There's a Chill in the wire
Last Week's Recommendations:
Last week's list ended up having some solid value, and many of the same players may not still be available in your league this week.
Guards:
Antonio Daniels,
Monta Ellis,
Jordan Farmar,
Marko Jaric,
Anthony Carter.
Forwards:
Jeff Green,
Vladimir Radmanovic,
Brandon Bass,
Jason Maxiell,
Ruben Patterson,
Eduardo Najera,
Jared Dudley/
Walter Herrmann
Ellis, Farmar, Jaric and Carter all excelled, while Daniels is still worth owning despite the less than stellar numbers. He should bounce back at some point, but I'm benching him for the upcoming week (3 games) until he gets hot again. Consider playing him based on your options.
Anthony Carter deserves a look in all formats, as it appears that he will continue to start at point guard for the Nuggets. Jaric was cooking until he got hurt, so don't play him this week, while Farmar and Ellis look like strong plays again this week.
None of the forwards were particularly impressive, especially since
Rasheed Wallace,
Corey Maggette,
Kenyon Martin and
Gerald Wallace all returned from their injuries. That said, Maxiell posted a double-double on Sunday night against the Nets in a blowout.
[COLOR=#0000ff>Sebastian]Jason Williams[/color][/url] [/b]- PG – Heat
JWill has probably been bounced around from team to team thus far, and his benching in Miami didn't do anything to make him look any better from a fantasy perspective. But a funny thing happened when he started coming off the bench, and that's that he started producing again. In his last two games he's at 16.5 points and 5.5 dimes, and he had eight points and six assists on Sunday. Any way you slice it, especially with
Smush Parker buried as deeply into a doghouse as one can be, Williams is the point guard in Miami. He'll hit threes, score points and log assists as long as he's healthy, and with four games this week, he should be a fine starting point guard in most leagues.
Update: After this was posted, it was made known that JWill suffered a foot injury on Sunday and didn't return to the game. He's now iffy for Week 6, so check your options carefully before playing him.
Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.
Nick Young - SG – Wizards
Young is averaging nine points over his last three games but did score a career-high 18 points in a recent game. He played just eight minutes in his last one though, but we haven't heard any word of an injury.
Roger Mason had 15 points and two assists on Saturday, and with
Gilbert Arenas down and
Antonio Daniels struggling, Young is bound to get some run. I don't think he's worth a shot (yet) in most leagues, but if you're in a 16-team league, definitely give him a look. The same goes for Mason.
Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues.
Other guards to consider:
J.R. Smith,
Jordan Farmar,
Eddie Jones,
Matt Barnes,
Kelenna Azubuike,
Earl Watson,
Delonte West,
Luke Ridnour,
Rajon Rondo,
Antonio Daniels,
Kyle Lowry,
Beno Udrih,
Rafer Alston,
Steve Francis,
Juan Carlos Navarro
Forwards
Jamario Moon - F – Raptors
I've been getting a surprising number of requests to pimp Moon, who has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season. Actually, it's not surprising that you have been clamoring for Moon to be included in this list, as shrewd owners want to get some props for making the right move. I own him in a couple leagues and touted him in an earlier Waiver Wired column, but figured it was time to give him some love again – Especially after I came across a solid nickname for him in a Toronto-based blog that I cannot remember the name of. "
Jamario Speedwagon." For those of you who weren't yet rocking out in 1981, REO Speedwagon put out a record called
Hi Infidelity that spawned a couple big hits and consumed me for a summer. Anyway, Moon is at 9.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks on the season. He's been a little inconsistent, and owners who are in love with scorers may have grabbed him and let him go. If he's available in your league, he's worth a roster spot, regardless of the size. And if
Chris Bosh's groin injury is going to keep him out for a while longer, Moon should be in line for some big games.
Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.
Travis Outlaw - F – Blazers
Outlaw has been targeted for a breakout season for about as long as he's been in the league, but has never been able to get it done. This might finally be the year. He had 17 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's loss to the Spurs and came in averaging 15 points and 5-plus boards in his last three games. I'm not sure of his exact role with the Blazers, and I'm not sure that the team knows either, but as soon as
LaMarcus Aldridge gets into foul trouble,
Brandon Roy struggles with his shot or
Martell Webster isn't burying threes, Outlaw is the man
Nate McMillan calls upon to right the ship. There are no guarantees with the other "TO" going forward, but as of now, it looks like a great time to add him to your roster if you have the room.
Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.
Paul Millsap - PF – Jazz
I am not a big fan of Millsap from a fantasy perspective simply because he's got to go through
Carlos Boozer,
Andrei Kirilenko and
Mehmet Okur to get the ball in his hands. That said, he's still been putting up pretty solid numbers for a backup. He's averaged 14 points and almost eight boards in his last three games and was especially impressive in the one where Boozer and MO sat on the bench with injuries. With their status unclear going forward, Millsap is certainly worth a flier.
Recommendation: Should be considered in most leagues.
Nene - F/C – Nuggets
I have no new news to offer on Nene. Nothing is coming out of Denver in regards to his return, so I'm sticking with the original theory that he'll be back around Christmas. I certainly hope this is true, as I'm treading water without him in my 30-team league. But if you are also hurting at PF, now is probably the time to start thinking about stashing Nene away for the future. The best news is that he's had most of the season to rest and rehab his knee and calf, which should mean he's ready to go once his thumb is healed. That is, if the rest of his body is in shape.
Recommendation: Should be considered for future in most leagues.
Other forwards to consider: Penny Hardaway,
Anthony Parker,
Wally Szczerbiak,
Damien Wilkins,
David Lee,
Antoine Wright.
Centers
Brendan Haywood - C – Wizards
Haywood has seen his value crushed by the emergence of
Andray Blatche, but the simple fact of the matter is that the two are canceling each other's value out. Haywood is still the more valuable of the two and there's a chance that Blatche could see more minutes at power forward, allowing Haywood to get 30 minutes per game. The good news is that he's locked into the starting job and is averaging 10 points, four boards and 2-plus blocks per game over his last three. He'll be inconsistent, but still has fantasy value despite the arrival of Blatche.
Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues.
Kurt Thomas - C – Sonics
Simply put, Thomas has been a rebounding machine since
Nick Collison went down with a broken nose early in the week. He's averaged six points and 15 boards over his last three games, but had just six points, eight boards and two blocks on Sunday. If you somehow lucked into playing him this week, congratulations. Meanwhile, Collison owners in weekly leagues were just trying to get by without their big man in action. I don't have the latest update on Collison's return status, but I'm guessing he'll be back this week. Either way, if you need a center or a power forward who can get you rebounds, Thomas looks like he's worth a shot. And given the fact that he was already starting before Collison went down, Thomas is going to continue to start at center for the foreseeable future. With him playing well, there's no reason for the Sonics to rush the return of
Robert Swift.
Recommendation: Should be considered in leagues that start two centers.
Tyrus Thomas - F/C – Bulls
Thomas just keeps hanging on to enough value for me not to cut him, as he continues to start for the Bulls.
Ben Wallace has finally gotten started, while the rest of the Bulls are slowly falling into line. Thomas is averaging seven points and seven boards over his last three, but doesn't have a block in that stretch. He does have a couple steals, but once the Bulls start winning games and finding their comfort zone, Thomas should return to being a steals and blocks specialist. He's not startable in most formats right now despite the four-game week ahead, but I still think he should be owned in most leagues.
Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues.
Fabricio Oberto - C – Spurs
Tim Duncan went down with a knee injury on Sunday, and while we still don't know the severity of the injury, it sounds like he's going to be fine. With two games in the upcoming week for the Spurs, my initial recommendation is to bench Duncan immediately. And if we get bad news on the injury, someone is going to have to pick up the slack for him in San Antonio. The list of potential beneficiaries is nearly endless, but I guess it starts with Oberto, who had six points and nine boards on Sunday.
Matt Bonner,
Bruce Bowen,
Robert Horry,
Michael Finley and
Francisco Elson would all see an increase in minutes and production if Duncan were to miss significant time, but there's no way of knowing who the best Spur to grab would be. I'll say Oberto for now, but Bowen and Elson are right there as well. But the bottom line is that it sounds like Duncan is going to be fine, meaning Oberto is an option only in deep leagues for teams in desperate need of a center.
Recommendation: All Spurs' bench players should be monitored until Duncan's status is determined.
Other centers to consider:
Mikki Moore