Fantasy Picker: Week 4 in Review

Educated guesses are always grounded on something. Dumb luck could also be a factor, but in order to come up with logical or reasonable guesses, one must have taken controlled variables into consideration. This writer, for example, grounds his guesses on past performances compared with historical numbers to weigh in on potential numbers.

For the past week, I've compiled notable stat lines to check out top fantasy performers for the week. The purpose of these past week reviews is to help you determine which players you may consider to trade for if you need help in areas they may be contributing significantly in. I also included matchups, so that you'd see which opponents allowed such big games to happen, just to give you an idea what you'd expect when your players meet these teams. 

Top Weekly Points Total - 37

Awardees: Kevin Durant (at PHI), Carmelo Anthony (vs NOH), Paul George (vs NOH)

Would you look at that, three players reaching the same score in the same week. Durant and Melo have been on a scoring tear this week, and Paul George having a career night against New Orleans.  

Honorable Mentions: Kevin Love (34 vs DEN), Ryan Anderson (34 at PHX), Andrea Bargniani (34 at DET), James Harden (33 at NYK)

Top Weekly Rebounds Total - 19

Awardees: Carlos Boozer (at MIL), Anderson Varejao (vs PHI), David Lee (vs DAL)

Boozer's 19 boards came with 22 points, and that has been the highlight of his week, posting pedestrian numbers for someone of his caliber. Varejao had double digit rebounds in each of his three games this week, which is expected from such a high energy guy like him. Lee seems to be picking up his game, going back to his old double-double self. 

Honorable Mentions: Chris Bosh (18 vs MIL), John Henson (18 at MIA)

Top Weekly Assist Total -16

Awardee: Rajon Rondo (vs OKC and at ORL)

Rondo is on a double-digit assist tear as of late, as he already tied John Stockton for most consecutive games with double digit assists at 17. When his streak looked in peril, he was put in a lost game possibly to pad his stats. It probably isn't a crime to aim for a record, so I think Rondo may be forgiven. It's not as if he's intentionally shooting bricks to rebound the ball to get a triple double. 

Honorable Mention: Greivis Vasquez (14 at PHX)

Top Weekly Steals Total - 7 

Awardee: Chris Paul (at ATL)

If there's one thing to be taken positively out of Atlanta's demolition of the Clippers, it probably is CP3's lineof 19 points five rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. It was a quiet seven steals that the announcers didn't even notice until Paul sat down for good with little time left in the fourth. 

Honorable Mention: Byron Mullens (6 vs ATL) 

Top Weekly Blocks Total - 11

Awardee: Roy Hibbert (vs NOH)

This was Roy Hibbert's triple-double game, as he finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds as well. This was after blocking four shots the previous game against Washington. He's a good source of blocks, but he's doing it against weaker teams. At least he's not that foul prone anymore. 

Honorable Mentions: Mike Dunleavy (4 at CHA), Dwight Howard (4 vs BKN), Robin Lope (4 at IND and DEN), Josh Smith (4 vs WAS), David West (4 vs WAS), Deron Williams (4 vs POR)

Top Weekly Three Points Made - 9

Awardee: Paul George (vs NOH)

Paul George makes his second appearance in this week's highlights, as he torched the Hornets on his way to a career-high 37 points. Needless to say, this was his highlight for the week. We expect more from George especially with Danny Granger still sidelined. 

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Anderson (8 of 13 at PHX), Carmelo Anthony (7 of 12 in HOU)

Fantasy Line of the Week

Kevin Durant

37 pts 8 rebs 5 asts 4 stls 3blks 2 tos 10-for-22 FG 2-for-6 three pointers 15-for-17 free throws in PHI

No one in the NBA filled the stat sheet better than Durant in that game against Philly. He did pretty much everything while shooting almost 50% from the field, and committing only two turnovers. He also had a pretty good week in the scoring department, and he's increased his three point shooting attempts, after taking less of it to start the year. I don't imagine owners letting him go, so this highlight does nothing more to us non-owners but salivate at his fantasy production. 

That's It? Line of the Week

Elton Brand

0 pts 4 rebs 1ast 1 blk 1 to vs LAL

Brand must have had the worst fantasy week for a marquee name. His line against the Lakers was his worst for the week, and the others weren't that much better. For a guy you expect to carry a huge responsibility with Dirk Nowitzki out, Brand has been a disappointment to the point that owners might even consider dropping him. Brand owners shouldn't be offended if they are given low ball offers for him, because he's not helping himself out. 

Redemption Player of the Week

James Harden

6 pts 2 rebs 3ast 1-for-6 FG 1 three pointer at UTA

since: 30.5 pts 4.0 rebs 6.0 asts 3.5 stls 0.5 blks 52% FG, 6 for 12 three pointers, vs NYK and CHI

Harden was a hot fantasy player starting the season off with a bang. He slowed down for a bit, and had his worst outing in a regular season game for Houston in Utah as he had his dud line. However, he bounced back nicely in their wins against New York and Chicago to defend their homecourt. 

Weekly Notables:

- Gerald Wallace had 7 points 5 rebounds 2 assists 5 steals and 3 rebounds against the Lakers. These aren't eye-popping stats, but he filled out the stat sheet nicely. Nice glue guy to have on the team.

- Speaking of non-eye popping stats, how about Jason Kidd making 17 points by shooting 5 threes, grabbing 6 boards, dishing 5 assists, and having 5 steals in his homecoming in Dallas? He's been pretty consistent, with across the board stats in limited minutes. 

- On the consistency note, Metta World Peace is holding his own in that loaded Lakers lineup. He's shooting the ball well, is making a lot of threes, and has scored in double digits in every game except his first this season. 

- David West is stepping up for the under-performing Roy Hibbert and Paul George, going for 30 points, 8 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks against Washington. You know he can score and probably grab some boards, so the blocks turned out to be bonuses for owners. He was also 10-for-10 at the line, which you love for a big man.

- Anderson Varejao is doing to rebounds what Kevin Durant is doing in the points category. He had 19, 17 and 15 last week, which he does almost all the time that you're just used to seeing him grab double digit rebounds every game.

- For assists, Rajon Rondo is doing that thing Varejao and Durant are doing. He's now had 37 consecutive games with at least 10 assists.  

- Zaza Pachulia had a big game against the Clippers, with 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting with 12 rebounds. With the lineup of Zaza in the middle, Horford at PF and Josh Smith at SF working so well against the Clippers, maybe they'd try that combination more often. If that's the case, Zaza could be a nice addition to your roster in need of rebounds. 

- Rookie Jonas Valanciunas of Toronto had a pretty solid week, grabbing boards, blocking shots, and shooting the ball well. If he keeps this up, he just might hold off Amir Johnson and Ed Davis for the starting gig. He needs to stay off foul trouble though.

- Deron Williams had four blocks in Dallas. I don't think it'll be a norm though. 

- Ditto John Henson's 18 rebounds. As a fellow fantasy player said, "nobody understands Milwaukee's rotation". 

- Chandler Parsons had a pretty nice week, playing James Harden's sidekick in Houston. His best effort came at the expense of the Knicks as he finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds 4 assists, 4 steals, one block, 13-for-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. All these happening while "Linsanity" is riding the bench in 4th quarters for Houston.

- Byron Mullens was like a diesel engine last week, starting off a bit slow the first two games (but grabbing 9 and 8 rebounds) before taking six steals in their game against Atlanta, and going for 27 points on 5-for-10 three point shooting with 8 rebounds in a double OT game against Toronto.

- Kevin Love is the anti-Mullens for the week. He had a big comeback performance going 34 and 14 (2 threes) against Denver, 24-13 (3 steals) in Portland, and 15 and 15 in Golden State. Moving forward, there's the hope that he doesn't continue this "downward" trend. 

