Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 11.9 (Weekend Wrap-Up)
Weekend Wonder: Tyreke Evans is bouncing back from a bum ankle in a big way, helped partly by the absence of Kevin Martin. The Kings’ surging rookie averaged 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and just 1 turnover in two games over the weekend, while also hitting 1.5 threes, shooting 50 percent (15-30) from the field and 85 percent (22-26) from the free throw line. With Martin sidelined for six to eight weeks, expect Evans to fill that void quite nicely.
Noteworthy Lines:
Brook Lopez (11/6) – 10-16 FG (63%), 6-9 FT (67%), 22 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; After a few mediocre games, Lopez seems ready to justify the high pick his owners used on him
Anthony Randolph (11/6) – 5-15 FG (33%), 3-4 FT (75%), 13 Pts, 14 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This is the kind of line his owners expected to see on a regular basis on draft day. This line came courtesy of an absent Andris Biedrins, who returned on Sunday. Don’t count on this kind of production on a consistent basis. (Thanks, Nellie.)
DJ Mbenga (11/8) – 5-9 FG (56%), 0-1 FT (0%), 10 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk; He showed some good stuff during the preseason and seems like this season’s Marcin Gortat. Mbenga benefitted from the absences of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol and should lose his value very soon.
Boris Diaw (11/7) – 8-14 FG (57%), 1-3 FT (33%), 3 3ptm, 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 6 TO; This was his best game of the year so far. Diaw’s a versatile player who should have solid value going forward. (He’s a great target if you’re looking to sell high on Lamar Odom.)
John Salmons (11/7) – 9-16 FG (56%), 7-9 FT (78%), 2 3ptm, 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Finally, a great line from Salmons who looks very close to steady production again.
Andre Miller (11/8) – 9-14 FG (64%), 2-3 FT (67%), 1 3ptm, 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; He finally started, though alongside Steve Blake. The battle seems to be shifting toward Miller’s favor, so if you had the patience to bear with him until now, your reward could be coming soon.
Wilson Chandler (11/7) – 1-10 FG (10%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; All this in 35:45 of play. A clunker if there ever was one and though Chandler hasn’t exactly lived up to the sleeper hype thus far, his numbers should improve soon, making him a great buy-low target.
Allen Iverson (11/6) – 2-5 FG (40%), 4-6 FT (67%), 8 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Yes, it’s an ugly line, but the bigger story here is, of course, the possibility that this could be Iverson’s last line in Memphis, or the NBA for that matter. It might be a bit cynical to doubt reports saying his leave of absence is indeed for personal reasons, but there is a good chance that the Grizzlies experiment could be over already. If you own Mike Conley or O.J. Mayo, you’re probably suffering from a major case of schadenfreude.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Omri Casspi – had a very nice line on Sunday (12 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, 4 threes, 3 steals), should be solid while Martin is out
Beno Udrih – playing very well in new starting role, will be good while Martin is sidelined
Tyler Hansbrough – finally back from battling bum shin, should be decent while Troy Murphy is sidelined
Rafer Alston – surprisingly still available in most leagues, will see tons of minutes while Devin Harris is out another two to four weeks with a groin injury
George Hill – will get minutes while Tony Parker is out, but might only be appealing in deeper leagues
Marreese Speights – playing better than Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert lately
Injuries:
Tony Parker (ankle): not serious, out about a week
Kenyon Martin (leg): says he’s fine, could be back soon
Pau Gasol (hamstring): could be back this week
Andrew Bynum (elbow): see above
Tyrus Thomas (arm): accident in the weight room, surgery, out four to six weeks
Richard Hamilton (ankle): lingering, could be out this whole week
Tayshaun Prince (back): might need surgery, might be time to drop him
Courtney Lee (groin): like point guard, like shooting guard; shouldn’t be out too long
Speights (knee): knocked knees on Sunday, monitor his status
Vince Carter (ankle): return date uncertain
Nate Robinson (ankle): could be back this week
For Tonight:
See if Chris Bosh can continue his domination against Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
Carlos Boozer should have a decent shot at continuing his strong play in New York.
Watch Al Jefferson and Anthony Randolph as the Timberwolves visit the Warriors. Both of their owners could use a healthy dose of encouragement.
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 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Pet Society Help says:
Is it me or does the NBA seem boring this season? *Yawn
November 9th, 2009 at 10:37 am
kevin says:
Hey doc my team:
Chris paul
Courtney lee
Gilbert arenas
Paul pierce
Boris diaw
Jason thompson
Tim duncan
Luis scola
Russel westbrook
Wilson chandler
Roy hibbert
Leandro barbosa
What kind of trade do I look for right now and who should go? Right now I could be getting chris bosh for arenas and hibbert is that too much to give up?
Thanks doc
November 9th, 2009 at 10:46 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@kevin: Chandler and Lee are pretty hard to own right now, but it’s tough to sell low on them.
I think that trade is a bit much to give up. If you can convince the other owners to give up another player to make it a two-for-tow, that’d be solid.
I’d look to package two of your middle-tier players (Hibbert, Barbosa, Chandler, Thompson, Diaw) and trade up to add a solid SF, PF or C.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Moi says:
Here’s my line up:
Stephen Curry
Corey Brewer
Vince Carter
Josh Smith
Dirk Nowitzki
Charlie Villanueva
Channing Frye
Nenad Krstic
Stephen Jackson
Jeff Green
Caron Butler
Chris Andersen
Luis Scola
I’m in a head-to-head league and I’m hurting in assists…should I even try to be competitive in that category or should I just concentrate on the other categories?
