FANTASY BASKETBALL: PLAYOFFS & WAIVER WIRE 4/9
FANTASY BASKETBALL: PLAYOFFS & WAIVER WIRE 4/9
By Muntradamus
Since the season is coming down to the wire, I will do the Daily Show with a new style. There will be Headlines, Waiver Wire look, and then daily notes from your fantasy players if there is any news to report.
DAILY HEADLINES:
Danilo Gallinari returned to play 30+ Minutes and score 15 Points with 6 Assists and 5 Rebounds in his first game back. He made 2 3PTM on 6 Attempts, and is ready to be a fantasy contributor right away. To make things even better for his value, Al Harrington is now out for the season with a knee injury. Kenneth Faried becomes must-own as he was the MVP of the night with 27 Points, 17 Rebounds in 24+ Minutes of action. If Faried is a Free-Agent, he is MUST-ADD off of all Waiver Wires, along with Gallo.
Marc Gasol bounces back from the Zach Randolph threat in a big way. 18 Points, 8 Rebounds, 7 Assists, and 2 Blocks reminds his owners that Randolph will not slow him down. A few more games like this during the Fantasy Playoffs will leave his owners with a smile heading into next seasons draft.
Greivis Vasquez explodes for 18 Points, 11 Assists, and 5 3PTM. With Jarrett Jack out for the season, this will be the Vasquez show all over again. He is a great add in all leagues now that he has more job security than most PGs in the NBA. Expect numbers that are similar to this, especially if Eric Gordon continues to miss time.
Stephen Jackson is now starting for the Spurs. He played 31 Minutes and went 2/13 from the field. He may be inconsistent, and he may get random DNPs. However he is still Stephen Jackson and he is in a situation where he will not get benched for complaining. He is responsible and he is ready to play at the next level. One big game and he comes Must-Add. Tonight helped his FG attempts with the big 3 out. I would watch him closely.
Serge Ibaka see’s less than 30 Minutes once again. That is 8 straight games that has occurred, and over that time he is still averaging 5.25 Blocks per game. If he played 30+ Minutes he would be a 1st round pick in all leagues next season. Monitor this situation if you want a great sleeper/undervalued in the 2012-2013 Fantasy Basketball Season.
DAILY WAIVER WIRE LOOK:
PLAYERS WHO SHOULD BE OWNED:
Goran Dragic played 41+ Minutes to lead the Rockets to victory with 22 Points, 7 Assists, and 3 Steals. He also hit 4 3PTM, but the most important factor was that Kyle Lowry only played 22 Minutes. If anyone is hurt over Lowry coming back, it will be Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons. Once Kevin Martin returns, Lee and Parsons will no long be worth owning.
Zach Randolph continues to beast with another low-end double-double, 3 in a row. 10 Points and 12 Rebounds with 4 more games left in the week.
Jordan Crawford scored 20 Points on 7/12 Shooting. Two bad games is not going to scare me away from the Fantasy MVP, and he should be owned in all leagues as he is the #1, #2, #3 scorer on this team.
Ramon Sessions continues to play well with no Kobe with 16 Points, 7 Assists, 7 Rebounds. He could put up numbers like this any night, even with Kobe.
J.J. Barea took 17 FG attempts and had 16 Points with 5 Assists. He should be a productive fantasy option even when Luke Ridnour returns. For now there is no reason to worry.
Devin Harris has now put up back-to-back 25 Point games after doing it again tonight. I would add him in all leagues as he is finally playing to his potential where he was drafted. The Jazz are in the thick of the playoff race, and Harris is going to be their PG.
Jameer Nelson scores 18 Points with 9 Assists. His slow start to the season is well behind him as he is starting to look like the option we drafted over this past month. Role with the EX- St.Joe’s All-Star to carry your team.
Kemba Walker was strong with 16 Points, 7 Assists, 7 Rebounds. He is the franchise player on this team and he will dominate the stretch run of the season.
