It’s Tuesday of Week 20 and the season is quickly winding down. To help you finish strong in your league, consider picking up one of the following players listed as a “jewel” below and/or dropping one of the players listed as a “fool”. Good luck in the final stretch!

Jewels

1. Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks – Always a raw talent, Villanueva left UConn early and never really put it together. For some reason, I’ve always liked him, but he’s always been a disappointment. However, I think that Villanueva has begun to put it together. He has outplayed rookie Yi Jianlian and has averaged over 24 pts/game the past week with Mo Williams out with an injury. Although Williams will be back soon, Villanueva is still a great pickup for the stretch run.
2. Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves – I loved this guy in college but did not think his game would translate too well to the NBA. Still, I think Smith is a solid option. He has been averaging almost 14 pts/game with about 4 rebs/game while shooting over 70% from the field and the line over the past week. Keep him on your watch list, and with superstars like Dwyane Wade being shut down, considering scooping Smith up.
3. Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers – The energy guy playing with Lebron James, Varejao has been a rebounding machine recently. Although he has not been shooting particularly well, he has been averaging a double-double with Ilgauskas injured. Quickly scoop him up if he is available in your league.

Fools

1. Joe Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers – I really think that Smith has diminished in value since he was traded to the Cavs. Lebron James controls too much of the ball on this team and Smith does not see too many touches. Ilgauskas and Varejao will get more rebounds and Smith has seen a dip in shooting percentages lately. He is still scoring double digits per game, but does not add too much more value beyond scoring and rebounds. Get rid of him as soon as possible.
2. Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets – Do not be fooled by Wright’s 14 pts/game and 5.7 rebs/game in the past week. When David West returns from injury (most likely this Wednesday), Wright will be once again relegated to the bench and will see little playing time. If you picked him up based on last week’s stats, drop him for one of the guys above.
3. Kurt Thomas, San Antonio Spurs – I know that this guy is a grinder and adds a lot of defensive value for the Spurs, but that does not translate into fantasy value. Since being traded to the Spurs, Thomas has seen his touches diminish, and he is averaging almost 3 fewer points and rebounds per game. Thomas is a solid player, but with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, he has very little value.

Happy waiver wire-ing. And as always, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.

Mike
Senior Writer

I blame daylight savings for the Lakers loss to the Kings last night. Kobe was obviously fatigued by the time the game reached the fourth quarter and could not play to his potential. One point in the fourth quarter Kobe? That’s abysmal. Well, at least daylight savings time hasn’t affected me, so here are some players you might want to consider adding or dropping, in a feature we’re calling “Studs and Duds”.

FANTASY BASKETBALL STUDS

Thaddeus Young, SF, PHI
– Last 5 games (avg): 14 pts, 6 reb, 2 steals; 30-44 shooting
– Minutes have gone way up and this young guy can straight ball. It looks like he’ll see a lot of minutes the rest of the way

Charlie Bell, SG, MIL
– Last 5 games (avg): 12 pts, 4 asst, 3 reb, 1.4 stl; 9 3’s
– Minutes have gone up about 5 minutes a game

Joakim Noah, C, CHI
– Last 5 games (avg): 11 pts, 10 reb, 1 stl; 18-35 shooting
– Seems to have put his off court troubles with the team behind him and impressed in Week 19. I love 20 rebound games

FANTASY BASKETBALL DUDS

Michael Finley, G, SAN
– Last 5 games (avg): 6 pts, 2.4 reb; 9-41 FGs, 4-16 from 3PT
– Yesterday against Phoenix: 1 point, 0-6 shooting, 23 min
– Long seasons can wear you down–especially when you just turned 35

Antonio McDyess, C, DET
– Last 5 games (avg): 3.4 pts, 5 reb, 26 min; 6-27 shooting
– Minutes/game have decreased around 4 minutes from season average
– The man in the middle hasn’t been consistent for the Pistons lately

Brad Miller, C, SAC
– Last 5 games (avg): 7 pts, 8 reb, 2 TO’s; 14-36 shooting
– 0 and 2 points in his last two games (22 and 25 minutes respectively)
– Admits he is at a low point in the season
– Minutes have been cut drastically for the much improved Mikki Moore and Spencer Hawes

And as always, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.

To hoops,
Farid

JEWELS

1. Roger Mason, PG, WAS
   In his last five games he has averaged 14 pts, 2 boards, 2 assists, a block and a steal a game. Until Arenas is back (which is looking more and more questionable with each passing week), this guy may be a good substitute buy. Mason’s also been getting 5 more minutes a game than normal during this recent outburst.

