Fantasy Highlights
Spencer Hawes (C, PHI)It doesn't matter who starts, what matters is who finishes the game. With the loss of super sub Lou Williams, Spencer Hawes looks like he will be that spark off the bench. Crowd went crazy with every one of Hawes' five blocks, and he finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two assists. Best part of his line? Hitting 2-of-3 three-point attempts. It must be the beard.
James Harden (SG/SF, HOU)
Talk about announcing your arrival. James Harden had a monster debut for Houston, posting a whopping 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals, a block, and four three pointers. You must forgive him for being a volume shooter, but 14/25 is not such a bad shooting clip. Harden owners hit the jackpot when he got traded to Houston, and this game is a testament to that.
Kyle Lowry (PG, TOR)
Different uniform, same production. Kyle Lowry won over the starting gig in Toronto and delivered a sterling performance, with 21 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, five steals and only two turnovers. Talk about efficiency. He also added two three-pointers to round up his night.
Joakim Noah (C, CHI)
An impressive showing by Noah as he finishes off with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 11 of 12 shooting from the line, six of 12 from the field, with three blocks and five steals. Those are the numbers expected from Noah, and as long as he's healthy, he will deliver those kinds of numbers on a consistent basis.
Buy Low Options:
Dwight Howard (C, LAL)
Despite the loss, Dwight came up with a big performance for the Lakers, as he posted 33 points, 14 rebounds, a steal, and a block. While these are the numbers expected from Howard, a big plus that should make owners happy is the 15-of-19 shooting clip from the line. If he can keep up that improved shooting from the line, he can prove to be a better fantasy stud than he already is.
Buy Low Options
Paul George (SG/SF, IND)
Huge line for Paul George posting 14 points 15 rebounds and five assists. However, he did it without shooting a three-pointer, no steals, and five turnovers. While the boards are a welcome addition, the lack of steals and threes from George does not help owners who picked him up for those cats. If you're an owner, don't let go of him easy, as he will get his numbers especially with Danny Granger out. If you're looking for an upgrade at the SG spot, you might want to try and buy him low from impatient owners and offer a package with 3's and defense.
Kenneth Faried (PF, DEN)
It's not actually Faried's fault that he's at the dud section of this article. What should be a career year for him started off hot, but finished with a "meh" as he played only 17 minutes and shot an atrocious 3/9 from the field. His minutes got eaten up by a mix of JaVale Mcgee (relatively efficient 7 boards and three blocks in 18 minutes), Corey Brewer (equally atrocious 3/9, five turnovers but got 27 minutes) and Wilson Chandler (20 minutes and a painful 2/8 from the field) for reasons only George Karl can understand. Maybe they want to give the "Manimal" a short leash so that when they let him go, he'd just attack. Risky trade option considering the rotation Karl employed, but upside is always there for a player with his talent.
Players to Consider:
Roy Hibbert (C, IND)If you're looking for blocks, Hibbert may be a player worth looking at. He had five blocks in the game to go along with 14 points and nine rebounds. With David West looking like he'll get most of the touches on offense, expect Hibbert to be more of a contributor on hustle stats. He might be sold too high by owners, as he is probably one of the best centers in the East, so better make sure that you don't trade up too much for him.
Jeremy Lin (PG, HOU)
Lin's fantasy value took a hit when Houston got Harden, as the latter will dominate the ball on offense, thus adversely affecting Lin's scoring and assist numbers. But his defense is and has always been there. At one point during his rookie season at Golden State, he led the league in steals with three per game playing mostly during garbage time. He finished with four steals today, which means he could still be an option to trade for if you're in need of steals.
Tyreke Evans (SG/SF, SAC)
After being outplayed last season by Marcus Thornton and rookie Isaiah Thomas for the point guard spot, Evans was moved up to the SF spot but never really looked comfortable. The potential to be a 20-5-5 player he showed during his rookie season seemed to be lost. However, after playing 39 minutes today despite the presence of Thornton, Thomas and newly-acquired Aaron Brooks, it looks like he'll have a chance to show his wares again. He finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists with only two turnovers. Here's a guy to consider if you're looking for rebounds at the guard spot.
