Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs - 22.46 PER
Quietly, Manu Ginobili is one of the best players in the NBA once again. In a recent game against the Phoenix Suns, Ginobili scored 30 points and hit 18-of-18 from the free throw line. If his minutes start rising, he could become a fantasy basketball power.

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks - 19.98 PER
With Michael Redd out for the season, the door has opened for Charlie Villanueva. He’s starting now and should get plenty of minutes and plenty of shot attempts. He’s shown All-Star type ability at times in his career and he’ll get a chance to become a fantasy basketball star.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves - 17.59 PER
Early on in the season, Kevin Love looked like a draft bust. But as of late, he has really turned it around and now should be rostered in every fantasy basketball league on the planet. In January, he’s averaging 12.6 points and 10 rebounds in only 24 minutes per game. That is simply disgusting. If he plays starters minutes, he could become a star overnight.

Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic - 15.86 PER
In his first game back from injury, Mickael Pietrus put up 27 points, ten rebounds and four assists. And while he won’t do that every game, his impressive PER tells us that he’s a capable starter in the NBA. Pick him up on your fantasy team if you want to take a flyer on a player who could blossom as the season progresses.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls
If you want to buy low on a potential star, take a look at Luol Deng. He’s back in the lineup and he’s putting up good numbers. If you buy him now, there’s a chance that his fantasy basketball value could rise back to what it was a few years ago.

Nick Collison, Oklahoma City Thunder
Although Nick Collison isn’t an exciting fantasy player, he should be solid for the rest of the season. He’s playing consistent and with the Thunder playing better basketball, Collison could average close to a double-double for the rest of the year.

Von Wafer, Houston Rockets
Having scored in double figures in seven straight games, it’s starting to look like Von Wafer is for real. And with Tracy McGrady chronically injured, Wafer could find minutes as the offensive spark the Rockets desperately need. Pick him up if you have room to find out if this hot stretch can last.

Jerryd Bayless, Portland Trail Blazers
With Steve Blake sidelined, Jerryd Bayless is finally getting consistent minutes in his rookie campaign. While his overall numbers are ugly, he had a big game on Thursday night in which he finished with 23 points off the bench. Most impressive? His 11-for-11 shooting from the line in the game.

PER has proven to be a pretty good measurement of a basketball player’s ability. It’s especially useful to help find players who could breakout once given more playing time. Here are some players that have high PER’s but low minutes per game average.

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers, 20.68 PER
Throughout the season, Speights has had a high PER. The fact that he’s consistently led all rookies means that he’s probably the real thing. For every 40 minutes he plays, he’s putting up 40 points and 10 rebounds. Keep an eye on any spike in minutes played because he has shown star potential.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors, 19.14 PER
Wright had a high PER last year as a rookie and now as a sophomore has an even higher PER. He’s recently been starting for the Warriors, which is very good for his fantasy basketball potential this season. If he can consistently get 30 minutes per game he could become a very solid fantasy option.

Carl Landry, Houston Rockets, 18.34 PER
A lot like Wright, Landry is a sophomore who is once again putting up a high PER. Showing that his rookie year was no fluke, Landry has been doing a lot on a per minute basis. If the Carl Landry trade rumors have any legs, he could bust out onto the scene once given ample playing time.

Leon Powe, Boston Celtics, 17.17 PER
With the Celtics stumbling down the Eastern Conference standings, they might have to re-work their rotations. One option is to give Leon Powe more playing time. Powe has done well but he’s only playing 15.2 minutes per game. If he can up that to 25 minutes, Powe could become fantasy viable.

Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets
Starting now for the Nets at center, Brook Lopez is starting to establish himself. While he’s still very much inconsistent, he’s scoring skills as both a scorer and a rebounder that should keep him in the starting lineup. It’s not out of the question that he could become a double-double machine sooner rather than later.

Courtney Lee, Orlando Magic
With news that Mickael Pietrus broke his rest and is out for an indefinite amount of time, Courtney Lee should see an upshoot in playing time as a result. The rookie shooting guard can shoot, score and provide decent complementary stats. If he can move into the starting lineup, that’d be a big boost for his fantasy worth.

Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Amir Johnson is back into the starting lineup. He began the year as a starter before falling out of favor and falling out of the rotation. However, it should be noted that he’s starting mostly due to an injury to Richard Hamilton. Only start Johnson as long as Hamilton is sidelined.

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
The Great Tease is at it again. Filling in for an injured and sick Jermaine O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani had a big game. This followed a series of uninspired performances off the bench. When he’s going right, Bargnani is a center who can score, hit three pointers, block shots and chip in with a few rebounds.

Dominic McGuire, Washington Wizards
Now in the starting lineup, Dominic McGuire is putting up impressive all-around numbers. While he’s not much of a scorer, he can help you in a lot of other areas. In his last five games, he’s averaging 4.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals in 30 minutes per game. If you need a little bit of help in a lot of areas, give McGuire a look.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors
Currently, Brandan Wright is in the starting lineup for the Warriors. Though that can change at any moment, Wright has shown a high amount of talent. That talent in a run and gun offense could spell big fantasy value if he becomes a long term answer in Don Nelson’s starting lineup.

Kevin Ollie, Minnesota Timberwolves
Although Kevin Ollie isn’t exactly a name that enters many fantasy basketball owners minds, he’s starting now for the T’Wolves and he’s putting up pretty good numbers. If you need another point guard, going with Ollie is better than banking on a backup point guard.

Aaron Gray, Chicago Bulls
Starting three straight games at center, Aaron Gray has been impressive at times for the Bulls. He has the size and strength that the Bulls are lacking. Gray’s strong suit is rebounding and he’s not a bad scorer if he gets the touches.

Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
Since Cuttino Mobley has been traded, Eric Gordon has definitely become a fantasy viable player. He’s starting, getting good minutes and producing at a good clip. Since he’s a rookie it’s hard to tell what his ceiling is but he is looking like a player that can average between 13 and 15 points in his rookie campaign.

Kris Humphries, Toronto Raptors
With new coach Jay Triano now in charge of the Raptors after Sam Mitchell got fired, there’s some rumblings that Kris Humphries could see his minutes rise. Andre Bargnani isn’t defending well and Humphries could be the next in line for bigman minutes. His high PER suggests that he could do a good job if asked to take on a bigger load.

Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs
Matt Bonner has a good PER and is now starting at center for the Spurs. If he continues to get enough minutes, Bonner is helpful mostly due to his ability to make three-pointers from the center position. He’s also not a bad rebounder and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes with the ball.

JJ Hickson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Although JJ Hickson is still a raw player, he has produced when the Cavs have put him on the floor. He’s a very good athlete at the power forward position who can score, rebound and block shots. If minutes open up due to injury or poor play, Hickson could step through the door and explode onto the scene.

Photo credit: Newscom

Using John Hollinger’s PER statistic, which undervalued players may become viable fantasy basketball players if their minutes increase? Here’s a look at a few fantasy basketball sleepers as indicated by PER:

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
This one is rather obvious. Although the Blazers are purposely monitoring Greg Oden’s minutes, it’s no secret that he’s a stud in the making. Now would be a good time to buy low on Oden before he takes over the starting job and really explodes onto the scene. The only risk regarding Oden is an injury risk, although that risk is definitely worth the reward at this point.

Ryan Anderson, New Jersey Nets
No one is really talking about Ryan Anderson. If you think of Nets bigman rookies, you are going to think of Brook Lopez first. However, if you look at the stats, Anderson is producing quite nicely. Once the Nets really start losing and start trying to get as many ping pong balls as possible, expect Anderson to get plenty of minutes.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors
Brandan Wright had very good per minutes stats as a rookie. His per minute stats are even better as a sophomore. Although the Warriors have some good bigman options, Wright could eventually find himself in the starting lineup. This becomes even more likely if the Warriors are able to find a trade partner to ship out Al Harrington.

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
Although Marreese Speights doesn’t get many minutes, his PER statistic makes him look like a potential fantasy basketball sleeper. The problem for Speights will be minutes. Playing behind Elton Brand, there won’t be many minutes at power forward for the Sixers. If there is an injury on the Sixers frontline, picking up Speights would be the smart move.

