Holy stats did a lot of guys put up numbers last night. Andrew Bynum had 42, 15, and 3, Steve Nash had 19 assists, and of course LeBron stole the fantasy show with 34 points, 3 threes, 14 rebounds, and 7 boards. The stats were plentiful last night, but lke every other night, there were a few players that stood out and need mentioning in the (Almost) Daily Fantasy.

Rafer Alston – Rafer was awesome last night against the Jazz. I hadn’t seen him play that well in a long time and his game has been on point pretty consistently of late. Last night Skip had 23 points, 5 threes, 8 assists, and 4 boards. He’s an intriguing sell high candidate and might be worth seeing if he has any trade value.

Rip Hamilton – I said yesterday in the comments section that I wasn’t worried about Rip coming off the bench. Although yesterday was a blowout, Rip playing in the low 20 minutes isn’t a good sign. I just can’t imagine him not getting his numbers and not playing 30 a night. I’m still not worried. Yet.

Jermaine O’Neal and Shawn Marion – The trade candidates. Both players returned, although The Matrix’s return was extremely short (8 minutes) because of the lingering groin injury. JO looked like he was moving well in his 20 minutes of action. Monday’s lineup deadline is still a ways off, so let’s wait and see how the rest of the week plays out until we make a recommendation about starting either player.

Melvin Ely – Ely is going to be a hot free agent signing for the next 24 hours. Why? Because the Hornets don’t have another legit healthy big man (sorry Sean Marks) and Chris Paul should be able to get Ely serviceable numbers. Chandler, David West, and Hilton Armstrong are all out with injuries.

Charlie Villanueva – That’s two nights in a row for Charlie Villanueva. Chuck V. had 32 and 10 last night and is giving you enough confidence in him to start him and then have him crush your fantasy soul within a game or two. ENJOY!

Russell Westbrook – I’ve been critical of Westbrook in the past and said that he might not put it together consistently until next season, but January has been a very strong month for him. Yes he had 30 last night but even more impressive is that he’s been in double figures in every game this month but one (and he had 6 assists in that game) and his January averages are now 17.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.7 boards. He’s also shooting the ball above 44 percent and averaging over 1 steal per game. He’s proving me wrong.

DeAndre Jordan – Sure he let Bynum have the best offensive night of his career, but this is fantasy basketball and we really don’t care. Jordan had another very solid game going for 23 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks. Camby is now projected to be out for two weeks and Jordan looks like a real option as a spot starter for next week. Brian Skinner is putting up decent numbers, but is not a great option at this point.

Ronny Turiaf – Unless Biedrens is going to miss significant time, Turiaf is probably a one game wonder, but there is one thing that in undeniable – Turiaf can block shots. Turiaf scored 8 points, grabbed 6 boards, dished out 8 dimes and blocked 5 blocks. The assists are an aberration but his blocks per minute stat is up there in the top of the league. Biedrens owners should at least keep an eye on the situation and if the league is deep, might want to handcuff the situation.

Monta Ellis – Supposedly he’s extremely close. I think he’s two weeks away from being in fantasy lineups and less than one week away from being in an NBA lineup (gotta get the rust out) but that’s a great sign for fantasy owners. He shouldn’t be a free agent in any league at this point.

Von Wafer – The scoring continues. 21 points and 3 more threes. He’s still a free agent in our league and I’m shocked that someone hasn’t wanted the points. Remember, when Artest and T-Mac come back, the show is over for Von Wafer.