Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 12.30

Beast of the Night: Ty Lawson finished with 25 points, four rebounds, three assists, eight steals and two three-pointers last night in a loss to the Trail Blazers. He shot 63 percent (10-16) from the field, 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Lawson is off to a very solid start in his first three games of the season. Though he’s not dishing out many assists (3.0 per game), he’s shooting like a center (62 percent from the field), hitting threes (1.7 per game) and thieving like a maniac (4.0 per game). There’s little standing in his way to giving his owners top 30 value this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Deron Williams: 2-12 FG (17%), 6-8 FT (75%), 10 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 6 TO; It’s been a nightmare for Williams at the start of the 2011-12 season. The absence of Brook Lopez certainly doesn’t help, but it can’t be blamed as the only reason for Williams’ poor start. He’s averaging a paltry 5.7 assists while turning the ball over 5.3 times per game, while hitting a painful 29 percent of his shots from the field. He’ll work those averages into better shape eventually, but flawed lines are in the cards for him and his fantasy owners this season.

Dwight Howard: 7-9 FG (78%), 2-9 FT (22%), 16 Pts, 24 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; Finally, a vintage line from Howard in 2011-12. While his scoring has to catch up, Howard is pretty much doing what you’d expect him to be doing. He’s shooting a miserable 36 percent from the free-throw line to start the season, so if you own him in a H2H league, you’d better be punting that category.

DeJuan Blair: 8-17 FG (47%), 6-8 FT (75%), 22 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast; The double-double is nice, but how about some steals and blocks? Blair has yet to accumulate a single steal or block this season. His fantasy value is obviously limited by those two categories.

Kyle Lowry: 5-10 FG (50%), 4-4 FT (100%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 9 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; Lowry did this in just 27 minutes of work, as the Rockets destroyed the Spurs. He would’ve easily notched a triple-double, had it not been for the score. The point guard is off to a strong start and will prove himself to be true to his big finish last season. His fantasy owners will not be disappointed in 2011-12.

Kevin Martin: 10-17 FG (59%), 1-2 FT (50%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; For all those fantasy owners who were freaking out about his dud of a first game: you can calm down now.

Samuel Dalembert: 1-3 FG (33%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl, 4 Blk; Dalembert’s coming off the bench for now but should have no problem taking the starting-center job from Jordan Hill soon. Buy low on Dalembert if you can.

Russell Westbrook: 6-15 FG (40%), 4-6 FT (67%), 16 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 7 TO; It’s easy to give up hope for Westbrook already, but his fantasy owners should be patient. While he might not make the progress many were expecting, Westbrook is still a valuable fantasy commodity. He’s proving himself unworthy of a first-round pick, but is still a good buy-low target.

Jimmer Fredette: 5-10 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 14 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 TO; He won’t do much besides score, hit threes and dish out 2-3 assists a game, but Fredette is certainly going to be interesting to have on your roster this season. It’s too early to tell exactly what his ceiling will be.

Carlos Boozer: 8-16 FG (50%), 16 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Look who decided to show up to the season. This was an encouraging line from Boozer, but it’ll take many more of these kinds of lines to make fantasy owners believe in his ability to be a steady producer this season.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
MarShon Brooks: 17 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; He got 20 minutes of run in a big loss, which might be a trend this season. If you’re looking for points and little else, give Brooks a look.

Tiago Splitter: 10 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He got plenty of garbage time in this one, even starting the second half for the Spurs. He’s not a must-add right now in most leagues, but Splitter is definitely worth monitoring.

Delonte West: 15 Pts, 1 three, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He started again and fared better this time. The Mavs’ rotation still needs solidifying, so West’s value is far from reliable right now.

C.J. Watson: 8 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl; This is out of the ordinary for Watson, so don’t overreact.

Josh McRoberts: 10 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk; McRoberts started again, but with Andrew Bynum set to return from his suspension, fantasy owners will want to think carefully before picking up McBob.

Injuries:
Mike Conley (ankle): could miss the next two games

Luc Mbah a Moute (knee): practiced Thursday; monitor his status

Carlos Delfino (wrist): practiced Thursday; monitor his status

Jameer Nelson (neck): left last night’s game early with neck spasms, will be re-evaluated before Friday’s game

D.J. Augustin (ankle): left practice early Thursday, should play through it

Corey Maggette (illness): expected to play Friday

Tobias Harris (illness): day-to-day

Amar’e Stoudemire (ankle): day-to-day

Eric Gordon (knee): not expected to play tonight

For Tonight:
If Nelson can’t go tonight against the Bobcats, expect Chris Duhon and J.J. Redick to see boosts in value.

Marco Belinelli might be a nice spot start, as the Hornets host the Suns. Jarrett Jack should have another solid game.

Jeremy Pargo could also be a decent spot start, as the Grizzlies host the Rockets.

Watch the Derrick FavorsPaul Millsap battle, as the Jazz host the 76ers.

For Next Week:
5 games: ATL, MIL, OKC, SAS
4 games: CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, NJN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 games: BOS, PHI
2 games: LAC

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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