Basketball demands we break down its players not just by stats, but by the time and place they occur. That’s not the case in NBA fantasy hoops, though, where cold calculations rule the day and the matchup. Who are the Fantasy Doctor’s choices for this week’s best pickups? Hit the jump to find out.
*** *** ***
FRESH PICKINGS
MARTELL WEBSTER (46 percent owned in Yahoo!, 73 percent in ESPN)
The return of Bradley Beal was supposed to spoil all of Webster’s fantasy value, but it didn’t take long for Beal to reinjure his ankle, thrusting Webster back into prominence. In the month of March, Webster is shooting 45 percent from the field and 86 percent from the line, while averaging 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 treys and 0.5 steals. We’ll have to stay tuned to see if he is finally living up to his sixth overall selection, but Washington has already expressed interest in bringing him back for next season so even when Beal returns it seems apparent that Webster has earned an important role on the Wizards.
SPENCER HAWES (68 percent owned in Y!, 99 percent in ESPN)
Just a few years ago Hawes was thought to have one of the highest fantasy ceilings of any young big man in the league. This year, it was thought he’d be stuck behind Andrew Bynum for most of the season, but once it was made official that Bynum would never join the team, Hawes began to turn it on. He’s having a heck of a month of March, averaging 13.6 points, 9.4 rebounds. 3.8 assists, 2.0 blocks and even chipping in 0.4 threes. As long as he’s playing with confidence, Hawes will be a useful fantasy asset and deserves an add.
JONAS VALANCIUNAS (22 percent owned in Y!, 32 percent in ESPN)
With Andrea Bargnani out for the rest of the year, Valanciunas is taking full advantage of the dependence being placed on such a young player. Over his last seven games, the rookie is putting up 12.4 points on close to 70 percent shooting from the field, 7.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. He’s getting more and more comfortable as a starter and is rock solid in the post. With Toronto considering shutting Rudy Gay down for the rest of the season, a lot more of the offensive onus could be placed on Valanciunas, so look for him to keep improving his game until the very last game.
MO HARKLESS (29 percent owned in Y!, 31 percent in ESPN)
We’ve mentioned Harkless before as a deeper league add, but his recent play is making him more and more deserving of ownership each day. Over his last four games, he’s putting up 17.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 treys, 3.3 steals and 1.8 blocks. This is the time of year for rookies to get extended run and break out in fantasy, so if you’re not going to pick him up right away, at least keep tabs on what he’s doing. At his full potential, he can average a trey, a steal and a block per game, making him a rare find in fantasy circles.
LAST CALL

These guys were mentioned in previous editions. Go grab them if they’re still around.
Gerald Henderson
Henderson is averaging 22.0 points over his last seven games.
Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey is a cheap source of point guard stats while Brandon Knight is out.
Bradley Beal
Beal has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury, but is only day-to-day and makes for fantasy starter material when healthy.
Tobias Harris

Harris has gone from unknown to helping win fantasy championships in only a month.
Carlos Delfino

Delfino is one of the most underrated shooters in the league can be had on the cheap if you need help in threes.
Gordon Hayward
Mr. Rotisserie won’t hurt you in any category.
Danny Green
In fantasy, you can call Green a poor man’s Gordon Hayward who shoots more threes.
INJURIES
It’s hard to consider anyone stash worthy with the fantasy playoffs coming up, but if you have a bye week or think your team has the ability to win a matchup down a player, these guys are worth the wait. Still, don’t hesitate to drop them mid-week if you’re falling behind.
Derrick Rose (the Bulls are being hush about it, but I think he’ll play before the end of the season)
Kevin also writes for the brand new Turnontheknicks.com. Catch them on Twitter at @TurnOnTheKnicks
Which unknown will play well enough the rest of the way to swing fantasy championships?
Follow Kevin on Twitter at @DaOtherKevSmith.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
