NBA Fantasy Assistant Updates

The Fantasy Assistant for the NBA just got a whole lot better.  Fantasy basketball players are involved in a wide range of leagues these days.  Some play in straight H2H leagues with points, while others play in leagues where categories decide the winner.  These latest batch of updates will make both of you very happy.

  • Accuracy of Low Risk & High Risk waiver wire pickups has been improved.
  • Ability to select best available SF/PF/C or PG/SG to replace any player you have on your team.
  • New category based recommendations include: PPG, AST, RPG, and FG%.

If you guys need more categories added then I am sure I will hear from you soon enough.  Also, expect to see similar enhancements like these for the upcoming baseball season.  That’s right!  BASEBALL!

UPDATE: Jared wanted more categories (see comments below).  New categories include 3PM, 3P%, and BLK.

Stock Rising- Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion is three games into his return from a groin injury and he has already tallied three double-doubles.

Analysis: Shawn Marion may be thirty-four years old but he is getting tons of minutes(30/game) and making a big impact in the fantasy world this season. Since Marion has returned from a groin injury he’s averaging 14.0 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG. Marion really is contributing in just about every fantasy category. He doesn’t shoot as many threes these days and his assists will go back down to 2-3 per game but he continues to stuff stat sheets night in and night out.

Marion’s field goal percentage is nearly 50% this year which pretty much coincides with his career average. His free throw shooting is at 88% but he isn’t getting to the line quite enough to make a significant impact there. Marion will continue to receive thirty minutes per game and with it will come the 7-8 rebounds and the steals and blocks which are always so useful. The former UNLV product is available in over half of fantasy leagues and he does offer small forward and power forward position eligibility.

Blackmon In Week 16?

Justin Blackmon has been playing significantly better in the second half of the season and makes an intriguing WR3/FLEX start in week 16.

Analysis: Justin Blackmon recorded 6 receptions for 93 yards Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. This was Blackmon’s second consecutive 6 reception game and second consecutive game with 11 or more targets. Blackmon is becoming a focal point in the Jacksonville offense and week 16 should be more of the same with a match-up at home against New England. We all know New England should score tons of points against the Jags next week and that means a lot of second half “junk” fantasy points for Blackmon.

At the moment Justin Blackmon is owned in seventy percent of fantasy leagues and is being started in thirty percent of them. It is a bit of a gamble to start Blackmon but his consistency is improving. He’s caught at least five balls in four of his last five games and tight end Marcedes Lewis seems to be phased out of the Jacksonville offense. It’s risky but week 16 against New England does figure to be a high target, six plus reception game from Blackmon.

Last Call On Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson is one of the hottest power forwards in the NBA and the fantasy world is taking notice.

Analysis: Jason Thompson has outperformed Kenneth Faried, DeMarcus Cousins and Carlos Boozer thus far this year. Faried, Cousins and Boozer are all owned in 100% of fantasy leagues while Thompson is not. Faried doesn’t hit free throws, Cousins’ field goal percentage is a joke(42%) and Boozer is simply overrated. Yet Thompson remains available in half of leagues and continues to be an under the radar fantasy performer at this point in the season. He’s averaging 7.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 11.1 PPG and he’s shooting 51% from the field this year. His free throw shooting is respectable(73%) and he has been getting to the line more as of late.

Thompson is getting about thirty minutes of floor time over the past few weeks and he’s taking advantage of it. Thompson is averaging 9.9 boards per game in the month of December, that is impressive. He isn’t a flashy player on a big market team which is why he isn’t universally owned but he does produce when given the minutes.

Streaming Defenses- Week 15

Week 15 is one interesting week in regards to the defensive fantasy match-ups.

Analysis: The Baltimore defense is struggling at the moment and it may get even worse when Denver visits this coming week. Denver is averaging 28.8 points per game which is third best in the NFL. Peyton Manning is on fire and Denver is riding an eight game winning streak. Baltimore on the other hand did just give up 31 points to Washington and 23 to Charlie Batch and the Steelers.

An interesting alternative to starting the Ravens’ D is the Titans. The Titans have the train wreck that is the New York Jets this week. The Jets are 26th in points per game, 29th in passing yards and are 30th with 26 giveaways on the year.

Another solid option is the Detroit defense. The Lions have Arizona in week 15 and if they haven’t mentally checked out it could be a big fantasy day. The Cardinals are on a nine game losing streak and have scored a total of 6 points over their last two games. Both the Titans and Lions are worth checking out since teams like Baltimore and Atlanta(vs. NYG) are playing such tough opponents.