Fantasy Basketball Advice: Pro Sports Daily

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November 19

ESPN.com

"With the Atlanta Hawks posting a 10-2 record that tops the entire league and having won six straight, they are definitely looking like they might be more than just a pretty good playoff team. This is not, of course, unrelated to fantasy, where Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Al Horford are all in the process of submitting career seasons statistically. The most impressive player, though, given how things looked in Atlanta last season, has to be Josh Smith. A consensus top-20 fantasy player heading into last season, Smith was a huge disappointment, suffering precipitous drops in every single fantasy category besides field goal percentage, despite playing roughly the same amount of minutes per ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/18/09

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November 19

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder 31 minutes, 24 points, 7-14 FG, 4-4 FT, 6 three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover You knew he had the ability. He just needed an opportunity. He took full advantage of his team-high 31 minutes. Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers 42 minutes, 19 points, 8-17 FG, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 1 turnover Elton was given the start and he more than made the most of it. This is a great sign of things to come. Now that his confidence is back, the rest should fall into place. Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards 38 minutes, 31 points, 12-22 FG, 5-6 ..."

Curry best bet to shine post-Jackson

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November 18

ESPN.com

"The Warriors played their first game since shipping Stephen Jackson off to the Charlotte Bobcats Monday. While they did have new pickup Vladimir Radmanovic in the starting lineup, they had only seven players in uniform. Raja Bell, who came over with Radmanovic, is expected to undergo what likely will be season-ending wrist surgery. A free agent at season's end, he likely will never set foot on the hardwood in a Warriors uni. The Warriors also will play the rest of the season without Kelenna Azubuike, who is slated for surgery to repair a torn patella tendon. The absence of Jackson, Bell and Azubuike has opened up a lot of playing time and touches, so we should all watch the Warriors' box ..."

Player Rater: J.R. Smith up, Kidd down

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November 18

ESPN.com

columnist Seth Landman

"It's early still, friends. If this season were your day, you'd still be making coffee. It's easy to think we're further along than we are, but reality says otherwise; sample sizes are still small, and your fantasy players, whether they've been disappointing or glorious thus far, may still be settling in to the story of their 2009-10 season. So far, though, as far as I'm concerned, the early part of this season has belonged to Brandon Jennings. His 55-point outburst against the Warriors is getting all of the attention (most points by a rookie since Earl Monroe!), but how about the 4.8 rebounds per game, or the revelation that he can shoot the 3? Just last night, my friend Dave and I were ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/17/09

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November 18

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Anthony Morrow, Golden State Warriors 35 minutes, 18 points, 6-10 FG, 2-2 FT, 4 three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover With Raja Bell out with a sore wrist, Morrow got plenty of action. He didn't disappoint. He's a great addition. J.J. Hickson, Cleveland Cavaliers 34 minutes, 21 points, 9-9 FG, 3-4 FT, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers What a shooting performance. Hickson continues to thrive in the starting role. Don't sleep on him any longer. Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets 44 minutes, 27 points, 11-25 FG, 5-5 FT, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers CD-R has ..."

Fantasy Fast Break: Jackson gets his wish

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November 17

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"What is the Fantasy impact of trade between the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats? Stephen Jackson finally got his wish (sort of) on Monday and was dealt away from the Warriors. He is free from the maniacal coaching ways of Don Nelson and will play for a much more conventional coach in Larry Brown. So he didn't exactly get dealt to a top-level team, but Jackson could be just what the Bobcats need to get going. The Bobcats play excellent defense under Larry Brown, but they can't score worth a lick. They have averaged 82.4 points per game, good for dead last in the NBA. Jackson should provide them with a much-needed scoring presence. Jackson will no longer be playing for a ..."

Wallace, Diaw numbers suffer with Jackson

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November 17

ESPN.com

"Stephen Jackson owners, you just might be OK with your guy in Charlotte. Perhaps it's Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw owners who should be concerned. I know, it's only one game. Still, how does Wallace attempt just five shots in 46 minutes? And even though Diaw was an outstanding 10-of-13 from the field, will the Frenchman's assists decline with the ball in Jackson's hands? Diaw had just a single dime on Monday -- this after averaging 5.0 helpers through his first nine games. On the bright side, Jackson is undoubtedly happy to be out of Oakland, and with him in the lineup, the previously punchless Bobcats shot a season-best 50.7 percent in their loss in Orlando. Plus, I had to laugh when I ..."