- Luis Scola is riding the Phoenix bench in favor of Markieff Morris. Needless to say, he had a pretty bad fantasy week. Hopefully, he picks up his game this week.

- Ersan Ilyasova is struggling as a starter. A move back to the bench might be helpful for him. If today's game is any indication, the second statement might be accurate, as he led the Bucks' second unit to a victory in arguably his best game of the season. 

- Andrea Bargniani had a pretty nice scoring week, until the Spurs visited and held him to four points on 2-of-19 shooting.

- Jose Calderon's numbers are fluctuating. But that was an expected risk when the Raptors acquired Kyle Lowry in the offseason. Owners could only wish Lowry gets shelved again.

- How badly does teamwork need to work for Cleveland without their franchise player? Eight of nine players fielded by Cleveland scored at least 10 points to almost win the game against Miami. That's why they're a good team to look at when acquiring under-the-radar players.

- There was a Lamar Odom sighting for the Clippers against Oklahoma. Odom finished with four points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes of play. Maybe he's earning a spot in the rotation? With Matt Barnes and Caron Butler alternating at the SF spot, he'd only get increased playing time if Blake Griffin learns how to defend better. Otherwise, DeAndre Jordan needs to stay on the floor to anchor the defense. 

- The backcourt rotation of Ramon Sessions, Kemba Walker, and Jeff Taylor have been a productive bunch for Charlotte, similar to Festus Ezeli and Carl Landry holding their own down low while Andrew Bogut is still out. 

- David Lee is returning to double-double machine form. It'll be interesting to see if he could keep it up when Bogut returns. 

Fantasy Picker: Fantasy Week 5

The thing about Fantasy ball is that you usually know who you want to get, who you need to get, but can't because they're usually in someone else's roster. And lineups are usually grounded on right gambles. For example, who among Kevin Love owners actually had Kevin Love in their lineup for this week? Heck, even T-Wolves fans in attendance were surprised when Love was a game time decision.

Same principle applies to waiver wire pick ups and patience. Do you bank on potential breakout over struggling superstar? I have Josh Smith on my team now and I get the craziest offers for him, because he's been on a downward spiral and a great buy low option especially if his owner's team is struggling, as in my case. For temporary respite, I'd probably consider trading for him now, so that I can use the replacement next week, when the Hawks play just two games. If I can't let go of him by Saturday, I guess I'd just hold on to him and hope for the best for my team.

While Fantasy Guru Rick Kamla and other fantasy writers may give you advise on who to pick up, who to drop, who to play, and who to bench, it really is up to owners if they'd gamble on our educated guesses.

So, on to Week 5 schedule:

*Highlighted in Yellow are teams playing the most games this week.

*Highlighted in Red are teams playing the least games this week

How crappy is it that Miami is playing just two games for the second straight week? Atlanta and Golden State also have only two games this week, so you should plan accordingly on who to sit. With relatively easy schedules on the road for Atlanta, the troika of Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Jeff Teague should be worth a roster spot if you don't have better alternative options. Same goes for LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and a now healthy Dwayne Wade who'll figure to have plenty of minutes against Brooklyn and San Antonio. For Golden State, it seems like David Lee is getting his groove back, Steph Curry is balling and the verdict is out on who will get more shots up; emerging rookie Harrison Barnes or sweet-shooting sophomore Klay Thompson.

Points/Three Point FG

Jason Kidd (PG/SG, NYK)

19-for-36 3pts 8.3ppg

Watching Jason Kidd orchestrate for the Nets back then was fun to watch. You'd think he'd be boring to see considering his physique, but his passes were mind-boggling. He wasn't that great of a shooter, though, and that is why Jason Kidd is one of the truly great ball players I've watched. He is almost exclusively a three point specialist now, transforming his game so that he can still be effective despite his age. The old guy's shooting 50% from three, and through 10 games, he's got just six turnovers against 33 assists. He's still almost 39% available in Y!Fantasy leagues, so if you're in need of consistent numbers with some threes and Kidd's available, he shouldn't be. 

Rasheed Wallace (PF/C, BKN)9-for-32 3pts 4.4 rpg 4% owned

I am buying in to the 'Sheed hype. It looked like he was going to be a joke in New York after his poor performance in Boston last season, but he's really working hard for his minutes now with the Knicks. The Knicks rely on their threes as much as they do on second half defense to win games, and 'Sheed contributes to both. He could anchor a small lineup of Kidd, Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, and Carmelo Anthony for an offense-heavy lineup. I think he's a better pick than the struggling Steve Novak just because he gives more rebounds and adds swag to the team on the floor. With a pretty easy schedule towards the end of the week, he could get some bigger floor time. 

Gary Neal (PG/SG, SAS)

9.9ppg 8-for-23 3pts 5% owned

This is a risky pick, but if you're in desperate need of three point shooters in a deep league, Gary Neal should be worth a look. He's a fairly good shooter, and he should figure to have minutes off the bench with both Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson out for a while. He should split limited minutes with Patty Mills spelling for Tony Parker at the point, or have Danny Green and Manu play the SF position to get Neal the SG spot. Pop is known to shuffle his bench to distribute minutes, and with four games in the upcoming week, Neal should get around 20mins per game.

Rebounds

Andray Blatche (PF/C, BKN)
5.3rpg 8.9ppg 6% owned

While Reggie Evans made an appearance on this part last week, Blatche may also be worth a look. He's a better scorer than Evans (heck Enrico Villanueva is a better scorer than Evans), and he gets a decent amount of rebounds off the bench. He's a bit of a risky pick with Brook Lopez actually working on the glass now, and Kris Humphries doing his thing, so he could get minutes if he plays well enough. He doesn't shoot a lot of threes, but he's got a pretty decent FG% and should be a nice complement in a team with these stats already (points, rebounds, FG%, FT%)

Tiago Splitter (PF/C, SAS)
3.5rpg 8.1ppg, 4% owned

With Tim Duncan playing like it's 2001 or something, Splitter hasn't had enough time to run the floor. Still, he's the future for the Spurs, and they wouldn't let him rot in the bench while waiting for Duncan to finally call it quits. When he's on the floor, he's been a pretty potent scorer, and he chooses his shots well, so you shouldn't worry about FG%. There's a back to back on the road in Florida as they play Orlando and Miami. If Pop still doesn't let Timmy play back to backs, Splitter just may be able to get majority of the minutes in the Orlando game where he'll be matched up with Big Baby instead of Dwight.

Markieff Morris (PF, PHX)
4.8rpg 8.6ppg, 6% owned

Morris got the starting gig from Scola after an impressive showing in the Suns loss to Miami. If he stays in the starting lineup, he'd give points and boards, but not much else. Their three of their four upcoming games are against teams with energy guys up front, so it might pose a challenge for the sophomore forward.

Tristan Thompson (PF/C, CLE)
8.7rpg 9.2ppg, 31% owned

Anderson Varejao's energy seems to have rubbed off on the sophomore. Thompson has grabbed double digit rebounds in each of his last three games and has been scoring pretty well.

Assists

Jeremy Pargo (PG, CLE)
4ast 28pts 5rebs 4-for-8 3pts, 19% owned vs PHI

It might be a bit rash to add him immediately after a big game, but that big game just earned him valuable minutes from Coach Byron Scott. Even as a backup, he'd be able to distribute the ball to teammates, especially if defenses collapse on him after his impressive offensive showing against Philly. If you're not buying in to the buzz Pargo created against Philly, Donald Sloan and Daniel Gibson should be possible picks for Cleveland's four game trip. Coach Scott will have to shuffle his guards, as they will go up against defensive specialists in Mike Conley (MEM) and Jeff Teague (ATL) and possible defensive nightmares Goran Dragic (PHX) and Damian Lillard (POR).

