by Joel Gibson

All season fantasy owners have been waiting for this. Playoffs are right around the corner. Teams that have been dominant all season may falter due to injuries or players on opposing teams stepping up. Now is the time to fortify your line-up and get the best possible chance to taste success in the postseason fantasy world.

Buy: Raptors Front Court: Andrea Bargnani appears to be out of the picture for the rest of the year. Both Valanciunas and Johnson have shown great promise this season. Now that coach Casey does not feel obligated to play Bargnani due to his large contract, they both should see extended minutes and production.

Valanciunas is not much of a scoring threat yet and his stats seem a little underwelming but he contributes nice value in blocks and rebounds. If you need another big guy (perhaps Stoudamire owners?) and he is on your waiver wire I would say he is a very solid grab.

Johnson on the other hand has been productive with his minutes all season. He is owned in most all leagues but may be undervalue. Take note that his minutes seem to be continuing to rise and should continue to do so. Look for Toronto to run extra plays for him to build his confidence and give him momentum going into next season. Read the rest of this entry »

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Here we go down the stretch run of the season. With roughly a little over a month to go before the season ends the playoff situation in fantasy leagues is heating up. Some leagues may be starting their playoffs this week while others are at least in final crucial weeks where playoff hopes are achieved or crushed.

If you don’t play in a head-to-head league and this playoff talk means nothing to you, don’t tune me out just yet. It’s crunch time for roto leagues as well. If you’re either just behind or just ahead in the standing this is the time to make your move, there is no more time to wait.

If you want a fantasy championship you have to go all out at this point in the season and that means paying close attention to scheduling and potential pickups from the waiver wire. Here are some guys I like this week who could be available in your league, or might be just sitting on your bench and should be in your starting lineup instead.

Jared Dudley – SG, Phoenix Suns: His ownership percentages have been on a steady decline these last couple of weeks as Dudley has struggled. This is the time to grab him though I think. Dudley his best work in March last year and he could be poised to do it again if he can regain his minutes from Wes Johnson, a feat which shouldn’t be too difficult. Read the rest of this entry »

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Last night was a really full night of games in the NBA. The action didn’t disappoint, at least in terms of fantasy basketball performances. There was a wide range of good performers last night and so we have a wide range of analysis. Let’s get on to it…

1. Nikola Vucevic – C, Orlando Magic: For a while last night it actually looked like the most improbable outcome of the season was about to happen. The Magic nearly beat the Heat in Miami. It wasn’t meant to be, but that’s not the fault of Nikola Vucevic who worked the Heat big men over for 25 points and 21 rebounds, even dishing out four assists for good measure. I don’t know if stardom is in the cards for Vucevic, but despite the fact that he is raking in numbers on a bad team which can be misleading, he has all the makings of being a solid double-double guy for a long time to come. He has tailed off slightly in the second half, but I really believe Vucevic has staying power in the NBA and in fantasy leagues.
2. Jeff Teague – PG, Atlanta Hawks: All of this talk about the Hawks losing their identity when Josh Smith leaves town is off base. We’ve seen the future of the Hawks on display the last few weeks and its Al Horford and Jeff Teague. And despite what the detractors may say, I think the future is pretty bright if the right moves are made. The fantasy future of Jeff Teague seems to look brighter by the game as well. Last night Teague looked phenomenal with his 27 points, 11 assists, three treys, a block and a steal. This was after spraining his ankle in a game just two days ago. Teague is only getting better and I really don’t think he’s hit his ceiling yet. We’ve seen glimpses of how good he can be, but it’s going to be something when he’s doing it regularly. Read the rest of this entry »

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by Joel Gibson

Winning in fantasy basketball is all about buying and selling players at the right time. It is essential to always be on the lookout for frustrated owners who are willing to sell low on their stars and to sell your weakest pieces when they are playing their best. Here are some recommendations.

Buy: Dwayne Wade: SG, Miami Heat: For those of you owners who held on to Wade all season and dealt with his ups and downs I applaud you.  It appears that Wade has played his way back into form and is back to being the fantasy monster he once was.

Also, Wade is shooting the ball extremely well for the season. Keep this in mind if you are discouraged with his future scoring output as points tend to be over-valued and efficiency will get over looked.

Prying Wade away from owners who have sat on him will be difficult. Your best bet it to find someone who traded for him earlier in the season at a low price and is looking to cash in on him now. See if you cannot still buy him low by with a pitch based on his efficiency coming  back down and inconsistency. Read the rest of this entry »

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Last night was one of those nights where no one really blew you away with their stat line, but there were several really good players for the night. From former stars like Amar’e, to current stars like LaMarcus Aldridge, to future stars like Derrick Favors.

Here is the rundown of all the action:

1.       Amar’e Stoudemire – PF, New York Knicks: Hopefully more news will come out today about Carmelo Anthony who hurt his knee last night early on in the game last night and didn’t return. As of right now there is no indication on the severity, but it could have a big impact if it’s serious. We saw Amar’e Stoudemire take over last night in his absence playing 32 minutes which is the most he has played all season. Amar’e was 10 – 15 from the field for 22 points along with six rebounds and a blocked shot. No Carmelo means a big hole on the offensive side of the ball and chances are Amar’e will get some extra run to try and fill that void.