There's A Crack In the Bell

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November 17

Rotoworld.com

columnist Steve Alexander

"There's A Crack In the Bell Stephen Jackson actually made it to Orlando, started and played 45 minutes on the same day he was traded Monday. Apparently, physicals were waived in this deal, which is extremely interesting given the state of Raja Bell's wrist, which features a torn ligament. I went out and picked Bell up in most leagues yesterday when the news broke, but am not nearly as high on him now after thinking about it more carefully. Bell came very close to having surgery on the wrist just before the season started, but wanted to try to play through it in order to have a good season and earn one last fat free-agent contract, as his current deal expires at the end of the season. ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/16/09

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November 17

Lester's Legends

"Ronald Murray, Charlotte Bobcats 34 minutes, 31 points, 13-21 FG, 3-6 FT, 2 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 turnovers I guess Flip liked the trade as he responded with easily his best game of the young season. Steve Blake, Portland Trail Blazers 40 minutes, 8 points, 3-11 FG, 2 three-pointers, 11 assists, 2 turnovers What a great assist bonus if you were using Blake for three-pointers. Unless Andre Miller or Brandon Roy get hurt, Blake has limited fantasy value> Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers 32 minutes, 19 points, 7-12 FG, 1-1 FT, 4 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers Rudy was able to take advantage of the additional playing time and ..."

Week 4 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em

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November 16

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is our weekly look at players around the NBA we feel could help or hurt your Fantasy squad based upon matchups and other factors. Don't expect to read about why you should start LeBron James or why you should sit Brian Scalabrine. In this space, we will try to help you make the call on players you could be on the fence about while also pointing out some players you may not have thought about sitting, but you should consider doing so. Start of the Week The Miami Heat hasn't gotten the return they would have hoped for from Michael Beasley during his year-and-change in the league, but there is still time for that to change. Well, there is no time like the present. Beasley ..."

Jennings, Ariza, Bynum soar in rankings

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November 16

ESPN.com

columnist Brian McKitish

"In an effort to stay patient and avoid the mass panic that typically ensues early in the season, I was somewhat reluctant to make any big changes to my preseason rankings over the first couple of weeks. But now that we are getting a little deeper into the season and starting to pick up on some developing trends, it's time to start making some major changes to the rankings based on what we've seen so far. Before we take a look at some of the big movers both up and down, I should note again that these rankings are intended to be a long-term look at future values over the balance of the season rather than a snapshot of values at this moment in time. You'll notice that Darren Collison did not ..."

Jackson's value dips slightly with Bobcats

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November 16

ESPN.com

"In a move that probably won't shock anyone, the Golden State Warriors finally cut the cord and dealt Stephen Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats. Of course, other players were involved. The Warriors dealt Jackson and third-year point guard Acie Law and received Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic in return. For the Bobcats, this deal is all about Jackson. The Bobcats desperately need scoring, and Jackson should slide very comfortably into the starting shooting guard role (moving to small forward when Gerald Wallace plays power forward). The important thing to remember, however, is that even though Jackson likely will have a lot of freedom on offense, he's going from the fastest-paced team in ..."

Wired: Grab CP3's Replacement

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November 16

Rotoworld.com

columnist Steve Alexander

"Normal Sized Leagues I guess the definition of a normal-sized league, at least in my mind, is one consisting of 10 to 12 teams with rosters somewhere around 12-15 players. That should cover a majority of the fantasy hoops leagues in existence. If your league is any smaller than that, the waiver options are endless and it's just too difficult to try to figure out whether you should pick up Kevin Garnett, Luol Deng or Jason Richardson. While it's nice to have those kinds of options available, it can drive you nuts on a daily basis trying to figure out if you should change your roster, so I'd suggest adding a few teams to your league next year. Darren Collison PG, Hornets – Chris Paul went ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/15/09