Jamaal Tinsley (PG, UTA)
5.3apg 1.6rpg, 1% owned

There's a reason why he's just 1% owned, and that's because he can't do much else other than pass the ball. And he's playing for playing time against Randy Foye and Mo Williams, and with weapons like Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson up front, he really just needs to put the ball in their hands wherever they're comfortable. This is another specialty pick, for teams in desperate need for assists and has other cats won.

Steals/Blocks

Alonzo Gee (SF/SF, CLE)
1.9spg 0.6bpg, 30% owned

Gee's one of those truly under the radar players that could be a great glue guy to your team. He has the consistent minutes, and he can fill out the stat sheets on any given night. With the Cavs needing contributions wherever they can, Gee should see a bump up in scoring. If the last three games are any indication of things to come for him, he should be a hot waiver wire pick up soon.

Jermaine O'Neal (C, PHX)
1.5bpg 4.3 rpg, 3% owned

Speaking of big men trying to make a comeback after a failed campaign in Celtic green, O'Neal's playing pretty well as of late, scoring in double digits in each of the last three games. He's also grabbed at least 4 rebounds in all the games that he's played this season, and he still has those defensive instincts to make him block shots on a regular basis despite the reduced minutes and playing behind emerging big man Marcin Gortat.

Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM)
1.8spg 0.6bpg,37% owned

Allen's more of a specialty pick. He won't give you much, but you're sure to get some steals from him every game. He's not the best shooter, but he can slash to score. He'll help in defensive cats, give rebounds, and occasionally score points.

Overtime:

- The list looks like it has a too much Cleveland players. I guess it can't be helped. Anytime you lose your franchise player, the team's tendency is to look for production elsewhere.

- Detroit's lineup is a mess. The only sure thing for the Pistons is that Greg Monroe will get rebounds. Their guards are rotating, with Kyle Singler actually emerging to compete for minutes against Rodney Stuckey, Brandon Knight, and the seemingly lost in rotation Will Bynum. Andre Drummond and Jason Maxiell have their moments, but their performances fluctuate as often as a politician's lie detector test.

- Brooklyn plays their starters pretty heavily. Pretty difficult to gamble on their bench players to drastically improve your team, but they would make nice complementary players for an already steady lineup.

- Ditto Portland. Their starters could play 30+ minutes per game each.

- Oklahoma has a 6-man rotation going on, with Kevin Martin being the only guy off the bench who can get enough playing time to be a factor. Kendrick Perkins gets significant playing time, but doesn't contribute enough to warrant fantasy consideration. Too bad scowls don't count in the stat sheets.

- How fun is it to be a Durant owner right now? He got his first career triple double because he's getting more assists this year. He's shooting less threes, but at least he's getting nice FG%.

- Speaking of old guys trying to make a comeback after an unsuccessful run in a Boston uniform, Jermaine O'Neal is doing pretty well. He's scored double digit points over the last three games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in all the games he's played this season. He's also blocking some shots in a reserve role.

- Roy Hibbert got his first career triple double by blocking 11 shots. 11 blocks!

Fantasy Picker: Picking the Week

I feel bad about missing my daily fantasy watch, and writing about it now won't make the stuff that happened new. Still, this fantasy picker has not taken time off from looking at fantasy numbers. The eight Kemba Walker steals, the seven Marcin Gortat and Serge Ibaka blocks (for Serge, he followed that up with six the next game), the Greg Monroe triple double, and O.J. Mayo's three-point shooting spree have not been lost to this writer. 

With three weeks in to the fantasy season, rosters have already been set, with teams either looking for minimal tweaks on their lineup to stay on top, or looking to build teams through waivers and trades. For aggressive managers, looking at the weekly schedule may help to pick up possible players on the waiver wire  that may have more games than other teams. Here's a look at the upcoming week schedule:

Looking at the upcoming week's schedule, Chicago, Memphis, and Miami all have just two games coming up. For Miami, you'd want to have LeBron James or Chris Bosh in the lineup if you have a rather shallow bench. Same goes for Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol for Memphis. For Chicago, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and (the under-performing) Luol Deng should warrant a roster spot despite the lack of games. Other than the said players, you may want to check out waiver pick ups or your bench players. 

Points/ Three-Point FG

Kyle Korver (SG/SF, ATL, 22% owned in Y!Fantasy)
9.3 ppg 15-for-38 three-point shooting

Korver started the year slow, and has been inconsistent at best. He's still playing ahead of reigning sixth man of the year Lou Williams and former all-star Devin Harris. With Harris out, Korver has slowly become a sneaky pick to supplement threes, with at least one game. He can also help you out with steals as he is averaging 1.1 steals per game. 

Stephen Jackson (SG/SF, SAS, 5% owned in Y!Fantasy)

8.3ppg 15-for-22 three-point shooting 

Pop knows how to shuffle his bench, which makes his team really frustrating to read in fantasy ball. Kawhi Leonard is a do-it-all kind of player, but he doesn't usually get his minutes. Boris Diaw started the season as the starting center for the team, and now is playing minimal minutes off the bench. Now, Captain Jack is actually quite effective in his limited minutes off the bench, and when he's hot, he really lights up the scoreboard. He may be a risk to pick up, as they have three road games, which means more minutes need to be distributed evenly. At about 24 minutes per game, he'll give you threes when he's hot, some rebounds when possible, and some steals if his head's into the game. 

Metta World Peace (SF/PF, LAL, 34% owned in Y!Fantasy)

11.8ppg 15-for-48 three-point shooting

MWP may look like a filler for a team with four all-stars, but he's holding his own, averaging in double-digit points so far this season. He seems to have a green light on three-pointers, hitting at least one a game, and throwing a lot of shots up. If he gets to keep it up, those shots might fall eventually. He's no slouch on rebounds either. Still, those numbers are from the Mike Brown system. The D'Antoni system might bloat this or completely render this useless.

Caron Butler (SF, LAC, 25% owned in Y!Fantasy)

16.1ppg 14-for-28 three-point shooting

What Butler brings to the table, you can get from a bunch of other players. He's a starter, but only plays about 20 minutes a game. If he plays a little more defense, maybe he'd be given more of the minutes allocated for Matt Barnes. Still, he's hitting his threes, and if you need help in that area, Butler should be worth a roster spot.  

Rebounds

Reggie Evans (PF, BKN, 1% owned in Y!Fantasy)

7.1rpg 66% FG 

This is more of a specialty pick. If your team is in desperate need for rebounds, Evans could be a great help for your cause. He doesn't do much of anything, but he won't hurt your field goal percentage. 

Amir Johnson (PF/C, TOR, 7% owned in Y!Fantasy)

6.8rpg 1.2spg

Rookie Jonas Valanciunas is the team's starter, but foul trouble seems to be keeping him at limited minutes. Not to mention he's competing with Ed Davis and the man on the topic, Amir Johnson. Davis can't seem to get his break, and is playing the serviceable 3rd Center role, while Amir is playing with a lot of energy off the bench, much like he did last year. He's grabbing a lot of boards, and the 14 he grabbed in the triple overtime loss to the Jazz could be a season high so far, but he's capable of going for nights like that. 

Assists 

Ramon Sessions (PG/SG, CHA, 48% owned in Y!Fantasy)

4.6apg 16ppg

It might be a stretch if he's still available in deep leagues, but he's the steadying factor in the Charlotte backcourt. Though the team seems to have given the keys to the franchise to young guys like Kemba Walker and Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist, Sessions is getting major floor time because of his veteran smarts. Expect assists and points from him. 

