Fantasy Related but good info.......
Jam Sessions
I made some gambles last week that may or may not have paid off, benching studs like Kevin Durant and Monta Ellis for scrubs like Carl Landry, Charlie Villanueva and Manny Harris for a games-played advantage. I wasn't going to win points with or without the studs, but also didn't plan on seeing Durant and Monta shoot lights out from the field in their two games, which would have helped much more than Manny's dreadful week of field goal percentage. It looks like that game's going to end in a 4-4 tie, so I'm content with the move, but I probably could have won 5-3 had I just rolled with one or both of my big guns. And this is why people will tell you time and time again to blindly play your studs.
I do try to subscribe to that theory, but I also spend a lot of time running numbers in my big matchups to make sure I'm giving myself the best shot at winning. And given the fact Durant and Monta combined for the following totals for the week, my madness was somewhat justified.
Rebounds: 10
Assists: 13
Steals : 5
Blocks: 1
And on that note, in a week where almost all players have four games, LeBron James and the Heat play just twice. LeBron and Chris "Like A" Bosh are banged up, making both of them a little risky in weekly leagues. And if you own a guy like Andrei Kirilenko, who has four games, you really need to crunch some numbers and make a decision as to which to play in a weekly league. And without really sitting down and looking at, my guess is I'd be starting Kirilenko in most instances. But it also sounds like LeBron will play and has two possible games without Bosh around, which could easily mean two triple-doubles. Good luck with whatever decision you make. It's a tough call.
Anyway, onto Waiver Wired, which I'll be writing while you're watching the Seahawks and Bears go at it. There's only two NBA games on Sunday because nearly every team plays on Monday, which is MLK Day. Games tip off very early tomorrow, which means you should set your lineups as soon as possible.
Guards
I'm going to assume that Nick Young, Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry are already owned in your league.
Ramon Sessions Cavaliers
Mo Williams went down with a hip injury on Saturday and has been talking about shutting it down. The guy's head hasn't been right since he saw his world collapse the night of "The Decision," and while he was easy to make fun of that night, he might be one of the few people to actually know within five seconds just how bad life was going to be for anyone associated with the Cavaliers. And if he does indeed shut it down, Sessions is going to be the guy to own here.
Ben Gordon Pistons
It's been a terrible year for him, but he's still Ben friggin' Gordon, right? My guess is he's already owned in your league. And if he isn't, no one may have noticed that he's actually showing a pulse over the last three games, scoring 25, 11 and 16 points in them. And with Richard Hamilton done in Detroit and T-Mac hurting, it could very well be Gordon time. If he's available, he should be a top priority for pick up at this point.
Tracy McGrady Pistons
T-Mac was cruising along last week, helping my teams, as well as a lot of others, to fantasy wins. That is until he went down with a (surprise) leg injury very early in Saturday's game. The injury doesn't sound serious, but that's not saying much with McGrady. He's now the ultimate risk-reward player, as he can drop at any time, but was starting to look like a very good basketball player before going down. He's a really risky endeavor in weekly lineup leagues, but if you're in a daily league, I wouldn't hesitate to own him and play him whenever he's healthy.
Lou Williams Sixers
Sweet Lou is heating up again for the Sixers, averaging 17 points in six January Games. If you need a scorer, he's probably the best one available in your league right now.
C.J. Miles Jazz
Or it could be Miles, who is averaging 20 points over his last three games (with eight 3-pointers and three blocks). Both Miles and Lou come off the bench, making both of them a little risky, and while I trust Lou more, Miles is another guy who might be worth grabbing for a four-game week if you need a scoring guard.
Daniel Gibson Cavaliers
Gibson is hoping to return on Wednesday, but the Cavs only play twice this week. He should retake the starting shooting guard job once he's back and is eventually going to be a must-own player. Then again, he plays for a sinking ship known as the Cavs, and anything is possible. But my guess is Boobie's almost back, meaning the Manny Harris era is about to quiet down.
Sasha Vujacic Nets
Don't look now, but Vujacic has hit double figures in scoring in 10 of his last 13 games and is averaging 14 points and two 3-pointers in January. And if you take out a 1-of-14, three-point implosion at Washington on Jan. 7, those numbers come in at 16 ppg on nearly 50 percent shooting (38-of-80). Leave it to Avery Johnson to find a way to squeeze value out of a guy like Vujacic while completely ruining most of the good players on his roster.
Earl Boykins Bucks
Do I trust little Earl Boykins? Not at all. Did he help a couple of my fantasy teams last week? He did. He's averaging 13.6 points and 4.4 assists in seven January games, and while the clock is ticking until Brandon Jennings returns, you can probably squeeze another week or two out of Boykins. The same can be said for Keyon Dooling, but Boykins has actually been outplaying him in my opinion.
Jose Juan Barea Mavericks
If you don't own DeShawn Stevenson you may not have noticed that he fell off a cliff recently. He looked upstoppable for a minute, but has scored 10, 3 and 0 points in his last three games. Meanwhile, JJB is quietly averaging 12 points, three assists and a three per game in January. He's not a great option, but deserves some attention in deeper leagues.