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November 16

Lester's Legends

"Drew Gooden, Dallas Mavericks 37 minutes, 11 points, 4-8 FG, 3-3 FT, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover Gooden started for Erick Dampier, and recorded his first double-double. Gooden will start against Milwaukee today as well, so Gooden is a decent addition for daily transaction leagues. Rodrique Beaubois, Dallas Mavericks 19 minutues, 14 points, 6-6 FG, 2 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 steals Just a decent game for Beaubois. No need to snatch him off the waiver wire. Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons 29 minutes, 27 points, 11-16 FG, 4-4 FT, 1 three-pointer, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals Bynum continues to score in bunches while Rip Hamilton is out."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/14/09

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November 15

Lester's Legends

"Bobby Brown, New Orleans Hornets 23 minutes, 13 points, 6-13 FG, 1 three-pointer, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 turnovers Bobby led the Hornets in assists in the first game without Chris Paul. He should be a decent play while CP3 is out. Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons 31 minutes, 20 points, 6-13 FG, 8-9 FT, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 turnovers Bynum is one of four capable scorers on the Pistons while Rip Hamilton is out, so he'll get plenty of looks. Earl Boykins, Washington Wizards 31 minutes, 20 points, 7-12 FG, 5-5 FT, 1 three-pointer, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 4 turnovers Not a bad debut for the Wizards, but he won't get many opportunities when Randy Foye returns. Eric Maynor, Utah Jazz 41 minutes, ..."

Week 4 Fantasy Basketball Planner

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November 14

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, Toronto Teams playing three games: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Utah, Washington Teams playing two games: Minnesota Atlantic Division Celtics F Ray Allen is averaging his lowest scoring numbers since he was a rookie, but that could change this week against the likes of the Knicks and Warriors. Keep him active across the board ... The Nets are getting added production out of Terrence Williams due to all their injuries. ..."

Waiver Wire: Options for Week 4 and beyond

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November 12

CBSSports.com

"Top Guard Free Agent options for Week 4 1. Dahntay Jones, Pacers (@NJ, NY, CLE, @CHA): He has been flying under the radar in most Fantasy leagues, but Jones is off to an outstanding start this season. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his first five games and is going to have some favorable matchups in a four-game slate in Week 4. The Pacers are banged up in the back court and Jones just had a game against the Knicks in which he managed 19 points and 12 rebounds. (Ownership: 35 percent) 2. Mario Chalmers, Heat (OKC, @ATL, @TOR, NO): Chalmers is finally coming around after a slow start, scoring in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time all season ..."

"Glue" guys integral to success

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November 12

ESPN.com

columnist John Cregan

"Now, don't get me wrong. I love points. They're exciting, fun and tend to decide the outcome of basketball games. But by and large, fantasy owners are suckers for the darned things. Due to the way basketball is presented, covered and lauded, we simply place too much emphasis on points scored. And because our minds are mildly programmed to gravitate toward the "PPG" column, our fantasy perspective ends up being slightly skewed. Today, I'm here to tell you how you can make this distortion work for you during the early stages of the season, especially when scouring the waiver wire. I'm all for finding the Channing Fryes and Danilo Gallinaris of the world -- surefire fantasy starters left ..."

Knicks continue to be fantasy gold

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November 12

ESPN.com

"The New York Knicks might be a dysfunctional mess, but these days, they are a dysfunctional mess with a particular style, and that style is fantasy gold for them and for anyone they face. Just check out their box scores on a nightly basis. I know Al Horford is a really good player, but you're just not going to see him put up 25 points against most teams. The Hawks' four most important fantasy commodities -- Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson -- all had productive nights against the Knicks on Wednesday, and even the wings off the bench, Maurice Evans and Jamal Crawford, were both in double figures when all was said and done. Basically, on a night-to-night basis, you can pretty ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/11/09

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November 12

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Earl Watson, Indiana Pacers 35 minutes, 16 points, 4-6 FG, 5-6 FT, 3 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers He played Golden State. Don't put too much stock in this performance. Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls 34 minutes, 18 points, 8-13 FG, 2-4 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks Taj has a good shot at solid production while Tyrus Thomas is out. Nazr Mohammed, Charlotte Bobcats 15 minutes, 13 points, 5-7 FG, 3-4 FT, 8 rebounds, 2 turnovers He's not getting enough playing time to be relevant. Terrence Williams, New Jersey Nets 38 minutes, 10 points, 5-15 FG, 12 rebounds, 2 ..."