Blocks

Robin Lopez (C, NOH, 38% owned in Y!Fantasy)

2.0bpg 5.8rpg

His playing time is dipping, with Ryan Anderson finally emerging and Anthony Davis being given the heavy minutes, but he's effective when he's on the floor. He's blocking at least one shot per game and is the better rebounding twin. It must be the 'fro.

Kosta Koufos (C, DEN, 12% owned in Y!Fantasy) 

1.8bpg 5.7rpg

He's still the starting center in Denver as long as JaVale McGee isn't mature enough in George Karl's mind. That means he'll be starting Center for quite a while longer. Koufos is the reverse Omer Asik from his days in Chicago; he'll go hard every single time for those blocks because there's always McGee who can come in if he gets into early foul trouble. 

Steals

Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG, LAC, 12% owned in Y!Fantasy)

1.5spg 10.6ppg

The Clippers bench is deep, and though most of the guys are playing just around 20 minutes per game, everyone is producing. Bledsoe may be one of them, as he's been picking pockets every game this season, and you know he can score. He may defer to Jamaal Crawford in the scoring department, but those are only more chances for assists. 

Overtime

- Looking at matchups could also help in choosing players you'd want to put in your lineup. If matchups are relatively easy, bench players may get more minutes than usual. Still, it's hard to risk, as you'll never know when shots will go in for the "easy" opponents. 

- After a slow start, Ryan Anderson has finally found his stroke, and has been shooting pretty well the past few games. 

- Demar DeRozan may look like he's having a great year in terms of scoring, but he's still not doing much of anything else to merit serious fantasy consideration. He scored 37 points on that triple OT loss, but scored just one three-pointer.

- Kyle Singler is emerging as a solid guard in Detroit. He's playing in a backcourt with Will Bynum, Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey. After spending some time doing a Brandon Jennings in Europe, he's finally earned a roster spot in the NBA and he's showing what he can do. 

- If you picked Joe Johnson in the draft, you might want to hang on to him. He'll get his shots to go in eventually.

- The biggest flaw in Brook Lopez's game is that he doesn't give much big man stats like blocks or rebounds.  This year, he's been blocking shots and rebounding a little better. 

- I may be a little high on Byron Mullens right now, but just because he's in Charlotte, it looks to me that he could provide Channing Frye or Ryan Anderson type of numbers as a three-point shooting big. 

- A little disappointed by Luol Deng  right now, as he's not scoring as much as I want to, and he's not shooting the threes I expected from him. He's supposed to be the alpha while Derrick Rose is out, and he's not giving the production I expected from my third overall pick. 

Fantasy Picker: Got to Believe in Magic

Fantasy Highlights

Nikola Vucevic (PF/C, ORL)
16pts 10rebs 2blks 1stl 6-7 FT 42mins

Vucevic is coming to his own in the middle for Orlando. Despite big men Glen Davis, energy guys Josh McRoberts and Gustavo Ayon, and young blood Andrew Nicholson as options down low, Vucevic was able to play the most minutes for any of the Magic players. Minutes usually mean production, and he did not disappoint. 6-7 free throw shooting for a C should make you feel happy. 

Aaron Afflalo (SG/SF, ORL)

28pts 5rebs 5asts 1stl 1blk 3-7 three point shooting

These numbers are somewhat promising for Afflalo, and not really that surprising if you've seen him play in not so heavy minutes back in Denver. The question is if he can sustain this kind of production for a team with ready guards and a less talented clone of his in Dahntay Jones. Can he be "the man" for a seemingly faceless Magic team?

Greg Monroe (C, DET)

27pts 10rebs 2asts 1stls 3blks

Huge game for the big man in Detroit. The sophomore forward has cemented his place in as the man in the middle for the Pistons, and these should be the numbers expected from him.

Joakim Noah (C, CHI)

20pts 9rebs 4asts 5blks

You've got to love Noah when he's healthy. He's got a tireless motor that you can probably see as a better version of similarly unique-haired Anderson Varejao.  He'll always give you boards and his points usually come from offensive putbacks, so you don't have to worry about your filed goal percentage taking a hit. He's also an active defender, so you do expect at least a block from him every game. 

Andre Iguodala (SG/SF, DEN)

17pts 10rebs 4asts 1stl 1blk 3-6 three pointers

Iggy had an all-around night to lead the Nuggets past the Pistons. He's a triple double waiting to happen, but with Ty Lawson and Andre Miller getting most of the assists, he usually gets to shoot threes. As a facilitator last year for the Sixers, he shot less from threes, but had all-around games. He still has the skills, it's a matter of how he'd use them. 

Players to Consider

Kirk Hinrich (PG/SG, CHI)

8pts 5rebs 5asts 2stls 2-2 three point shooting, 40% owned in Y!Fantasy

Captain Kirk is holding down the fort for the Bulls. He's been a pretty solid starter, and though he does share minutes with Nate Robinson (26 minutes played today), he remains the starter for the team because of his steadying presence on both ends of the court. He won't give you eye-popping stats, but you've got to love his across the board contribution. 

Andrea Bargnani (PF/C, TOR)

16pts 6rebs 3-6 three-pointers

Under the Radar Picks

E'Twaun Moore (PG/SG, ORL)

17pts 5rebs 2asts 3-4 three point shooting, 21% owned in Y!Fantasy

With Jameer Nelson out, you'd expect JJ Redick to pick up some time at the PG spot and produce for Orlando. He did, Moore had a slightly better outing, depending on where you'd want to look at it. Moore had one more three and a better shooting clip, but Redick did have the better assist total with seven to Moore's two. Dahntay Jones looks to be the odd man out because of them, and the fact that Aaron Afflalo is turning out to be the better than him.

Jonas Jerebko

11pts 6rebs 3stls 1-2 three pointers, 4% owned in Y!Fantasy

This isn't the first time Jerebko has been written in this section. He's still not a solid contributor, but he should contribute to in deep leagues. He's a big man with range, and he's not much of a slouch rebounding as well. Detroit may have a huge frontcourt, but apart from the fact that Jerebko has skills,

Overtime:

1. Luol Deng had a big night with 23pts 8rebs 4asts, but you do expect some threes from him. Maybe he's being more aggressive attacking the basket without Rose? He did have a 9-16 shooting clip and just one turnover.

2. Kyle Lowry sprained his ankle early in the game, and the Thunder exploited the Raptors for a blowout win. Sad day for Lowry owners, as he was having a great start for the season.

3. With the injury, Jose Calderon's value just shot up. If Lowry misses a lot of time, Calderon could be a great option at point for threes and assists.

4. Danny Granger's out for three months. Do you pick Gerald Green up, or do you gamble with someone else in Indiana? My money's on gambling. If he's not performing as a starter, he could get moved to the bench, and that could be a fresh start for him

Fantasy Picker: Vintage AK-47

Fantasy Highlights

Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF, MIN)
16pts 10rebs 6asts 4blks 1stl 2 TOs

Another vintage performance from AK-47 as the Wolves come back from down big in Brooklyn. Kirilenko has always been a fantasy stud, but hasn't been for some years now, after having forgettable seasons nagged by injuries, and playing in Russia during the lockout. But here he is again, posting monster numbers and filling out the box scores. He also had one three pointer, shooting with a respectable 7-for-11 from the field.

Marc Gasol (C, MEM)
22pts 8 rebs 8asts 3blks

Gasol showed how he can be one of the better passing big men in the league with his performance in their win against Utah. He's a solid big who'll provide rebounds, but you do get to expect assists from him from time to time. Plus, he was 10-for-10 from the line, which is quite nice for someone at the C spot.

O.J. Mayo (PG/SG, DAL)
32pts 2stls 1blk 6/8 three point shooting

Mayo lit it up in Dallas to shoot his team to win. He may not have contributed to other cats, but six three-pointers is not an easy feat. Though he didn't have assists you'd want from a guard, he did have a couple of steals and a block.

DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, DAL)
23pts 15rebs 2stls 2blks

This is probably Cousins' first strong outing for the Kings, and incidentally, they got the win. He shot 10-for-16 from the field, which is also a pretty nice shooting clip. Owners would hope that this is a sign of things to come. If not, he can be a sell-high option.

Kyrie Irving (PG, CLE)
24pts 10asts  4/8 three point shooting

Uncle Drew went young blood on the Clips, as he led his team to a victory on the road. He did miss a lot of shots, but you've got to love his overall output. Plus he only had three turnovers, which hurts a bit, but not that bad considering he's playing point for 37 minutes and is matched up with Chris Paul.

Dion Waiters (SG, CLE)
28pts 7/11 three point shooting

Sure he may just be a one-dimensional contributor, but his performance deserves a highlight. Waiters had a great shooting night, shooting seven three pointers and shooting 10-of-17 overall. He has the green light to shoot, and in a team that desperately needs those points outside of Irving, Waiters should see these minutes and looks in Cleveland.

Players to Consider

Zach Randolph (PF/C, MEM)
16pts 18rebs

Big rebounding night from Z-Bo as he picks up 18 boards in their win. Should be a good source of rebounds if you're in need of it. He was 8-19 from the field, and he does play big, so he shouldn't hurt FG%.

Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM)
8pts 2rebs 2asts 2blks 3stls

Allen has always been a complementary player to a fantasy team with steals and blocks as strong points. Can't pay too much for him though, but if you're in need of hustle stats and is pretty abundant on other cats, he might be worth trading for.

Derrick Favors
14pts 8rebs 1ast 3stls 1blk 2TOs

Favors played just 25 minutes, but had another efficient outing for Utah. He might eat up more minutes from Millsap or Jefferson, or they could try to play big, with Favors at the SF spot. But he's definitely stepped up his game this year, and should be worth considering as either a trade bait.

Under the Radar Picks

Marvin Williams 
6pts 5rebs 2stls 2blks, 26% owned in Y!Fantasy

With a logjam at the PF and C spot, the SF spot is actually available, with Williams being the first option. He could be worth an add for deep leagues, considering he plays considerable minutes. He may be a source for hustle stats and threes when available.

Overtime:

1. Paul Millsap had two 3-pointers in three attempts. Is he expanding his range, or were those just lucky shots?

2. The Pacers couldn't get anything going for them. You know a team plays bad when you can't even see a bright individual performance.

3. The Kings have Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, Francisco Garcia, and Aaron Brooks in their backcourt. Whoever starts for their team should always be on the lookout, as they might be replaced anytime by any of the players from the bench. That's a shoutout to Tyreke's terrible 1-for-9 night and Aaron Brooks' 20 minutes played, the most he's had in a Kings uniform in the regular season.

Fantasy Picker: Kobe Passed the Ball

Fantasy Highlights

Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL)
Kobe finished with just 15 points but he was surprisingly efficient fantasy-wise, grabbing seven boards, a steal, and three 3-pointers on 5-of-10 field goal shooting. Wondering why the assists were not mentioned? That's the highlight; eight assists, easily doubling his total output for the first three games of their young season.

Carmelo Anthony (SF/PF, NYK)
Melo filled up the stat sheet nicely with 27 points, five rebounds, an assist, with two blocks, and a steal. Owners should be happy that he only had two turnovers, and a decent shooting clip at 10-for-18. You'd want more threes when you have Anthony on your team, but considering his contribution to other cats, owners should be happy.

Jrue Holiday (PG, PHI)
After trading away their biggest marquee names since Allen Iverson in Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, the lead role in Philadelphia is wide open. Holiday seems to be trying to put the lead responsibility on his shoulders, as he carried the Philadelphia offense on his shoulder by scoring 27 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and a steal. But his fantasy highlight comes from his lights-out shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down 5-of-6. Threes should usually come from Dorell Wright and Nick Young, so this might not be a regular thing.

Micheal Beasley (SF/PF, PHX)
The rebuilding Suns traded for Beasley in hopes that the former number two pick will finally realize his potential in his third team. He showed up for the Suns today, scoring 22 points with three 3-pointers, six boards, and two blocks. With the way his career is going, it might be time to sell high on Beasley, but who knows? Maybe this will be his year, and this performance was just a start.

Kevin Durant (SF/PF, ORL)
Oklahoma lost to a Josh Smith-less Atlanta, but Durant can't be blamed. He scored 22 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and two blocks to fill up the box scores once again. A bit disappointing to see six turnovers and just one three pointer, but at least he made up for it with the boards and defensive stats from the reigning scoring champion.

Al Horford (PF/C, ATL)
Without Josh Smith, Atlanta naturally went with Horford to get a gritty win in Oklahoma. He had 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. Not very Smoove-like numbers, but you got to love his 11-19 shooting clip and 0 turnovers. No question about his ability, he just needs to stay healthy.

Buy Low Options

Andrea Bargnani (PF/C, TOR)
Toronto's former top pick still hasn't found his groove yet this season. He had another forgettable game, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-16 field goals. Sure he had two three pointers, but you'd expect more from him. With Kyle Lowry emerging as a take charge guy and DeMar DeRozan being an option on offense, Bargnani may just have to take a backseat on the offensive end, which may be a buy low option right now. Prospective pitchers for Bargnani should have the patience to wait for him to explode, something that is not impossible to think.

Brandon Roy (SG, MIN)
Roy had a forgettable game finishing with just four points and had five turnovers in Minnesota's loss. He still could be a source for three's, assists, and points, but would owners keep hanging on to him considering his health? You could buy low, but it still could be a risky move considering the backcourt depth of Minnesota.

Players to Consider

Nikola Vucevic (PF/C, ORL)
Big Baby may be the Magic's man in the post, but Vucevic could be a viable option for them to complement him down low. Vucevic had 18 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal playing heavy minutes for Orlando today, showing some of the skills he displayed last year in Philadelphia. He's good for a nice shooting clip and some rebounds.


Jason Kidd (PG, NYK)
Kidd's showing he can still play by finishing with 12 points, six assists, three rebounds, three steals and three 3-pointers in just 25 minutes of action. You could consider to trade for him with a middle round pick, citing his limited action, but if he continues to produce this well with those minutes, his fantasy stock may rise considerably.

J.R. Smith (SG/SF, NYK)
Smith finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in 25 minutes, and he's still knocking down threes with four in this game. He's showing he's not such a one-dimensional fantasy player by contributing in other cats, which is a welcome sight for owners.

Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF, MIN)
Remember when AK47 was the main man of Utah post-Stockton-Malone? He showed one of those types of performances today, filling out the box scores with 17 points, six boards, three assists, a steal, three blocks, and had one three pointer on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Gotta love his all-around game like it's 2002.

Kevin Martin (SG, OKC)
Marting had another strong outing for Oklahoma, finishing with 28 points grounded on six three pointers. You can't expect much production from Martin, but he should be a good source of threes despite his diminished role in Oklahoma compared to his supposed role in Houston.

J.J. Redick (SG, ORL)
Redick had 24 points and six assists with three 3-pointers and a steal. he's adding more dimension to his fantasy value by improving his assists tally.

Metta World Peace (SF/PF, LAL)
Who would have thought that MWP would still merit fantasy relevance at this day and age, considering his playmates down in Lakerland. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and three 3-pointers on 7-of-11 shooting. The scoring spike is a nice addition, but he is actually having a pretty decent fantasy year so far, contributing pedestrian numbers with at least one three pointer and one steal over the last three games.

Risky Picks

Alan Anderson (SG/SF, TOR, 0% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Anderson had a huge night playing heavy minutes for Toronto, finishing with 18 points with four three pointers. This might be his breakout game, but signs point to this being a welcome surprise that might not be a regular thing.

