Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 1.4 (Weekend Wrap-Up)
Dime #31
Weekend Wonder: LeBron James should just add this to his list of nicknames. He averaged 28.5 points, 1.5 threes, 8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1 steal, 1.5 blocks and just 1 turnover in two games this past weekend. He shot 54 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line during that span. During the past month, James has been the top dog in the land of fantasy ball.
Noteworthy Lines:
Nate Robinson (1/1): 18-24 FG (75%), 2-5 FT (40%), 3 3ptm, 41 Pts, 6 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; I guess he had a lot of pent-up energy after sitting out 15 straight games. This was obviously a huge line from the tiny man who still has a good chance of being traded. He followed this up with a 6/6/3 stinker on Sunday, so he’s far from being a must-start at this point.
Al Horford (1/1): 11-14 FG (79%), 0-1 FT (0%), 22 Pts, 19 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; He was overshadowed by the aforementioned player’s successful return, but Horford deserves props for this one. This is quite a way to start off the new year after having a solid December.
Jameer Nelson (1/1): 6-11 FG (55%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 3ptm, 16 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He followed this up with a 10/4/10 game on Saturday, and Nelson seems safe to start in most leagues again.
Yi Jianlian (1/2): 2-13 FG (15%), 6-8 FT (75%), 1 3ptm, 11 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; His shot finally cooled off, but it’s encouraging to see that he was still able to contribute a decent mix of steals and blocks.
Stephen Jackson (1/2): 11-20 FG (55%), 9-9 FT (100%), 4 3ptm, 35 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; The points were his season-high and Jackson followed this up with a 22/4/2 game on Sunday. His back issues seem to be behind him (pun intended).
Gilbert Arenas (1/2): 10-25 FG (40%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 3ptm, 23 Pts, 3 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 TO; The stats are the least important thing here. If things go as expected, Arenas, who has gone off the deep end with his recent binge of idiotic tweeting in an apparent attempt at showing good humor during his gun-related drama, will likely miss a decent chunk of time at the very least, and could miss a lot of time and his contract with the Wizards at the worst. Trade him away for all you can get if possible. This isn’t going to be pretty.
Roy Hibbert (1/2): 10-18 FG (56%), 1-1 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; This came in 27 minutes of work and Hibbert seems to have found his groove. His incessant foul trouble still limits his value.
Brandon Roy (1/2): 12-16 FG (75%), 12-14 FT (86%), 1 3ptm, 37 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s been a straight-up stud lately and has finally made good on the top-12 pick most owners used on him.
Nene (1/3): 9-15 FG (60%), 6-9 FT (67%), 24 Pts, 15 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He’s bouncing back lately after struggling to string together consecutively solid games in December.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Matt Barnes – doing well with his new starting job
Wayne Ellington – three straight games of double-figure scoring, good mix of stats
Luther Head – starting gig seems to suit him well
Kyle Lowry – usually does a lot with the 25+ minutes he gets off the bench
Omri Casspi – three consecutive games with 21+ points, could’ve been “Weekend Wonderâ€
Martell Webster – strong start to the year with 21/11 game with 4 threes
Ty Lawson – playing like a stud with Chauncey Billups out, but his run will end soon
Drew Gooden – if Erick Dampier’s knee is bad, Gooden will be a nice pickup
Injuries:
Pau Gasol (hamstring): left one this time, doesn’t sound good for him, might be good for the struggling Andrew Bynum
Dampier (knee): surprise DNP on Sunday, swelling could keep him out a few games
Billups (groin): closer to returning, still a risky start this week
Paul Pierce (knee): could return Wednesday
Rajon Rondo (hamstring): should return Wednesday
Carmelo Anthony (knee): sounds worse than originally thought, should be kept on benches
Troy Murphy (ankle): day-to-day
Ron Artest (concussion): should be good for Tuesday
LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle): not traveling with team, out tonight
Jose Calderon (hip): could return Wednesday
Mike Miller (calf): practiced on Friday, close to returning
Anthony Randolph (back): hurting after Andris Biedrins jumped on his back lightheartedly in practice
For Tonight:
Chris Paul and Deron Williams face off in Utah. Carlos Boozer and David West will also try to bounce back against each other.
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January 4th, 2010 at 10:54 am
fallinup says:
I take the gamble. Gil stays healthy… ridin the wave of a mid-low pick pleasant surprise… and then…
Yeah. Thanks, Gilbert. You friggin knucklehead.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:25 am
jwest says:
hey doc, can you give players which i can realistically trade in exchange for my kevin garnett? or should i just wait for KG to be healthy and keep him in my team?
should i drop ersan ilyasova for cj watson, lowry, head, gooden, or webster?
my team is weak in steals and points.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:47 am
vince says:
if u need steals u need watson
January 4th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@jwest: Right now, you’re not going to get much for KG. If you can wait, do so and trade him once he’s put together a few good lines. If you absolutely can’t wait, target players like Wilson Chandler, Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, David West and Carl Landry.
