Since the February, Jackson had emerged as a fantasy relevant. He had been getting good minutes and producing decent numbers across the board.

With Jackson sidelined, expect Beno Udrih to get most of the minutes at point guard. Udrih has started most of the games for the Kings this year at point guard but missed time recently due to an ankle strain.

In the first game without Jackson, the Kings opted to start Francisco Garcia at point guard. If that alignment continues, Garcia’s value will increase tremendously.

As for Jackson, he’s certainly a player you can waive at this point. With Sacramento having nothing to play for, Jackson will likely not be a major factor again this season.

Source: Newscom

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4. Sacramento Kings
With Kevin Martin struggling with an ankle injury, the Kings simply aren’t a good basketball team. They don’t have many quality scorers and the overall skill on the team isn’t very high. The good news is that the team has a couple of solid bigman prospects to hopefully build around.

3. Washington Wizards
Having lost seven in a row, the Wizards look totally lost. Gilbert Arenas is out and this year, the team is unable to stay afloat without him. While there’s veteran talent on this team, the Wizards’ guards are playing at a horribly low level right now.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Losers of 12 straight games, the T’Wolves are headed to another high lottery pick. Worse than even their record is the fact that the young players on the team — outside of Al Jefferson — don’t look overly promising. Minnesota appears to be in trouble for years to come.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
While the Thunder are definitely the worst team in the league, their future actually looks somewhat bright. The young trio of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook looks like a solid base. If they can add Nenad Krstic in the middle, they should be able to move up this list.

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1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Coming into the NBA, everyone knew Derrick Rose could pass the ball. What is surprising NBA scouts is his ability to score the ball. He uses his combination of quickness and strength to get to the rim and score against bigger defenders. Since he’s starting and already playing big minutes, he’s not only looking like a good fantasy basketball player but also the lead candidate for Rookie of the Year.

2. Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Although he has struggled a bit in his first couple of games, the immense talent of Michael Beasley is obvious. He can score the basketball from everywhere on the court and can also be a beast on the boards. Once the Heat figure out how to share the ball, Beasley could blossom into an 18-point, 10-rebound player faster than originally thought.

3. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings
Jason Thompson has been the surprise of the 2008 NBA Draft class so far. He’s putting up great numbers off the bench for the Kings. If he keeps playing at his current level, he’ll find his way into the starting lineup before too much longer. It’d be smart to stash him away on a redraft league if you have the space. In a dynasty league, he’s a very good player to have.

4. Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Speaking of draft surprises, Mario Chalmers has gone from second round pick to starting point guard for the Heat. After an amazing first game against the Knicks, Chalmers has come back down to earth. But as long as he keeps starting, he’s going to be a useful fantasy player. Right now, he looks like a player who could give you about ten points, six assists, three rebounds and a couple of steals per game.

5. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Love hasn’t gotten the huge amount of playing time other rookies have received but he looks solid so far. Minutes will be the big question mark for Love as long as he’s coming off the bench. Keep an eye on him, however, because once he starts he will be able to put up good fantasy numbers.

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In preseason, Martin is averaging 20.5 points in only 26.3 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 60.9% from the floor, 37.5% from beyond the three-point arc and 88.6% from the free throw line.

If you are looking for a scorer on your fantasy basketball team, it’ll be tough to do much better than Martin. While his all-around game isn’t fabulous, he has the potential offensively to be in the top handful of scorers. He mixes a good outside shot with a crafty driving ability that lands him on the free throw line quite often.

While the Kings will probably be a bad team, Martin looks like he’ll be a fantasy stud. Here’s the Kevin Martin video of him flummoxing the duo of Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden:

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Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol is a very good NBA player but he may take a hit in the fantasy world this year. With Andrew Bynum next to him, he’ll likely have to forgo some of the touches downlow that he got all of last season. Additionally, Bynum will likely take away some of the rebounds and blocks that Gasol was getting. His shooting percentages should go up but that in itself won’t make up for the loss of production elsewhere.

Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
The first strike against Brad Miller is the fact that he’s suspended to start the season. More importantly, he doesn’t quite fit the Kings any longer. The Kings are rebuilding for the future while Miller is already in his prime. In order to take a look at young players, don’t be surprised if Miller sees his minutes limited and other bigs on the roster such as Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams and Spencer Hawes get their opportunities in the sun.

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So far in the preseason, Udrih has done but impress. He’s virtually guaranteed to be the opening day starter at point guard for Sacramento. With his solid shooting and passing skills, Udrih will be a very solid fantasy player.

Kobe, on the other hand, will surely recover from this crossover. However, he’ll likely respect Udrih’s ballhandling a little more next time.

Here is the Beno Udrih video of him crossing over Kobe:

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Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Common sense says that if you play next to a very good passer like LeBron James, your fantasy value will rise. However, that hasn’t really been the case. A lot of players have gone to Cleveland as good fantasy players and then fall off the map. Williams should be okay but don’t over value him.

Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ever since he’s come into the league, Randy Foye has gotten fantasy love around the draft time. But each of his first two seasons, he underachieved. He’s once again ranked highly but that is based mostly on hope instead of reality. Don’t draft him expecting a huge jump in numbers.

Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings
While in San Antonio, Beno Udrih had problems with dedication and staying healthy. He played very well in a short stint on the Kings but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s a safe player. Now that he has financial security, he could fall back into being an undermotivated injury risk.

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Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings
With Ron Artest now in Houston, Francisco Garcia should see a lot of starts during the upcoming season. When he gets time, he has proven to be a player that can help in a whole list of categories.

Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks
Josh Childress signing in Greece should help Marvin Williams stay on the court. Childress ate up some of his time in the past but this year, Williams could emerge as a very good fantasy basketball player. He’s definitely a sleeper small forward as of right now.

Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks
With Mike D’Antoni in town, everyone knows the Knicks will be running and gunning. While it’s far from a certainty that Wilson Chandler will start at small forward, he could put up really good stats if given the opportunity. During summer league, Chandler was oftentimes the best player on the court.

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Although not much was planned for Abdur-Rahim during the 2008-09 season, his retirement may open up more of an opportunity for the younger bigmen on the Kings. Justin Thompson, the 2008 first round draft pick for Sacramento, has a chance to start at power forward this year. During summer league, Thompson should a varied game that even allowed him to play minutes a small forward.

The Kings may also decide to play more of Brad Miller and Spencer Hawes together. While these two players are similar, they both have a perimeter game that allows them to play off the block. Mikki Moore should get plenty of minutes and Sheldon Williams will be given a chance to shine.

Here is a Shareef Abdur-Rahim highlight video that helps us remember how good he used to be:

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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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