Fantasy Basketball Stock Watch
March 13, 2008 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under NFL Player Analysis
Guest Post From FantasyFanatics.com
Desperate times call for desperate measures, even in fantasy basketball. Now is the time to make some final adjustments to your rosters to finish strong in the final weeks of your leagues or your league’s playoffs. Here are some players to target and some to avoid in the home stretch.
On the Rise
Ricky Davis – Guard/Forward – Heat – In the three games since Dwyane Wade was shut down for the season, Davis has gotten over 40 minutes in each contest. He is averaging 21.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in those games. Ricky “Buckets” is back baby! Also, watch Daequan Cook’s production over the next few games after returning from the D-League. He could be another benefactor of the available minutes left behind by Wade.
Travis Diener – Point Guard – Pacers – Diener has taken full advantage of his opportunity to start at point guard for the Pacers. In March, he is averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 three pointers a game.
Rashad McCants – Guard/Forward – Timberwolves – Despite coming off the bench, McCants has been contributing help in the points and three pointers categories. He does not offer much in other categories, but you might want to ride him while he is hot.
Charlie Villanueva – Forward – Bucks – Villanueva is one of the most frustrating players in fantasy basketball, no actually all of fantasy sports. He has all the tools to fill the box score, including three pointers, blocks, and great percentages. However, he virtually disappears for long stretches, offering nothing but minimal statistics. Lately, Villanueva has been great, averaging 24.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last four games. The risk here is that he is no lock to keep up this pace.
Thaddeus Young – Forward – Sixers – Young went from little used rookie to a player with promise to a legitimate fantasy starter. In his first five March games, 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 71% shooting from the field. He is a big candidate for a breakout season next year, but enjoy the production this season.
On the Way Down
Mark Blount – Center – Heat – After a strong end of January and beginning of February, Blount has finally come back to Earth. He is still good for the occasional double-digit scoring night, but can not be counted on to produce anything else.
Andrew Bynum – Center – Lakers – The good news is that Bynum is now running on a treadmill. The bad news is that he running on only running on about 65% of his body weight. The worse news is that is nearing the middle of March, so the time is dwindling for him to come back and make an impact. If there are other options out there, you may want to cut him loose to help your team in the stretch run. Of course, in keeper leagues, you should hold on to him.
Larry Hughes – Guard – Bulls – Hughes was outstanding for the Bulls after coming over in a blockbuster trade. However, he has reverted to the “Bad Shot” Larry that we have all grown accustomed to. In his last five games he is averaging only 11.6 points and shooting a dreadful 36% from the field. On the plus side, he is getting decent minutes and racking up steals.
Dwyane Wade – Guard – Heat – In case you had not heard, Wade is shut down for the season, check back in 2008-09.
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