WEEKLY FANTASY REVIEW OF THE NBA vol. II

WEEKLY FANTASY REVIEW OF THE NBA vol. II

BY Muntradamus

WEEKLY FANTASY REVIEW is going to be posted every week, and it is going to go over every team in the NBA and the fantasy implications that come along with it.  We will also have the Fantasy Basketball Trade Market from Sir Fantasy Drake, and of the course the Daily Show that comes out tonight.  Enjoy a nice long week of Fantasy Sports here at MaddenArena.

Ask any questions you have, and a fantasy expert will be there to answer it for you (Sir Fantasy Drake, or myself).

(Check out the “FANTASY BASKETBALL TRADE MARKET”)

ATLANTA HAWKS

Josh Smith has emerged from the pack as the flavor of the week for Atlanta.  He is finally looking like the player you drafted averaging 20 PPG in his last 4, including a performance where he had 6 blocks and 4 steals.  Joe Johnson is the consistent scoring threat but he doesn’t do much outside of that besides hitting a couple 3’s a game.  Jeff Teague is pure assists and steals, while Al Horford has yet to get his game going.  Horford could easily be the flavor of the week next week for the A.T.L.  Marvin Williams success has started to dwindle down as T-Mac is a playing more and more minutes.

BOSTON CELTICS

Ray Allen is averaging 20 points a game so far this season with almost four 3PTM per game.  Great season for the veteran.  Rajon Rondo has been less aggressive with his shot since the return of Paul Pierce, he is still averaging more than 10 assists per game and almost two steals.  Paul Pierce is still getting it together, but he looks to be the focal point of the team.  Kevin Garnett has less value than Brandon Bass in leagues where Bass qualifies at Center.  Both are doing the same statistic wise, with Bass having more upside.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

DJ Augustine is playing at a different level right now.  He is their team while Corey Maggette is out.  Boris Diaw was a sell high candidate last week, hopefully you listened.  Gerald Henderson is going to get the minutes to perform, but the consistency factor is not quite there yet.  Tyrus Thomas returned from injury and is averaging 32 minutes per game.  The Bobcats want to see what he can offer.  Byron Mullens is on the cusp of something for his career fantasy wise.

CHICAGO BULLS

Derrick Rose continues to be the rock for the Bulls and is doing what you would expect, 20 Points and 8 Assists.  Other than Rose, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer carry good/average value.  Rip Hamilton has faded to waiver wire quality, while Joakim Noah who was a sell high candidate on Fantasy Trade Market is carrying very little value.

CLEVELAND CAVAILERS

Antwan Jamison is the leader and the #1 guy for this Cavalier team scoring 18 points a game, with a pedestrian 5 rebounds.  Kyrie Irving and Ramon Sessions are holding eachother back from having great fantasy value.  They both average 20+ minutes per game and 5 assists.  Anderson Varejo continues to have a quiet 10 Point, 10 Rebound per game season.  Other than those four players, no Cavs hold any value.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Dirk Nowitzki continues to be the team for the Mavs, unfortunately for fantasy owners he is only averaging 19 Points per game.  Jason Terry is the only other Mav worth putting in your active lineup as he will get you 2+ 3PTM per game, 14 points come along with it.  Jason Kidd, and Lamar Odom have faded.  Ian Mahinmi is not a guy who will win you a championship but watch his value grow a little bit this weke.

DENVER NUGGETS

Ty Lawson is starting to cool down off his torrid start.  He always has big upside for every game, but having Andre Miller backing him up is not allowing the Nuggets to take the chains off Ty.  Danilo Gallinari has stepped it up to a new level including a 31 Point performance Saturday night.  He is at must start status in case you weren’t in the first place.  Al Harrington continues to be solid and there is no reason to think he will slow down, he has always been a dynamic offensive player and is averaging 15+ a game so far this season.

DETROIT PISTONS

Rodney Stuckey’s injury is giving Brandon Knight the opportunity to start performing like a fantasy starter.  In Knight’s last two games he has played over 37 minutes in both.  Greg Monroe is not shooting the ball enough, only 11 attempts per game.  He is making the most of them though averaging over 15.5 Points and 8 rebounds per game, nobody will complain about the 76% at the free throw line.  Jonas Jerebko has slowed down, but he will still give you a modest 10 Points, 7 Rebounds.  Tayshaun Prince continues to do nothing but he currently cock blocks Austin Daye from getting the playing time he deserves.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Stephen Curry’s ankle injury has allowed Monta Ellis to easily play like the player you expected.  He is averaging 24 Points, and 8 Assists per game.  David Lee is having a nice bounce back season and is averaging a solid 16-10.  Curry should return on Thursday, but Nate Robinson, Brandon Rush, and Klay Thompson have all been chipping in to keep the team afloat.  Dorrell Wright is struggling to have any value at all.  This is Wright’s last chance to gain value while Curry is injured.  The center position continues to be weak from a fantasy perspective.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Kyle Lowry was the Jason Kidd of the NBA (15 Points, 10 Assists, 6 Rebounds) but now finds himself injured.  The Rockets are a mess without him, and Luis Scola is having rebound issues so far with only 5 per game.  Kevin Martin is a fraction of the player he was a year ago and is shooting 43% on the year.  Samuel Dalembert and Jordan Hill combine to make one good starting center.

