Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 1.19

Beast of the Night: Monta Ellis put up 30 points, one rebound, five assists, six steals and a block, and hit two three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Ellis is having a solid season for the most part, especially if your league doesn’t count field-goal percentage (41 percent) and turnovers (3.9 per game). Even when Stephen Curry returns, Ellis’ value should remain intact.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwight Howard: 9-15 FG (60%), 6-10 FT (60%), 24 Pts, 25 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; Dwight being Dwight. His fantasy value is improved from last season, mostly thanks to his more frequent assists (2.4 per game versus 1.4 last season) and less frequent turnovers (3.3 per game versus 3.6 last season).

Andre Miller: 12-20 FG (60%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 28 Pts, 8 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Despite coming off the bench, Miller has been a pretty valuable fantasy asset this season, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 ‘bounds, 6.4 dimes, 1.3 thefts and 0.5 treys, along with decent shooting percentages.

Serge Ibaka: 3-5 FG (60%), 6 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; Believe it or not, this was Ibaka’s first time grabbing double-digit rebounds this season. His limited minutes have dogged his fantasy value in 2011-12, but there’s a good chance Ibaka recovers some of his lost value during the remainder of the season.

John Wall: 6-17 FG (35%), 13-14 FT (93%), 25 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 TO; He appears to be finding his footing again. While struggles with his shooting from the field and ability to hit three-pointers will weigh his fantasy value down, Wall will be a guy you’ll want on your side during most weeks.

Andray Blatche: 5-12 FG (42%), 1-2 FT (50%), 1 three, 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Solid line from Blatche, which means it’s time for his owners to sell high. His shoulder remains a concern, so owners should look to swap him for a safer long-term asset.

Deron Williams: 6-13 FG (46%), 8-8 FT (100%), 4 threes, 24 Pts, 8 Reb, 10 Ast, 4 TO; Williams has struggled this season, averaging a career-low field-goal percentage (37 percent) and dishing out 8.4 assists per game, his lowest mark since his rookie campaign. He’s also turning the ball over a league-worst 4.3 times per game.

Marc Gasol: 10-14 FG (71%), 2-3 FT (67%), 22 Pts, 12 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Gasol has grabbed 10+ rebounds in all 10 games so far in January. He remains a fantasy stud and maintains top 10 overall value.

DeAndre Jordan: 9-13 FG (69%), 1-1 FT (100%), 19 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 Blk, 1 TO; Jordan is obviously still rather raw, but his owners don’t have much to complain about. While another rebound or two per game would be nice, Jordan’s out of his mind when it comes to blocking shots, as he’s averaging a league-leading 3.1 denials per game. He’s a top 50 fantasy player right now.

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Trevor Ariza: 18 Pts, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 5 TO; He might’ve been dropped in your league after missing a ton of games, but Ariza deserves to be picked up in all leagues.

Markieff Morris: 3 Pts, 2 Stl; He left the game early because he was sick, but Morris started last night and could start for the foreseeable future.

Nikola Pekovic: 11 Pts, 1 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; He started the second half last night and is worth a gamble in deeper leagues.

Evan Turner: 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Make sure he’s not available in your league.

Mickael Pietrus: 12 Pts, 4 threes, 3 Reb, 1 Stl; If you need threes, scoop him up.

Shannon Brown: 14 Pts, 2 threes, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s looked solid in January and deserves consideration if you need a guard.

Zaza Pachulia: 5 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO; If you need a big man, Pachulia should be on your list of candidates.

Tayshaun Prince: 29 Pts, 3 threes, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He’s Hansel right now and should be picked up if you have room.

Francisco Garcia: 16 Pts, 2 threes, 5 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; That’s two consecutive solid outings for Garcia, who’s worth a speculative add if you need threes.

Mo Williams: 26 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He should probably be owned in your league.

Injuries:
Vince Carter (foot): day-to-day

Rudy Fernandez (Achilles): day-to-day

Eddy Curry (hip): could be ready for tonight

Dwyane Wade (ankle): day-to-day

Jason Richardson (knee): day-to-day

Hedo Turkoglu (back): day-to-day

Spencer Hawes (Achilles): day-to-day; could miss an extended stretch of games

Marcus Camby (ankle): day-to-day

Andrea Bargnani (calf): may be ready for Sunday

Jamaal Tinsley (dermatitis): monitor his status

Josh Howard (quad): likely out tonight

Timofey Mozgov (back): day-to-day

Rajon Rondo (wrist): left last night’s game early; day-to-day

Bill Walker (knee): day-to-day

Markieff Morris (flu): day-to-day

Nicolas Batum (eye): should be fine for Friday, but monitor his status

For Tonight:
Mario Chalmers should have another solid night, as the Heat host the Lakers. Also, see if Mike Miller can have a strong follow-up to his season debut.

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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