We’re three weeks into the NBA season and already we’ve been able to seen some players rise and fall in the fantasy ranks. There have been some strong performances and a few busts, but it’s still too early to tell which players will have the strongest impact on your team.
One thing we have seen over the past week is several star players sit out due to minor injuries. With the lockout forcing a compacted season in 2012 that may be something we see more of as the season progresses. One example of this came on Thursday night when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sat out the Miami Heat game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Still, let’s take a look back at the last week and pick out some players to watch moving forward.
Fantasy Performance of the Week: Dwight Howard vs. Washington Wizards
After the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum put up a 20-20 performance on Tuesday, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard responded with one of his own the following night. In a game with the Washington Wizards Howard took control of the game on both ends. Howard finished the night with his first 20-20 effort of the season, scoring 28 points on 11-13 shooting. He also pulled down 20 rebounds and blocked three shots in the process.
Fantasy Dud of the Week: Metta World Peace vs. Portland Trail Blazers/Golden State Warriors
A new name seemed to have the former Ron Artest rejuvenated. After a very strong and surprising start to the season fantasy owners were scooping World Peace up off the waiver wire. However, since then he has fallen quite flat. It culminated in two games this week when World Peace shot 1-8 from the field and committed three turnovers before being benched in the second half of the game against Golden State.
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Rising Stock
Andrew Bynum: The Lakers center missed the first four games of the season due to a suspension, which didn’t help his already low draft stock. The Los Angeles center has yet to play an injury-free season, but has had a very promising start to 2012. Bynum is averaging 19.6 points and 15.8 rebounds per game, and is doing so in just 34 minutes. If he continues to stay healthy he’s going to be one of the top centers in the league.
Norris Cole: On a team littered with superstars it’s been Norris Cole that is turning some heads. Obviously LeBron James is one of – if not the – best fantasy player in the game. But Cole has turned into a serviceable guard that can be used in different slots on your roster this year. Cole is putting up 10.9 points and nearly four assists off the bench. He’s the type of player that may still be available in some leagues, so it’s worth a waiver grab – especially if he ever gets the starting gig over Mario Chalmers.
Andrea Bargnani: Often times some of the best fantasy players are on the worse teams. That’s the case with Bargnani, whose Raptors aren’t going anywhere except the NBA Draft next summer. Still, Bargnani is putting up solid numbers so far this season. He’s currently averaging 24.0 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. I don’t care what team you play for, if you put up numbers like that you’ll be a coveted fantasy player.
Danilo Gallinari: Much like Bargnani, Gallinari is on a team that probably won’t be reaching the post-season this year. While Gallinari has more help around him than Bargnani does, he has still put together a few solid performances. With Nene injured Gallinari has had seen an increase in minutes, and he’s taken advantage. He scored 31 points and grabbed five rebounds on Saturday. As long as Nene stays on the sideline you should have Gallinari in your starting lineup.
Next Page: Favorable Matchups For Week 3
Favorable Starts: Jan. 9 – Jan. 14
This is a new segment where we’re going to look at some of the teams that have some favorable fantasy matchups this week. Basically, if you have players on these teams it’s worth looking into starting them this week.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have won three straight and might push it to six this week. They will take on a struggling Memphis squad before heading east to battle a lottery-bound Hornets squad. They finish their week against the New York Knicks, whose defense is legendarily nonexistent.
Miami Heat: Usually I won’t pick a team that has three road games on the schedule as a team to be impressed by in fantasy, but the Heat are just that good. If you have LeBron or Wade on your team make sure you check their injury status before each game, but the rest of the Heat players who you might be on the fence about are worth looking into. The Heat play the Warriors, Clippers and Nuggets this week. Even though these games are on the road, Miami should be able to put up some decent numbers against these teams.
Los Angeles Lakers: Even I was slightly surprised when I decided to include the Lakers on this list. But the schedule is undeniable. Even though this team has been offensively bi-polar this season, this may be one of those weeks where reserves like Matt Barnes might be worth a spot start. They will have four more games this week, including the Suns, Jazz, Cavaliers and Clippers. While four games in five nights is a lot, one or two of those games might be a good opportunity to get one of the lesser known Lakers (besides Metta World Peace) into your lineup.
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Teams to Avoid: Jan. 9 – Jan. 14
For this segment we’re going to do the opposite of what we just did above. Obviously if you have the star players on any of these teams it’s going to be recommended you start them anyways, but if you’re questioning whether to start a reserve or bench player from one of these teams this week it might be a good idea to reconsider.
Portland Trail Blazers: I’ve been very high on the Trail Blazers this year, but this is going to be a real test for Portland. The Blazers might have a strong showing against the L.A. Clippers, but follow that up with games against Orlando, San Antonio and Houston. The obvious defensive problems that the Magic and Spurs can create don’t need to be shared, but Houston is a scrappy team that may give your Blazers players some problems. Guys like Raymond Felton or Marcus Camby should be left on the bench this week.
San Antonio Spurs: Just like I mentioned Portland above this the Spurs are worth avoiding as well, with the obvious irony being that they will play each other this week. Portland has turned into a strong defensive team that can create all sorts of matchup problems for opposing players. On top of that, San Antonio has to face a tough game in Houston, who (once again, like I mentioned above) is a tough defensive matchup for most fantasy players, especially your big men.
Houston Rockets: To continue with our theme the third team will be the Houston Rockets. Houston will play both Portland and San Antonio this week, which will limit them offensively. While they have favorable games against the Bobcats and Kings in between, they will be another team to do a little research on before inserting some of their lesser players (Luis Scola, Chase Budinger) into your lineup.