Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 11.12
Danny Granger (photo. Stephen Hill)
Beast of the Night: Danny Granger shot 50 percent (12-24) from the field and perfect (5-5) from the line on his way to 31 points, 2 threes, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers. The double-digit boards were out of the ordinary as Granger seems to be dealing with a sore heel quite nicely. He’s still a DNP risk but his owners have to be enjoying the ride so far.
Noteworthy Lines:
Anthony Randolph – 8-20 FG (40%), 1-2 FT (50%), 17 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk; It’s silly that he’s still coming off the bench, but this is the type of line Randolph is capable of putting up on a consistent basis if he got enough minutes. He looks great for the next couple weeks until Andris Biedrins returns.
Channing Frye – 4-9 FG (44%), 2-2 FT (100%), 3 3ptm, 13 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk; He’ll be a roller coaster to own this season, but Frye is on track to have the best season of his career.
Paul Millsap – 3-8 FG (38%), 3-4 FT (75%), 9 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Finally, a respectable line from Millsap. Nevertheless, he’s far from being a consistent fantasy player.
Rudy Fernandez – 5-7 FG (71%), 1-1 FT (100%), 4 3ptm, 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; This was his best line of the season so far. The Blazers’ backcourt is a little crowded right now, so unless Fernandez can get 25+ minutes, he’ll continue to be inconsistent.
Richard Jefferson – 11-23 FG (48%), 5-10 FT (50%), 2 3ptm, 29 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; His owners are being rewarded for their patience. Watch his production once Tim Duncan and Tony Parker return.
Luis Scola – 10-15 FG (67%), 2-2 FT (100%), 22 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; This is what his owners expected on draft day, but Scola has been erratic so far. He’ll be fine going forward, but will have his stretch of mediocre games.
Elton Brand – 0-6 FG (0%), 5-6 FT (83%), 5 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Stl; It’s time to give up on any kind of comeback from him this season. Lower your expectations or cut your losses and trade him soon.
Erick Dampier – 0-2 FG (0%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 Pt, 4 Reb; Of course this was going to happen. His owners shouldn’t let this discourage them too much, but they should be reminded that Dampier isn’t going to make them proud every week.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Earl Watson – 16 Pts, 3 3ptm, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; With T.J. Ford likely sidelined for a few games, Watson is worth considering.
Taj Gibson – 18 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk; He continues to produce as a starter for the Bulls and will be worth a roster spot until Tyrus Thomas returns.
Toney Douglas – 23 Pts, 2 3ptm, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 TO; The rookie started last night and played 36 minutes, but he’ll take a hit once Nate Robinson returns.
Ersan Ilyasova – 17 Pts, 3 3ptm, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 TO; He puts up good numbers when he plays around 20 minutes and is worth consideration in deeper leagues.
Tyler Hansbrough – 11 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Blk; Hansbrough’s doing a lot in little time, but it’s unclear how much action he’ll see once Troy Murphy returns.
Carl Landry – 20 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Blk, 1 TO; He’s still not owned in many leagues but is playing very well lately.
Matt Bonner – 11 Pts, 3 3ptm, 9 Reb, 2 Ast; His value will dip once Duncan returns, but he’s still good for threes and deserves attention in deeper leagues.
Injuries:
Ford (back): back spasms could keep him out for a bit, day-to-day
Raja Bell (calf): repeat injury from last season, day-to-day
David West (knee): played through it but should be monitored
Pau Gasol (hamstring): murmurs of another two weeks out, won’t play tonight
Andrew Bynum (elbow): looks ready to go
Daequan Cook (shoulder): questionable for tonight
Josh Howard (ankle): same ankle that kept him out is sore again
Stephen Jackson (hip): sore hip limited his minutes Wednesday
Russell Westbrook (ankle): left the game but returned later, monitor status
For Tonight:
Look for Bynum to have a big line against the Suns, if he plays. DJ Mbenga could also notch some blocks and boards tonight.
Shaquille O’Neal could put some extra sauce on his play as he returns to Miami, but expect LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to steal the show. See if Mo Williams can continue his hot shooting and look for Quentin Richardson to bounce back.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
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November 12th, 2009 at 11:34 am
fallinup says:
Brand is killing me. Who, or what should I be going for when trying to trade him away? It’s to the point now where just waiving him is a better option than keeping him.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:44 am
pba says:
I’m looking to drop Peja, but nobody on the waivers looks too appealing for 3’s, which is a catagory i’m really struggling on. Also, does TJ Ford have any real value in a 12 man league?