Player Rater: Nowitzki among top-three

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November 11

ESPN.com

columnist Seth Landman

"We find ourselves today at a strange point in the season, in which many teams have played seven or eight games and yet the Pacers and Bucks have played only five. As such, in analyzing which players are moving up and down on the Player Rater, we'll stick to average stats for the time being. What follows is a list of players exceeding expectations and a list of players failing to live up to them. There is no category to explain Kevin Martin, the Kings shooting guard who was crushing even the most optimistic projections before suffering a hairline fracture in his wrist that will keep him out of action the next two months. Nice beginnings (ranking based on average stats) Dirk Nowitzki, PF, ..."

Determining when it's time to panic

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November 11

ESPN.com

columnist Tom Carpenter

"The most important element in winning a fantasy basketball championship is your draft, but you'll need to do plenty of roster tweaking during the season if you're going to wrap your fingers around your league's trophy in April. Player performance and minutes are particularly fluid early in the season, which means this is the perfect time to make heady moves to strengthen your roster and maximize your chances of becoming a champion at season's end. Is it time to panic already? It doesn't matter who you are or how long you've been playing, when things go well the first few weeks you want to pat yourself on the back, and when things don't go right early on, you want to hit the "panic" button. ..."

Fantasy Fast Break: What to do with A.I.?

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November 10

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Who is most impacted by the return of Josh Howard in Dallas? Josh Howard made his season debut Saturday against the Raptors, playing 24 minutes and scoring 16 points of the bench. He will undoubtedly get more minutes and touches as he gets his playing legs back under him and Fantasy owners should keep a close eye on how the minutes and shot attempts are distributed this week. In the first game with Howard back, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry -- the two players we are most concerned about -- managed to put up solid stat lines. Marion had 18 points with 8 rebounds in 29 minutes while Terry played 32 minutes off the bench and contributed 19 points with four assists. However, as noted above, ..."

Ant-Rand & Navin R. Johnson

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November 10

Rotoworld.com

columnist Steve Alexander

"If you are tired of reading about Anthony Randolph, please feel free to skip to Page 2 for Monday's Game News and Notes. However, if you do care about the movie The Jerk, you should probably keep reading. Navin R. Johnson went through a lot of trials and tribulations in The Jerk. He found love, lost love, made millions, lost millions, found a dog, gave it an amazing name and then lost him, and couldn't understand why a man could have so much hatred for cans of motor oil. It's appropriate that a movie titled The Jerk is where I have chosen to go when discussing the latest Anthony Randolph turn of events, but I'll let you figure out why. In case you missed it, Mr. Randolph got some run last ..."

Grand Theft Roto: Players to sell ASAP

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November 10

ESPN.com

columnist Adam Madison

"Even though it feels like -- to me, anyway -- this young season has been packed with pleasant surprises and interesting developments, the fact of the matter is that the season still isn't even 10 percent of the way through. The tricky thing about the early part of the season is that it's easy to get enamored with a small subset of games -- forgetting that many teams have had a particularly unbalanced schedule -- and to fall in love with a player too soon. For one more week, at least, resist that urge. Until then, however, it's just as important to know whom you don't want. The great thing about the early part of the season is that there is still incomplete information; three months from ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/9/09

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November 10

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns 22 minutes, 18 points, 6-7 FG, 2-4 FT, 4 three-pointers, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals Dudley had a nice little outburst here, but isn't consistent enough at this point to trust. Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers 30 minutes, 20 points, 8-13 FG, 4-5 FT, 8 rebounds, 1 assist We spoke about him yesterday in the Fantasy Hoops Waiver Wire Bin article (click here to read). He been the Sixers best big man, and should be owned in all leagues. Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks 33 minutes, 17 points, 8-15 FG, 1 three-pointer, 10 rebounds, 2 assists Chandler had been pretty mediocre ..."