Luc Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee Bucks
At UCLA, Luc Mbah a Moute looked like an NBA star in the making during his freshman season. But then he had two underwhelming campaigns where he struggled mightily to score the basketball. Now with the Milwaukee Bucks, this second round draft pick is reminding basketball fans why he was once so highly regarded. Mbah a Moute is now starting a power forward for Milwaukee and could hold onto that job for a long time. He’s a very good defensive player, which coach Scott Skiles loves, and is scoring much better than he did at UCLA.

JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
With the Washington Wizards struggling to win games early in the season, there have been some whispers about moving JaVale McGee into the starting lineup. If that happens, he instantly becomes a fantasy viable center. But even if it doesn’t, McGee is starting to put up very nice numbers. We’ve been calling him a sleeper since preseason and he looks like he’s going to transform from a sleeper to the real thing pretty soon.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
Now that Tony Parker is out at least one month, rookie George Hill has taken over at point guard. While his first two starts haven’t been overly impressive, he’s going to get a good opportunity. As long as he keeps getting minutes, he’s a player who can help your fantasy basketball squad in points, assists, rebounds and steals. Overall, he’s still raw but the potential is definitely there.

Anthony Tolliver, San Antonio Spurs
A second Spur on this list, Anthony Tolliver is an unknown quantity with most NBA fans. But with the Spurs struggling to get production from the bigmen next to Tim Duncan, Tolliver has emerged as a legit option. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he eventually becomes a starter next to Duncan. Tolliver is a center who can hit three-pointers and hand out assists. Those unique talents for his position could make Tolliver an interesting fantasy basketball option.

Photo credit: Newscom

PER is a formula created by John Hollinger to measure productivity of NBA players on a per-minute basis. In fantasy basketball, you can use PER to find players who may blossom once given more minutes. Here is a look at some early PER sleepers for the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season:

Nick Young, Washington Wizards
In only 23.7 minutes per game, Nick Young is averaging 15.7 points. The Wizards knew he could score but he’s off to an unbelievable start. He is shooting 50% from the floor and has hit all 15 of his free throw attempts. While his other stats outside of the scoring column aren’t eye popping, Young is showing superstar level potential. If he can continue to produce at a high level, Washington will have to find even more minutes for him.

Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Rudy Fernandez isn’t quite a star in the NBA but he is definitely showing he’s very good on a per-minute basis. It’s only a matter of time that he’ll start playing 30+ minutes per game. When he does, he could quickly become a very valuable fantasy basketball option. He has a lot of competition on the Trail Blazers for playing time but he’s too good to sit long.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Although he comes off the bench and only plays 22 minutes per game, Trevor Ariza is already a decent fantasy basketball player. If his minutes rise, he has the potential to be a stud. His points, rebounding, blocks, steals and shooting percentages are all improved. In fact, Ariza has added a three-point shot to his repertoire which has made him an even more dangerous player.

Gerald Green, Dallas Mavericks
In summer league, Gerald Green was extremely impressive. He also mixed in a few impressive preseason games. Even though he’s played extremely limited minutes, his PER is extremely impressive. The Mavericks have tried a bunch of different players in their starting shooting guard position. If Green gets a shot and proves to be a starter, he has the talent to be a scoring machine.

Although the NBA season just started, this is a great time to hit the waiver wire and look for gems and fantasy basketball steals. Which players looked good on the opening night of the NBA? Check out these fantasy basketball players.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Mario Chalmers started for the Miami Heat at point guard and played a great game. Threatening to get a triple double in his first game, Chalmers is a definite pickup in all fantasy basketball formats. The only word of caution is to realize that the Heat were playing the Knicks — who are perhaps the worst defensive team in the league.

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks
Last year, Charlie Villanueva had a hugely disappointing season. He never seemed to be able to get into a groove and it showed by his play on the court. But now Villanueva is healthy, starting and is a good fantasy basketball pickup off of the waiver wire.

Yi Jianlian, New Jersey Nets
Although most of the hype surrounding Yi Jianlian has died down, he’s a player to take a look at. He was bad during the preseason for the most part, however he played very well in New Jersey’s first game.

Darrell Arthur, Memphis Grizzlies
Darrell Arthur was good during summer league, good during the preseason and had a good regular season debut. It’s going to be hard for the Grizzlies to keep him off the court because Arthur is proving to be a steal of a draft pick. Keep an eye on him if he jumps into the Grizzlies starting lineup.

Photo: Newscom