That said, not all four-game weeks will play to the advantage of players from those teams. Knowing these four-game weeks could probably help if you have bench players from those teams, as they are turned to when coaches decide to rest his starters to limit fatigue.
A lot of yellow highlights there, with the Spurs being the only team in red. Pop usually rests his starters on the back end of back-to-backs, and with pretty easy match ups, it might be safe to look for other options in place of Spurs players in your roster.
Points/Three Point FG
Ben Gordon (SG, CHA)11-for-18 three point shooting last week, 23% owned
Gordon is a streak shooter. He made a name for himself in fourth quarters back in Chicago, never really took off as much as expected when he left for Detroit, and now he's been up and down in Charlotte. But as a team with no real established superstar, Gordon could step up his game and actually win some playing time. He hit seven three-pointers in their loss to Atlanta, which might be a sign that he's getting his shooting groove back. He can also distribute the ball and grab some boards, so he can help on multiple cats.
Alexey Shved (PG/SG)
40% three point shooting over past couple of weeks, 10% owned
Rubio is still out, but there are other players who can be the reason for fans to be excited to watch the Wolves. Shved is one of them. He can pass the ball, he can grab boards, and hit can hit long bombs. He's the first guard off the bench for the Wolves, much like how Taj Gibson is to rebounds in Chicago.
Rebounds
Taj Gibson (PF, CHI)4.9rpg 1.3bpg, 10% owned
The main back up for the Chicago froncourt is averaging almost 5 boards per game, and he'll give you blocks when given the chance to play. He could be a supplemental pick, meaning you get him to reinforce you already solid rebounding numbers, but he won't probably be your game-changing pick.
Enes Kanter (C, UTA)
18pts 7rebs at OKC, 2% owned
Al Jeff and Millsap are Utah's starters up front, but Derrick Favors has been playing well this season to warrant significant playing time. Now that Favors is probably out because of injury, Kanter might be an option to backup the bigs of Utah.
Assists
Nate Robinson (PG/SG CHI)5.5apg when playing over 20mins, 23% owned
While Derrick Rose is out, the point guard duties of Chicago is distributed between Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich. Robinson is a crazy-athletic spark off the bench, and he can really get the team going when he plays. With a relatively easy schedule up ahead, going up against the struggling Pacers, the hurting Cavs, and the disappointing Pistons and then facing off with the hot Knicks, the bench will probably get to play a lot. When given the opportunity, Robinson does contribute in the assists, points, and sometimes steals department.
Kirk Hinrich (PG/SG, CHI)
5.6apg 6.2ppg, 31% owned
Captain Kirk is a steadying presence in the Chicago backcourt for the longest time, before being traded away over the past couple of years. He's now back with the Bulls, quarterbacking in the absence of Derrick Rose. If he's available, he could be a nice source of assists, but you can also expect some threes, steals, and rebounds from him. He's a steadier pick than Robinson since he's the starter for the Bulls.
Steals
Jeffrey Taylor (SG/SF/PF, CHA)2.3spg over last six games, 7% owned
Taylor has seen his playing time increase since leading scorer Gerald Henderson went down. He's now starting alongside young guys like Kemba Walker, MKG, and Byron Mullens. It probably won't be long until their youth movement is complete, with Bismack Biyombo probably edging out starter Brendan Haywood for the Center spot. I haven't seen him play, but considering he's getting more than 20 minutes a game with some 30-minute games, he must be doing something good in there. His numbers look to me like Tony Allen's; he can hit some threes, but his value actually comes from his knack at picking pockets. Plus he's eligible for three positions, so that could help the flexibility of your team.
Kyle Singler (SG/SF, DET)
1.7spg 12ppg over last four games, 21% owned
The rookie has earned his playing time in Detroit, and is contributing in multiple categories. He's been shooting hot, and as a big guard, he also grabs a number of boards. He can shoot the three as well. He's a pretty intriguing prospect, but he might be of help only in deeper leagues, as Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight figure to eat up minutes at both guard spots.
Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG, LAC)
1.4spg 9.9ppg, 13% owned
The Clippers bench has got to be the best in the NBA right now. Bledsoe, together with Jamaal Crawford and Matt Barnes lead this bench, and are actually nice fantasy options. Bledsoe, for his part, is scoring almost 10 points per game to go along with his steals numbers (has recorded a steal in all but two games this season), and get this; he's blocked a shot at least once in all but five games he's played in this season. The guy's 6-1. Despite not getting much threes from him, you got to love the fact that you can expect one block from him. He's a risky pick despite the Clippers having a four-game week, considering Chauncey Billups is back in the fold, but if their game against the Kings is any indication of their week ahead (where Bledsoe played 26 minutes and recorded 14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks), he could still be a positive contributions from the waiver wire.
Blocks
Bismack Biyombo (PF/C, CHA)2.5bpg 7.2rpg over last four games, 14% owned
He missed two games because of a leg injury, but he's really been playing well as of late. Scouting report on him during last year's draft had him as a premiere blocker, and though he showed flashes of brilliance last season, he didn't really dominate as much as he was expected to last year. He's still young, so the Cats do have patience with him. Over his last two games, he's shown that he can hold his own in the paint, and could probably challenge Brendan Haywood's spot in the starting lineup soon.
Larry Sanders (PF/C, MIL)
10pts 12 rebs 10blks at Minnesota, 37% owned
Sanders might be the hottest pickup on fantasy right now after following up his triple double performance with an eye-opening performance of 18 points, 16 boards and five blocks against the Celtics. He's been blocking shots pretty well when he gets the chance to play, but it will be a bit difficult to understand how coach Skiles shuffles his players, so his minutes might not be as consistent. But if his last two games are any indication, he might just win a starting gig with the Bucks.
Jermaine O'Neal (PF/C, PHX)
1.7bpg 5.2rpg, 13% owned
This isn't the first time I mentioned Jermaine O'Neal on this space, but really, he is effective for a couple of blocks per game. With four upcoming games, that's already an expected eight blocks for your team.
Overtime:
- With Mo Williams back in Utah, Jamaal Tinsley goes back to his bench role and non-relevance in Fantasy.- D.J. Augustine has been a disappointment in Indiana this year. As a key player in Charlotte, he doesn't get as much minutes as he did before, and less minutes usually means less fantasy production.
- Points are pretty spread out in Cleveland, making it difficult to decide who to pick up. Their most consistent players would have to be Anderson Varejao with his monster rebounds, and Alonzo Gee's all-around game. Gee's only owned in 34% of Y!Leagues, so I think he should be grabbed when available.
- The Clippers have spread out their minutes pretty evenly as well, which translates to their wins, but usually doesn't translate well in the Fantasy world. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan remain the best Fantasy options for the Clips, with other players contributing not so amazing but still serviceable stats. Jamaal Crawford remains a solid contributor in assists and three pointers for them as well.
- David West has been performing at peak form in Indiana, can't say the same for Roy Hibbert and Paul George though. Prior to the start of the season, I thought they were supposed to be one of the better teams in the East. They seem to still be, but they're not performing as much as they should.
- I still still am not too sold on DeMar DeRozan. He's able to score points, but he's getting it without threes. I guess his rebounds is a plus, as it always is getting boards from the guard spot. Maybe he can fit a team that's punting threes and is relying on big man categories.
- Speaking of Toronto, the PF/C position should be monitored. Jonas Valanciunas has shown signs that he might be there long term, but foul trouble keeps him out of the floor. At times that he's not troubled by foul trouble, he still sometimes rides the bench in favor of either Ed Davis or Amir Johnson, both of which can be options on rebounds.
- New York is going to play four games in five nights this week, so Coach Mike Woodson might do a Pop and rest some of his players at the back end of those back to backs to limit fatigue of his players. That said, their bench deserves a look, as they might have increased playing time this week. Probably Steve Novak or Rasheed Wallace?
- Chicago has a similar thing going for them, so look for bench production to be up.
No comments:
Post a Comment