Beast of the Night: LeBron James was big again last night, finishing 33 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists and two steals. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the floor, 82 percent (9-11) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. The man has yet to make a three-pointer and has only attempted one this season, but that has done nothing to drag down his fantasy value. King James remains far and away the best fantasy basketball player in the land.
Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 7-16 FG (44%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 23 Pts, 15 Reb; All this in 27:40 of playing time against a pathetic Wizards squad. Anderson has been nothing short of extraordinary so far this season, averaging 19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line. Those are top five numbers right there.
DeMar DeRozan: 9-18 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 5 threes, 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 TO; His three-point shooting really props up his fantasy value, since he doesn’t do much besides score and grab a few boards. Still, this is something of a breakout season for DeRozan and his fantasy owners should be proud to be a part of it.
Boris Diaw: 12-15 FG (80%), 3 threes, 27 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; This made up for his two previous stinkers. Diaw remains a must-start player, but it’ll be interesting to see how Tyrus Thomas‘ eventual return affects the Frenchman’s production.
Amar’e Stoudemire: 10-19 FG (53%), 4-5 FT (80%), 1 three, 25 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Stl; He’s back after missing two games with a bum ankle. Stoudemire is now averaging a three, a block and 1.8 steals per game. His health, however, caps his fantasy appeal.
Joakim Noah: 5-9 FG (56%), 3-4 FT (75%), 13 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Blk, 5 TO; This was Noah’s first double-double of the season, which tells of how disappointing he’s been. He averaged a double-double last season, so it’s not a stretch to expect him to bounce back from his poor start.
O.J. Mayo: 4-9 FG (44%), 5-7 FT (71%), 1 three, 14 Pts, 4 Re b, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Mayo’s been a bust so far but he’s totaled 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his last two games. Maybe the absence of Zach Randolph will open up more opportunities for him.
Ricky Rubio: 5-9 FG (56%), 0-2 FT (0%), 2 threes, 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; The most surprising things about Rubio’s strong start are his strong shooting (53 percent from the field) and three-point making (a three per game). I’m eating a bowl of crow as I type this.
Marcin Gortat: 10-15 FG (67%), 2-3 FT (67%), 22 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Blk, 2 TO; This was what owners were expecting from Gortat from the start of the season. He’s still playing with a broken thumb, but his lines should get better and more consistent as the season wears on.
Monta Ellis: 15-30 FG (50%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 threes, 38 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Through five games, Ellis is dishing out a career-best rate of 8.2 assists per game. The downside is that his field-goal percentage, scoring, rebounding and thieving have all dipped from their marks last season.
DeMarcus Cousins: 9-12 FG (75%), 8-9 FT (89%), 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; If we were to be nitpicky, we’d point at his poor rebounding, but his owners would take this kind of line any day from the mercurial Cousins. He’ll start again soon.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
James Johnson: 4 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; He emerges from the ashes. Johnson will remain a good guy to own on your benches and could emerge with startable value if he gets steady minutes.
MarShon Brooks: 17 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s worth owning, but could sit for a bit with a new injury.
Iman Shumpert: 18 Pts, 4 threes, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; You should feel free to pick him up if he’s still available in your league.
Jordan Farmar: 11 Pts, 1 three, 1 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 TO; Whenever Deron Williams sits, Farmar is worth a look.
Richard Hamilton: 14 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 TO; Check to make sure he’s not still available in your league.
Norris Cole: 10 Pts, 1 three, 2 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 6 TO; He’s worth owning if you need depth at PG but won’t be stable enough to start in most leagues.
Evan Turner: 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 TO; With Jodie Meeks struggling to do much of anything with his starting job so far this season, Turner could be in for more minutes going forward. But consistency will remain an issue with him.
Brendan Haywood: 5 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; He won’t do this too often, so don’t read too much into this line.
T.J. Ford: 9 Pts, 1 three, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 TO; This was a strong line from Ford, who remains a bit too inconsistent to own in many leagues. Keep an eye on him.
Kosta Koufos: 10 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Stl, 5 TO; So long as Nene sits, Koufos could be worth a short-term gamble if you need another big man.
Injuries:
LeBron James (ankle): monitor his status for tonight’s game
Dwyane Wade (Foot): ditto
Ray Allen (flu): monitor his status
Corey Maggette (hamstring): he could be out for a while; day-to-day
Rodney Stuckey (groin): day-to-day
Stephen Curry (ankle): yep, the same one; day-to-day
Lance Stephenson (ankle): day-to-day
Michael Beasley (finger): might sit out Friday’s game
Luc Mbah a Moute (knee): not expected to play tonight
Damion James (ankle): day-to-day
Deron Williams (ribs): day-to-day
Tyrus Thomas (ankle): could return as early as Friday
Nene (foot): day-to-day
Courtney Lee (calf): day-to-day
Tyler Hansbrough (hand): monitor his status
Zach Randolph (knee): a slight tear of his MCL will put him out of commission for up to eight weeks
Kris Humphries (shoulder): day-to-day
Trevor Ariza (groin): day-to-day
Jared Jeffries (calf): should return next week
Devin Harris (calf): monitor his status
Josh Howard (quad): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Check the statuses of LeBron and Wade, as the Heat visit the Hawks.
See if Andrew Bynum can continue his steamrolling tour in Portland tonight.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