Ginobili goes batty against Raptors

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November 10

ESPN.com

"Say this for the Spurs' big three: When one of them goes down, the other two generally step up. And when two of them go down, the third one goes to town. At least that was the case on Monday. With Tony Parker and Tim Duncan sidelined, Manu Ginobili did it all. Seriously, there wasn't a fantasy category in which he didn't help you. We'll stick with the biggies though: 36 points, 14-of-16 from the line, eight assists, six triples and four blocks. Think about those last three numbers for a moment. Eight assists, six triples and four blocks from the same player in the same game. Is there anyone else you can imagine coming up with a line like that? Maybe LeBron James. Maybe. That's simply an ..."

Blocks, steals becoming even scarcer

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November 9

ESPN.com

columnist Brian McKitish

"Shortly after my Dwight Howard strategy column was published, I had a spirited debate with some of my colleagues in the fantasy community regarding the dominance of Howard today versus that of Shaquille O'Neal in his prime. I was on an island in thinking that Howard today is far more valuable than Shaq ever was for fantasy purposes. Now, at first glance, you might think I'm crazy, but you probably will think differently when you consider the most important word in fantasy: scarcity. Back in Shaq's heyday, there was a ton of competition among big men, all of whom put up some monstrous fantasy seasons. Most of Shaq's biggest years came during the primes of players like Tim Duncan, Kevin ..."

Fantasy Hoops Waiver Wire Bin Vol. 1

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November 9

Lester's Legends

"I've scoured the fantasy baskeball waiver wires to find gems so you don't have to. Quentin Richarsdon, SG/SF, Miami Heat Q is averaging 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers on the year. He's shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from downtown, and is averaging just 1.0 turnover per game. He qualifies at SG and SF. Richardson has a $2.48M salary cap number in the Sporting News salary cap game, and is owned in 33 percent of Yahoo! and 7.2 percent of ESPN leagues. Kelenna Azubuike, SG/SF, Golden State Warriors Azubuike also qualifies at SG & SG. He is averaging 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.6 turnovers, 0.2 steals, ..."

High Octane Gasoline

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November 9

Rotoworld.com

"No matter the product we create or sell at our respective places of business, we are often told that it's quality, not quantity that matters most. And we tend to accept this so-called piece of wisdom as though it's gospel. But when you really stop and think about it, "quality over quantity" sounds like a lame excuse first coined by someone who wasn't very good at making a whole lot of what they were supposed to make. It is this very notion that prompts me to ask: Why must quality and quantity be mutually exclusive? Isn't it possible to blend the two into one harmonious mash-up of better-than-satisfactory material? Well friends, today we are going to find out. Because I now present to you, ..."

Miller helped by Blazers' three-guard set

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November 9

ESPN.com

"The Portland Trail Blazers rocked the three-guard set for the second time Sunday with the following odd results: • Blazers' points: 116 • Fantasy-relevant quote of the night: "Having two point guards on the floor makes it easier when I run the floor. I know one of those two guys is going to see me." -- LaMarcus Aldridge • Most minutes played by a Blazer: 27 for Steve Blake • Brandon Roy points: 2 (fewest in more than two years) • Assists leader: Roy with seven Upgrade Miller now that he's in the starting lineup, but viewing him as a true fantasy point guard is foolish because he shares the floor with two other players who can bring the ball up and distribute. Roy will be fine, but Blake is ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/8/09

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November 9

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers 23 minutes, 15 points, 7-9 FG, 1-1 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover He's a little inconsistent, but when he's on he simply doesn't miss. He's a decent source for rebounds as well. Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons 30 minutes, 2 points, 0-2 FG, 2-4 FT, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers He doesn't score, but if you need help with rebounds, steals, and blocks, Wallace can help. Will Bynum, Detroit Pistons 28 minutes, 8 points, 3-8 FG, 2-3 FT, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers As long as Rip is out, Bynum has some fantasy value. Channing ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/7/09

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November 8

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Rafer Alston, New Jersey Nets 44 minutes, 20 points, 7-16 FG, 3-4 FT, 3 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers With the Nets dealing with serious injuries, including starting PG Devin Harris for a couple of weeks, Alston makes a great temporary addition. Jose Juan Barea, Dallas Mavericks 24 minutes, 4 points, 2-6 FG, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 turnover JJB is basketball's version of a handcuff. If Jason Kidd ever went down, he'd pile up the assists. Unfortunately, with Kidd healthy, outburst like this are not the norm. Toney Douglas, New York Knicks 17 minutes, 16 points, 6-9 ..."

