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.
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