Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 2.6 (Weekend Recap)

Weekend Wonder: Paul George averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals, 1.5 blocks and 4.5 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 48 percent from the field and 100 percent from the line, while averaging 1.5 turnovers in that stretch. For the season, George is averaging Top 25 numbers. While none of his categorical averages are phenomenal, he’s an all-around helper who doesn’t hurt his owners anywhere. He’s far exceeding the sleeper tag placed on him heading into the 2011-12 NBA season.

Lines for Discussion:

Jared Dudley (2/3): 5-10 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Stl; It’s a shame Dudley suffered a thigh bruise that forced him to miss the next game. Owners should pay attention to how he performs when he returns – he was on a bit of a roll in his four games before the injury.

Dirk Nowitzki (2/3): 12-17 FG (71%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 TO; He followed this up with a 24/8/3 performance, which seems to indicate that Nowitzki’s finally finding his bearings again. Owners who bought low should feel proud for the time being.

Trevor Ariza (2/4): 9-12 FG (75%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; Ariza’s been maddeningly inconsistent this season, though his solid thieving and across-the-board production make him worth starting for teams that don’t mind his notoriously poor field-goal percentage.

Anderson Varejao (2/4): 8-13 FG (62%), 1-2 FT (50%), 17 Pts, 17 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 TO; Vareajo is averaging 16.3 points and 17.3 rebounds in his last three games. He remains a top 50 fantasy basketball player this season, better than most owners expected.

Tony Parker (2/4): 16-29 FG (55%), 10-12 FT (83%), 42 Pts, 3 Reb, 9 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; The only thing missing from this pristine line was a three-pointer, but we won’t nitpick here. This was a monster line from Parker, who’s having himself a fine season. His scoring and assists are up from their marks last season, but we’ll have to see how Manu Ginobili‘s eventual return affects Parker’s production.

Carlos Boozer (2/4): 4-6 FG (67%), 8 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Boozer has looked shaky lately, alternating good games with mediocre ones. He’ll battle inconsistency in most weeks but is still averaging solid all-around numbers. He’s more help than hurt.

Dorell Wright (2/4): 8-13 FG (62%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl; Wright still hasn’t recaptured the magic he had last season. He’s been better lately but looks very unlikely to justify the second- and third-round draft picks spent on him in most drafts.

DeMarcus Cousins (2/4): 8-18 FG (44%), 5-5 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 20 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; This was a nice bounce-back game after his 8/6/2 stinker the game before. Cousins is averaging a double-double for the season, and his only major weakness is his assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.0 assists to 2.8 turnovers). But given his PF/C status, it’s not too big a deal.

Marcus Thornton (2/4): 11-24 FG (46%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 28 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Thornton has racked up 48 points and six three-pointers in his two games since returning from a thigh injury. He appears ready to pick up where he started as a strong source of points, threes and steals.

Rajon Rondo (2/5): 2-6 FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%), 5 Pts, 5 Reb, 14 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; Rondo is finally back and shouldn’t take too long to work the rust off. Owners should feel happy to reinsert him into their starting lineups.

Waiver-Wire Watch:

Alonzo Gee: he continues to put up solid across-the-board numbers and warrants a pickup in many leagues

Amir Johnson: his 18/13 line on Friday was promising and could be a sign of better things to come from Johnson

Trevor Booker: he’s blocked two shots in each of his last four games and is worth a look for owners in need of a power forward

Ersan Ilyasova: if you missed out on Drew Gooden, Ilyasova isn’t a terrible consolation prize

Nikola Pekovic: his 27/11 line on Friday doesn’t indicate the norm for Pekovic, but he’s still worth a look if you need a center

Vince Carter: he’s been mostly decent lately and is worth a look in deeper leagues

Ivan Johnson: he’s a meat-and-potatoes fantasy player but is worth a look for owners who need a power forward in deep leagues

Jeremy Lin: his 25/5/7 game was impressive, but owners should wait to see what he does in the coming days before dropping someone too valuable for him

Greivis Vasquez: he continues to put up good lines, especially with Jarrett Jack out

Reggie Williams: he’s worth a flier if you have dead weight to spare, especially while Gerald Henderson is out

Injuries:

Jason Collins (elbow): out at least two weeks

DeSagana Diop (knee): day-to-day

Corey Maggette (hamstring): should begin practice shortly

Richard Hamilton (groin): day-to-day

Daniel Gibson (neck): day-to-day

Anthony Parker (back): day-to-day

Will Bynum (foot): hopes to practice today

Ben Gordon (shoulder): ditto

Charlie Villanueva (ankle): expected to miss most of the season

Darko Milicic (quad): day-to-day

Jarrett Jack (knee): day-to-day

Jason Smith (head): monitor his status

Thabo Sefolosha (foot): return date is unknown

Elton Brand (thumb): day-to-day

Brandon Bass (knee): hopes to play Tuesday

Tony Allen (hip, knee): day-to-day

Derrick Rose (back): said he’ll play tonight

Brandon Knight (nose): expected to play Wednesday

Nate Robinson (groin): monitor his status

Ekpe Udoh (wrist): day-to-day

Carl Landry (knee): expected to miss 3-4 weeks

Jared Dudley (thigh): day-to-day

Raymond Felton (foot): questionable tonight

Chuck Hayes (shoulder): monitor his status

Timofey Mozgov (ankle): day-to-day

Glen Davis (suspension): expected to return tonight

Marquis Daniels (ankle): day-to-day

For Tonight:

See if Amir Johnson can put up another strong line, as the Raptors visit the Wizards.

Ditto for Lin, as the Knicks host the Jazz.

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