Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 12.9
Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 43 points, 13 boards, 6 assists and 1 block in a losing effort in Memphis last night. He added 4 threes and shot 48 percent (14-29) from the field and 92 percent (11-12) from the line. The only snag was his 5 turnovers. The King is putting up great numbers so far this season but this line is a reminder that he might still be picking up steam.
Noteworthy Lines:
Andrew Bogut – 11-17 FG (65%), 3-3 FT (100%), 25 Pts, 14 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 7 TO; After three straight less-than-enthralling games, this one is a relief for Bogut’s owners. He’s lacking confidence and still needs to work himself back into things, but he’s definitely worth a start each week in most leagues.
Rajon Rondo – 3-9 FG (33%), 5-7 FT (71%), 11 Pts, 9 Reb, 13 Ast, 5 Stl, 1 TO; He’s not really all that better than last year, though he’s averaging an insane 2.7 steals per game, compared with 1.9 last season. Rondo’s lack of threes and ghastly free-throw shooting are the only things holding him down from being a total fantasy stud.
Kevin Garnett – 9-13 FG (69%), 7-9 FT (78%), 25 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 TO; KG’s shot is on lately and his revived offense and consistent rebounding is great to see. He’s worked himself back into a top-30 fantasy player, but he hasn’t blocked a shot in eight consecutive games and counting.
Derrick Rose – 13-23 FG (57%), 1-4 FT (25%), 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This was his best game of the season so far and he seems closer and closer to being his old self again.
O.J. Mayo – 10-18 FG (56%), 5-5 FT (100%), 3 3ptm, 28 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 7 TO; He continues to thrive offensively and is paying off for owners who bought low on him. Mayo will likely become more consistent as the season wears on.
Zach Randolph – 10-19 FG (53%), 11-11 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 32 Pts, 14 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; This was probably his best line of the season so far. Randolph is putting up top-60 overall fantasy stats right now and is one of the quieter surprises of the young season.
David West – 9-13 FG (69%), 6-8 FT (75%), 24 Pts, 12 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; CP3’s return helps West’s value and if he can continue to improve his scoring and rebounding, he could creep his way back into the upper echelons of fantasy value.
Josh Howard – 6-13 FG (46%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 3ptm, 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; After sitting out 13 straight games, Howard’s ankle seems good to go. The Mavs will start him very soon and his owners should do the same.
Dwight Howard – 7-10 FG (70%), 11-15 FT (73%), 25 PTs, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 7 Blk, 4 TO; This was a very fine overall showing from Howard, who’s been frustrating to own this season. His owners have to hope that last night was a turning of the corner for him.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Jarrett Jack – 17 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; If Jose Calderon sits out a few more games, Jack will have great value.
Ersan Ilyasova – 19 Pts, 2 3ptm, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; He’s floating on plenty of waiver wires now and is worth a look in most leagues.
Taj Gibson – 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Blk, 1 TO; His value will take a hit once Tyrus Thomas returns but in the meantime, Gibson remains worthy of consideration in deeper leagues.
Beno Udrih – 13 Pts, 1 3ptm, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He continues to come off the bench but still puts up quiet, yet productive lines.
Injuries:
Calderon (hip): doesn’t seem serious but still day-to-day
Jamario Moon (groin): unlikely tonight
Kenyon Martin (finger): day-to-day
Ben Gordon (ankle): questionable tonight
Tayshaun Prince (back): out for at least two more games
Richard Hamilton (ankle): ditto
Andris Biedrins (back): traveling with team but return still a bit away
Danny Granger (foot): out at least four weeks, unsurprisingly
Earl Watson (hamstring): day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (arm): day-to-day
Rudy Fernandez (back): had surgery, will miss at least a month
Omri Casspi (back): back spasms, day-to-day
Andrei Kirilenko (back): out tonight
Anthony Randolph (personal): out tonight, maybe a couple more games too
For Tonight:
Look for Dahntay Jones and Brandon Rush to step things up in Granger’s absence as the Pacers host the Blazers.
Keep an eye on Allen Iverson as he hosts his former Pistons crew tonight.
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December 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
mememememe says:
al jefferson is pissing me off so much…..now with k.love back i dont see how hes gunna get any better.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
cru_thik305 says:
do you guys think it’s too early to pick up Josh Howard? im thinking of dropping dunleavy and picking up J.H., but then again dunleavy is probably going to step it up since Granger is out. any ideas???
December 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@cru_thik305: Not too early at all. Dunleavy’s going to be limited to around 20 minutes for the foreseeable future, so he won’t be able to pick up that much slack with Granger out. If Dunleavy stays healthy and ends up playing 30+ minutes a game, he should have better value than Howard. But for the time being, it’s a coin flip between the two.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
cru_thik305 says:
thanks doc, I just made a trade proposal with iverson and dunleavy in exchange for rondo. then ill just pick up howard off the waivers like you said.
J.Howard + Rondo > Iverson + Dunleavy
December 9th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@cru_thik305: That equation seems right. I hope it works out for you!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Lucas says:
Man, the grizzlies really filled up the stat sheets last night
December 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
zippy says:
Hi Fantasy Doc,
I like Jarret Jack. should I waive Larry Hughes to pick
him up? or is Hughes more valuable?
Thanks
Zippy
December 9th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@zippy: Hughes is more valuable right now, unless Calderon sits out for a long time.
December 9th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
loganlight says:
Doc,
I have on my team Kevin Martin, Jameer Nelson, and Danny Granger. Needless to say, I’m hurting. Which one of those guys do you think I could trade to stay competitive?