November 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
kevin says:
Hey doc sorry to bother…. but how about pau gasol for arenas? I feel like I dnt really need 3 pg
November 9th, 2009 at 11:17 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@kevin: If you can pull that off, go for it.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Jcarr says:
How long is murphy out for??? Thnks.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
the truth says:
hey doc, i’m gonna give up jennings and jrich for David Lee and Salmons. I got krypto, gallinari and a brooks so I got threes covered. Is it a fair deal for me?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
DoubleA says:
Somebody dropped R. Hamilton in my roto league, is he still more valuable than Foye or B. Jennings?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Moi: You’ve got strong SG/SF players, but you are lacking strength at the PG/C spots.
Assists are usually linked to FT%, 3ptm and steals, but if you’re doing fine in those areas you can definitely consider punting the assists category.
You should look to trade for a backup point guard.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jcarr: Probably not this week. He’s day-to-day.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: Ballsy trade for you. Brooks has cooled off and with the emergence of Larry Hughes, Nate’s playing time is more in doubt than before.
If you can stomach the risks, go for it. It depends on your roster’s needs.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@DoubleA: Rip will be interesting to monitor when he returns. I think he’ll have more consistent value than Foye, but maybe not more value than Jennings.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Jay says:
Hey Doc,
I have some serious issues my man…here is my roster
Nash
Salmons
Granger
Odom
Howard
Haslem
Hibbart
C.Brewer
J.R. Smith
Udrih
Lou Williams
Biedrins
Iverson
Mo Williams
I have a pretty legit squad they have yet to start performing though; however, my following question are:
-what do i do with Biedrins? i drafted him with high hopes that he will be a nightly double double but sadly that plan seems to back fire, what do you recommend i do?
-If that was your roster, what changes/trades would you make?
its a 12 man H-2-H league
November 9th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
BNZA says:
Schadenfreude, definitiv!
November 9th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: Biedrins is a tough call at this point. He has been a huge disappointment, and isn’t playing 100 percent healthy right now. Be comforted by the fact that every Warrior’s value is suffocating under Nellie’s mad rule in Golden State. He’s virtually impossible to drop or trade, so the best you can do is probably bench him, wait for him to string together two or three solid games then decide whether you want to trade him off or keep him.
You have some nice firepower waiting for a spark (Smith, Williams), so patience will pay off somewhat.
If I were you, I’d actually look to trade Granger and Odom. Granger’s heel is worrisome and Odom’s value will take a dip once Gasol and Bynum return this week.
Iverson’s almost droppable at this point.
I’d also look to package Williams and Salmons for a higher tier guard.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
chris says:
notice how BAD teams play the second game of back to back games? raps beat hornets by 20 friday, lose to mavs by 20 the next night, even tho’ hornets beat the mavs 2 nights before losing to raptors. i don’t get it; hockey, football never schedule back to back games, no way can nba teams play up to their ability on back to back games, major impact on fantasy performance, but also means the well rested team almost always covers the point spread…maybe this is the ONLY time you should bet on nba games…bet against the team playing their second game in 2 nights! (even worse when a team plays 3 games in 3 nights, which hardly ever happens anymore).
November 9th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
BrickLayer says:
Hey Doc,
I am in a 13 team roto league. My team is:
Chalmers
Wade
Arenas
Beasley
Okur
Scola
Blantche
Brook Lopez
DJ Augustin
Kenyon Martin
Ty Thomas
Barbosa
Tmac
I am getting killed in fts, assists, steals, rebs
I have been disappointed with beasley, augustin, and barbosa so far. Being a 13 team league its a pretty weak waiver pool some notables out there are, peja, matt barnes, ty lawson, Yi, raja bell.
Who should i get rid of from my team? Are there any players you think i should trade for or pick up?
Cheers,
November 9th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
DoubleA says:
Who’s better to keep as a backup center and occasional flex player, Roy Hibbert or Brendan Haywood? Both only have 2 games this week so I think I’ll stick with Bynum as my center this week. I’m struggling a little with boards and blocks.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BrickLayer: Well, it looks like you have an intriguing asset at the end of your roster: T-Mac.
As you may know already, he’s saying he’ll be back next week. This means two things: Look to trade him once he puts together some good lines, and target Aaron Brooks.
After a good start, Brooks has slowed down a bit recently. But with McGrady on the floor, he’ll have another offensive threat to pass to. Grab him away from his disgruntled owner. He should help three of your four needs.
Also, see if you can get Beno Udrih.
Try to sell high on Blatche, and try to deal Augustin (or consider dropping him), K-Mart, Thomas and Barbosa. You’d do well to package two of them and trade up for a stronger PG/SG who gives you what you need.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@DoubleA: With Jamison coming back soon, I like Hibbert more. He’ll be more inconsistent than Haywood, but his highs will be higher than Haywood’s.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Ron says:
This guys story is almost unbelievable: John Morrison, ‘The Sports Betting Champ” wins 97% of his NBA & MLB sports bets. He makes $70,000 Ca$h every single week…. http://www.lasvegassportsodds.biz
November 10th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Goat says:
Yo Doc,
Al Jeff….buy low? Or wait to see some more consistent results?
November 10th, 2009 at 12:56 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Goat: Yes, he is a great buy-low candidate. It’s tough to tell when he’ll turn it around completely, but he should end November better than he started it.