Week 3 Fantasy Basketball Planner

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November 7

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Week 3 (Nov. 9-15) Teams playing four games: Dallas, Golden State, Houston, L.A. Clippers, Minnesota, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Toronto, Utah Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Bobcats, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, San Antonio Teams playing two games: Indiana, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Washington The Celtics will play three games this week against teams allowing an average of 103.9 points per game. It could be a strong week for Rasheed Wallace from beyond the arc and even Kendrick Perkins could be considered a viable No. 2 center this week ... With so many injuries for the Nets ..."

Working the Wire: Filling holes now

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November 7

ESPN.com

columnist Neil Tardy

"It's never too early to start addressing your needs. This sentence was initially the opener of my upcoming self-help book "How to be Awesome Like Me," but I decided it applied so well to fantasy hoops that I'd start this week's Working the Wire with it. Analyzing team needs is everything, and even though it's way too early to depend completely upon a sample size of four or five games, your team's glaring deficiencies should be evident by now. The best way to make sure you're not climbing out of a hole in December is by making sure the hole isn't dug in November, so don't wait to start compensating for team weaknesses. Unless your league is filled with slow movers, most of the monumental ..."

Where West is Best: Nov. 5

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November 6

SportsGrumblings.com

columnist Adam Schwitters

"Southwest Division San Antonio Spurs: With the profusion of good new talent on this team, expect the scoring numbers from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to drop off from their career averages. DeJuan Blair looks to be one of the top waiver pickups out there with a strong combination of rebounding and 8.3 ppg thus far. Also, his owners can breathe a sigh of relief, for Ginobli is rabies negative after his bizarre encounter with a bat on Halloween. Dallas Mavericks: Fantasy owners rejoice! The Matrix, Shawn Marion, is finally back on a real team. He should begin filling up the stat sheets as he adjusts to his new team. Don't expect him to take too many threes, since this team will rely on ..."

Hello, ROTO: November 6, 2009

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November 6

SportsGrumblings.com

columnist Damian Schaab

"So, have you guys missed me? It's been a few months since we've shot the excrement about rotisserie basketball, but since the season's underway, I thought NOW would be an appropriate time to get one of staple articles of SportsGrumblings.com, Hello, ROTO, tipped-off. Many of you followed our bigger and better pre-season draft package and some have already started emailing our crack(ed) staff with myriad questions about who to draft, who to add, and why so-and-so is sucking like a Hoover. Fortunately, we're here to help, and, for the questions we struggle to answer, you can always turn to the mounds of Halloween candy you've hidden from the kiddies, only to consume it ad nausea all by ..."

Bad News Comes in 3s

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November 6

Rotoworld.com

columnist Steve Alexander

"Dwight Schrute, of Schrute's Beet Farm, recently said that bad news happens in threes, and for the few people out there who own Kevin Martin, Anthony Randolph and Tyrus Thomas, they know it all too well. At least there might actually be some good news coming for Andre Miller now that Nate McMillan is finally listening to the masses. Kevin Martin Has A Decision To Make Update: Shortly after posting the Dose, news broke that Martin is likely either going with surgery or a cast, and is NOT likely to try to play through his injury. I got a late start today, as my body will apparently only let me sleep when the sun is shining. But here's the deal with Kevin Martin, who has a broken left wrist. ..."

Waiver Wire: Never too early to improve your roster

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November 5

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Top Guard Free Agent options for Week 3 1. Ronnie Brewer, Jazz (@NY, @BOS, @PHI, @CLE): Brewer scored at least 16 points in his first three games of the season before being held to 7 points against Dallas on Nov. 3. He will get 35-plus minutes per game in a four-tilt week that includes a matchup against a Knicks team that gives up a ton of points. He's a nice fill-in. Owned Percentage: 65 percent 2. Ramon Sessions, Timberwolves (@GS, POR, DAL, @MEM): You'll have to trust us on this one. Sessions has gotten off to a very poor start with his new team, but we think Week 3 will be the first week where he starts to live up to the potential he showed each of the last two years in Milwaukee. The ..."

