2) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby is doing it all. When he’s not getting triple doubles, he’s pulling down boards by the dozens or swiping steals. As has always been the case, a healthy Camby is a player who can produce greatly in the fantasy world and real life.

3) Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors
In Don Nelson’s offense, Davis is the engine. He’s been motoring along quite nicely as of late. In the last week he’s averaging close to thirty points, close to ten assists and five rebounds per contest. Those numbers are gold in fantasy basketball.

4) Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic
A funny thing happened when the Magic signed Rashard Lewis – Hedo Turkoglu exploded. Turkoglu has outplayed Lewis this year and this week Turkoglu was great. He averaged 25.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks this week.

5) Jason Richardson, Charlotte Bobcats
Although he’s not playing for Don Nelson anymore, Richardson is able to shoot as much as he wants. He has been very good as of late. He is averaging 29 points over his last four games and there are no signs of him slowing down.

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4) Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
Marion, by his standards, is having an off season. His scoring average is down and his shooting percentages are down. That said, he’s still a fantasy stud. He impacts the box score in so many ways that he can help any fantasy team. Expect him to improve as the season goes on as he adjusts to playing alongside Grant Hill.

3) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Paul has far and away exceeded his expectations coming into the season. He’s doing it all and doing it well. He’s taken another step forward in his development. Nowadays, he can beat you by passing the ball, scoring the ball or simply being a decoy. The scary part about Paul is he seemingly gets better each night out.

2) Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors
Davis is quietly moving up the charts as an unheralded fantasy stud. While everyone knows he’s a good fantasy player, few recognize how great he’s been as of late. He’s not only the best point guard in fantasy basketball as of right now, he’s arguably the most explosive player in the game. He can come up with huge stats in almost any category.

1) Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
Butler isn’t a name you’d expect to see at the head of this list. He’s always been a good fantasy player, however now he’s playing like the best fantasy player. Butler has simply been unbelievable. He’s shooting well, he’s producing in each category and he’s doing it consistently. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Gilbert Arenas returns because Butler is proving to be a franchise player type of talent. There might not be room in Washington for both players.

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Larry Hughes, Cleveland Cavaliers
Hughes returned from his injury to put up 22 points for the Cavs. While he’s far from a sure thing, there’s always a chance that he can return to his former status as being one of the better fantasy player in the league. If you have room, sign him off the waiver wire and watch how he plays. If he starts getting big minutes, he’ll most likely become a startable player at that point.

Anthony Carter, Denver Nuggets
Carter has been starting at point guard for the Nuggets and has played pretty well. He’s had a couple of explosive outings, which could help him land the job permanently. With Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony as teammates, it isn’t hard to imagine Carter averaging a lot of assists.

Kenyon Martin, Denver Nuggets
Martin is playing really well as his minutes have recently been increased. Coming off his second microfracture surgery, the Nuggets brought him along slowly. However, now he’s routinely playing more than 30 minutes and is putting up nice stats. Pick him up if you can.

Chris Quinn, Miami Heat
With Jason Williams sidelined by an injury, Quinn got the start and played big minutes for the Heat. Williams is expected to miss at least a couple more games and Quinn will continue to start until he comes back. Although, Pat Riley has benched Williams already this year, so if Quinn plays well, he could actually win the starting job.

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Garnett/Duncan Commercial …

2) Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
While Marion is still a fantasy stud, you have to wonder how much longer he’s going to be happy in Phoenix. Not only do Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire get more attention than him, now Grant Hill is getting loads of attention. Not only that, Hill is taking some of the shots that Marion used to take. Thus, Marion’s scoring numbers are down to their lowest point since his rookie season.

3) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
It’s hard to fathom that this guy was picked in the second round. Nowadays, he’s just a beast in the middle for the Jazz. He kept improving to the point that he’s a lethal scoring, a monster rebounder and an improving defender. As long as Boozer remains healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t continue playing as well as he’s playing.

4) Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Smith, the man of many positions, is a fantasy dream. No matter what position you play him at, he’s giving you great numbers in blocks, steals and even assists. He’s been struggling with his shot, but if that turns around he’s going to truly be a fantasy stud. The good news is he’s shooting over 50% dating back to his last five games.

5) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Nowitzki has been a bit of a disappointment this season but you can expect him to turn it around. The Mavericks aren’t giving 100% effort yet and Nowitzki has been letting other players get the ball more often than in the past. Actually, now would be a good time to try to trade for Nowitzki because he can only get better. And even if he doesn’t he’s still a top five power forward as is.

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Chucky Atkins, Denver Nuggets
Atkins is out with a groin injury. When he returns, it’s unclear what role he’ll have with the team. Anthony Carter has played well as of late and should continue to see time at point guard. Even before he was injured, Atkins wasn’t expected to start for Denver. As of now, Atkins isn’t worth rostering in most leagues.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
Nene has a thumb injury that should keep him out for at least a couple more weeks. He showed up in camp out of shape, so it’s no guarantee that he’ll step right back into a major role for the Nuggets. Denver has a bunch of quality bigs so as of now, Nene’s fantasy value is actually pretty low.

Larry Hughes, Cleveland Cavaliers
Hughes is out for a couple more weeks with a bruise on his left leg. Ever since he’s come to Cleveland from the Washington Wizards, Hughes has been a disappointment. This season, he’s been worse than ever. Right now, even if he were healthy, he’d probably hurt your fantasy team more than help it.

Marcus Williams, New Jersey Nets
Out with a broken foot since before the season began, Williams should be close to suiting up for the Nets. As the main backup for Jason Kidd, Williams isn’t expected to play major minutes this year. The only way that would change is if he were to prove that he could play next to Kidd on the court.

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Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
Gasol’s numbers are down across the board. If you drafted him, you are probably mad about his production – or lack thereof. While it’s not guaranteed that he’ll eventually bounce back, the good news is that he’s playing better as of late.

Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Bosh, like Gasol, has seen his numbers go down in virtually all categories. For Bosh, the problem is mostly playing time. He has a sore knee that has caused him some trouble this season. If Bosh can regain his health and start playing more minutes, he should be fine.

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats
Wallace has been fantasy gold over the last couple seasons. However, this season, that simply isn’t the case. While his points are up, his rebounding, assists, steals and blocks are all down. Wallace is also turning the ball over more. It could be a slump or it could be that Wallace is altering his game to become more of a scorer.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls
Deng looked ready to bust onto the scene last year. This year, he’s taken a step back so far. To be fair, the entire Bulls team has struggled. It hasn’t helped Deng that he didn’t get the contract he wanted in the summer and that the fans have seemingly turned on him in favor of Kobe Bryant.

Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
Like Deng, Hinrich has been a big reason why the Bulls are struggling. In fact, Hinrich might be the biggest reason. He’s been awful this season and fantasy wise, he’s barely been rosterable. The good news is that he has nowhere to go but up at this point.

Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz
Okur has struggled early in the season and I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for him to turn it around. He’s shooting poorly, he’s not playing nearly as many minutes and doesn’t seem to be getting better at all. It might be time to trade him for whatever you can get.

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Ron Artest
With the return of Ron Artest, the Kings opted to put John Salmons and Francisco Garcia on the bench. This is obviously devastating news to Salmons and Garcia owners. Interestingly enough, Beno Udrih was elevated into the starting lineup. Artest owners should be excited and Udrih all of a sudden becomes relevant in the fantasy world. Keep an eye on Salmons and Garcia to see how much they play in upcoming games.

Dwyane Wade
Wade owners who survived the first couple weeks of the season without him have to be thrilled to get him back this soon. It was unknown when he’d finally be able to return. However, there’s bad news for Penny Hardaway and Dorrell Wright. Hardaway is about to be benched in favor of Wade and Wright is about to be out of the rotation completely. Also keep an eye on Ricky Davis, as he could see his time greatly reduced, as well.

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Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
Hinrich has been horrible over his first four games. He seemingly can’t do anything right and is a big reason why the Bulls sit at 0-4. Is there hope? Yes. He’ll be fine. Consider it a mini-slump that he’ll get over within a few games.

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks
Villanueva has been shooting the ball horribly and still can’t seem to get back into the flow that he had as a rookie. Is there hope? A little bit. He’s in a bad situation, fantasy wise. He’s behind Yi Jianlian in the rotation and it doesn’t appear that he’s going to get minutes anytime soon.