Under the Radar Picks

Steve Blake (PG, LAL, 4% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Another Steve helped get the Lakers' first W, as Steve Blake had a nice game finishing with just six points, but had five rebounds, six assists, two three pointers, and just two turnovers. He also had five steals to highlight his night. He should be a source of threes for a deep team, but if he gets more minutes at the PG spot while Nash is out, he can be a contributor in other cats.

E'Twaun Moore (PG/SG, ORL, 5% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Moore had 15 points with three three pointers, six assists and three steals in their big win at home. It may be argued that he played heavy minutes because Jameer Nelson sat out, but it should be noted that he did play considerable minutes with 25 in their first game. He should provide threes and some assists for your team.

Jonas Jerebko (SF/PF, DET, 5% owned in Y!Fantasy)
The Swedish sensation had 18 points, with one three pointer, two boards, two assists and a steal. He also shot 7-of-9 from the field. If this wasn't a blowout, this is a promising stat line for Jerebko, but considering this game was over early, Jerebko should merit a look and add from really deep leagues.

Overtime:

1. Jason Richardson is down with an injury, and played only 3 minutes in their loss to New York.

2. Dwight Howard filled up the box score, but is not on the highlights as these are numbers expected from him. He's back to terrible free throw shooting, with 4-of-9 today.

3. Sheed sighting in New York! He saw the floor for three minutes and grabbed a couple of boards. It's really not fantasy-worthy, but it merits a mention if only to tell the world that Sheed actually came out of retirement.

4. Derrick Williams had nine points, eight rebounds, and one three pointer in their loss. These are not the numbers people expected from Williams when Kevin Love went down with an injury.

5. Greg Stiemsma had four blocks in limited minutes for the Wolves. He's a one dimensional player you'd want to add for blocks.

6. Aaron Afflalo had a pretty nice game with three 3-pointers to finish with 22 points. Still, he's starting over the sweet-shooting Redick because of his defense, and he's not showing defensive numbers.

7. Russel Westbrook may be trying a bit too much. He finished with 14 points and nine assists, but he shot an atrocious 5-of-18 shooting.

8. Kyle Korver finished with just four points, 1-of-5 field goal shooting and 1-of-3 shooting from the line. With a lot of wings over at Atlanta, Korver might lose his starting spot soon if he continues this slump.

Fantasy Picker: Jesus Saves!

Fantasy Highlights

Ray Allen (SG, MIA)

Jesus Shuttlesworth torched the competition with 6-of-10 three pointers, none bigger than the last one to bury the Nuggets and win the game for Miami. He finished with 23 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and a block. It's worth noting that he shot a total of 12 shots in the game, showing that he's doing what he's supposed to be doing in Miami; knocking down threes.

Paul Pierce (SF, BOS)
The Truth buried a three to break the hearts of Wizards fans after a valiant effort to fight back. His fourth triple of the game gave Boston their lead before the Celtics D kept them ahead as they barely hang on to win the game. Pierce finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 10-of-21 shooting.

Paul George (SG/SF, IND)After being featured as a buy low option, Paul George posts a huge fantasy line of 16 points with two three pointers, 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals and four blocked shots. As mentioned in the previous article about him, the added rebounding dimension of his game is the most attractive aspect of George's fantasy year.


DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, SAC)
Cousins had a big night with 21 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, and a block, but he did it on 9-of-27 shooting in a game that went to double overtime. Apart from the shooting clip, owners should be happy that he kept away from foul trouble long enough to be able to play 42 minutes and finishing with just one turnover.

Kyle Lowry (PG, TOR)
Lowry had another big night with a near triple-double of 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists with four three pointers and three steals.

Chris Bosh (PF/C, MIA)
Like Kobe yesterday, Bosh exploded for 40 points and not much stats to rave about apart from his 15-of-22 shooting clip, but should be a highlight because it still is an impressive 40 points.

Kenneth Faried (PF, DEN)
Finally, the Manimal is unleashed! Faried played 36 minutes and finished with 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds and a steal. While not that impressive, it should be noted that he finally got to play major minutes for the first time this season.


Nicolas Batum (SF/SF, POR)
Batum rebounded from a forgettable game with 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting threes, 9 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and six steals. Filling out the box scores like a boss.

Mike Dunleavy (SG/SF, MIL)
While all the attention in Milwaukee is in the backcourt tandem of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, Mike Dunleavy suddenly exploded for 29 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, two steals and a block. Most of those points came from downtown, as he was a scorching 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. He's still just 30% owned in Y!Fantasy, and though he probably won't put up these kinds of lines on a regular basis, he's a solid contributor off the bench for them and should contribute to three-point shooting.

O.J. Mayo (SG, DAL)
Speaking for threes, O.J. Mayo drowned the Bobcats by making it rain threes in Dallas. He finished with 7-of-10 three points for 30 points, and he added six rebounds and three assists. It might be pretty one-sided, but seven threes deserve a highlight.

Paul Millsap (PF, UTA)
Millsap finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals to help lead the Jazz on a comeback against the Spurs before the latter proved too much for them.

Tim Duncan (PF/C, SAS)
Old Man Tim turning back the hands of time, this time with 19 points 11 rebounds, two steals, and three blocked shots. Best part of his line should be 5-of-6 free throw shooting, one of his weak points.

Players to Consider

Tyreke Evans (SG/SF, SAC)
Second time being featured in this section, as he posts another impressive fantasy line of 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. He's not throwing too many threes, but if your team is grounded on big man-stats, Evans should be nice to trade for as he gives those stats at the Guard spot.


Darren Collison (PG, DAL)
Collison had a pretty efficient night, with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, two three pointers, 10 assists, and just two turnovers in 31 minutes of play. It's not impossible to think he can maintain this type of production on a regular basis.


Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist (SF, CHA)
MKG is proving to be one of the better picks by Micheal Jordan. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds, but did have five steals and a blocked shot. He should be a player to take notice of if you're looking for hustle stats (steals and rebounds).

Under the Radar Picks

Trevor Booker (PF, WAS, 4% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Booker started in he Wiz' loss to the Celtics, and played 28 minutes in a evenly spread out frontcourt rotation. While Nene is out, the Wiz bigs will look play for minutes, and after posting 10 points and 11 rebounds after playing an ineffective 17 minutes in their debut, Booker should make an impression on the coaches.

Reggie Evans (PF, BKN, 0% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Looking for a quick fix in rebounds? Evans should be worth a look. He's always been known for his rebounding prowess, and it looks like he hasn't lost that passion, grabbing 13 rebounds in 15 minutes of play.  He added a block and a steal in limited minutes. When Brooklyn needs rebounds and defensive intensity, Evans should see the some playing time.

C.J.Watson (PG, BKN, 2% owned in Y!Fantasy) 
One of the major contributors of last year's Chicago bench mob, Watson is now in Brooklyn playing the super sub role once again. He contributed 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers, two blocks, and a steal. Despite playing behind the All-Star guard combo Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, Watson should be see minutes to contribute similar looking stat lines.

Robin Lopez (C, NOH, 23% owned in Y!Fantasy)
The starting C for the Hornets finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal. He should be a decent add on the C spot, with the Hornets rolling to a pretty impressive start for the season.

Danny Green (SG/SF, SAS, 36% owned in Y!Fantasy)
With Manu still out, Green is getting a lot of burn in minutes, getting to play at least 30 minutes in their first three games. He has pretty good FG% and does spot up for threes. He's a nice option to pick up for threes.