If You're Hardcore: All-center manifesto

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November 5

ESPN.com

columnist John Cregan

"Welcome to an all-new season of "If You're Hardcore!" Since I'm new to this column, my editors over at ESPN requested I take some steps to establish my "hardcore" credentials. After that was done, I decided to form the most hardcore fantasy basketball league imaginable: an auction keeper league, populated by the stars of ESPN's fantasy basketball galaxy. Many of my fellow writers had never played in a basketball auction league before, and it was a lot of fun to see them get excited during the auction itself. If you play in an auction league, you'll know that there's nothing in fantasy that quite matches the rush of a bidding war. I blew almost a third of my budget ($59) on Deron Williams, ..."

Young Nets Douglas-Roberts, Williams rising

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November 5

ESPN.com

"Yes, the New Jersey Nets have had their problems in the early going, especially with the injury to their starting point guard and best player, Devin Harris. That said, no one expected much of the Nets this year anyway, and there certainly have been some bright spots on the wing positions. Chris Douglas-Roberts and rookie swingman Terrence Williams both look like keepers, and both also appear to have some fantasy value this season, too. Douglas-Roberts has had three straight productive games for the Nets and seems to have the starting small-forward spot on lockdown. He's good for points and rebounds, and has been doing his share in steals and blocks of late, too. He's doing a great job of ..."

Rookie Jennings going Buck wild

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November 4

ESPN.com

"Pretty much all of the preseason fantasy hype for rookie point guards went to Tyreke Evans and Jonny Flynn, but people seemed to sleep a bit on Brandon Jennings. The thinking was that while Evans had to beat out the likes of Beno Udrih for minutes with the Sacramento Kings, and Flynn had to hold off Ramon Sessions for minutes with the Minnesota Timberwolves, at least they didn't have to battle a rookie-hating coach like Scotty Skiles. The trouble is that's a bit of an oversimplification of Skiles' thinking. Skiles doesn't hate rookies; he hates players who don't play hard and don't play smart basketball, which typically includes most rookies. Thus far, though, Jennings has proved worthy of ..."

Player Rater: Fast and slow starts

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November 4

ESPN.com

columnist Seth Landman

"We're only one week into a long season, so all Player Rater rankings need to be taken with a shaker of salt. That said, this early in the season, it can be useful to pay attention to which players are putting up better numbers than you would have thought (especially by average stats, which early on will be far less skewed than total numbers). Bearing that in mind, let's take a look at some players who are having promising starts to the season, and some others whose fantasy status may need a little rethinking. Nice Beginnings (ranking based on average stats) Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (4): Anthony's numbers for his fourth game (25 points in 29 minutes in a win over the Pacers in Indiana) were ..."

Grand Theft Roto: Early trade targets

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November 4

ESPN.com

columnist Adam Madison

"One of the harsh realities about the early part of the season is just how difficult it is to make a trade. Since everyone has very limited information to evaluate from, the margin for error on any kind of trade tends to be fairly high. As a result, most owners are reluctant to make any significant trades during the first month or so. It also tends to be difficult to work out early-season trades because the most concrete valuation tool we have to go on is still the draft position of players. Unfortunately, however, once the season gets going, such a ranking is really just an imaginary construct, and if two owners deviate in their evaluation of a player, it's difficult to close the gap since ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/3/09

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November 4

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland Cavaliers 29 minutes, 21 points, 7-9 FG, 7-10 FT, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover It seems funny putting Shaq's name here, but his previous season high was 12. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers 34 minutes, 14 points, 12 rebounds, 6-11 FG, 2-2 FT, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 1 turnover Hibbert finally showed some of the game he displayed in the preseason. Dahntay Jones, Indiana Pacers 29 minutes, 20 points, 8-15 FG, 4-6 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block Jones now has two solid games out of three. He does little more than score though, so not worth adding just yet. ..."

