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.