In the first two games of the season, Harris had 30 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. However, his fantasy basketball value was limited because he shot only 32.3% from the field, missed all four of his three-point attempts and hit just 71.4% of his free throws.

With Harris out, the fantasy basketball point guard sleeper on the Nets becomes Rafer Alston. Like Alston showed last season, he’s a very capable fill-in starter.

Players who will pick up the scoring slack for Harris include Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams. If you have Harris on your fantasy basketball team, the best idea is to say a prayer at night and wish him back ASAP. Either that or pickup Alston as a stopgap.

Devin Harris Injury Info - New Jersey Nets (Image: Zuma Press)

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Jameer Nelson - Could he return against the Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

If you are hooping it up in playoff fantasy basketball, Jameer Nelson’s injury update could have a lot of impact. Named to the All-Star team, Nelson was having an amazing season prior to his shoulder injury. He was averaging 16.7 points, 5.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 50.3% from the floor and 45.3% from beyond the three-point arc.

However, even if he is able to return, it’s all but certain that he’d come off the bench. Rafer Alston hasn’t been amazing but he’s been good enough to retain the job for the rest of the way.

Nelson’s return would most likely result in replacing Anthony Johnson in the rotation. He would also cut into Alston’s minutes if he plays well.

For fantasy purposes, take a wait and see approach with Nelson. If he returns and then looks decent on the court, that’s when you start considering him for your fantasy basketball team. Prior to that point, he’s more of a tease than a sure thing.

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DeMarcus Nelson, Golden State Warriors
This undrafted rookie has a chance to play a lot of point guard for the Warriors this season. In fact, many people connected to the Warriors believe that DeMarcus Nelson has been the best point guard in training camp.

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets
Although Aaron Brooks is a backup in Houston, he is playing behind Rafer Alston – who is always seemingly a ticking time bomb. During preseason, Brooks has played well and has solidified a spot in the rotation. Watch for him to breakout if he ascends to the starting roll.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets
One of the most talented scorers in the 2008 NBA Draft, Chris Douglas-Roberts will play the season with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the second round. In preseason, he has shown an ability to score and with the Nets likely not making a push for the playoffs, CDR will get plenty of shots.

CJ Miles, Utah Jazz
The Jazz are expected to start CJ Miles at small forward this season – at least to start with. If he plays well, Miles should be able to hold onto that job for the duration of the season. Miles is a good shooter who can score the ball and also play solid defense. With enough minutes, look for Miles to be a fantasy basketball viable player.

JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
One of the best looking bigmen of the 2008 NBA Draft has been JaVale McGee. Although he’s young, skinny and raw, McGee looks like a player who has a chance to help right away. He’s extremely athletic and very quick on his feet. He could play a roll with the Wizards and put up nice numbers in rebounds and blocked shots.

Could JaVale McGee go down as the sleeper of the 2008 draft class?

Photo: Newscom

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With the playoffs starting this weekend, this is horrible timing for an injury. It sounds like Alston will miss the first two games of the playoffs, if not more. His surprisingly effective fantasy basketball season is all but over.

In Alston’s place, Bobby Jackson will get the start. As a spot starter, you may get good production out of Jackson. Jackson isn’t much of a playmaker but he can score and come up with steals. Jackson will be backed up by Aaron Brooks and Luther Head.

The Rockets desperately need a win in their season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers. A loss will likely drop the Rockets to the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. A win will likely mean a first round with homecourt advantage.

With that in mind, start players like Tracy McGrady and Luis Scola with confidence.

Check out this streetball video of Rafer Alston:

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Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings
The Kings gave a lot of reasons for why they traded Mike Bibby, but perhaps the biggest reason was because the team thinks it has found a better point guard in Beno Udrih. Udrih is a player who can score, pass and play a little defense. His stats should remain good until the end of the season, considering he’s playing for a contract right now.

Travis Diener, Indiana Pacers
Travis Diener is filling in for Jamaal Tinsley and is filling in nicely. While he’s not much of a defender, that doesn’t matter in fantasy basketball. Diener produces a decent number of points, assists and three-pointers made. He also does a good job of not turning the ball over much.

Earl Watson, Seattle Supersonics
After struggling with his shot horrifically for a stretch of games, Earl Watson as seemingly found his jumper once again. With his jumper returning to his repertoire, he’s now a much better fantasy basketball player. While the Sonics have a number of point guard options, it’s obvious that Watson is their best option at the moment.

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Luke Ridnour, Seattle Supersonics
Ridnour isn’t a very good fit with the Supersonics. However, there’s rumors picking up steam that Ridnour could be on his way out of town. If he gets traded, Ridnour could find himself in a very good situation. He’s a good playmaker who is also a sneaky scorer. If he gets traded, pick him up.

Louis Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Williams has been slowed as of late with a broken toe but he’s starting to play better. While his playing time is erratic because he comes off the bench, his stock will skyrocket if starter Andre Miller gets traded. And if the Sixers find themselves out of the playoff chase, there’s a real chance that Miller could be sent out as the team looks to rebuild.

Rafer Alston, Houston Rockets
Alston has been starting all year for the Rockets but hasn’t been much of a fantasy option to date. However, Alston has started to shoot the ball better, which is helping his fantasy stock immensely. In his last game, Alston had 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in one of his better games of the year.

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With the exhibition season over and the regular season right around the corner, this is the time of year we start hearing about which players each team are going to start. Here are some starters who have been named recently:

C Theo Ratliff, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ratliff has apparently won the starting center job for the Timberwolves. He has been ravaged by injuries in the last half decade but when healthy, Ratliff is always been one of the league’s best shotblockers. Keep an eye on him to see if he can remain healthy and to evaluate how many minutes he is getting. His contract is coming to an end, so he has extra motivation to play well this season.

PF Yi Jianlian, Milwuakee Bucks
Yi, a rookie from China, is the new starting power forward for the Bucks. Yi played well in the preseason and has to be looked at as fantasy prospect. While his long-term outlook is positive, he’s most likely going to have a rocky road this season. It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be able to hold onto the job the entire year.

Bucks Season Preview Mix …

SF Bobby Simmons, Milwaukee Bucks
Welcome back to fantasy relevancy, Bobby. Simmons has been injured more often than not over the last couple years. However, it now appears that he’s won the starting small forward job for the Bucks and could be a major part of their offense this season. Keep tabs on him because once upon a time, Simmons was a very good fantasy player.

SG Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
In the worst kept secret of the preseason, Brewer was named the starting shooting guard for the Jazz. Brewer was a beast in preseason and it was obvious early on that he’d win the job. It’s going to be very interesting to see if Brewer can continue his success into the regular season to the point that he’s a sought after fantasy player.

PG Rafer Alston, Houston Rockets
Alston had a tumultuous summer. He got into a couple scrapes with the law and publicly wondered about his role with the Rockets. There was some talk of the Rockets trading or even waiving Alston. All that seems to be in the past now that Alston impressed new coach Rick Adelman enough that he’s expected to start the season as the point guard for Houston. If Alston plays enough minutes, he’ll be a fine fantasy option this season.

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