Mike Conley, Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Conley, Jr. can’t get on the floor for the Grizzlies. With Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Lowry ahead of him in the rotation, the rookie out of Ohio State is stuck at the end of the bench. Is there hope? In dynasty leagues, definitely. In redraft leagues, it’s best to cut bait now.

Jarrett Jack, Portland Trail Blazers
Jack has been awful to begin the season. The bad news for Jack is he has a lot of point guards behind him who can and will step it up if he flounders. Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez and Taurean Green are just waiting for an opportunity. Is there hope? Yes but he better turn it around quickly.

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John Salmons, Sacramento Kings
With Mike Bibby sidelined, Salmons is putting up fantastic fantasy stats. If he’s available, run to your waiver wire and pick him up. He has another three months to play with Bibby out, during which time he should be able to put up very nice fantasy stats.

Damien Wikins, Seattle Supersonics
Wilkins is off to a very good start to his fantasy season. He’s always been able to score and now that he’s getting more shots, he’s scoring at a very good clip. Even more exciting for fantasy owners are his rebounding numbers (7.0 per game) and his assists numbers (4.0 per game).

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
Brewer has been a favorite on this blog for over a month and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s off to a great start both in real life and fantasy. He’s averaging 16.3 points and 2.8 steals per game over the first four contests.

Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State Warriors
Azubuike is fitting well in Don Nelson’s system. Starting for the Warriors, Azubuike is averaging 20.3 points per game on 65% shooting from the field.

Azubuike sweet dunk over Chris Kaman …

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As it stands, here’s a look at each of the Clippers with fantasy appeal:

Corey Maggette
Maggette is back as the main offensive threat for the Clippers. He’s had a couple rough years in which he clashed with coach Mike Dunleavy, but appears to finally be in the coach’s good graces. With Maggette being a main option, he can score, get the foul line, rebound and usually shoots for respectable percentages.

Chris Kaman
With Brand out, the middle now belongs to Kaman. Kaman has had a fast start to the season and is already playing much better than he did last season. He has the talent to be a top five center in the NBA. If he can piece everything together, he could be a very good fantasy player.

Cuttino Mobley
Mobley comes off the bench but he gets plenty of minutes and plenty of shots. He’s a bit of a streak player but when he’s on, he can get red hot. Mobley has played some point guard in his career so there are games in which he can rack up the assists. Overall, he’s a nice piece that can fit virtually any fantasy team.

Tim Thomas
Thomas is a very interesting player, both in fantasy and real life. Thomas has a great amount of natural talent and can do a lot on the court, however he’s always been a player who has seemed to lack motivation at times. When he’s fully motivated, he’s an extremely effected fantasy player. He can score, rebound, hit three pointers and gets you decent stats in other categories.

Sam Cassell
Cassell is old but with playing time, he still produces pretty well. He’s not as prolific as he used to be but he’s still a solid fantasy player. In smaller leagues, he’s a good emergency point guard. In larger leagues, he’s definitely a rosterable fantasy player.

Quinton Ross
Ross starts at shooting guard for the Clippers but he’s not much of a fantasy option. His specialty is man-to-man defense, which doesn’t show up in the fantasy world. In a huge league, he’s a decent emergency player because he’ll at least play consistent minutes.

Al Thornton
Thornton is a fantasy sleeper for this season. He had a great preseason where he scored very well. On a team that misses Brand’s offense, he could be asked to pick up some of the slack. Watch to see if he starts getting playing time because if he does, this rookie is a player to pick up.

Ruben Patterson
After a very good season with the Milwaukee Bucks last year, Patterson came to Los Angeles to provide a bench force for the Clippers. With minutes, Patterson has always produced in the NBA. He can score, rebound and he plays extremely hard whenever he’s on the court.

Brevin Knight/Dan Dickau
Knight, along with Dan Dickau, are the backup point guards for the Clippers. He came into camp out of shape but he’s now playing better. He’s always been a guy who can get assists in bunches. Dickau is much the same, except he’s a bit of a better scorer and not as good of a playmaker.

Paul Davis/Josh Powell/Aaron Williams
Davis, Powell and Williams are the backup bigmen for this squad. None of the three are viable fantasy players as is because the minutes simply aren’t there. If that changes, Davis is the one with perhaps the largest upside as he’s shown some glimpses of production.

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