Category: NBA

Under The Radar- Stuckey/Sanders

Rodney Stuckey and Larry Sanders have been playing well over the last week and deserve a mention as potential mid-to-deep league adds.

Analysis: Rodney Stuckey has put together three consecutive 20-plus point games. Stuckey is a unique fantasy shooting guard option in that he doesn’t rack up tons of threes or steals but he does shoot well from the field and gets to the line often. Currently, Stuckey is shooting 45% from the field and 82% from the stripe where he averages four attempts per game this year. Stuckey is not a long term solution in many leagues unless his minutes remain near thirty per game but he is certainly the hottest scorer in Detroit outside of Josh Smith right now. Stuckey is available in 60-90% of fantasy leagues.

Larry Sanders is another forgotten fantasy option playing on an awful squad. Over his last three games Sanders has 9 blocks, 6 steals, 24 rebounds and 32 points. It seems Sanders is finally putting it together this year after a great 2012-13 campaign when he was 2nd in the NBA in blocks. Larry Sanders is available in 15-40% of fantasy leagues.

Three Ball Help- Meeks/Green

Jodie Meeks and Gerald Green are both having career years and it starts with the three ball.

Analysis: Jodie Meeks is averaging a career high 14 points per game and a career high 2.2 threes made per game this year. Over his last five games Meeks is averaging 38.4 minutes, 19.2 points, 2.6 threes, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Meeks is currently 13th in the NBA in threes made this year and 5th among shooting guards.

Thus far this month Meeks is the 10th rated fantasy shooting guard. He’s averaging over 20 points and 2.5 threes made per game this month. Currently, he is available in 35% of fantasy leagues.

Gerald Green is another shooter on the rise this month. Green is the 28th rated fantasy shooting guard in the month of January and he has been outperforming guys like Kevin Martin, Jamal Crawford and Bradley Beal this month. Green is averaging 15 points, 1.9 threes, 4 rebounds and 1.6 steals this month in about 32 minutes of action per night.

Thus far Green is 7th in the NBA in threes made this year and 4th among shooting guards. Gerald Green is available in 15-40% of fantasy leagues.

Blocks and Boards- Henson

John Henson returned from injury Monday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Analysis: Henson logged 17 minutes of playing time coming off the bench against the Raptors. He recorded 4 blocks, 5 rebounds and 8 points on 4 of 6 shooting. Henson is now averaging 7.9 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game in 28 minutes of action per night. He currently ranks 4th in the NBA in blocks and 17th among power forwards in rebounds.

The former UNC product is available in 5-60% of fantasy leagues. He was dropped in quite a bit of leagues due to his ankle injury that kept him out for nearly three weeks.

We also have to mention Taj Gibson of the Bulls. Gibson is averaging 8.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG and 12.2 PPG over his last five games. He’s logging 32 minutes of floor time per night in that span which will equate into some very solid fantasy numbers going forward. Over the last two weeks Gibson is outperforming Derrick Favors, Glen Davis, Amir Johnson and JJ Hickson. Taj Gibson is available in 25-50% of fantasy leagues.

Redick Back In Action

JJ Redick was back in action Friday night after missing over a month with ligament damage in his right wrist.

Analysis: Redick put up 19 points on 8-15 shooting in 23 minutes of action Friday night against the Lakers. Redick is now averaging 15.9 PPG, 1.9 3PM and 0.8 SPG in 28 minutes per night this year. He’s also shooting 46% from the field and 93% from the line.

People forget that Redick was the 23rd rated fantasy shooting guard last year while playing on two awful teams. As long as Redick is getting 25-plus minutes per game his points production and threes should be enough to make him a valuable fantasy asset. Redick is available in 35-50% of fantasy leagues. Guys like Martell Webster, Vince Carter and Jarrett Jack can and should be dropped for Redick.

But— keep an eye on Avery Bradley. He’s hitting 1.1 threes per game and he’s shooting 39% from three. He’s getting 31 minutes of floor time per night and he’s averaging a respectable 14 PPG and 4 RPG. He’s currently averaging just 1 steal per game but that number could and should climb higher. Bradley is available in 40% of fantasy leagues.

Stock Rising- Randy Foye

Randy Foye may be on his fifth NBA team this year but he continues to play well despite being lost in the shuffle.

Analysis: Randy Foye is averaging 3.4 3PM, 17.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.6 APG over his last five games. He has hit a total of 17 threes in that span while averaging over 35 minutes of floor time per night.

Foye’s biggest problem as a shooting guard has always been his lack of steals and a low field goal percentage, so keep that in mind. In recent years Foye has become a good three point shooter in terms of volume and efficiency. He’s even sporting a career 85% mark from the line. Over the last week of the season Foye is outperforming Kevin Martin, Arron Afflalo and Evan Turner. Currently, Foye is available in 70-97% of fantasy leagues. If his minutes remain north of thirty per game it will be impossible to ignore him.

Jimmy Butler is another player on the rise in the wake of the Luol Deng trade. Butler shot a career high 18 times in his last game. He’s averaging 2.6 SPG, 15 PPG and 4.8 RPG over his last five games. He’s 9th in the NBA in steals and 14th among shooting guards in rebounds. Butler is available in 10-15% of fantasy leagues.