Fantasy Fast Break: Already seeing Redd

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November 3

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"With Michael Redd out, who steps up for the Bucks? The Bucks will once again be without their leading scorer after he injured the same left knee on which he had to undergo reconstructive surgery last year. The initial estimate has him out for two weeks, but it could very easily be more. So the Bucks will have to get scoring production out of somewhere, but there doesn't appear to be a clear-cut candidate. Last season, the player who benefited the most while Redd missed time was Ramon Sessions. But with Sessions now languishing and looking unproductive on Minnesota's bench, the Bucks could look to Charlie Bell for a boost at the two spot, along with Carlos Delfino. Bell's best month last ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/2/09

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November 3

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets 40 minutes, 20 points, 7-17 FG, 4-5 FT, 2 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers CD-R had his second straight 20 point game. The Nets are banged up right now, and he should have plenty of scoring opportunities going forward. D.J. Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats 27 minutes, 21 points, 6-14 FG, 9-10 FT, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers He's coming off the bench and offers little more than scoring and free-throw percentage at this point. Larry Hughes, New York Knicks 40 minutes, 20 points, 8-13 FG, 2-2 FT, 2 three-pointers, 6 ..."

Danilo Gallinari does more than just shoot

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November 3

ESPN.com

"When an NBA player buries 18 3-pointers in a three-game span, everyone notices, not just fantasy owners. Of course Danilo Gallinari couldn't keep up that pace. On Monday against a New Orleans Hornets team that was focused on defending the perimeter, the second-year player from Italy scored just nine points on 2-for-9 shooting. In the past week, Gallinari's ownership in ESPN.com leagues has skyrocketed from 4 percent to more than 45 percent. And despite his showing versus the Hornets, you'll want to keep that number going up. The 21-year-old has the ability, and Mike D'Antoni and the Knicks will continue to give him opportunities. Even in his quiet 37 minutes Monday, Gallinari gave you five ..."

Week 2 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em

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November 2

CBSSports.com

columnist Sergio Gonzalez

"Start of the Week Who would have thought that going into the second week of the Fantasy hoops season, Marc Gasol would be a better option than his big brother, Pau? Well that's exactly the scenario that Fantasy owners are faced with as Pau deals with a lingering hamstring injury that threatens to keep him out for another few games and little brother Marc is in for a week of very favorable matchups. While we are recommending you play it safe with Pau and his hamstring, Marc is our choice for the Start of the Week. Here's why. Gasol will play four games in Week 2 (Nov. 2-8) against the Kings, Warriors, Lakers and Clippers. Already off to a red-hot start, Marc will face three of the weaker ..."

Early impressions from all 30 teams

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November 2

ESPN.com

columnist Brian McKitish

"We're barely even a week into the NBA season, so I suppose that I'm bound by some sort of unwritten contract to warn you about the dangers of panicking this early in the season. There, I fulfilled my obligation; now let's get to the introductions. When my editors told me that I could freelance and write about whatever I wanted in my column as long as it related to fantasy hoops and included my top-130 rankings, I imagine I felt a lot like Steve Nash when he learned that the Suns would be going back to the up-tempo offense. I have a feeling my editors might regret that decision when I turn this in considering that this might be double the word count that they were expecting when it's all ..."

Wired: Over the Hill?

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November 2

Rotoworld.com

columnist Steve Alexander

"Normal Sized Leagues I guess the definition of a normal-sized league, at least in my mind, is one consisting of 10 to 12 teams with rosters somewhere around 12-15 players. That should cover a majority of the fantasy hoops leagues in existence. If your league is any smaller than that, the waiver options are endless and it's just too difficult to try to figure out whether you should pick up Michael Beasley, Richard Hamilton or J.R. Smith. While it's nice to have those kind of options available, it can drive you nuts on a daily basis trying to figure out if you should change your roster, so I'd suggest adding a few teams to your league next year. Rookies For this being such a "bad" draft ..."

Fantasy Basketball Box Score Breakouts – 11/1/09

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November 2

Lester's Legends

"Here's a look at some fantasy basketball players that blew up the box score last night. J.J. Redick, Orlando Magic 45 minutes, 27 points, 8-14 FG, 6-7 FT, 5 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover Strong performance, but it came in Vince Carter's absence. Don't expect many outbursts like this. Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans Hornets 32 minutes, 26 points, 9-15 FG, 2-2 FT, 6 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers Peja was off to a slow start prior to this outburst. He's still capable of scoring in bunches on any given night, but he's not the same threat anymore. He's a great source for threes, and that's about it. Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls 36 minutes, 26 points, ..."