Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 2.17

Beast of the Night: Danny Granger returned from a one-game absence with a bum ankle to put up 32 points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and four made three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field, 89 percent (8-9) from the floor and had two turnovers. Granger is having a great month, averaging 20.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 threes through nine games. He’s pulled his value up into the realm of the top 35.

Lines for Discussion:
Paul George: 4-8 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 three, 11 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; This was a sneaky-good line from George, who continues to put up strong all-around numbers on a nightly basis. However, he’s struggling with his shooting percentages in February, connecting on just 41 percent of his attempts from the field and 68 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Carlos Boozer: 11-15 FG (73%), 1-3 FT (33%), 23 Pts, 15 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 TO; This was a huge line from Boozer, who continues to exceed expectations by averaging top 50 numbers this season. This is partly thanks to his 1.6 turnovers per game, his best mark since his 1.3 average in his rookie season.

Luol Deng: 7-15 FG (47%), 3-4 FT (75%), 6 threes, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Deng has dished out 21 assists in his last two games and is clearly picking up the slack in ball distribution in Derrick Rose‘s absence. His owners should consider selling high.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
MarShon Brooks: 14 Pts, 1 three, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 TO; He looks to be picking up steam and should be considered in most leagues.

Shelden Williams: 8 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk; Williams could be a low-end big man to own until Brook Lopez returns.

Chris Wilcox: 9 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Wilcox is worth a look in deeper leagues.

C.J. Watson: 11 Pts, 2 threes, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; If you don’t mind his short-term value, Watson is definitely worth a pickup.

Injuries:
LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle): will practice today to see if he can go Saturday

Gerald Henderson (hip): may return after the Bobcats’ road trip ends Sunday

Anderson Varejao (wrist): out 4-6 weeks

Daniel Gibson (ankle): doubtful tonight

Nene (calf, heel): will be in a walking boot for a few days

George Hill (ankle): working out, but no timetable for his return

Mario Chalmers (hand): plans to play tonight

Drew Gooden (wrist): will see a wrist specialist

Brook Lopez (foot): return date still unknown

Shawne Williams (shoulder, knee, foot): out indefinitely

Carmelo Anthony (groin): doubtful tonight

For Tonight:
Ersan Ilyasova could see his value increase even more if Gooden can’t go for the Bucks, who visit the Magic tonight. Expect Dwight Howard to wreak havoc.

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

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.

Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.

×