C Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
To begin the fantasy basketball season, Andrew Bynum has been amazing. He seems to be living up to his vast potential. That said, expect his numbers to come crashing back down to earth once Pau Gasol returns. Trade him now while he’s putting up superstar numbers.

PF Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Yes, Chris Bosh is a great player. But he’s playing over his head at the moment. He’s averaging career-highs in points and points — and he hasn’t missed a three-pointer this season. Trade him before he cools off.

SF Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs
In the last few games, Richard Jefferson has been very good. He’s putting up fantasy stats by the truck load. But once Tim Duncan and Tony Parker return from injury, expect Jefferson’s role to be diminished.

SG Ben Gordon, Detroit Pistons
Ben Gordon is yet another player that is seeing his stats boosted by missing stars. In Detroit, both Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have been sidelined — which has allowed Gordon to get off to a very good start.

PG Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks
In future years, Brandon Jennings will be a fantasy basketball stud. But even though he’s off to a very good start this season, remember that he’s a very young player who doesn’t have many games under his belt. He’ll be hitting the rookie wall and his value in fantasy basketball will plummet. Trade him prior to that point.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Image: Zuma Press)

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4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron has been shooting the ball extremely well from the outside, shooting better than 41% on three-pointers in the month of March. If he can add good outside shooting to his repertoire, he’ll become even more impossible to defend.

3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
His three-pointers aren’t dropping at their normal rate (30% in March) but Nowitzki is still a scoring machine. He’s had a few recent games in which he’s looked as good as ever. If he can remain hot, he could be the best fantasy bigman down the stretch.

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
As the Lakers make their push for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, Bryant is starting to pick up more of the load. Scoring more than 30 points per game in the month, he’s peaking at the perfect time for Kobe fantasy owners.

1. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
There’s simply no player as hot as Wade is right now. His numbers since the All-Star break have been ridiculous. For the month of March, he’s averaging more than 37 points per game.

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All that said, they have some interesting fantasy basketball options. First and foremost is Chris Bosh. At the beginning of the season, Bosh was one of the best fantasy bigmen in the NBA. But recently, he has been in a major slump. His shooting percentages have plummeted and he’s settling for too many jumpers. He’s also not rebounding or blocking shots as well as usual. The good news is that this is probably just a slump for Bosh and he should be able to return to his typical dominant self soon enough. One explanation for his recent poor play is fatigue due to his play in the Olympics. If that’s the case, he’ll come around once he catches his second wind.

Outside of Bosh, the best fantasy option on the team is Jose Calderon. He’s actually been shooting the ball very well as of late. On the season, he hasn’t missed a free throw yet — which always helps in the fantasy world. He’s also continuing his insanely high assist-to-turnover ratio from last season.

Outside of those two players, it’s difficult to find a very good fantasy option. Jermaine O’Neal is decent but he isn’t producing much. He’s somewhat valuable due to his blocks but he’s a far cry from his heyday. O’Neal has been struggling with a variety of injuries so there’s a chance that he could get healthy and become a better fantasy option down the line.

Andrea Bargnani is a player fantasy owners have been waiting on to erupt onto the scene but it simply doesn’t appear as if it’s going to happen. Bargnani is now coming off the bench and is struggling mightily. His shot is way off and he’s not helping in any other category. Avoid Bargnani until he shows some signs of life.

Last season Jamario Moon was a useful player but he’s not playing nearly as well this season. Anthony Parker has been struggling shooting the ball and Jason Kapono just isn’t much of an all-around option. Joey Graham has had some decent outings but he’s not good enough to be a fantasy option.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Dirk Nowtizki, Dallas Mavericks
If you have Dirk Nowitzki on your fantasy team, you have to love what he does for you at the free throw line. Not only does he get there often, he also is hitting over 90% from the charity stripe. Since he’s the Mavericks’ number one option offensively, he’ll have no trouble getting to the line this season.

Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Chris Bosh is second in the NBA in free throws mad and is currently hitting over 83% at the line. So far this season, Bosh has been arguably the best fantasy power forward in the game. A part of the reason is his ability to get to the line and convert.

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
His free throw numbers are a lot like Bosh’s, although Stoudemire has more of a history of getting to the line. And with his public comments recently about wanting the ball more, that should lead to even more free throw attempts.

Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets
For a point guard, Devin Harris gets to the line an insane amount of times. He’s also connecting on his free throws this season — shooting higher than 80%. Of any guard in fantasy basketball, Harris will help you the most in the free throw category.