Carl Landry (PF/SF, GSW, 18% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Andrew Bogut sat the game out, Festus Ezeli got the start at C, but it was Landry who came up big with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Warriors' win over the Clippers. He's listed as a PF/SF, but plays as a big and in reality may be playing at the C spot at times.

Random Fantasy Thoughts

1. Roy Hibbert is having a nice stretch of games with blocked shots. He's averaging 4 blocks per game so far.
2. Dwayne Wade had four blocks for the night. He's been a nice source of blocks at the Guard spot.
3. Not quite Harden-sanity as Portland stops the scorching hot James Harden, who was able to score only 24 points.
4. Chris Kaman's back and scored a bunch of points, but unless he grabs rebounds, he won't merit much fantasy attention.
5. Byron Mullens had a short stretch last year when he was right up there with Kevin Love as a shooting big. He had two 3-pointers today to go along with his 16 points and 10 rebounds.
6. Mo Williams led the Jazz as they attempted to come back from a huge deficit, finishing with 29 points and 9 assists. But he just had two 3-pointers, which is not bad, but could be better.
7. Chris Paul shot just 3-for-9 from the field but finished with 27 points. Then you see his free throw clip at 19-for-20.

Fantasy Picker: It's Been A Harden's Night

Fantasy Highlights

James Harden (SG/SF, HOU)
How do you follow up a 37 point explosion from your debut game? Why, by scoring 45 of course! James Harden continues to sizzle as the Rockets' main man with another big game and another big win, beating the Hawks in Atlanta. He had an unbelievable 14-of-19 shooting clip and 15-of-17 from the line, which makes you just take the two 3-pointers made.

Gerald Henderson (SG/SF, CHA)
I'm torn between putting Hendo in the highlight section or the under the radar section. He's currently 29% owned in Y!Fantasy Leagues, but he's starting over Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions. Although Kemba had a career night (high of 30 points, four assists, five rebounds, one steal and a block), Hendo takes the highlight as he got an impressive five steals on top of two blocks, a steal, and 2 three pointers to finish with 18 points. Though his point total isn't really that impressive, in fantasy leagues, threes, blocks, and steals are hard to come by. Anytime you get those from a single player, that is fantasy gold.

Brandon Jennings (PG, MIL)
The Bucks scored a big win against Eastern Conference contenders Boston Celtics on the road, thanks largely to the big game from Brandon Jennings. The third-year guard had 21 points, 13 assists, and a whopping six steals in their win. With Monta Ellis sharing the backcourt scoring duties, Jennings looks to be taking advantage of dishing out dimes while also taking his shots. He didn't put up too many three-pointers, which is a bit disappointing, but you'll have to take that if you get better percentage shots.

Carmelo Anthony (SF/PF, NYK)
Anthony had 30 points, 10 rebounds, four three pointers, 6-of-7 shooting from the line, two steals, and just one turnover. Those are six cats that he helped you out in before realizing complaining that he shot just 10-for-28 from the field, had just two assists, and no blocked shots. Nobody's perfect, after all.

Kevin Durant (SF/PF, OKC)
Durant had a monster outing in terms of rebounds, as he grabs 17 boards to complement his 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven assists and two blocks. He only had one three pointer, which is a bit disappointing, but the shooter that he is, he'll get his threes later. He wasn't scoring champ for nothing.

Marcin Gortat (C, PHX)
Big night for Gortat as he finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 16 rebounds to go along with three blocks. It's nice to know that he'd still get those boards despite the presence of Luis Scola in the paint.

Chris Paul (PG, LAC)
Round one of this year's battle for LA is won by the Clippers behind CP3's 18 points, 15 assists, six rebounds and three steals. You'd wish for more threes from CP3, but 15 assists is not that easy to come by.

Kobe Bryant (SG, LAL)
Kobe had 40 points in a losing effort, and despite finishing with a not-so-impressive fantasy line of six rebounds, two three pointers, just one assist, and six turnovers, 40 points is still worth mentioning. He did it on 14-of-23 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 from the line, which won't hurt your FG%, something you almost expect to give up with Kobe on your fantasy team.

Mike Conley (PG, MEM)
The steals category is one of the cats that is difficult to come by, but if you want to build your team around that cat, Conley should be your guy. He had five steals on top of his 21 points, 3-of-5 three-pointers, seven assists and three rebounds in their win against Golden State.

Stephen Curry (PG, GSW)
After playing limited minutes in their debut game, Stephen Curry shows up with guns blazing, finishing with 26 points on 6-of-10 three point shooting, 10-of-20 overall, seven assists and a steal. If his ankle finally holds up, Curry should be a decent source of threes and steals.

Buy Low Options

Nikola Vucevic (PF/C, ORL)
The sophomore Center had a rough night, getting just six points and four rebounds in 16 minutes of action. On a bright note, he did get two blocks in that limited timespan and he did show promise back in Philly. It is possible that Josh McRoberts may outplay him to earn that starting Center spot, but Vucevic is an intriguing prospect worth looking into for big man stats (FG%, blocks, rebounds).

DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, SAC)
For the second straight game, Cousins had a pretty awful game finishing with just 11 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of action. For a guy who was supposed to be one of the faces of the franchise, Cousins is making a genius out of everyone who passed up on him on draft night in 2010. He probably will pick it up, but this would be a good time to try and buy low from impatient owners.

Players to Consider

Andre Iguodala (SG/SF, DEN)
Danilo Galinari (23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block, and two three pointers on 5-of-14 shots from the field) may have had a nicer night than Iguodala (Nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and one three pointer on 3-of-10 field goal shooting), but I am going with Iggy considering health more than anything. Gallo may have more upside as he shoots from the outside a lot more often than Iggy, but the latter has been producing steady across-the-board numbers on a consistent basis, while the former has so far had an injury-prone career. Iggy could be a valuable source of rebounds, blocks and steals from the guard spot, and will provide some assists from time to time.

Glen Davis (PF/C, ORL)
Big Baby had a nice scoring output with 29 points to go along with his 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. He was 13-for-25 from the field, which is not that impressive for a big man. The upside here is he will get a lot of minutes considering the frontcourt competition (sophomore Nikola Vucevic from Philly, journeyman Josh McRoberts, and the injured Gustavo Ayon) and he will get a lot of points. He's a sell-high option if points and rebounds are not much of a concern of yours, because he won't contribute much to any other cat.

J.J. Redick (SG, ORL)
With Orlando searching for a new identity after trading away Dwight Howard during the offseason, other players have a chance to step up. Redick had such a great college career at Duke that people wondered how that would translate to pro ball. From a benchwarmer, he improved in each year that he played, and last year, he proved  to be an important player off the bench for the Magic. He had 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers, six assists and four boards. You know he can score, and he does have pretty decent court vision, so if he gets the 34 minutes he got today on a regular basis, he should be worth a look at if you're looking for 3's and some assists.

Omer Asik (C, HOU)
As expected, the Turkish big man can't offer anything much more than monster rebounding numbers and some blocks. Ok, so today, he had no blocks and no points on 0-of-7 shooting, but he did have a whopping 19 rebounds for the game. He might be a quick fix for the rebounding department but you might not find good value on a one on one trade considering he's a pretty one-dimensional fantasy contributor.

Raymond Felton (PG/SG NYK)
The New York backcourt situation is something that had people guessing what New York was trying to do when they picked up old guys Jason Kidd and 40-year-old rookie Pablo Prigrioni after losing Jeremy Lin and Toney Douglas and signing Raymond Felton. Felton picked up where he left off in New York, dishing out nine assists to go along with 15 points, three 3-pointers four rebounds and three steals. Pretty nice to look consider when you're looking to trade for assists and three pointers.