This is not a keeper league.
LL
December 9th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
TL says:
hey doc… is jack or rush worth picking up… i was thinking of droping chalmers for one of them… what are your thoughts
December 9th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@loganlight: Trade right now? Probably Nelson and Granger.
December 9th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
rangerjohn says:
ok doc, tell me, am i nuts or does this make no sense.
i offered d will and david west for wade, which was turned down in a mater of hours. 2 days later the guy accepts a trade for wade to get Chris Douglas-Roberts, Spencer Hawes,
Andrei Kirilenko, Rasheed Wallace
is it just me or did the guy screw himself by giving up wade for these 4?
December 9th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
rangerjohn says:
oops sorry i meant to say brandon roy not d will
December 9th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@rangerjohn: Yep, he shot himself in the foot with that one.
December 9th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Blazers says:
Hey DOc,
I just dropped A. Miller for T-Mac, was this a good idea?
December 9th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Jay says:
Doc this is my team
Calderon
Stephen Jackson
Trevor Ariza
Chris Bosh
Luis Scola
Josh Smith
Kevin Martin
Boris Diaw
Jarret Jack
Mario Chalmers
Manu G
Erika Dampier
Will Bynum
Vlad Rad
Right now i have trade waiting league approval to get Nene for Scola…I was thinking about trading Ariza for Gilbert Arenas, what do you think of that trade?
If you have suggestions as how i can improve my roster please tell me.
Thanks
December 9th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
wtfantasy says:
PG A. Iverson Opp:Hou
SG T-Mac Opp:@phil (questionable?)
SF R. Lewis Opp:@Pho
PF D. Nowitzki Opp:@Mia
C M. Gasol Opp:OKC
UTL G. Wallace Opp:@SA
BN C. Billups
BN P. Pierce
BN K. Love Opp:@LAL
BN CDR Opp:@Ind
BN L. Deng Opp:GS
BN E. GOrdon
I’m not sure if I should Start Marc Gasol or K.Love.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Blazers: I’m pretty indifferent about both players, so it’s fine by me.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
HiFish says:
Notables available from the wire in my league are:
Josh Howard, Villanueva, Dunleavy, Ty Thomas, Gallinari, R. Brewer, Thornton, Gomes, Flynn.
I’m unsure who to drop from below list, or if i should drop anyone:
Dirk
Paul Pierce
Brandon Jennings
Aaron Brooks
Bogut
CDR
Morrow
Ben Gordon
Chris Kaman
Kenyon Martin
Any thoughts? Thanks.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: I like the Nene trade and I think the Ariza for Arenas trade will bulk up your weak PG spot. I’d look to package Will Bynum in a deal soon. With Gordon and Hamilton on the mend, the Pistons will have a crowded backcourt.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@wtfantasy: I’d go with Gasol.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
quest??? says:
jj barea dropped 14 points in the first half, too bad he stayed that way during the second half lol
December 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
len-e says:
hey fantasy doc!
should i give up the birdman and mike bibby to receive tyreke evans?
trying to get rid of bibby for a long time now, but 1.9 3s @ 44% is hard to waive. what is to be expected from tyreke once garcia and martin return to sacramento’s offense?
December 9th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@len-e: Not a bad idea, though you should try to get another bench player in return.
Evans’ will definitely take a hit in production and minutes, but is threatened more by Martin’s return and not so much Garcia’s. Still, 18/4/4 is pretty feasible for Evans after Martin’s return and that shouldn’t be too bad.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Colton says:
i had a monster of a night, i have 4 of the first five people mentioned. haha.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Colton: Very nice!
December 9th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
the truth says:
doc does rJeff have any value this year? It seems like he’s struggling to fit in SA right now and his numbers show. He’s an FA in my 10-team league right now and I’m wondering if I should pick him up or not.
December 10th, 2009 at 12:31 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: He’s not really worth a pickup right now, unless you’re in a very deep league. Jefferson does deserve monitoring though.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:25 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: Sorry, didn’t see that you’re in a 10-team league. That’s pretty shallow, which makes RJ a bit of a risky pickup. If you’re dumping dead weight, then maybe. He should be treated with a wait-and-see approach.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Matt says:
Doc, should I drop Anthony Morrow for either Corey Maggette, Al Thornton, or Raymond Felton?
December 10th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Matt says:
Also, I was thinking of dropping Troy Murphy for one of those guys too. What do you think?
December 10th, 2009 at 7:20 am
the truth says:
thanks for the gold doc, keep em comin.
Also, a big thanks to you. Our league has a small wager going on, with the top 3 teams getting payouts each month. For Oct/Nov, I was number 1, thanks to your help (The Gallo, Jennings, and Flynn pickups were priceless). I got the payout which was enough for a couple of bottles of tequila. I’m taking a shot for you tonight haha.
Much love coming from Manny Pacquiao’s homeland.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Matt: Maybe Felton, but Morrow should have more value than him down the stretch.
I’d hold onto Murphy.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:35 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: This is one of the best comments I’ve read so far this season.
I’m glad I was able to have a hand in getting you your alcoholic rewards and much thanks for the long-distance shot!
Here’s to continued success for your squad.
December 13th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
ntys says:
i picked up josh howard he played one game then they put him back on the injured reserved again. should i drop him and pick someone else up or should i play the waiting game and keep him. also should i be looking to pickup tracy mcgrady or should i leave him. when is he coming back?