After a reasonable hiatus, The Fantasy Lab is back in session, dropping fantasy science on your heads from all angles. The main focus will always be attempting to unearth that diamond in the rough that I like to call the waiver wire gem. The gem might be raw, a bit dull or appear unspectacular at first, but with a little patience and a little polish, the shrewd fantasy owner will be rewarded for their diligence. So read on and thank us later,
This week's waiver wire recommendations are:
Chris Wilcox, PF, LAC - By now, Wilcox should already be snatched off the wire, but if he isn't, make sure you find him a spot on your roster. Stuck against his will behind Elton Brand like a mouse in a glue trap, the freakishly athletic and energetic Wilcox has burst free thanks to the sprained ankle injury to Chris Kaman which is somehow defying Mother Nature and worsening by the day. In actuality, Kaman will be back in another week or two, but he'll have lost his starting gig thanks to Wilcox's 20 pts, 63 FG%, 7.5 rebs, 1 stl and .8 blks per game in the four he's played. Watch for Center eligibility to be heading his way, too.
Maurice Williams, PG, Mil - We touched on Mo in the Fantasy Smack last week, but it's time that he saw his name in lights with a feature role in the Lab. Injuries to PGs T.J. Ford (possibly out for the year) and Mike James have allowed this fireplug to take the starting gig and jam with it. We know the Bucks have only played 2 games but Mo is second in the L with a dollar's worth of dimes. Factor in his 10 ppg, 6 rpg and 1.5 spg and you have a nasty fantasy PG, at least for the time being.
Mike Sweetney, PF, NYK - If there's one thing we can count on from Zeke, it's that he's going to be active in the trade market. Whether that's because everyone knows they can swindle him like a newbie in a fantasy league is a discussion for another time. Right now, Thomas wants Kurt Thomas (no relation) out of the Big Apple and the sophomore Sweetney in his starting power forward role. Even if the trade never materializes, Sweetney's earning his burn already with 14 points on 50% shooting to go along with 1.5 blocks and 1 steal per, not including Tuesday night's game. Plus, we love the activity on the offensive end as evidenced by his 8 FTA /gm in only 25 mpg.
Derek Anderson, SG, Por - With all those Jailblazers running around, it's surprising that there's a D.A. on the team. It seems many fantasy players mistakenly overlook him as well. Already benefiting from Zack Randolph's improving kick-out passes (4-10 3PT), Anderson gets great dimeage from the SG slot as well with 4.7 apg not including Tuesday night's game. He'll also help out with FT% (85.7 percent for his career) and steals. Quit judging him and subpoena him to a two-week trial on your fantasy team.
Andre Iguodala , SF, Phi - Philly's other A.I. replaced Big Dogg in the starting five and hasn't looked back since. A raw rookie, Iggy is still getting his feet wet and working diligently to learn Jim O'Brien's system, but the Arizona product's insane athletic talent and excellent basketball IQ will make up for any deficiencies in the meantime. In all four of his games, he's managed to register in every fantasy category except for the first game when he didn't record a rebound or a block. That's Swiss Army knife versatility.
Udonis Haslem, PF, Mia - Life is grand when you roll with Shaq. On the court, the Diesel gets all the attention but U soaks up all the spoils. Do you realize how many easy o-boards and high-percentage put-backs Haslem is going to see courtesy of Shaq's dominance? He's shooting 71 percent from the field for goodness sake, including an 18-point (8-9 FG), 10-board outing Tuesday night.
Marquis Daniels, SG, Dal - Daniels has been axed off quite a few fantasy teams since the start of the season and we just don't understand why. This is a kid who went absolutely bananas at the end of last year before needing a straightjacket in the playoffs. His ankle injury was actually a Grade 3 tear so it's taken him a bit longer than expected to return to form. There's a reason Jason Terry said "he's so good it's scary" earlier this year.
Kelvin Cato, C, Orl - With a guard-heavy offense launching shots from the perimeter, someone's got to be the garbage man on the interior. Cato is that Man at Work, yanking down boards, setting screens and doing all the little dirty work that occasionally gets noticed in fantasy b-ball. What turns this run of the mill garbage man into a sanitation worker extraordinaire is his blocked shots. This season, Cato has denied at least three shots in all four of his games. At the dangerously thin C spot, Cato has earned himself a coveted roster spot.