Corey Brewer Timberwolves
Brewer is now starting for the T-Wolves and while he hasn't done anything too exciting, he's an interesting pick up right now, as he should rack up some steals and threes. In fact, he had 23 points, five steals and two threes on Saturday, but keep in mind that Michael Beasley sat that one out with a sprained ankle. Also keep in mind the Timberwolves play just two games this week, which actually increases the chances of him being available in your league.
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Forwards
I'm going to assume that J.J. Hickson and Channing Frye are no longer available in your league.
Nicolas Batum Blazers
This is the guy I've been chirping about, probably too much, recently and he's starting to come on. Actually, maybe my timing was just right, as he has scored 22, 13, 18 and 23 points in his last four games, with six treys, three blocks and close to five boards per game. And I still think there are more steals, threes and blocks coming, and that his confidence is going to continue to grow. I've been saying it for two or three weeks now, and I'll say it again. Pick him up.
Ryan Anderson Magic
The Magic have a great schedule over the next several weeks, getting four games a week until the All-Star break, and Anderson is suddenly their most productive bench player. After not even being a part of the rotation, he's hit double figures in 10 of his last 12 games and is averaging a crazy 13 points, six rebounds, 2.6 3-pointers and 1.0 block per game in his seven January contests. I don't fully trust him coming off the bench and Stan Van Gundy has been ripping his defense, but no one can argue with those numbers. He looks like an automatic pick up to me right now. Just know that he'll throw up an occasional dud from time to time.
Grant Hill Suns
Hill is back from a two-game absence with a sore knee and had 21 points, seven boards and a couple threes on Friday. That's substantially better than he had been doing before 'the trade,' but there's no reason he shouldn't get hot again as long as he can stay healthy.
Charlie Villanueva Pistons
Charlie V has pretty been a hit or miss fantasy player this season, but is suddenly hot again, averaging 16 points, five rebounds and two 3-pointers in his last two games. And with Rip sitting in street clothes until further notice, it should mean more minutes for CV. Just beware that he's unreliable, as coach John Kuester gave him 20 minutes or less in two straight games before turning him loose in the last three.
Ersan Ilyasova, Corey Maggette Bucks
As you know, I trust most Bucks about as far as I can throw them, including these two. Ilyasova is starting, while Maggette could end up in the first unit at anytime. Ilyasova's double-doubled in two of his last three games, while Maggette's had three nice games and two really bad ones in his last five. Both of these guys are worth a look, but they're also not trustworthy enough to be started on a regular basis. Like the Magic, the Bucks play four games a week until the All-Star break, so now's probably as good a time as ever to grab one of them.
Jason Thompson, Carl Landry Kings
Jason Thompson's last two lines basically sum up the big-man situation in Sacramento. He had 0 points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes on Friday, and then backed it up with 22 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes on Saturday. The bottom line is these two dudes are averaging the following numbers in January, making them worth a look. Good luck.
Thompson: 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 59% shooting
Landry: 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, 55% shooting
Centers
I'm going to assume that Roy Hibbert is already owned in your league.
DeAndre Jordan Clippers
Jordan had a quiet game against the Heat but is still playing well and we still have to see what Sunday brings. There's no guarantee Chris Kaman is going to get his job back when he's finally healthy and I think Jordan should be owned in almost all leagues until further notice.
Greg Monroe Pistons
Monroe saw his streak of double-doubles end at four on Friday but had 11 points and seven boards in his two games after the streak stopped. Kuester has finally turned him loose and Monroe looks like a completely different player than he did last summer. I picked him up wherever I could, and you should too.
Darko Milicic Timberwolves
Just as Darko was being left for dead in fantasy leagues all over the land, he's starting to show signs of life again. He's scored in double figures in three of his last four games and has hit double digits in rebounds in two of his last four. Add in the 12 blocks and four steals over that stretch, and he probably should have been in fantasy lineups last week. Yes, his field goal percentage is about as bad as it gets (like Roy Hibbert's FGP, or Brook Lopez's rebounding, or Chris Bosh's whining), and TOs remain a concern, but the rest of those numbers are pretty nice. Now let's see if he can stay healthy and keep it going.
Samuel Dalembert Kings
Sammy D finally got back into the rotation recently and has turned the Kings into a confusing front-line mess with DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson and Carl Landry also in the mix. But Sammy deserves a look after playing 18, 30 and 22 minutes in his last three games. Here are the lines.
12 points, 6 boards, 1 block, 18 minutes
8 points, 8 boards, 6 blocks, 30 minutes
8 points, 6 boards, 0 blocks, 22 minutes
Not game changing, but he's going to block a lot of shots if he's going to get 20-30 minutes a night.
Kwame Brown Bobcats
I think Kwame was on this list last Sunday and wrapped up his week on Saturday with a 12 & 14 double-double. He's not blocking shots, but is averaging around nine points and eight boards in January, and is starting over Nazr Mohammed. He's obviously a low-end option, but an option nonetheless.
Chuck Hayes Rockets
I'm not a big Hayes fan, but he's back and had 12 & 8 and 9 & 7 in his two games last week. He was playing well before he went down and is a much better player than he was a year ago. Again, a low-end option, but an option.