PLAYERS WHO CAN BE OWNED:
Kyle Lowry went 5/6 shooting with 13 Points, 2 Steals, 3 Assists, 4 Rebounds in 22+ Minutes. He may take a game or two more to be able to help you right away. Though his potential to be a fantasy star once again is a lot sooner than most people think.
Nikola Pekovic is just about back to 30 Minutes a game. The Double-doubles will start coming, and he will remind you one last time why he is nicknamed. Marcin Gortat 2.0. Tonight 11 Points, 2 Rebounds in 29 Minutes. The game was not even close.
Shannon Brown, I personally have owned Brown for two+ weeks now, and I am impressed. He will make a lot of 3PT shots, and his confidence is very high. He had 17 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 1 Block in 28 Minutes because of the blowout. His potential to be must-start is edging closer as he has 3 solid games in a row, and has shot the ball 10+ times in 8 of his 9 starts.
Klay Thompson plays 28+ Minutes to lead the team in scoring with 17 Points. Besides 4 3PTM, he was not great and his consistency still remains a bit of a problem. I would trust him more than Paul George however.
DeAndre Jordan had 14 Points and 14 Rebounds with 2 Blocks. If you need a Center this week, the gamble may be worth it. There are times where he disappears completely from the game.
J.J. Redick had 20 Points on 4 3PTM. Only played 28 Minutes in the blowout, but he was more big game away from being must-owned after playing 40+ Minutes the other night, and with Hedo Turkoglu out for the season.
Tayshaun Prince scored 21 Points with 8 Rebounds to be the star of the team. His stats have been inconsistent, but a game like this could occur once or twice a week.
Gordon Hayward had 16 Points and 5 Rebounds. The Jazz still consider him their SG, but he is clearly turning into the #4 option in this offense.
Marcus Camby grabbed 11 Rebounds along with 9 Points. He only played 26+ Minutes, but he will be a nice fantasy contributor to close out the season. The block/rebound potential is too huge to leave as a FA unless your team is stacked at center.
J.J. Hickson had 12 Points, 10 Rebounds, and 2 Blocks. It was nice to see him get 32+ Minutes off the bench, but his value could have been nice today because of the injury to Nicolas Batum. For now he is still not must-add.
Randy Foye finally had an off night going 5/17 from the field with 11 Points. Luckily for him Nick Young went 0/5 from the field, so that will leave Foye with more opportunities to do this thing. Still questionable what his value will be once Mo Williams returns, which could be soon.
Byron Mullens is a bit inconsistent, but when he is on he is on. Tonight 9 Points and 5 Rebounds is his dud, it is important he bounces back.
Glen Davis was big in the absence of Dwight Howard with 16 Points and 16 Rebounds. Davis is solid for one more game at least, but when D12 is back, Glen’s value is very questionable.
Jason Ricahardson looks to be comfortable in his new SF role. 6/7 on 3PT shots with 22 Points shows a lot of promise. Another big one like this will get his value to must-own.
Amir Johnson would be a good own if Andrea Bargnani misses a lot of time with his calf injury. If Bargs is out for the season, Amir would become must-add material in all leagues.
O.J. Mayo scored 13 Points with 1 3PTM, but he is far from the player he was a week ago from this time now that Mike Conley is healthy.
Kevin Seraphin had 10 Points and 4 Rebounds. His value has been solid with Nene and Booker out, but tonight he reminded us why we did not even think about his name two months ago.
PLAYERS TO LEAVE SCOUTING:
Jamal Crawford despite shooting 4/14 from the field he still ends up with 18 Points. If Nicolas Batum gets shut down for the season, Crawford easily moves up to the next category. For now continue to monitor the situation, and if you can get him in your lineup for a spot start he will be able to help you out. Only if Batum is out as well.
Javale McGee saw 23 Minutes in the blowout to put up 13 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 4 Blocks. His potential remains high, the only problem is the consistent PT. For now he is still not someone to count on.
Michael Beasley had 10+ FG attempts for the second straight game. Tonight he went 5/14 with 12 Points and the most minutes off the bench with 29. He is an interesting player to watch. One more 10+ FG attempt game, and he could be a solid one game fill.