Brendan Haywood, C, Was - Though he had yet to play a game this season, Haywood earned the dubious achievement of becoming a very valuable fantasy player during his suspension. In that three-game time span, fellow Cs Etan Thomas and Kwame Brown both learned that their injuries will keep them out longer than anticipated. Michael Ruffin thanks his lucky stars every day that he's even on the roster and will return to the depths of the pine now that Haywood has returned for the next Wiz game.
Earl Boykins, PG, Den - While this mighty mite is diminutive in size, he can toss up some gaudy numbers when given some burn, and the kid's been given some kindling, a can of gasoline and a Zippo. With starting off-guard Voshon Lenard done for the year, Boykins has been the biggest beneficiary thus far, often playing in the same backcourt as the 6'4" Andre Miller. While we have this nagging hunch that DerMarr Johnson will eventually take the role, Boykins is a blue light special right now, even becoming the shortest dude ever to drop 30+ points Thursday night.
After sifting through the dirt that is the waiver wire hoping to find gold, The Lab will rotate some different features of fantasy relevance every week. While there is nothing overly elaborate planned for this week's session, we are going to formally introduce a term we've coined the "Fantasy Crush."
Sick of constantly referring to "man-crushes" on certain players, we've actually tweaked the term so it's more relevant for fantasy purposes. The feeling is that man-crushes are reserved for liking a guy for whatever reason (his life, his money, his looks, etc.), while a Fantasy Crush is all about loving his stats, pure and simple.
Our first official Fantasy Crush is PF Andrei Kirilenko. Isn't he dreamy? In his last game, AK-47 was just 1 dime and 1 steal short of the rarest of all feats in fantasy basketball, the 5x5 (at least 5 pts, rebs, asts, stls and blks). That's right, screw the quadruple-double with its four member society. The 5x5 fraternity is restricted to just three brothers: C Vlade Divac, PG Jamaal Tinsley and Kirilenko, the only player to accomplish this momentous achievement two times (and both in the first half for crying out loud). The NBA started recording both blocks and steals in the 1973-74 season, so the old heads may not be getting their just due, but that's not the point. All we're saying is that we have a major Fantasy Crush on AK-47 for his stat-stuffing lines and we refuse to hide it anymore. Check out his digits: 17.5 points (51 FG%), 6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals and a League-topping 6.5 blocks per game. We're smitten.
That'll do it for the Fantasy Lab this week. Next week come prepared to soak up the science with your pen and pad and most importantly, an empty roster spot. Peacetos.
This week's waiver wire recommendations are:
Chris Wilcox, PF, LAC - By now, Wilcox should already be snatched off the wire, but if he isn't, make sure you find him a spot on your roster. Stuck against his will behind Elton Brand like a mouse in a glue trap, the freakishly athletic and energetic Wilcox has burst free thanks to the sprained ankle injury to Chris Kaman which is somehow defying Mother Nature and worsening by the day. In actuality, Kaman will be back in another week or two, but he'll have lost his starting gig thanks to Wilcox's 20 pts, 63 FG%, 7.5 rebs, 1 stl and .8 blks per game in the four he's played. Watch for Center eligibility to be heading his way, too.
Maurice Williams, PG, Mil - We touched on Mo in the Fantasy Smack last week, but it's time that he saw his name in lights with a feature role in the Lab. Injuries to PGs T.J. Ford (possibly out for the year) and Mike James have allowed this fireplug to take the starting gig and jam with it. We know the Bucks have only played 2 games but Mo is second in the L with a dollar's worth of dimes. Factor in his 10 ppg, 6 rpg and 1.5 spg and you have a nasty fantasy PG, at least for the time being.
Mike Sweetney, PF, NYK - If there's one thing we can count on from Zeke, it's that he's going to be active in the trade market. Whether that's because everyone knows they can swindle him like a newbie in a fantasy league is a discussion for another time. Right now, Thomas wants Kurt Thomas (no relation) out of the Big Apple and the sophomore Sweetney in his starting power forward role. Even if the trade never materializes, Sweetney's earning his burn already with 14 points on 50% shooting to go along with 1.5 blocks and 1 steal per, not including Tuesday night's game. Plus, we love the activity on the offensive end as evidenced by his 8 FTA /gm in only 25 mpg.
Derek Anderson, SG, Por - With all those Jailblazers running around, it's surprising that there's a D.A. on the team. It seems many fantasy players mistakenly overlook him as well. Already benefiting from Zack Randolph's improving kick-out passes (4-10 3PT), Anderson gets great dimeage from the SG slot as well with 4.7 apg not including Tuesday night's game. He'll also help out with FT% (85.7 percent for his career) and steals. Quit judging him and subpoena him to a two-week trial on your fantasy team.