Kawhi Leonard (SG/SF, SAS)
Pop may have found a more gifted version of Bruce Bowen in Kawhi Leonard. He's an excellent defender and a pretty decent spot up shooter and has range, that's probably why he's getting a lot of playing time in this relatively aging Spurs lineup. He had 19 points with three three-pointers, seven rebounds and five steals. He will give blocks from time to time, but not this night. Playing 34 minutes might not be a regular thing for Pop, but lines like these are times when you can sell high on Leonard if you're not convinced he will play this much on a consistent basis.
Derrick Favors (PF/C, UTA)
Looking to add depth to your bench? The former second overall pick of the then-New Jersey Nets is getting improved playing time, and is actually performing decently through preseason and in their season opener. In the Jazz win over the Mavs, Favors had six points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in just 17 minutes of play. For deeper leagues, those could be solid numbers to complement a big man stats-oriented team.
Under the Radar Picks:
Kosta Koufos (C, DEN, 5% owned in Y!Fantasy)The starting Center for the Nuggets is an energy guy more than anything. Though not as expensive as JaVale McGee, Coach Karl seems to like Koufos enough to keep him on the floor despite a myriad of options up front and the choice to play small ball. He will not look for shots, but he could be a quick fix for big man stats, as he finished with nine boards, a steal, and a block in 29 minutes of play. He won't hurt your FG% and since he doesn't usually look for his shots, FT% won't take so much of a hit either.
Taj Gibson (PF, CHI, 15% owned in Y!Fantasy)
With the exit of Omer Asik, the backup big role falls solely on Taj Gibson. He won't get a lot of minutes, but with the minutes he gets, he will perform. He had just four points, but had five boards and four blocks in just 19 minutes of play. He's a quick fix for blocks if you're in need of some.
Al-Farouq Aminu (SF, NOH, 8% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Aminu was one of the important pieces New Orleans wanted to get in a package together with Eric Gordon as a return from the Chris Paul trade. Today's showing is probably the reason why. Aminu put up 17 points on 8 of 17 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks to fill up the stat sheet. He was a promising prospect back in Los Angeles, but didn't get much playing time with Trevor Ariza at the SF spot. That spot is now his for the taking, and should be able to get these kinds of numbers from time to time.
Brandan Wright (PF, DAL, 4% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Kaman and Dirk are still out, and Brandan Wright is still starting out of position as Center for the Mavs. Leading up to draft night in 2007, Wright was seen as an intriguing prospect with a long wingspan playing both the forward spots. While he never really got the chance to fulfill his potential since being drafted, the early frontcourt injuries by Dallas looks like the golden opportunity Wright is waiting for. He had a nice showing in Dallas' win against the Lakers (14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, five rebounds, three blocks in just 19 minutes of play), but to follow that up with another fine performance of 15 points (7-of-8 shooting) three boards and two blocks. Safe to say that when the German duo comes back, Wright will get more burn as a reserve than Eddy Curry (so much for trying that comeback), with Jae Crowder (Eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, 2-of-6 from three) probably his best competition.
Carlos Delfino (SG/SF, HOU, 11% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Sure, Delfino wouldn't get much burn in minutes, but with Harden attracting so much attention, he needs good shooters around to kick out to when he gets trapped attacking the rim. Delfino shot 5-of-6 three pointers for 15 points and had seven rebounds in just 23 minutes of play. He can form a small lineup with Asik in the middle, Chandler Parsons playing the PF spot, and Delfino, Harden and Lin forming a tall three-guard lineup. A bit one-dimensional quick fix for three-point shooting.
Carl Landry (SF/PF, GSW, 6% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Andrew Bogut looks fat and out of shape, and historically, he's an injury risk. Given this, and with the performance Carl Landry put up of 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes of action, he should be the first option off the bench to spell for Bogut or David Lee. More minutes could give you more boards, good FG%, and some defensive stats.
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