   

2. Joel Przybilla, C, POR
   IF you’re in need of rebounds and blocks, Joel is your man. Przybill has averaged 11 rebounds and 1.8 blocks this month (4 games) and has steadily increased his minutes from the low twenties to about thirty a game. Pick him up if you need help in these categories.
3. Paul Millsap, SF, PF, C, UTAH
   This guy can normally get you 10 points, 6 boards, a block, a steal and decent percentages any given night. With extend minutes (like he got last night against Denver), he can probably produce more. I say monitor Millsap and see if Sloan actually gives him 25+ minutes a game. If he gets this the next couple of games, look at Millsap.
4. Kyle Korver, SF, UTAH
   Korver has been shooting the ball lights out so far in March. In five games he’s 10-20 from beyond the 3 point arc and 21-38 from the floor overall. That’s equating to 14 points a game, along with a couple of assists. He also rarely misses a free throw. Monitor his situation as well and look to see how Sloan uses him the next couple of games. Utah has beaten Phoenix, Dallas and Denver recently and has done so with impressive offense attacks.

FOOLS

1. Jason Williams, PG, MIA
   Only played 9 minutes in Miami’s last game. Marcus Banks and Chris Quinn have been getting more time as Riley begins his search for a marquee talent in next year’s draft. Drop him if you haven’t checked your roster for a month and you just realized he’s still on your team.
2. Carlos Arroyo, PG, ORL
   Likewise, only played 9 minutes against the Warriors last night. With Jameer Nelson back in the starting lineup, don’t expect Arroyo to get more than 15-20 minutes a game at most the rest of the way. For fantasy managers this is killer. Drop him if you own him. Look at Nelson if he is available in your league.
3. Sean Williams, C, NJN
   With Nenad Krstic back from injury and DeSagana Diop also getting 15+ minutes a game, not much time is left for the promising rookie. He’ll be a great sleeper next year, but for the rest of this year consider him as good as done fantasy wise.

Let us know in the comments above who you think are the real fantasy basketball “jewels” and “fools”. And be sure to sign up for our RSS feed on the way out, as well for updated fantasy basketball free agent advice.

To hoops,
Farid

Fantasy Basketball can be hard. It’s a lot easier when you know who to pickup. It’s mid Week 19 and we thought all you tired, hard working managers would find a list of pickups by position useful. So take a break from your fantasy baseball draft and pick up some of these guys! Green is a great pickup, black is an average pickup and red is a DROP. In parenthesis is the player’s stats from last night, March 5th.

• PG- Point Guards
• Jameer Nelson, ORL, PG (9 pts [4-4, 1-1], 10 asst, 21 min)
• Recovered from his bout with the flu, started on Mar 5
• Carlos Arroyo, ORL, PG (11 pts [4-8, 1-2], 6 asst, 4 reb, 27 min)
• Came off the bench, still seems to be productive while splitting minutes with Nelson
• Kyle Lowry, PG, MEM (15 pts [5-12, 1-3], 7 asst, 4 reb, 1 stl)
• Good pickup so long as Mike Conley isn’t 100%
• Travis Diener, PG , IND (11 pts, 4 asst, 2 reb, 26 min)
• Diener and Murray are splitting minutes in Indiana, pick one
• Ronald Murray, PG, IND (14 pts, 5 reb, 2 asst, 1 stl, 22 min)
• As stated above, pick either “Flip” Murray or Diener
• Marcus Banks, PG, MIA (21 pts [7-11, 3-6], 5 reb, 4 asst)
• Monitor his minutes–with the Heat struggling, J. Will not getting any younger, and Wade’s health always a concern, he could get a lot of minutes the rest of the way
• Jannero Pargo, PG, NO (22 pts [9-18, 3-7], 3 reb, 3 asst, 1 stl)
• Yeah, he plays behind Chris Paul, but the kid can straight shoot the ball and he showed it last night.

• SG- Shooting Guards
• Matt Carroll, CHA, SG (9 pts [2-10, 1-4], 11 reb, 4 stl)
• Told you to pick him up earlier this week, if you did, you are happy, if you didn’t, you’re most likely regretting it
• Luther Head, SG, HOU (14 pts [5-5, 4-4], 4 asst, 2 reb, 3 stl)
• With Yao’s 22 points a game gone, everyone has gotten more looks
• Maurice Evans, ORL, SG (17 pts [6-8, 2-3], 6 reb, 2 stl)

• SF- Shooting Forwards
• Jared Dudley, CHA, SF (10 pts [4-8, 1-2], 18 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 0 TO)
• Pick this guy up if he is available in your league. That’s an order.
• Jamario Moon, TOR, SF (14 pts [7-11], 9 reb, 4 stl, 3 blk)
• Has been filling up the stat sheet recently
• Ricky Davis, SF, MIA (16 pts [4-9, 1-3], 3 reb, 3 asst, 2 stl)
• Eh, it’s Miami. Why not?
• Mickael Pietrus, GSW, SF (3 pts [1-4, 1-3], 5 reb, 2 blk, 24 min, FO)
• I thought he might be a good pickup, but for now, look at Dudley or Moon if they are available