Ryan Anderson (PF/C, NOH)
Last year's Most Improved Player awardee announced his return to Fantasy relevance as he shoots 7-of-15 from the field with 5-of-9 three pointers to finish with 19 points and 6 rebounds. He's a nice source of 3's from the PF spot last year, and after a not so memorable debut for New Orleans, he got his groove going for a big win in Utah.

J.J. Hickson (PF/C, POR)
Despite the Blazers' loss, one bright spot to look at is probably Hickson, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. He's the starting Center for a team that seem to play their starting five a lot, but do play small with Aldridge playing the C spot. Minutes could matter, but if Hickson can play effectively for limited minutes, he could be worth a look for rebounds.

Kevin Martin (SG, OKC)
Yeah his stock may have dropped now that he's not the third scorer in a relatively experienced team as opposed to being the first option on offense in a young, rebuilding team. However, Martin showed he can handle the scoring void James Harden left by finishing with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 3-of-3 from threes, 6-of-6 free throws, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

Jamaal Crawford (PG/SG, LAC)
Super sub Crawford is doing his thing again for the Clippers, shooting a confident 21 points with four 3-pointers on 5-of-9 shooting, 9-of-9 free throws, seven assists and three rebounds. He's always a decent source for threes, and as long as he gets to play, he could be worth a trade as he does dish out assists as well.

Picks for the Risk Takers

Gerald Green (SG/SF, IND, 14% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Indiana is one of the preseason favorites in the East, but they are starting off at 0-2 following their loss to another supposedly easy win. With Danny Granger out, high-flying Gerald Green is starting for the Pacers after his impressive preseason. While he isn't shooting too well, his upside is getting one more shot than Paul George (3-of-12 against 4-11 from George), who's supposed to be the main guy on offense together with David West. Another upside is the 31 minutes he played, which goes to show that the coaching staff is likely giving him a chance to shine. Major downside is their losing streak; if they continue losing, chances are the coaching staff may look to tweak their lineup, and with minutes not likely being taken away from George Hill, Roy Hibbert, David West, and Paul George, he may be the first casualty in that starting group.

DeShawn Stevenson (SG/SF, ATL, 0% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Gilbert Arenas' enforcer back in the glory days of the Washington Wizards seem to have found a home in Atlanta. He is a known defender and a three-point specialist, and wing rotation of similarly-talented shooters Kyle Korver (starter) and Anthony Morrow, and a backcourt featuring starters Jeff Teague and Devin Harris and bench guys Lou Williams and John Jenkins, Stevenson was able to play 28 minutes to get 12 points exclusively on three pointers, as well as two steals. Shooters don't usually get this lucky every game, but he might be worth a look. Better check out how he'd be used for their next couple of games.

Luke Ridnour (PG/SG, MIN,46% owned in Y!Fantasy)
JJ Barea had a bigger night with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds, but Ridnour is a sneaky across the board contributor; his line of nine points with one 3-ponter, three rebounds, one assists, one steal and a block has been a pretty consistent line for Ridnour even last year. With Alexey Shved getting minutes at the guard spot and Ricky Rubio returning soon, he might lose out on minutes, but while he still has them, he should be a solid player on your bench in deep leagues.

Under the Radar Picks

Lance Stephenson (SG, IND, 0% owned in Y!Fantasy) and
Tyler Hansbrough (PF/C, IND, 11% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Without super sub Leandro Barbosa, Indiana's 6th man role is wide open, with Tyler Hansbrough probably having a slight advantage. However, Indiana really likes Stephenson as a player when they picked him last year, and they do see him as part of their young core moving forward. He was an efficient 6-of-9 from the field with 2-of-3 three pointers, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 25 minutes of play off the bench. He probably won't get this much playing time on a nightly basis, considering he has to compete with DJ Augustin for guard minutes off the bench. Tyler Hansbrough, for his part, played another efficient game with 15 points, two blocks and a steal in 15 minutes of action. What jumps up from his box score is the 7-of-8 free throw shooting, which is a good percentage to have for a big man.

Chandler Parsons (SF/PF, HOU, 27% owned in Y!Fantasy)
The starting SF for Houston may not get a lot of touches with plenty needing to go to Harden and Lin, but he's been a pretty decent contributor for them. He scored just six points in their win against Atlanta, but he did have five rebounds, six assists, and three steals. He may add some assist numbers at the Forward spot, and he won't hurt your rebounds too much. He also throws some three pointers, though he was just 1-of-6 in today's game.

Nate Robinson (PG/SG, CHI, 19% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Chicago won a blowout in Cleveland, which may have been the reason why Nate got a lot of minutes, but this freak of nature made sure he made it count; 16 points and 12 assists with two 3-pointers on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. He added five rebounds and a steal, and could do this on a regular basis playing behind Kirk Hinrich. Until D-Rose returns, Hinrich and Nate will battle it out as to who will be the main backup point guard for their superstar.

Steve Novak (SF/PF NYK, 25% owned in Y!Fantasy)
He may be a one-dimensional player, but like Omer Asik, what he contributes to that one dimension is pretty nice. Novak hit five 3-pointers in their win against Miami, and showed that what he showed last year was not some stroke of luck by stroking it from downtown with ease.

Randy Foye (PG/SG, UTA, 28% owned in Y!Fantasy)
With all the talk on the loaded Utah frontcourt, there seem to be less emphasis on the guards. Foye is going to be the main guy off the bench for Mo Williams and Gordon Hayward, and will shoot a lot of threes while he's there. He had two in their opener and shot four against New Orleans. He may be worth a look if you're in need of three's.

Greg Stiemsma (C, MIN, 2% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Nikola Pekovic had a breakout year last year to solidify his spot as the starting C for Minnesota over seemingly overpaid Darko Milicic, and Stiemsma was a good source of blocks for a stretch last year with Boston. This year, they're playing together on the same team, and both seem to still be doing what they are expected. Stiemsma finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, 3-of-4 free throws, seven rebounds and four blocks in limited minutes. He could be what Omer Asik was to Chicago last year.

Festus Ezeli (C, GSW, 1% owned in Y!Fantasy)
Andrew Bogut is fat and out of shape. The former top overall pick has the skills, but after barely playing because of injury, it doesn't look like he'll be the fantasy stud everyone expects him to be. Enter rookie Festus Ezeli. He already outplayed last year's starting C Andris Biedrins to get more of the back up minutes, and even if that means just 12 minutes, you got to love that he had three steals in his first game, and against  Memphis, he was able to swat two shots on top of two steals, four rebounds, and four points. It'll be interesting to watch if he gets more minutes for Golden State.

Random Thoughts

1. The blog title is a Beatles reference. Just in case someone didn't get it.
2. Who here gets why Denver paid JaVale McGee big bucks for him to rot on the bench, and have potential fantasy stud Kenneth Faried ride that bench along with that nutcase? Anyone?
3. Courtney Lee looks like the ultimate example of a glue guy; important piece for the team but contributions don't show up on the stat sheet.
4. Kyle Korver had a bad shooting night, but he is the starting SF for the new-look Atlanta Hawks. He needs to shake this game off and make up next game or else he might lose it to other hot shooters in the Atlanta lineup in Anthony Morrow, Lou Williams and DeShawn Stevenson.
5. Anderson Varejao failed to follow up a monster rebounding effort by grabbing a measly five boards against Chicago. Can't blame him though, as he was up against the big Chicago lineup featuring a better version of Varejao in Joakim Noah.
6. Jason Kidd shot 3-of-5 exclusively from the 3-point line, had three assists and two steals playing in just 23 minutes. He may be old, but he still can play. Probably.
7. 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field to go along with 8 rebounds just won't cut it for Tyson Chandler, whom you expect should block some shots.
8. Kobe may look like he's on a hot streak in the scoring department, but he's hardly on Mamba mode. It almost seems like he just wanted new playmates just to show people that he can still be this good.