Working the Wire

Unfortunately, as the Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, and Nets can attest, the early portion of the season isn’t without it’s share of significant injuries.  These injuries can cause not just a change in playing time, but a change in playing style leading to unlikely contributors emerging.  For example, Wolves forward Kevin Love went out in the preseason with an injury that’ll keep him out another week or two. It appears, though, that the main fantasy beneficiary isn’t another power forward; it’s…

Corey Brewer (SG/SF-MIN)—Though the early knock on him was his horrendous shooting percentage, his other contributions made sure he stayed on the court.  Now that his shooting percentage has moved into respectability (don’t expect it to go much higher), the rest of his game becomes fantasy relevant.  He’s grabbing a couple of steals, and putting up 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists as well.  And he’s really not shooting enough to hurt your FG% badly if he regresses there.  If the Timberwolves start to experiment with a Flynn-Sessions backcourt though, don’t hesitate to let Brewer go and start looking elsewhere.

Brandon Bass (PF-ORL)—With PF Ryan Anderson out for the next week or so, Bass looks like a prime pickup.  He’s shooting over 50%, and has proven he can rebound and block shots.  It may only be a stopgap, but he’ll give you good numbers for the next week or two.

Beno Udrih (PG-SAC)—With SG Kevin Martin out for 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist, it looks like the Kings will need someone to stop up the scoring.  The prime candidates are Tyreke Evans, and Mr. Udrih.  Granted it was against the Warriors, but Udrih was aggressive with the ball in the Kings previous games and looked to some added responsibility.  It looks like the natural setup is playing Evans and Udrih side-by-side, which bodes well for both of them.  They may not be the most efficient numbers, but Udrih should be a solid pickup over the next couple of months.

Larry Hughes (SG-NYK)—One of the things I like about fantasy basketball is that it mirrors the real game closely (cough, football, cough) in that good fantasy players are almost always good real players, and vice versa.  This, though, is not one of those occasions.  Despite all evidence that it’s a poor strategy, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni continues to give Larry Hughes major minutes (in D’Antoni’s defense, there aren’t a lot of other options).  And Hughes, never one to be shy…isn’t.  He usually puts up numbers when given playing time, and it appears he’ll be seeing the court a lot this season.  As long as he’s getting minutes, he’ll contribute across the board and is a major plus if you’re looking for steals.

Will Bynum (PG-DET)—Will Bynum continues to impress when given time, and is perhaps the anti-Larry Hughes, in that despite all evidence he should be played more, he simply hasn’t gotten on the court enough.  Now, though, it appears the Pistons are recognizing his contributions and are gradually increasing his role.  He’s currently averaging 11 ppg, 3rpg, 4apg with almost a steal as well.  I don’t see these numbers going down in the near future, as the trend league-wide is toward smaller guards.  

Roy Hibbert (C-IND)—Hibbert is averaging a double-double (11 and 10) with three blocks, yet he’s owned in just 31.5 percent of ESPN.com leagues.  There’s no excuse for this people—blocks are hard to come by, he’s even pitching in an assist and good percentages. He’s a borderline #1 center at this rate.

Quentin Richardson (SG-MIA)—Q has always been a bit mercurial, to say the least, but he seems to have found his niche playing in between fellow scorers Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley.  With the pressure off, Richardson is thriving again.  In his last 3 games he’s averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds, along with 3.3 3PG.  The big difference has been a jump in playing time with Daequan Cook sidelined by a shoulder injury.  As long as the minutes are there, the stats should be too.

Channing Frye (C-PHO)—Another good center owned in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues.  He’s tailor made for the Suns system—a big man that can shoot along side Amare Stoudemire.  He’s been good for 14-5 with 2.8 3PM, and steal and a half per contest.  I shouldn’t have to advocate picking up a center that contributes in 4 categories, but here we are.

Week 1 Fantasy Primer

In fantasy leagues with weekly changes one of the best ways to rack up stats is to squeeze extra games out of your roster. While superstars should be started every week, scheduling will factor in when deciding whom to round out your roster with. This is an in-depth look at the schedule for each week, identifying teams with extra games and favorable matchups to help you take advantage.

Two Games: Golden State, Indiana, Milwaukee, Utah
Three Games: Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington
Four Games: Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland

There’s not much to be gained from scheduling this week, as 22 of the league’s 30 teams have 3 games each. Let’s start by taking a look at teams playing 2 or 4 games, though:

Two Games

Golden State Warriors: Though they play only two games during the opening week, they’re both against teams that figure to push the tempo this season: Phoenix and Houston. This plays into Golden State’s freewheeling offensive style, and despite only playing two games their entire starting lineup (PG Stephen Curry, SG Monta Ellis, SF Stephen Jackson, PF Corey Maggette, and C Andris Biedrins) is worth of fantasy consideration this week. Biedrins makes for a nice 2nd center, and Curry could really rack up the assists with all the other scorers on this team. Much was made of Monta Ellis saying at the start of the preseason that he and Curry couldn’t play together, but it seems they’ll start off doing just that. The two Anthony’s off the bench (SG Anthony Morrow and PF Anthony Randolph) also could be worthy of starting spots; Morrow if you’re short on three point shooting, and Randolph if you’re a risk taker. I, like nearly everyone else, am high on Randolph and think he will contribute in most categories.

Indiana Pacers: SF Danny Granger is a must start every week, but beyond that it gets murky. PG TJ Ford now has the starting point guard spot to himself with Jarrett Jack in Toronto, and could be started in most leagues as well, especially if you’re light on steals and assists. C Troy Murphy has value too, but I wouldn’t look at anyone else in a short week until they establish themselves.

Milwaukee Bucks: Volume scorer SG Michael Redd and floppy-haired C Andrew Bogut are the only two Bucks that should find themselves in fantasy lineups this week as a few roles are still up in the air, and neither of them figure to be especially strong plays at that. If you happen to find yourself watching the Bucks, there are a couple spots to keep an eye on: if either PG Brandon Jennings or PG Luke Ridnour can distinguish himself from the other they’ll have some value, as will the winner of the minutes at the forward spots. Whether that’s SF Joe Alexander, SF Hakim Warrick, or SF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is anyone’s guess, and each would bring something slightly different. Unless you’re in deep league or faced with a tough injury, it’s not of much consequence.


Utah Jazz: With only two games, only PG Deron Williams is a must-start, with C Mehmet Okur, PF Paul Millsap, and PF Carlos Boozer ranking as very good options as well. If you’re short on blocks SF Andrei Kirilenko makes for a good play, and SG Ronnie Brewer could be used if you’re short on steals as well.