• PF- Power Forwards
• Mikki Moore, PF, SAC (19 pts [7-9], 5 reb, 4 asst)
• This guy is pure hustle. He can get you boards, assists, blocks and steals. Points if you’re lucky.
• Nick Collison, PF, SEA (10 pts [3-7], 9 reb, 2 asst)
• If you’re desperate for boards.
• Carl Landry, PF, HOU (13 pts [5-10], 7 reb, 1 stl, 20 min)
• Getting decent minutes and producing. Pick up Moore first though.
• Nenad Krstic, PF, NJN (16 pts [8-13], 9 reb, 2 stl, 35 min)
• Gambling pick. Has been injured most of the week, but could add some fantasy value if he’s consistent.

• C- Centers
• Andray Blatche, WAS, C (2 pts [1-10], 6 reb, 5 asst, 2 stl, 2 blk)
• Can do a lot of things. I like him over any of these guys.
• Kendrick Perkins, BOS, C (10 pts [4-9], 20 reb, 2 blk)
• Perkins has gone off the last 2 games. If he’s available in your league and you need help in the position, he’s a no-brainer.
• Rasho Nesterovic, TOR, C (16 pts [8-12], 10 reb, 2 asst)
• Has moved into the starting lineup since Bosh has been out. Good pickup.
• Nazr Mohammed, CHA, C (4 pts, 0 reb, 0 asst, 0 stl, 0 blk, 14 min)
• Don’t pick this guy up yet. He hasn’t figured it out
• Zaza Pachulia, ATL, C
• Don’t pick this guy up ever. Mike was correct, he’s terrible.

Let me know in the comments above if you think these are wise picks. Mike and I appreciate your feedback.

And as always, be sure to sign up for our RSS feed to receive in-depth fantasy basketball analysis.

To hoops,
Farid

For the final installment of RookieWatch 07-08, we will be looking at a number of second round picks in last year’s draft who could make an impact for your team. Don’t forget to check out FBP’s detailed coverage of the first round draft class here : #1-5 | #6-10 | #11-15 | #16-20 | #21-25 | #26-30

• Carl Landry, Houston Rockets – Selected with the first pick of the second round, Landry was a tough bruiser at Purdue who did not project well into a big man’s role in the NBA. However, by proving himself earlier this season in smaller minutes, Landry earned a bulk more playing time with Yao Ming out for the season. He can solidly contribute right now in points, rebounds, and FG%.

  Recommendation: If you need some big man help and have a bum currently on your roster, make the move right here.

  

• Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Boston Celtics – Although Davis has almost no fantasy value, he has turned into a solid player for the Celtics, although I think that anyone playing alongside KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will succeed simply because no one will be guarding him. Big Baby does not produce a lot of stats but has a lot of presence. Too bad there isn’t a total weight category in fantasy basketball.

  Recommendation: Funny nickname, thick guy, move on.

• Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies – I think the only reason he is relevant is that he was part of the trade for his brother. Maybe the Grizzlies got sentimental and decided they needed at least one Gasol on the team. I don’t think the Lakers minded giving him up for the good one. Maybe Marc can develop to be like big bro in the next few years.

  Recommendation: If your season is lost, pick him up and pretend he is Pau Gasol.

• Aaron Gray, Chicago Bulls – No I did not just put him on the list because he plays for the Bulls. I think he is something that the Bulls need and lack, a low post presence. Sure he is incredibly unathletic. But earlier this year, he was producing about a point/minute and shooting really well from the field. But it is just like the Bulls to give him some playing time, have him succeed, and then let him sit on the bench.

  Recommendation: Email Jim Boylan to Free Aaron!

• D.J. Strawberry, Phoenix Suns – D.J. is the son (get the pun?) of former baseball knucklehead Darryl Strawberry, and he has somehow broken into the Phoenix rotation by offering hustle, defense, and athleticism. But lately, with the acquisition of Shaq and Phoenix floundering a bit, Strawberry has become reacquainted with his spot on the bench. But at least if his NBA career fails, he has a pretty rich daddy.

  Recommendation: If you are considering him, your season must be done.

So as we can see, there are not many gems in the second round. You will occasionally find that solid NBA player and very rarely that star that can make an impact on a team. But mostly, the second round is full of NBDL players whom you’ve probably heard of in college but will never see in basketball again. Let FBP know in the comments above what you think about these prospects.

And as always, be sure to sign up for our RSS feed to receive in-depth fantasy basketball analysis.

Mike
Senior Writer