I agree with @vince – Watson is solid for steals. Overall, Lowry and Head are probably good bets, too. Webster and Gooden are good short-term options.
January 4th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
jwest says:
thanks a lot doc. thanks vince.
January 4th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
mules says:
Doc,
Are either Foye or Boykins worth a speculative pick-up given the Arenas situation? Who’s value stands to benefit more?
January 4th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@mules: Yes, definitely. If you have dead weight at the end of your bench, Foye is the safer option. However, with trade rumors already afoot about trading Caron Butler for Kirk Hinrich, it seems likely that the Wizards will deal for a point guard to fill the gap Arenas might leave.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
RonnaBonBon says:
any news on danny granger?
January 4th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Conrad says:
Couple Q’s for ya Doc:
In avg-based play, start which 2 of these guys next week: Camby, Maggette, and ARandolph? I also have Melo, so I could sit him instead of one of those 3 if he’s too much of a risk…Also, JFlynn over Hinrich next week, right?
Thanks!
January 4th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@RonnaBonBon: He’s a week or two away, according to the latest reports.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Conrad: Camby, Maggette, Randolph, in that order. But it depends on all of their health statuses, which are always up in the air.
Yeah, sit Melo for now. He doesn’t seem close to returning and is in quite a bit of pain.
And yes, Flynn is pretty hot right now and should make for a better start over Hinrich.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Jay says:
Yo Doc,
I’m thinking about dropping Barbosa or Speights for Head, is it worth it?
January 4th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: In the short-term, yes, but not in the long-term probably. Unless a trade happens, there’s too much risk to his value in that three-headed monster at the PG spot with Watson and Ford around.
January 4th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
tomizi says:
Jianlian or Landry?
January 4th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@tomizi: If you need threes, Yi. If not, Landry, though he’s been slumping lately, so Yi’s probably the better pickup at the moment.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Love Sessions says:
Hey doc,
my team has recently been slipping and im thinking about trying to make a trade to shake things up. I started the season strong in rebounds but have seemed to cooled down.
PG-arenas,jkidd,young money
SG-tough juice, jj, jrich
sf- melo, jsmooth,
pf-el mago,
C-cb4,marc gasol, horford,
who u think i should trade and who should i target,
thanks in advanced.
ps i tried trading young money noone wants him
January 4th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Love Sessions says:
o n i got dwade
January 4th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
magdelena says:
hey doc, what do you know about this rumor that iverson is going to be let go soon? should i start packing iverson + maybe iguodala for granger?
January 4th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
the truth says:
hey doc, is it time to drop damp and CV?
January 4th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Love Sessions: Your immediate concern has to be Arenas. Nothing’s certain yet, but you can bank on him missing a good chunk of time, at least, so deal him away as soon as you can.
It seems like you’re in a shallower league, which makes it a bit more difficult to make deals. If anything, I’d look to deal two of your players for one superior player and a decent bench player. Along with Arenas, maybe you should look to deal Richardson once he strings together a couple good games. Other than that, your squad’s pretty solid, though you might want to explore bulking up your frontcourt a bit. Gerald Wallace, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman and Kevin Love are among the guys who should be on your radar.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@magdelena: I don’t think there’s word that he definitely will be dropped, just that the Sixers have that option. Look to deal him if you’re worried, but until there’s more definite information indicating a drop, don’t panic.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: If there are worthy options on the waiver wire, yes.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Duck says:
So Doc,
Someone is trying to get Duncan off of me,
and there isn’t any specific player on his team really attracting me. Maybe you can help me patch a trade together?
He has:
Wade
Arenas
J Howard
Al Jefferson
Al Horford
Redd
Roy
Ginobili
Boozer
Maggette
Pierce
Flynn
Are there any trades that would benefit me?
I could throw in Marion/Young/Allen on my part, since I’m looking to trade them anyways if you can think of a 2-for-2.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
jwest says:
hey doc should i pull this trade?
My Al Harrington for Danny Granger
Omri Casspi for Andris Biedrins/ Hibbert/ Steph Curry
thanks!
January 4th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
BrickLayer says:
Hey Doc,
If you could only have 3 of the following players who would they be:
Foye
Dunleavy
Blair
Webster
I am extremely weak in pts, ft% but could use help everywhere to be honest.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: Duncan/Allen for Horford/Roy would be great, but a slight reach. Duncan/Young for Roy/Jefferson would be solid too.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@jwest: I dig the first one, though it comes with a health risk, of course.
Casspi for either of those three players is solid, as he’s a great sell-high candidate. I’d go with Hibbert, Biedrins and Curry, in that order, unless you need guard stats, in which case I’d push Curry over Biedrins.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BrickLayer: Foye, Dunleavy and Blair.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:03 am
the truth says:
Doc, it’s either CV for hayes, hawes, rj, or haslem. Which one would be the best move?
January 5th, 2010 at 12:09 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@the truth: Hawes, RJ, Haslem, Hayes, in approximate order.