How’d you all fare in week two? I took a humbling 3-5 L due in part to some key injuries (Nene, Corey Maggette), but also because of some god-awful play from Dirk Nowitzki, who I officially regret drafting (whole Mavs squad is out of shape). A lack of games cost me as well… my main shot blocker, DeAndre Jordan, only played twice. To top off a terrible week I made what turned out to be a poor free agent pickup in Dante Cunningham, who was unable to produce a damn thing in place of Zach Randolph. The L makes me 8-9-1 on the season, which is good for 9th of 14, so I suppose it could be worse. Hopefully Dirk gets his sh!t together soon.
As always, all rankings are based on nine categories (FG%/FT%/3PT/PTS/REB/AST/STL/BLK/TO) and head-to-head format.
Kevin Love, MIN: Kevin was the best player in fantasy basketball last week with averages of 25 points, 15 boards, and 2.5 threes per game. The craziest part? Those are basically his season averages through eight games. Love is an absolute fantasy freak… he’s even managed to double last season’s steals number, and if he can keep that over one while picking his blocks up just a tad he’ll litterally become a flawless fantasy basketball player.
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL: As I mentioned in my little rant, Dirk was awful last week. He shot just 40% from the floor as he averaged 15 PPG and 5 RPG. I’m sure he’ll get it going eventually, but there are a lot of folks out there who are getting rather impatient. Had any of us known he didn’t pick up a ball for two months during the lockout we wouldn’t have taken him top 15.
Iman Shumpert, NYK: Shump has moved into the starting point guard role for the Knicks and performed pretty well. He scored 10 points or more in all three of his week two games and seems to have carved out a niche for himself in NYC. Scoop him up if someone else hasn’t already. He’ll be a great source of points, threes, and assists.
BJ Mullens, CHA: None other than Byron Mullens was your 61st-ranked player last week, averaging 14 points and 6 boards. The only reason I’m not going to tell you to pick this guy up ASAP is because Charlotte’s got a lot of depth in the front court and BJ’s minutes could disappear if he doesn’t keep it up. The kid is very big and talented, but Paul Silas isn’t handing over the starting role. For mysterious reasons that I don’t think anyone understands, Desagana Diop has been starting lately. Keep an eye on BJ, though. He’s already on my squad.
Ryan Anderson, ORL: Ryan fell off a little bit after his incredible opening week, but not much. He still put up 15 PPG, 9 RPG, and a couple threes per game. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but I’d say he’s in for a breakout season. Both the minutes and the shots are there.
Goran Dragic, HOU: In a pair of starts for the injured Kyle Lowry, ”The Dragon” posted a 20-point game and a double-double. Lowry expects to play in Houston’s next game, but if he experiences any further injury issues I’d highly recommend snatching Dragic.
Udonis Haslem, MIA: Need some boards? Scoop Haslem. He’s playing 30 minutes a night, and the extended court time is translating into about 10 rebounds. Those are season numbers, too… so this is no fluke. It’s early, yes, but two weeks is a good enough sample size to suggest that Haslem will be worth owning this year thanks to his work on the glass.
Drew Gooden, MIL: “The Goods” gave you the goods in week two, averaging 14/8 over five games. Don’t expect this trend to continue, though. Gooden put up the big numbers in the absense of Andrew Bogut, who has briefly left the Bucks for personal reasons. That being said, if the injury-prone Bogut goes down you should be sure to add Gooden ASAP. Drew will do numbers when given minutes.
Richard Hamilton, CHI: Rip played just one game last week and re-injured his groin in the process. He’s supposed to be back soon, but if you own Rip and there’s someone out there with more potential you may want to dump him. Hamilton will score a few points, but he’s an awful fantasy player. Twelve points a game don’t do much damage when they come with a bunch of donuts and a mediocre field goal percentage.
Luke Ridnour, MIN: Ridnour has been a decent source of threes, steals, and assists so far, but you better get ready to find a replacement for that cheap production because Ricky Rubio is coming on really strong. I expect Ridnour to lose the starting role soon, and his minutes should continuously decrease over the next few weeks. Rubio has shown an excellent ability to run the team and has been finishing games for the Wolves.
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