Player News – Page 82 – FantasySP Blog

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.

Under The Radar- Saku Koivu

After missing three weeks of action with a groin injury, Saku Koivu has been playing very well in his first four games back.

Analysis: Koivu has four assists, one goal, an average of nineteen minutes of ice time and is a plus four in his four games since returning from injury. Koivu is only owned in about twenty percent of fantasy leagues and he is certainly going under the radar at the moment. He started the season without a point in twelve of his first fifteen games but since he has put up sixteen points in seventeen games.

Koivu isn’t a force on the power play nor does he rack up tons of shots but he is a reliable source of points. His plus eight rating on the year is exceptional when considering Ryan Getzlaf is a minus seventeen and Corey Perry is a minus eleven on the year. Koivu is about as consistent as they come and as far as lower tier fantasy centers go… he’s solid. He’s a great buy low option at this point in the fantasy hockey season.

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.

Three Ball Help- Morrow And Neal

Both Anthony Morrow and Gary Neal are off to fast starts this year in terms of the three ball.

Analysis: New Jersey shooting guard Anthony Morrow continues to drain threes while going underrated in deeper leagues. Morrow is hitting two three pointers per game while averaging 1.7 threes made for his career. Morrow is getting twenty-three minutes per game and with a steal in six of nine games this year, Morrow can help out in other categories. His free throw percentage is at 89% for his career, although he does need to get to the line more often to be a factor in the fantasy world. Morrow is available in over eighty percent of leagues and he is the ultimate sniper.

Gary Neal is certainly an interesting player to keep an eye on. Neal has hit five threes in his last three games and is a career 41% shooter from three. Throw in twenty plus minutes per game and nearly four rebounds per and you have yourself a solid little player. Neal is also available in over eighty percent of fantasy leagues and if his minutes can reach into the mid to upper twenties then he will have some substantial fantasy value.