2.       Derrick Favors – PF, Utah Jazz: I think we are starting to get a pretty good idea of what Derrick Favors is going to be capable of when he has a full time starting gig in the NBA. With Al Jefferson out last night he played 30 minutes and had a very impressive 23 points, 15 rebounds, a block and a steal. Two games ago when he got a start he had 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. Because he’s been sitting on the bench for a few years I think people might be forgetting how much potential Favors has. I think if he was seeing 30 – 35 minutes per game he’d be averaging 15 and 10 at the very least. If you play in a keeper league you and you’re out of the running for a title, target this guy. I would almost guarantee that Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap is not in Utah next season and Favors is starting in their place. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Miami Heat and LeBron James looked vulnerable for a while yesterday, but in the end LBJ got the best of the Knicks with another huge performance. That was just the start of the day which produced a bunch of good fantasy basketball performances. Here is the rundown:

1. LeBron James – SF, Miami Heat: The awesomeness of LeBron James is so commonplace now that we forget just how awesome what we’re watching really is. Despite getting off to a slow start yesterday LeBron turned it around to finish the game with 29 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot. This was the seventh time in eight games that LeBron has recorded at least a double-double with either double digit points or assists. He’s hit double-digits in assists four times in eight games and double-digits in rebounds four times in eight games. He’s also recorded two steals or more in nine of ten games. This guy is a machine who churns out not just solid fantasy lines every game, but spectacular fantasy lines every time he’s on the court. It’s absolutely amazing.
2. Chandler Parsons – SF, Houston Rockets: Don’t look now, but Chandler Parsons is heating up once again. Parsons has been solid all season with moments of pure awesomeness. Last night he was completely unstoppable going 12 – 13 from the field against the Dallas Mavericks and 6 – 7 from long distance for a total of 32 points. He has scored 20 or more in four straight games now and has a combined 16 three-pointers in these four games. The Rockets love that run and gun style and Parsons gets so many good looks in this offense it’s incredible. This guy is no flash in the pan, Parsons is the real deal and he’s going to be a fantasy producer for a while to come. Read the rest of this entry »

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by Ray Kuhn

Just because the trading deadline has passed, that does not mean that there will be no more player movement.  We can now start evaluate players in their new situations and react accordingly.  But we know have the season of the 10-day contract season, Kenyon Martin kicked it off, but that does not mean that many fantasy relevant players will be signed.  With that said, let’s take a look at some options that could help your fantasy team this week.

• DeAndre Jordan, 48.6%: Jordan is still owned in just about half of the leagues, and frankly I am not sure why there are more than 50% of leagues that he is available in.  If Jordan were a forward, I would totally understand since he is only averaging 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.  But this more about the fact that Jordan is a center and positional scarcity should come into play.  He does not stand out from the pack, but Jordan is on a good team with a good point guard and at the very least is a dependable producer with a little upside.  At this point going into the playoffs, and that should count for something. Read the rest of this entry »

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There were a lot of big performances last night from all over the place. Some huge scoring games like Curry’s, some big time boards like Tyson Chandler and some all-around masterpieces like Andre Iguodala.

Here is the rundown of all of it and more:

1. DeMar DeRozan – SG, Toronto Raptors: It was easy to assume that Rudy Gay would put a hurting on the fantasy value of DeMar DeRozan. It hasn’t even come close to doing that though really. DeRozan netted 25 points last night with four rebounds, a block and a steal. DeRozan’s averaging 18.5 points and 3.4 assists per game in February. Both of those numbers are up for his season average. DeRozan is still getting big minutes and has topped 20 points or more in four of his last six games, mixing in another 18 point game in there too. More importantly he is shooting 44% or better in five of those six games when shot selection has been a big problem for him in the past. You still aren’t getting threes, but DeRozan is still scoring and so he still has value.
2. Stephen Curry – PG, Golden State Warriors: The monster season of Stephen Curry continued last night as he absolutely torched the Knicks, despite the Warriors loss. Curry scored a career-high 54 points last night including going 11 – 13 from beyond the arc. Read that again, he attempted 13 threes and made 11 of them! This was like a three-point contest by the big time point guard. Curry is a top ten player so far this season, he’s proving he can stay healthy and he’s proving how awesome he can be when he can stay healthy. Read the rest of this entry »

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by Joel Gibson

The trade deadline was a disappointment for most fantasy owners this season. For those who stashed away Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, I feel your pain. Utah reportedly called San Antonio today wondering if they were still interested in Al Jefferson and were shocked to hear the deadline had already passed.

For those of you who gambled on traded for Favors or Kanter, safer bets rarely come along.  However, they are bets and sometimes things just do not happen the way they should.  Regardless, several players remain on the rise for the second half the season and several players will see digression in their production.

Buy: Jeff Green: SF/PF, Boston Celtics: Green has all the tools to be a very successful NBA player. He has elite athleticism, strength, ability to finish around the rim and a good catch and release jumper.

Celtics captain Paul Peirce has put the Celtics on his back since Rondo went down.  Pierce owners have no doubt enjoyed the increase in his peripheral stats but have got to be frustrated with his percentage dips. Read the rest of this entry »

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On a night with only a few games it seems more beneficial to look at fantasy basketball as a whole rather than just the games played last night. Playoffs are closing in on us and soaking up as much knowledge as you possibly can is vital at this point. I have for you here some of the best links on the internet to better your fantasy basketball knowledge:

• One of the things I look forward to every week is reading Brian McKittish’s ‘Weekly Dish.’ This week McKittish draws attention to some fun numbers while also giving us his Top 130, a list he keeps all season long. I don’t always agree, but it’s a good read.
• This one was done a few days ago, but The Fake Basketball put together a nice little midseason list of the guys who have exceeded expectations so far and the guys have fallen below expectations so far. If nothing else it’s a fun one.
• Need some more trade deadline fallout discussion? Rick Kamla of NBA.com covers his winners and losers from the deadline. Kamla does a nice job of discussing the ripple effects of the trades that were and also the trades that were not. Read the rest of this entry »

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