is really stepping up.  Donte Green (19 Points, 7 Rebounds) had his moment Saturday, but he will need a few games like that for me to want to own him.  Jason Thompson continues to outplay J.J Hickson, both players stand to lose some value once Chuck Hayes returns.  Jimmer Fredette gets another chance to prove himself as a fantasy starter with Thornton out.     

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Kawhi Leonard came back to life this week scoring less than 10 Points in his last three games.  His minutes will see a dramatic decrease once Manu Ginobili returns, as he will be likely splitting time with Richard Jefferson who will get the minutes when he is hot.  Tony Duncan has been pretty solid lately getting double-doubles, but then found his way with a DNP.  Those will start to come quickly, especially when Tiaggo Splitter (25 Points, 10 Rebounds) puts up nights like that.  Dejuan Blair is playing like he did last year, a hot streak every now and then but he is not consistent.  Tony Parker has his fantasy value inflated very high with no Manu.  Despite the 20+ games and solid assist numbers, he does not bring you much else.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Andrea Bargnani should be coming back shortly, as the team really suffered without their Franchise player.  He should immediately recapture his fantasy value when he comes back.  DeMar DeRozan has been inconsistent all season, and now faces a tough situation where Leandro Barbosa is playing the best basketball since vintage Phoenix Suns days, and Jerryd Bayless is now healthy and is more of a natural 2 guard than Point.  Both Bayless and Barbosa will eat up the value of Jose Calderon, 3 Points and 4 Assists in his last game.  All of them are looking at a dangerous time ahead for fantasy owners until the situation is scattered out.  Amir Johnson was benched for a lack of hustle, which should open Ed Davis as a safe start for the foreseeable future.  James Johnson came back from his ankle injury, and out of nowhere became the starting SF, he put up a monster (23 Point, 4 Block, 2 Steal, 6 Rebound) game this week.  He has Gerald Wallace 2.0 written all over him.

UTAH JAZZ

Al Jefferson continues to average 18 Points and 9 Rebounds a game with almost 2 blocks/game (Beast).  Paul Millsap has separated himself from Derrick Favors, while Derrick had to rest with his minor injury.  Millsap is the type of forward that could come close to 20-10 numbers every night, as long as he consistently gets the playing time.  Devin Harris had a very tough week and his leash is growing shorter for fantasy owners.  Devin’s history is too good to waive him for nothing, and his trade value is too low.  Hold onto him.  Josh Howard calf strain could not come at a worst time as CJ Miles scored over 17 Points in three straight games, and is now clearly the guy the Jazz needed Howard to be.  It is a long uphill battle for him, while Gordon Hayward has no right to be a starter in the NBA with 30+ minutes a game.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

John Wall is starting to play like a fantasy beast as he is putting up high-end guard numbers every night.  He even is starting to hit his FT’s going 39-45 for the week (87%).  He has yet to hit a 3PT shot all season.  Andray Blatche remains inconsistent and is not putting up the numbers that fantasy owners expect.  The Wizards need him regardless, and is a great buy low candidate for all owners who want to take the risk.  JaVale McGee has really disappointed this season and is not the double-double threat we thought he would be.  JaVale is more of a guy that will get you around 3 blocks a game, and maybe 10+ Points.  Nick Young and Jordan Crawford remain the electric scorers of the team, and if one of them were to go down, the other would be must start fantasy status.  Right now Nick Young is a serviceable starter, while Crawford remains a great player to have on your bench with his upside.