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Amare Dunk Mix …

2) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
The only reason Kevin Garnett slipped a bit in fantasy basketball was because the Celtics were just too good. With Garnett’s minutes down, his overall fantasy impact wasn’t as impressive. However, he was still a very good player this year.

3) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki didn’t have the most consistent season of his career but he had a good fantasy year. He was strong in the areas he was supposed to be strong in and stayed relatively healthy. If Jason Kidd stays on his side, expect him to put up better stats next year.

4) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
One of the most underrated players in the NBA is Chris Bosh. He’s a young bigman who continues to get better and better. He’s basically like a Garnett-type player in the making. Next year expect him to take another big step forward.

5) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
While Carlos Boozer’s stats weren’t as good as they were last year, he was a consistent threat throughout the season. He didn’t have too many bad games and stayed healthy. Over the next few years, Boozer will likely remain a steady fantasy force.

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That date appears to be just around the corner. Bosh has targeted this coming Wednesday as the day he will return from his knee injury. When Bosh first went out, most people thought he’d only miss a few games. While it’s been quite a bit longer, it’s good to see that Bosh’s injury more serious.

With Bosh sidelined, Rasho Nesterovic has taken a lot of his responsibilities. Nesterovic has played quite well and has been a nice fantasy surprise. However, once Bosh is back in action, Nesterovic’s value will plummet. Nesterovic will likely head to the bench and will once again get spotty minutes.

Bosh’s return should mean good thing for everyone else on the Raptors. He opens up their offense and gives everyone else room to succeed.

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The plan right now appears to be to rest Bosh the next three games and then he should be ready to go after that. However, a sore knee can be a tricky injury. It’s a nagging type injury that could slow Bosh down for an extended period of time. If you are still able to trade in your fantasy league, you should probably consider trading Bosh if you can get equal value.

Expect Rasho Nesterovic to get the start at center while Chris Bosh is out, which will slide Andrea Bargnani to power forward. A lot of players will see an increase in minutes when Bosh is out, including Kris Humphries, Carlos Delfino and maybe even Jason Kapono.

As of right now, this Bosh injury appears to be minor. Although, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for updates because a sore knee can sometimes downgrade into a worse injury rather quickly.

Check out Chris Bosh interviewing Will Ferrell …

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1) Dirk Nowtizki, Dallas Mavericks
He gets to the line a whole lot and he hits for a great percentage. Since Avery Johnson has become coach, Nowitzki has taken the ball to the basket much more often. As a result, his free throw attempts peaked in recent years. If you have Nowitzki on your fantasy basketball team, you are well aware of how consistent he is at the line.

2) Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
While he doesn’t get to the line as much as Nowitzki, Billups is an even better free throw shooter. He’s the Pistons’ go-to free throw shooter and will get to the line in bunches. Once he’s at the charity stripe, he’ll knock ‘em down.

3) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Few players in the league get to the line as consistently as Bryant. He seemingly gets to the line at least a half dozen times each game. With a solid free throw percentage, Bryant does nothing but help you in the free throw shooting category.

4) Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings
If you look at Martin, he doesn’t look like the type of player who can get to the line a lot. But he’s actually extremely good at getting to the line by drawing body contact. He’s also a very good free throw shooter and his best years are still ahead of him.

5) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
All of a sudden, Bosh is a deadly free throw shooting. By hitting in the mid-80% range, Bosh has taken a step up in the fantasy rankings. He’s now a free throw line asset. While this sudden spike could be an anomaly, it’s equally as likely that this percentage is here to stay.

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2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Perhaps the best player in all of the NBA, James is also great in the fantasy world. The scary part is he’s still getting better.

3. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Bosh is an underrated bigman superstar – in both the NBA and in fantasy basketball. His skill level seems to rise each month he’s in the league.

4. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Smith is an athletic freak and he’s also blessed with a lot of natural ability. He’s as explosive as anyone in the league.

5. Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Although the Grizzlies are having another down year, Gay is emerging as a star. In fantasy basketball, he’s been fantastic in recent weeks.

6. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Bynum is only 20-years-old but he’s already achieved fantasy greatness. His potential going forward is limitless.

7. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves
While it was definitely tough to trade away Kevin Garnett, Jefferson will dull some of that pain. This kid can play.

8. Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings
Martin is a largely unknown player due to him playing at a small college and now on the struggling Kings. However, Martin is simply an amazing scorer.

9. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
While his game isn’t completely fantasy friendly, his domination in real life still translates over to the fantasy world.

10. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Williams is point guard who will only get better as he ages. Right now, he’s already arguably a top five point guard in the league.

Funny Deron Williams commercial …

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