Category: NBA

Derrick Rose To Return Monday?

Derrick Rose expects to return to action Monday night which leaves CJ Watson’s fantasy value up in the air.

Analysis: Derrick Rose’s return Monday night against the New Jersey Nets will most likely be a game time decision. CJ Watson has played extremely well in his place. Watson has averaged 16.5 PPG, 6 APG with 1.8 SPG in Rose’s absence. He certainly may be worth keeping around at the very least for a Monday night fantasy start. Watson’s minutes will be a major concern going forward but you have to love that he’s hit seven three pointers in his last three games.

No one really knows how Rose’s toe will hold up. Obviously, if he’s healthy… he’s a fantasy stud. However, if this injury does persist throughout the year, CJ Watson is not that bad of a replacement. Watson is still available in ninety percent of leagues but his value will take a hit when Rose returns to action. Watson may still have a place in deeper leagues or with owners concerned over Rose’s lingering toe issue. Chicago is one banged up basketball squad right now and it may not hurt to keep Watson around a little longer to see how things shake out.

Stock Rising- Trevor Ariza

Trevor Ariza is two games in to his return from a groin injury and he is producing once again. If he can keep from aggravating his injury again, he will be a viable fantasy option in all leagues.

Analysis: Groin injuries can be very tricky and he may not be one-hundred percent but you have to like what you see from him so far. Ariza has topped forty minutes of play in both games since his return and he’s getting to the free throw line(ten times) more often. Ariza will always be a multi category shooting guard/small forward and this year is no different. Ariza has tallied five steals, ten assists and ten rebounds in his last two games and with Eric Gordon out, Ariza should be getting plenty of minutes if healthy.

Obviously, the groin injury coming back to bite Ariza is a major concern but he is available in over half of fantasy leagues. Eric Gordon still has no timetable for his return and that should mean Ariza will be shooting tons of threes like we saw him do from 2009-2011. If healthy he will steal tons of balls, hit threes and supply enough rebounds to negate his poor field goal percentages.

Last Call On Kemba Walker

After some early season struggles, Kemba Walker is finally putting up some fantasy relevant numbers.

Analysis: Kemba Walker has averaged over thirty minutes per game over his last five contests and with those minutes have come some solid fantasy numbers. Walker has nine steals, five three pointers made and three blocks in that five game span. Throw in a few four plus assist games and over four rebounds per game in his last week of action and you have yourself a nice little fantasy point guard.

Unfortunately, Kemba is shooting under forty percent from the field thus far this year. His scoring and free throw percentage will be fine but as a point guard he will not be a big supplier of assists. At this point, you have to pick him up and ride the hot hand or sell him high. If his minutes remain strong there is no need to worry that he will not continue to hit the threes and steal plenty of balls. Kemba is still available in about twenty-five percent of all leagues but he is one hot commodity right now.

Stick With Ben Gordon

Ben Gordon has not been impressive lately but there are plenty of reasons to stick with the shooting guard.

Analysis: Ben Gordon could only manage nine points on fourteen shots Thursday night. To make matters worse, the nine points came in forty minutes. Gordon has not posted a twelve plus point game in his last five contests. Although his play has been suspect, he’s just too talented of a player to drop from your fantasy squad and you have to stick by him.

On a positive note, Gordon is averaging well over thirty minutes per game and still has a solid stat line when considering his last two weeks of action has been awful. He’s still going to hit one to two three pointers per game and he’s still a virtual lock for a fifteen plus points per game average. Gordon has always been a stellar free throw shooter and he’s averaging a near career high of 3.4 assists per game. Going forward he is a valuable fantasy asset. His slow play as of late is worth putting up with when considering his threes, free throw percentage and points potential are exactly what you need from a lower tier fantasy shooting guard.

Derrick Williams’ Fantasy Value

Derrick Williams may have been the number two pick in the 2011 NBA Draft but he just isn’t getting it done in Minnesota right now.

Analysis: The fantasy problem with Derrick Williams really comes down to minutes. Williams is only getting twenty minutes per game and as a rookie he just isn’t ready to put up solid numbers yet. At 8.6 PPG and only 4.5 RPG, Williams is not putting up the fantasy numbers you need from a power forward.

There are plenty of positives when it comes to Derrick Williams. He’s hitting one three pointer per game and is averaging nearly one steal per as well. Williams’ field goal percentage is fine but he does have to improve at the stripe. If given nearly thirty minutes per game he is a must own but until then he’s just a fringe fantasy player in deep leagues. You really need some boards from your fantasy power forwards and he has yet to register an eight rebound game in his eight games this year. It really will come down to minutes and by mid season expect a respectable fantasy player.