Andre Iguodala , SF, Phi - Philly's other A.I. replaced Big Dogg in the starting five and hasn't looked back since. A raw rookie, Iggy is still getting his feet wet and working diligently to learn Jim O'Brien's system, but the Arizona product's insane athletic talent and excellent basketball IQ will make up for any deficiencies in the meantime. In all four of his games, he's managed to register in every fantasy category except for the first game when he didn't record a rebound or a block. That's Swiss Army knife versatility.
Udonis Haslem, PF, Mia - Life is grand when you roll with Shaq. On the court, the Diesel gets all the attention but U soaks up all the spoils. Do you realize how many easy o-boards and high-percentage put-backs Haslem is going to see courtesy of Shaq's dominance? He's shooting 71 percent from the field for goodness sake, including an 18-point (8-9 FG), 10-board outing Tuesday night.
Marquis Daniels, SG, Dal - Daniels has been axed off quite a few fantasy teams since the start of the season and we just don't understand why. This is a kid who went absolutely bananas at the end of last year before needing a straightjacket in the playoffs. His ankle injury was actually a Grade 3 tear so it's taken him a bit longer than expected to return to form. There's a reason Jason Terry said "he's so good it's scary" earlier this year.
Kelvin Cato, C, Orl - With a guard-heavy offense launching shots from the perimeter, someone's got to be the garbage man on the interior. Cato is that Man at Work, yanking down boards, setting screens and doing all the little dirty work that occasionally gets noticed in fantasy b-ball. What turns this run of the mill garbage man into a sanitation worker extraordinaire is his blocked shots. This season, Cato has denied at least three shots in all four of his games. At the dangerously thin C spot, Cato has earned himself a coveted roster spot.
Brendan Haywood, C, Was - Though he had yet to play a game this season, Haywood earned the dubious achievement of becoming a very valuable fantasy player during his suspension. In that three-game time span, fellow Cs Etan Thomas and Kwame Brown both learned that their injuries will keep them out longer than anticipated. Michael Ruffin thanks his lucky stars every day that he's even on the roster and will return to the depths of the pine now that Haywood has returned for the next Wiz game.
Earl Boykins, PG, Den - While this mighty mite is diminutive in size, he can toss up some gaudy numbers when given some burn, and the kid's been given some kindling, a can of gasoline and a Zippo. With starting off-guard Voshon Lenard done for the year, Boykins has been the biggest beneficiary thus far, often playing in the same backcourt as the 6'4" Andre Miller. While we have this nagging hunch that DerMarr Johnson will eventually take the role, Boykins is a blue light special right now, even becoming the shortest dude ever to drop 30+ points Thursday night.
After sifting through the dirt that is the waiver wire hoping to find gold, The Lab will rotate some different features of fantasy relevance every week. While there is nothing overly elaborate planned for this week's session, we are going to formally introduce a term we've coined the "Fantasy Crush."
Sick of constantly referring to "man-crushes" on certain players, we've actually tweaked the term so it's more relevant for fantasy purposes. The feeling is that man-crushes are reserved for liking a guy for whatever reason (his life, his money, his looks, etc.), while a Fantasy Crush is all about loving his stats, pure and simple.
Our first official Fantasy Crush is PF Andrei Kirilenko. Isn't he dreamy? In his last game, AK-47 was just 1 dime and 1 steal short of the rarest of all feats in fantasy basketball, the 5x5 (at least 5 pts, rebs, asts, stls and blks). That's right, screw the quadruple-double with its four member society. The 5x5 fraternity is restricted to just three brothers: C Vlade Divac, PG Jamaal Tinsley and Kirilenko, the only player to accomplish this momentous achievement two times (and both in the first half for crying out loud). The NBA started recording both blocks and steals in the 1973-74 season, so the old heads may not be getting their just due, but that's not the point. All we're saying is that we have a major Fantasy Crush on AK-47 for his stat-stuffing lines and we refuse to hide it anymore. Check out his digits: 17.5 points (51 FG%), 6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals and a League-topping 6.5 blocks per game. We're smitten.
That'll do it for the Fantasy Lab this week. Next week come prepared to soak up the science with your pen and pad and most importantly, an empty roster spot. Peacetos.
