For those who still need fantasy basketball action on Super Bowl Sunday, here is the analysis from RookieWatch 07-08, picks #11-15. Don’t forget to check out Picks #1-5 and #6-10.

11. Acie Law IV, Atlanta Hawks – Expected to come in and fill the void at point guard for the Hawks (who notably took Marvin Williams over stud point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams), Law has struggled to adapt to the faster pace NBA and has played a backup role all season to veteran Anthony Johnson. Always a streaky shooter while in college (with almost no rotation on his shot), Law has struggled to shoot a consistent percentage from the field and has only four double-digit scoring games all year. With the Hawks currently in the 7^th seed in the East, it looks like they will play their veterans to make a playoff push, meaning low minutes and little production from Law.

    Recommendation: Monitor and consider only if playing time improves significantly, above 25 minutes/game.

12. Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers – Young, along with Javaris Crittenton (just traded from the Lakers to the Grizzles, click here for fantasy impact), left Georgia Tech too early in order to become first round picks in the draft. Although blessed with size and length, Young’s game is still unrefined. However, he has been gaining more minutes in the 76ers rotation and has even made some starts recently. Look for this trend to continue since Philly is not competitive, and Young may be a sneaky wire pick towards the end of season who can help in FG%, points, and rebounds. Although he may hold no value currently, more playing time next to a star such as Andre Iguodala and a floor general like Andre Miller can only help fantasy stats.

    Recommendation: Consider in the deeper leagues if he continues gaining minutes.

13. Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets – Picked to improve depth on the front line for the Hornets, he has been stuck all season behind All-Star David West. Wright has been unable to break into the New Orleans rotation and has picked up little minutes outside of garbage time. Although he has tremendous tools, he is also quite unsophisticated as a player, and with the Hornets playing for a top seed in the West, it looks like Wright will be sitting on the bench cheering on his teammates unless there is an injury.

    Recommendation: Ignore unless you are trying to lose your league

14. Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers – Listed in the honorable mention of top midseason gems, Thornton seems to be gaining the trust of his coach, and with injuries to the front line, has logged many more minutes, culminating in a 33 point effort Wednesday against the Hawks. Although not shooting a great percentage from the field or line, he has provided increased scoring recently to go with better play in peripheral categories. With the Clippers once again staring down a lottery pick, Thornton should be a solid fantasy option in deeper leagues (unless Elton Brand comes back healthy).

    Recommendation: Take a flyer on him if he is still available in your league and you need points or rebounds. He is most likely better than the worst player on your current roster.

15. Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons – Drafted as one of the top scorers in college basketball out of Eastern Washington, Stuckey was supposed to enter the Pistons rotation and score with the second-team. However, an early injury and inconsistent play has placed him on the bench behind fellow-first round draft pick Aaron Afflalo, who also is a candidate to improve in the second half. Without any consistent playing time and with Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince in front of him in the rotation, Stuckey holds very little fantasy value.

    Recommendation: Unless there is an injury or he logs playing time for good effort (a la Jason Maxiell), Stuckey will have no fantasy impact this year.

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Mike
Senior Writer