Basketball demands we break down its players not just by stats, but by the time and place they occur. That’s not the case in fantasy hoops, though, where cold calculations rule the day and the matchup. Who are the Fantasy Doctor’s choices for this week’s best pickups? Hit the jump to find out.
FRESH PICKINGS
Marcus Thornton (83 percent owned in Yahoo!, 67 percent in ESPN)
It took almost the whole season, but finally Marcus Thornton seems to have found a legitimate groove. Even with an average draft position in the sixth round, many owners grew impatient with Thornton, meaning he’s available in way more leagues than he should be. Over his last four games, he’s putting up 24.8 points with 3.3 boards and 3.5 treys. Thornton seems to have rediscovered his stroke and is finally being given the court time to prove it, making him this week’s top pickup.
Tobias Harris (30 percent owned in Y!, 35 percent in ESPN)
I thought Mo Harkless and Al Harrington would take over the scoring void left by J.J. Redick, but Tobias Harris has been beasting it out of nowhere. In his first four games for Orlando, Harris is averaged 20.0 points and 7.3 rebounds with 1.3 treys, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks. No one knows if he will be able to keep this pace up, but Harris is worth a look if he’s still around on your waiver wire.
Enes Kanter (Five percent owned in Y!, Two percent in ESPN)
No, Al Jefferson didn’t get traded, but an ankle injury opens up the door for Enes Kanter to excel this week. Jefferson sprained his ankle Wednesday night and has since been seen in a walking boot. In his absence, Kanter started and played 44 minutes Friday night, putting up 23 points with 22 rebounds and a block. Jefferson has not resumed practice, so as long as he is being held out, Kanter will be able to produce
Trevor Ariza (44 percent owned in Y!, 15 percent in ESPN)
Trevor Ariza has been playing hot of late, and while we will probably never see him produce at the level that he did in L.A. or Houston, he can still help out your fake team. Over his last five games, Ariza is averaging 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 treys, 1.8 steals and 0.2 blocks. He is a multi-categorical threat and if he proves he can keep up his recent play, he deserves to be owned in many more leagues.
LAST CALL
These guys were mentioned in last week’s edition. Go grab them if they’re still around.
Gordon Hayward
Hayward doesn’t hurt your team in any category and makes for a great play in rotisserie formats.
Carlos Delfino
Delfino is no longer starting, but still is an elite three-point shooter.
Al Harrington
It may take some time for Harrington to get his legs beneath him, but he’s in a perfect situation once he does.
Mo Harkless
If Orlando continues the youth movement, Harkless stands to benefit.
INJURIES
These players will be out for an extended period of time, but are worthy of a stash.
Derrick Rose (should be back around mid-March)

Kevin Love (should be back just in time for the fantasy playoffs)
Pau Gasol (check your league settings, out three more weeks but could be back for your fantasy playoffs)
Mo Williams (should be back in 2-3 weeks)
Kevin also writes for the brand new Turnontheknicks.com. Catch them on Twitter at @TurnOnTheKnicks
Who will be the key pickup coming down the stretch toward the fantasy playoffs?
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