November 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Jason says:
I had Brand and finally gave up in favor of Speights. I really just think Brand can’t physically do it anymore- which sucks for Philly fans.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Move over Jermaine O’Neal, Elton Brand is now the worst contract in the NBA.
November 12th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
fallinup says:
I got Kevin Love (more likely for me to grab up) and Blake Griffin sitting on the waiver wire enticing me to just drop Brand and wait out the injuries.
Just mad at myself for taking one more gamble on Brand this season.
November 12th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
MSkittle says:
You forgot Brandon Jennings
November 12th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Jay says:
Hey Doc,
Someone is my league is offering me LaMarcus Aldridge & Marcus Camby for D12?
What do u think?
November 12th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Jay says:
Sorry doc,
he also offered me joe johnson and camby for howard? what do you think, which deal would u take?
November 12th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@fallinup: Brand’s not going to get you much in return, but his name still has value and there are surely some owners out there who still hold out some hope for him.
You can try to target someone like David West in a two-for-two deal, or you can target someone like Troy Murphy, Michael Beasley or even Paul Millsap, who has more upside.
I wouldn’t drop him since he can still get you something in return.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@pba: Chase Budinger, Daniel Gibson, Raja Bell, Anthony Parker, or Andres Nocioni could be decent replacements for Peja.
Yes, when healthy, Ford does have value in a 12-man league.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@fallinup: Not a bad idea.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: Very enticing deals there. Howard is in a bit of a minor slump, but these two offers are pretty nice.
If you would benefit from threes, I’d take the Joe Johnson deal. If, however, you’d prefer to lock down rebounds and FG%, go with the first deal.
As you know, Camby is an injury risk, so be sure you can swallow that pill before you decide to accept.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
DoubleA says:
I’ve got Brand & Thaddeus Young as forwards, should I swap out one of them for Speights, Landry or Haslem off the waiver wire?
November 12th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@DoubleA: I like Young’s upside better than Brand’s, but he’s probably the one you should drop. Brand still has some marginal trade value. I like Landry the best of those three options.
November 12th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
nick says:
what are your thoughts on a cp3 and blatche trade for zach randolph and jose calderon.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@nick: Whoever gets CP3 wins, big time.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
advocate says:
doc,
thanks for the help last night. i was wondering though…is glen davis droppable? also, you know what my squad is from last night(it’s pretty weak)….but someone just dropped dj augustin, worth a pick up? drop afflalo, bynum, davis or shelden williams? thanks buddy.
-the advocate
November 12th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Boss says:
Hi Doc,
Brand just got dropped in my 10 team keepers league… Worth dropping Mike Miller/Grant Hill or Dampier for to stash him?
November 12th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@advocate: With Bell hurt, Augustin could be worth a pick up but he’s not going to be consistent unless he gets 20+ minutes.
I’d drop Afflalo or Bynum, since they’ll both be affected by the return of other players. Williams will have value so long as the Celtics blow out opponents.
Davis won’t have a smooth comeback, since Rasheed Wallace and Williams are plugging up the frontcourt quite well off the bench. Depending on how patient you are, he’s definitely droppable.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
advocate says:
thanks doc. appreciate it kid. talk to ya soon.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:52 am
seeward says:
Hey there! THis is my first year playing fantasy bball and I read an article recently about “small ball strategy” so i decided to try it in yahoo and this is the team i have now. it is a 12 team league and so far i am in the top 4 teams for total stats in assists, steals, free throws, and 3ptm. but the article i read said i should be winning points too but i score the second to least points in the league. should i panic about my team now? what should i do?!!!?
Chris Paul
John Salmons
Rafer Alston
Gerald Wallace
Channing Frye
Boris Diaw
Mehmet Okur
Al Harrington
Baron Davis
Jamal Crawford
Courtney Lee
J.R. Smith
Devin Harris
November 13th, 2009 at 3:04 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Boss: If you need boards and blocks, then Brand might be OK to stash, but things don’t look good at all for him. At this point, there’s no reason to think he’ll be better than the three players you’d consider dropping for him.
Miller is slated to return and it’ll be interesting to see how he and Jamison mesh and affect each other’s value. He’ll have his minutes with Foye out for a bit, but his production hasn’t been impressive so far, so he could be the guy to drop if you want Brand.
Hill is likely to decline a bit too, while Dampier will maintain strong, sometimes inconsistent center-position value.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:12 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@seeward: Definitely a solid small-ball team there. I think you’ll be fine once Salmons, Smith and Wallace find their grooves. Also, Harris’ return will do a lot for your team, as he’s a much better fantasy player than Rafer Alston. I think patience will do you good, but if you just can’t wait, target players like Andrea Bargnani, Danilo Gallinari and Troy Murphy.