Walter Herrmann, Detroit Pistons
Although few fantasy basketball owners expected much out of Walter Herrmann this season, he’s been amazing in the first two games for the Detroit Pistons. In 19.5 minutes per game, Herrmann is averaging 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. If he can carve out an even bigger role, Herrmann could become fantasy relevant once again like he was a few years ago on the Charlotte Bobcats.

Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta Hawks
While it seems like Zaza Pachulia has been around forever, this bigman from the Republic of Georgia is only 24-years-old. Since he’s been relegated to a bench role behind Al Horford, he’s been all but forgotten in the fantasy basketball community. That said, he’s playing very well so far this season and if he can move up into the starting lineup, Pachulia has already proven he could average around 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

Roger Mason, Jr., San Antonio Spurs
When with the Washington Wizards in recent years, Roger Mason, Jr. was a one-dimensional scorer. So far this year with the Spurs, he’s looking like a legit NBA player who could have a bright future. He’s on fire shooting the ball very well and is doing a better job in terms of racking up assists and rebounds. It’s actually quite likely that Mason could supplant Michael Finley in the starting lineup for San Antonio.

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
Ronnie Brewer is hardly a secret. But so far this season, he’s been playing outstanding basketball. If he’s on your league’s fantasy basketball waiver wire, it’d be a good idea to pick him up. His per minute stats are off the charts and he’s a player who could blossom into an almost All-Star level player if given enough minutes.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

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 …

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Of the three games played on opening night, here was a player who shined in each game:

Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers
If you’ve been reading the HoopsFantasy blog, you’ve no doubt seen Webster’s name mentioned quite a bit. For those of you who picked him up, congrats. He looked very good in the regular season opener, finishing with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. He looks like he’s going to play a lot and could average somewhere around 15 points per game this season.

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
Again, Brewer is another guy whose name has appeared a whole bunch on this blog over the last month. Brewer continued his strong play with an 18 points, four steals, two assists and two rebounds performance against the Golden State Warriors. Brewer could really breakout this season as Utah’s starting shooting guard.

Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Yao has never averaged more than 35 minutes per game during the regular season. However he played 41 minutes in the Rockets’ opener on Tuesday. If he plays 36 or 37 minutes per game, that’s good news for fantasy owners. In his first game playing for Rick Adelman, Yao didn’t disappoint as he finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

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.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics
Durant had his first really solid game as a pro, scoring 21 points and pulling down five rebounds in 35 minutes against the Pacers. He started alongside fellow rookie Jeff Green and looked comfortable playing the shooting guard position. Durant will have some trouble adjusting to the NBA game but at some point this season, should be a viable fantasy option.

Maurice Ager, Dallas Mavericks
Ager is getting a lot of minutes in preseason for Dallas and is producing rather nicely. He led the Mavs against the Wizards with 19 points in 34 minutes of action. In addition to his points, he stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. His athleticism and toughness let him make plays all around the court and could lead to an increased role this season.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Ginobili has played great so far in the preseason. Any fantasy owners worried about age should be able to squash those worries. He’s playing really well and seems as lively as ever. He’s even starting at point guard for the Spurs with Tony Parker sidelined.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

JJ Redick, Orlando Magic
Redick has had back to back solid games. In his last outing, Redick came off the bench for 19 points in 26 minutes. He nailed five of his six shots, including all three of this three-pointers. Redick isn’t going to give you much more than a scorer who can hit for a nice percentage, but he’s playing well and should see plenty of minutes this season.

Louis Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Williams played exceedingly well during summer league and is also playing well in preseason. Williams has a similar skill set to that of Allen Iverson – meaning he’s a scoring, small shooting guard who can score from a lot of spots on the court. With 33 points on 12-for-18 shooting against the Nets on Friday, Williams has to be a candidate for a starting gig in Philly.

Jose Barea, Dallas Mavericks
Barea has had two solid outing in the Mavs’ first two preseason games. Barea is in the running to get a regular spot in the rotation, which would allow Jason Terry and Devin Harris to play off the ball a little more. On Friday, Barea had 17 points and five assists in a team-high 29 minutes.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets
While all indications point to Wright coming off the bench for the Hornets, it’s hard to ignore what he’s doing in preseason. In Wednesday’s game against the Pacers, Wright had eight points, ten rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 26 minutes. So far in the preseason, Wright has 18 rebounds in 36 minutes of playing time. That’s very impressive, especially for a guy who should develop into a capable wing player. Keep an eye on him in redraft leagues, however it’s dynasty leagues where Wright looks to be a very good selection.

JJ Redick, Orlando Magic
The Magic seem to be giving Redick a chance to earn a starting spot in their rotation. So far, so good for Redick. Against the Bobcats, Redick started and scored 17 points while knocking down 5-of-8 three point attempts. While he’s never going to be a great defender, rebounder or assist man, Redick can flat out shoot the ball. If he starts and plays big minutes, he’s going to take and make a lot of three-pointers.

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
Brewer has been the talk of Utah’s training camp and that seemed to carry over into the first game of preseason. Brewer led the Jazz with 17 points, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the floor. Even more impressive, he scored those 17 points in 21 minutes. If Brewer continues to play at this level, he could easily win the starting shooting guard spot for the Jazz.

Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers
Webster has been a disappointment so far in his Portland career after being a high lottery pick. Perhaps that’s about to change after Webster had an outstanding first preseason game. He scored 28 points and connected on 11-of-14 shots from the field, including 4-for-6 on three-pointers. Webster is still only 20-year-old, so he has plenty of time to grow as a player. This game could be a springboard onto bigger and better days for Webster.

Post from: Expert Fantasy