Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 12.26

Beast of the Night: Carmelo Anthony kicked off the 2011-12 NBA season in a big way, finishing Christmas Day with 37 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block and four threes. He shot 59 percent (10-17) from the floor, hit 87 percent (13-15) of his free throws and had five turnovers. ‘Melo clearly thrives in that Knicks offense and will prove himself worthy of a first-round pick this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Rajon Rondo: 11-19 FG (58%), 9-12 FT (75%), 31 Pts, 5 Reb, 13 Ast, 5 Stl, 5 TO; Rondo played aggressively, which was great to see. He also showed little hesitation when given the opportunity to shoot open jumpers and connected on most of them. While Paul Pierce‘s absence probably had a hand in his huge opening line, Rondo will have to do a little more of everything this season for the Celtics. His fantasy prospects are looking shiny.

Tyson Chandler: 1-2 FG (50%), 5-8 FT (63%), 7 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 6 Blk; Yes, the six blocks were nice, but just three rebounds against that Celtics frontline? Fantasy owners should still expect averages close to those he put up last season.

Amar’e Stoudemire: 8-11 FG (73%), 3-4 FT (75%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was a strong showing from Stoudemire – except for the rebounding. Chandler’s presence in the middle will likely cut into Stoudemire’s opportunities for grabbing rebounds this season (though that wasn’t the case yesterday), but if STAT continues to hit threes, it will more than compensate for it.

Kobe Bryant: 11-23 FG (48%), 6-7 FT (86%), 28 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 8 TO; Surprise, surprise: Kobe played through an injury and put up a solid line. While the absence of a three and the load of turnovers puts a damper on how solid his line was, his owners have to be thankful that he even played through his right-wrist injury. He’ll continue to have holes in his stat lines as his wrist heals.

Ryan Anderson: 9-17 FG (53%), 1-1 FT (100%), 6 threes, 25 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; Anderson was the lone bright spot for the Magic on Christmas, as his squad got handily beaten by the Thunder. He started and played 33:35, and is clearly in for big things this season. Kudos if you were able to draft him with a reasonable pick.

Russell Westbrook: 6-17 FG (35%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 three, 14 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 7 TO; This was a mixed bag. While it’s good to see him shoot a three and hit his only free-throw attempt, Westbrook reminded fantasy owners of his potential weaknesses with this game.

Kevin Durant: 11-19 FG (58%), 6-11 FT (55%), 2 threes, 30 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; The free-throw shooting was abnormal, but the six assists were an encouraging sign. The thing that will distance Durant from LeBron James as the undisputed No. 1 fantasy pick will be his ability to rack up more than the 2.7 assists per game he’s averaged over his career.

DeAndre Jordan: 1-2 FG (50%), 4-12 FT (33%), 6 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Blk, 2 TO; Jordan played 30:31 last night and did damage on the defensive end of the floor. It would be nice to see him grab more rebounds, but fantasy owners should remember that he’s still a raw talent who has a lot of room for improvement.

Stephen Curry: 2-12 FG (17%), 0-1 FT (0%), 4 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; He played through a bum ankle and it showed. Owners who spent a first-round pick or a boatload of auction dollars on Curry will have to be patient and hope he doesn’t aggravate that bothersome injury.

David Lee: 10-19 FG (53%), 1-2 FT (50%), 21 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Lee is set to handsomely reward his fantasy owners this season, barring any other freak infections in his elbow.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Brandon Bass: 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Bass flew off waiver wires yesterday, and for good reason. See if he’s still available in your league and feel free to swap out your worst player for him – but remember that he won’t be playing against the Knicks every day.

Udonis Haslem: 9 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He got some extra run thanks to a blowout and Chris Bosh‘s foul trouble, but Haslem should be a solid low-end helper if you need depth at the PF spot.

Steve Blake: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; He got nearly 25 minutes of burn last night and is probably in for a timeshare this season. It’d be nice to see another solid line or two in the coming week before jumping to conclusions about his fantasy prospects.

Josh McRoberts: 6 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk, 2 TO; He started and played more than 35 minutes yesterday, as Andrew Bynum serves his four-game suspension. McRoberts, who can fill the stat sheet when given enough minutes, will have marginal value until Bynum returns; after Bynum returns, he’ll be battling with the next guy for backup minutes.

Troy Murphy: 7 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Murphy showed no life last season, so it’s good to see that he still has something left in his body. He and McRoberts will be fighting for backup minutes once Bynum returns, so keep expectations in check.

Andris Biedrins: 10 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Blk; He had a nearly “flawless” night, shooting 100 percent (5-5) from the floor and avoiding the free-throw line. It’s too early to get carried away with glowing expectations for Biedrins, but he’s worth a look if you need help at center.

Brandon Rush: 12 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Rush could be the Warriors’ sixth man this season, which would make him deserving of a roster spot in most leagues. Keep an eye on how he fares as Curry returns to full health.

Injuries:
Iman Shumpert (knee): a sprained will put him out of commission for at least two weeks, probably longer

Reggie Evans (ankle): day-to-day

Jared Jeffries (calf): aggravated his calf injury and will miss 1-2 weeks

Mike Bibby (back): he was dressed but didn’t play yesterday; day-to-day

Marcus Camby (knee): practiced Saturday and is expected to start tonight

Paul Millsap (quad): practiced Saturday and should be ready to play Tuesday

Paul Pierce (heel): hoping to play Tuesday

Tyrus Thomas (ankle): didn’t practice Sunday and is doubtful tonight

Shawn Marion (finger): he fractured his left pinkie finger but will play through it

For Tonight:
See how many minutes Curry gets tonight, in the second game of a back-to-back set, as the Warriors host the Bulls.

The Hornets will have to rely on a small-name point guard, as Jarrett Jack serves his one-game suspension. Greivis Vasquez could be the guy to gamble on, if you’re in an incredibly deep league or if you enjoy these kinds of one-game plays.

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

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