INDIANA PACERS

Danny Granger is having a down year shooting 30.7% from the field.  He still leads the team with 15 Points a game.  Roy Hibbert has progressed a little bit from a year ago, he is averaging a solid 13-10 while Tyler Hansbrough is a solid 12-7.  Hansbrough is ready to go as he is doing all of this in only 27 minutes per game.  Darren Collison is doing decent with 10 Points and 5 Assists while George Hill continues to find his grove and is ready for that PG spot.  David West is starting to look like a bust averaging a pedestrian 10 Points, 7 Rebounds.  Paul George is off to an inconsistent start and has yet to show he deserves to be a starter in your fantasy lineup.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Blake Griffin is having a wonderful season (24 Points, 10 Rebounds).  The blocks are still nonexistent as well as his free throw shot 61% on the season.  Chris Paul has yet to reach the next level, he is still getting his with 15 Points, 9 Assists, 2 steals.  Caron Butler is still finding his groove, hopefully he has more of a ceiling than 15 Points a game.  Chauncey Billups is going to be a solid contributor to the Clips every night and DeAndre Jordan is only averaging 7 Points and 7 Rebounds this season.  The blocks help a lot 3 per game, while the FT% is putrid at 47%.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Lakers are a three man fantasy basketball team.  Kobe Bryant is playing at an elite level (27 Points, 6 Assists, 6 Rebounds).  Andrew Bynum is beasting through the competition (19 Points, 15 Rebounds, 2 Blocks) and Pau Gasol is starting to succeed in his new role as the #3 option (17 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Blocks).  No other Laker is worth owning in fantasy, Matt Barnes is playing well but he needs to have some breakout nights to be considered fantasy worth.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLES

Rudy Gay is on the cusp of reaching the elite level.  With no Zach Randolph, Gay has only had one game over 20 Points (that needs to improve).  Marc Gasol is having his best season (14 Points 10 Rebounds, 2 Blocks).  Mike Conley is playing solid despite shooting 34% on the season, he is averaging 7 assists per game if you take away the one where he sprained his ankle in the first minute.  OJ Mayo is still trying to figure out where his value went, while Tony Allen is playing the best basketball of his career.

MIAMI HEAT

Injuries have been the theme for Miami.  The Big 3 are doing their thing, I would not be worried about Dwayne Wade’s 18 Points per game.  Mario Chalmers has stepped it up lately, but seems like a good candidate to get rid of as he is thriving in Dwayne’s absence.  Chris Bosh has definitely stepped it up to Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh.  LeBron James is still the #1 Pick in all fantasy leagues if there were drafts today.

MILWAKUE BUCKS

Brandon Jennings has made the jump to the next level.  He is averaging 20 a game and has had to step up big time in the absence of Andrew Bogut.  Stephen Jackson has been playing solid for his value of late (13 Points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists) he is a good sell high candidate before he starts complaining about something.  Drew Gooden has stepped it up with Bogut being injured, but that consistency will only be there when Bogut is out.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Michael Beasley’s injury will allow Derrick Williams the chance to finally get his game going.  4 3PTM in his first game with Beasley out.  Kevin Love continues to dominate and might have even gone #2 in standard drafts with how consistently amazing he is playing (26 Points, 15 Rebounds, 2 3PTM/a game).  Ricky Rubio is now close to must start in all leagues as he has eclipsed 7 assists or more in 4 of the last 6 games.  Besides those guys, nobody is worth considering in your lineup.

NEW JERSEY NETS

Deron Williams is starting to play like a shade of the 1^st round pick he was in most drafts.  He still leads the team in Points, Assists, Steals (17/7/1.6).  MarShon Brooks is ready to be a valuable guy  in all fantasy leagues when he returns 100% from his ankle injury.  Kris Humphries has been solid all season and is showing it stat wise averaging 13 Points and 11 Rebounds per game.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Jarret Jack is now the team for the Hornets with Eric Gordon continuing to battle a knee injury that will keep him out for 2-3 more weeks.  Jack can start to put up the numbers that you expected out of a Deron Williams type player with no other ball handling threat on the team.  Carl Landy, Chris Kaman, and Emeka Okafor are hurting each other’s value.  Trevor Ariza is pretty much worthless in fantasy.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Carmelo Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire continue to dominate.  Melo is averaging 27 Points and 6.5 Rebounds, while Amare is 20 Points and 8 Rebounds.  Iman Shumpert is ready to be in all fantasy lineups as the Knicks have a man crush on him.  Tyson Chandler is putting up a solid 11 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Block and steal.  Toney Douglas value is slowly fading away to nothing, especially when Baron Davis comes back.