Corey Maggette exploded with 23 Points off the bench. Charlotte may be done with his chapter, but if it happens again then he is worth the add. Points galore.
Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, Brandon Knight. The Trio is starting to knock eachother out. They are slowly turning into a 76er guard rotation on who is the one to start. For now they should all be benched if you own them. Possibly dropped in this clutch part of the season.
Bismack Biyombo 2 Points, 3 Rebounds, 0 Blocks is about as worthless as it gets. If he does not put up this week, he will be an afterthought.
Carl Landry was big with 20 Points, 11 Rebounds, and 5 Assists. The Hornets are very deep at the PF spot, and Landry will be very inconsistent. Until he proves otherwise, I am leaving him on the waiver wire.
David West continues to be terrible with 9 Points and 6 Rebounds. It will take back-to-back 15 Point games before owners start getting excited about him again.
George Hill got the start at PG for the injured Collison and dominated with 18 Points and 7 Rebounds. If anything this ruins the fantasy value of Darren Collison more than it helps Hill become a recommendable option.
DAILY FANTASY NOTES:
John Wall continues to be inconsistent with only 2 Points on 1/6 shooting. 12 Assists helps, but the Wizards were blown out which resulted in little PT.
Ryan Anderson returned with 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 2 3PTM. Doing all this in limited minutes as this game was a blowout.
Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat, and Channing Frye had bad games due to the blowout. They should bounce back.
Kevin Love continues to be the #1 player in fantasy basketball with 25 Points, 13 Rebounds, 2 Steals, and 1 3PTM. Nobody tops him, and this game is not even close to what his ceiling is.
Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap get 2x2s. Both players are great, and Millsap is starting to co-exist better than he was earlier in the season. There are still bumps, but overall he has been solid.
Chris Kaman is back to being the star Center with 16 Points, 4 Rebounds, and 5 Blocks. Him and Eric Gordon would have been a solid combo to watch all-season.
Raymond Felton continues to play well with 14 Points and 8 Assists, while Wesley Matthews is hitting his bottom with his 3rd straight game under 10 Points after scoring 33. It is not looking promising for Wesley now that Crawford is in the starting lineup. He is a shooting machine.
David Lee was terrible with 10 Points and 4 Rebounds. The game was a blowout, so we will forget it and move on.
Greg Monroe continues to disappoint with 9 Points and 5 Rebounds. His shot attempts continue to decrease rapidly as he only took 6 tonight.
Jose Calderon grabbed 14 Assists, and now has double digit assists in 9 of the past 11 games. He is a great option in all leagues on this depleted Raptors roster.
Danny Granger continues to be the leading scorer for his team with 18 Points. This is the most consistent stretch we have had of Danny all season long.
DeMar DeRozan continues to get double-digit shot attempts with 12. But his success scoring rate has dropped and he is now only putting up low scoring games like 10 tonight. He should be better with no Bargs in the lineup.
Rudy Gay is starting to snap out of his slump with 16 Points and 6 Rebounds. That is back-to-back passable games for him.
Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings continue to be a mess as they more or less cancel each out from being quality fantasy stars, both should still be starting in your lineup. No Buck is safe any night, and if I had to pick one at this point it would be Ersan Ilysova.
Russell Westbrook takes 21 shots vs. Kevin Durants 14. KD ends up with 19 Points, Westbrook ends up with 26. Durant is not playing at his potential.
Roy Hibbert is inconsistent. No other way of putting it with 8 Points, 2 Blocks, and 5 Rebounds. His value as a must-start center has faded.
Ty Lawson was outplayed by Andre Miller again. This headline is coming up too often to consider either player a safe-start moving forward. You can continue to start Lawson, just expect some weak games like tonight.
Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum continue to play like beasts with a combined 38 FG attempts. Gasol will probably lose more value than Bynum once Kobe returns. He is questionable for next game.
Blake Griffin is trending the wrong way with another soft 19 Points, 6 Rebound performance. That is more like 3rd round value, than his 1st round value where he was drafted.