OKLAHOMA CITY

Kevin Durant is playing like Kevin Durant averaging 26 Points a game.  His other categories could improve such as his less than 2 3PTM a game.  Russell Westbrook should have better numbers and they will eventually come back, 18 Points and 5 Assists will not get it done.  James Harden is averaging almost 18 per game and is looking like the lock for 6^th man of the year.  Serge Ibaka is still struggling to get his stats going averaging 2 Blocks and 6 Rebounds a game.  He needs to do more to be valuable.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Dwight Howard is beasting it up, no surprise there (20 Points, 16 Rebounds, 2 Blocks).  Ryan Anderson is having a great start to the season, it will be interesting to see him keep it up all year, there is no guarantee on that.  Jason Richardson is doing enough to keep JJ Reddick from having consistent fantasy value.  Jameer Nelson is struggling with his shot 37% from the field.  Lucky for him Chris Duhon is the best backup the Magic can offer.  Hedo Turkoglu has slowed down from his great start, still fantasy worthy.

PHILIDELPHIA 76ERS

Louis Williams continues to create the log jam at the Guard position.  Lou is averaging a team leading 17 Points Per game.  Jrue Holiday is too talented to not see his numbers go up, great buy low candidate.  Andre Iguodala is struggling this season averaging less than 10 shots per game.  Spencer Hawes is having a career year, which is also no lock to stay for the entire season as Elton Brand is starting to make more of an impact down low.  Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young are high potential fantasy reserves for now.

PHOENIX SUNS

Steve Nash bounced back to have a huge week.  His trade value is high, but it could get even higher if a trade to a contender happens for the veteran, I would hold tight.  Jared Dudley is a good source foe 3’s and steals.  Marcin Gortat is averaging a mere 6.7 Rebounds per game as there is a log jam at the big man position for the Suns with Markieff Morris, Hakim Warrick, Channing Frye, and Robin Lopez.  Morris has good upside and the Suns are looking to make him their guy.  Grant Hill is over the hill.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

LaMarcus Aldridge is the only consistent player for the Blazers (22 Points, 7.7 Rebounds).  Less than a block and steal per game is discouraging.  Gerald Wallace has been inconsistent all season, if you can get a star player for him make the move, the shot attempts are just not there this season with Wesley Matthews playing at a high level, and Jamal Crawford/Nicholas Batum coming off the bench.  Raymond Felton needs his shots as well, but he continues to be solid averaging around 7 Assists per game.  Marcus Camby is getting 9 Rebounds per game to go along with a block, but he is averaging only 3 Points per game.  Jamal Crawford and Wesley Matthews will be solid scorers and that’s about all you can count on them for from a fantasy perspective.

SACREMENTO KINGS

Tyreke Evans is back to being the top tier player he once was.  He is a must start player in all leagues, if you can trade for him make the move.  DeMarcus Cousins has all the potential in the world but is only averaging 14 Points, and 10 Rebounds a game.  Marcus Thornton is going to keep scoring all season long, Jimmer Fredette is shooting 36% for the season.  JJ Hickson should see his value rise with the injury to Chuck Hayes.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Manu Ginobli’s injury opens up the door for Richard Jefferson to be worthwhile in fantasy for the moment.  Tony Parker should be taking over more than he is (14 Points and 7 Assists).  The numbers are okay, but that is all he will give you.  DeJuan Blair is looking at more of a reserve role in fantasy leagues as he is still not the consistent player he ever was, and Tiago Splitter is not making it easy as well.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Andrea Bargnani is lighting it up this season averaging almost 23 Points a game.  That’s about all he does for owners though.  DeMar DeRozan always take a giant step forward, with a giant step back.  Great player, consistency is still missing.  Jose Calderon will be a great fantasy player with Jerryd Bayless out, 12 Points and 9 Assists per game will get the job done.  Amir Johnson, James Johnson, and Ed Davis are all high upside fantasy guys who are not performing to the level they can because of consistent playing time.  All are good buy low candidates.

UTAH JAZZ

Al Jefferson is the team for the Jazz, averaging 18 Points and 8 Rebounds a game.  Paul Millsap has not reached the next level yet, and for some reason is playing less than 30 minutes a game.  Josh Howard is ready to step up as the best SF option the team has, as long as Gordon Hayward doesn’t put up 18 Point games.  Devin Harris has been battling a bad ankle all season, his numbers are suffering because of it, including his 4.5 Assists per game.  Derrick Favors is not doing bad, but his playing time has limited him to a reserve role in fantasy leagues for now.

WASHINGTO WIZARDS

Nick Young leads the Wizards in scoring (15.6/game), yet he continues to battle Jordan Crawford for minutes.  Advantage Nick Young.  John Wall continues to put up all around fantasy stats (15 Points, 7 Assists, 1 block, 1 steal) the only thing is he has not made a 3 PTM all season.  JaVale McGee is a consistent 12-10 type of player with 3 Blocks.  Can’t complain there, but you can complain about his 45% from the FT line.  Andray Blatche has been a headache to own, but his potential is so high you have to keep riding him out in your fantasy lineup.  Rashard Lewis is done, less than a 3PTM per game.