Fantasy Studs
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat: The Heat’s bench keeps shrinking as the injuries pile up, so a big game from Bosh is just what they needed to move back above .500. Bosh finished with 32 points on 13-20 shooting, making 4-6 from deep and 2-2 from the line, adding 10 rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Josh McRoberts has yet to return to form, leaving Bosh to do much of the heavy lifting in the Heat’s frontcourt, so seeing him score efficiently is a great sign moving forward.
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic: While Bosh put up big numbers in a winning effort, Vucevic won the individual battle with the Heat big man. Vicuevic scored 33 points on 12-24 shooting, making 9-11 free throws while adding 17 rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Nik has been fantasy gold all season and saw an even greater spike in his rebounding totals with Tobias Harris out with an injury. With stretch forward Channing Frye next to him, Vucevic will have the paint all to himself, and continue racking up double-doubles.
James Harden, Houston Rockets: With Dwight Howard out, James Harden again put the team on his back in a big victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Harden finished with 32 points on 8-18 shooting, making 4-9 from 3 and 12-13 free throws, to go with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He did have 4 turnovers, which is usually the issue with him handling the ball so much, but Harden is arguably the greatest fantasy shooting guard with his ability to live at the line and impact the box score in nearly every category.
Demarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings: Cousins just keeps on putting up big numbers as the Kings continue to climb the Western Conference hierarchy. DC tallied 31 points on 11-15 shooting, making 9-10 from the line, to go with 18 boards, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a steal. Sacramento got a good fight from the Timberwolves, so getting the win should help them formulate an identity as a playoff contender in the West, who can take down the team’s they’ve usually been grouped in with. These Kings are for real, and so is Demarcus Cousins MVP candidacy.
Paul Pierce, Washington Wizards: Pierce had arguably his best game in a Wizards uniform, and showed the young players on the court that the old man can still get it done. Pierce finished with 25 points on 8-16 shooting, making 4-5 3-balls and 5-7 free throws, while adding 10 rebounds and 2 assists. He got some time at the 4 with Nene limited, and did end up fouling out in 28 minutes of work, but Pierce clearly still has something left to give, making the Wizards a dangerous team both now, and later on in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans: If the season ended today, is there any doubt that Anthony Davis would be named MVP? On a career night, AD poured in 43 points on 16-23 shooting, making 11-12 free throws, while adding 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Davis’s ability to hit his free throws and limit turnovers are what puts him over the top in fantasy leagues, and there simply doesn’t appear to be anyone in the league who can match his abilities across the board. At just 21 years old, Davis looks like he will be destroying opponents for the foreseeable future. His potential is limitless.
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz: Hayward did all he could to keep the Jazz within striking distance against the Pelicans, but ultimately came up short. Hayward finished with 31 points on 9-16 shooting, making 2-3 from deep and 11-14 from the line. He added 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block, and is quickly becoming one of the better small forwards in the league, not just in fantasy. He scores efficiently and impacts the game in a number of ways, and is helping the Jazz climb out of the Western Conference basement one game at a time.
Fantasy Duds
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers: MCW hasn’t been great since his return, but he’s certainly put up better number than he did against the Knicks. Carter-Williams finished with 9 points on 4-13 shooting, missing all 3 3-pointers while making 1-2 from the line. He added 4 rebounds and just 1 assist, while turning it over 4 times against a weak New York defense. If the Sixers can’t compete with a team as lowly as the Knicks, we could be looking at a historically bad roster.
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: Dirk has long been a fantasy star because of how efficiently he scores, but against an injured Rockets club, Nowitzki had one of his worst performances. Dirk shot a brutal 4-18 from the field, and 0-8 from deep, for 1 points, while making 3-4 free throws. He did add 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks to help limit the impact on his fantasy line, but to see a player of Nowitzki’s talents shoot that poorly against the likes of Donatas Motiejunas and Kostas Papanikolaou is definitely disappointing.
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks: Parker looked like he was turning a corner after a so-so start to his career, but just couldn’t get it going against the Wizards. Jabari finished with just 6 points on 3-11 shooting, missing his only 3-pointer and failing to get to the line in 27 minutes of action. He added 5 rebounds and 2 steals, but hasn’t been nearly as potent on offense as he was projected to entering the league. He continues to get every chance to prove himself, so taking the long approach will be necessary for owners as the Bucks continue to surprise.
Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets: Lopez has long been lauded as one of the best pure post scorers in the league, but he seems to be falling further away from his all-star status of a few years ago. Lopez scored just 6 points on 3-8 shooting in just 25 minutes of action, adding 4 rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Playing against the Spurs rarely translates to great success for fantasy bigs, but the Nets desperately need to get something out of their center, who remains a terrible rebounder at 7 feet tall.
Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans: Anderson was bailed out by Anthony Davis’s big game, as the stretch 4 again had a poor shooting night. Anderson scored 5 points on 2-15 shooting, missing all 6 3-pointers and making 1-2 from the line, adding 6 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and an assist. It was nice to see Anderson active defensively, but he was brought in to hit shots, which hasn’t been happening lately. He’ll figure it out eventually.
Alec Burks, Utah Jazz: Burks had an awful shooting night against the Pelicans. Burks shot 1-11 from the floor, missing his only 3 and failing to get to the line, ending with just 2 points to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, a block, and 4 turnovers. He was able to provide a little bit of everything on the stat sheet, but the poor shooting clearly plants him on the dud list, which is disappointing considering he was mainly matched up with Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers, neither known for their defensive abilities. Burks should bounce back and be looking to prove this was just a one game fluke.
Surprising Sleepers
Lou Williams, Toronto Raptors: Sweet Lou saved the Raptors after the Cavalier starters raced out to a quick 18 point advantage, and helped solidify Toronto as a top team in the East with a new career high. Williams scored 36 points on 9-19 shooting, making 3-8 3-pointers while knocking down all 19 of his free throw attempts. He added 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist, and will continue to bring scoring off the bench for a Raps team dependant on using its depth to take down opponents. Williams is regaining his 6th man of the year form after a torn ACL 2 years ago.
Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers: The #1 pick in the D-League draft didn’t say in the minor leagues too long, and will soon see his playing time increase on a bare Sixers roster. Covington scored 14 points in 14 minutes, making 4-6 from the field, including going 4-4 from 3 and 2-2 from the line. 4 rebounds were his only other stat, but the door is wide open in the Sixers lineup for Covington to carve out a role, as he’s been one of the few Philly players to post anywhere close to a positive plus/minus differential. Keep an eye on him moving forward.
Brandon Wright, Dallas Mavericks: Wright has been a model of efficiency off the Mavericks bench, and with aging teammates in Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, he has seen consistent minutes throughout the season. Wright put together another solid performance, finishing with 14 points on 6-7 shooting, making both his free throws, while adding 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in 22 minutes of work. The Mavs offense has generally been humming, which makes Wright’s contributions on both ends even better as he provides size and shot blocking with the ability to finish around the rim. He’s definitely worth a look if you need some big man help.
Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets: With starters Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard out, Motiejunas got the start and contributed in 37 minutes of action. Donatas scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting, making 1-2 from deep and 3-4 from the line, adding 12 rebounds and 2 assists. He did have 5 turnovers, but with Jones likely out for a while and Howard without a timetable for his return, the Rockets will try to tread water in the rugged Western Conference. Performances like this can only help the Rockets, especially once their starters return to action.
Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings: McLemore has looked like a completely different player since a rough start to the season that saw some competition for his minutes by rookie Nik Stauskas. He’s been on a tear as of late, and solidified his spot in the starting rotation. McLemore scored 22 points on 9-17 shooting, knocking down 4-9 from deep and 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. He doesn’t usually add much more than points and 3s, so to see him get after the ball is a nice boost. He could be a specialist in some leagues as he continues to grow.
Mirza Teletovic, Brooklyn Nets: Teletovic got the start as Kevin Garnett racked up his 1st DNP-OLD of the season, and made the most of the opportunity. He scored 24 points on 8-14 shooting, making 4-8 3-pointers and both his free throws, while adding 8 rebounds and an assist. His ability to stretch the floor will help out Brook Lopez on most nights, and Teletovic was a bright spot in an otherwise poor showing by the Nets against the reigning champs. With KG only getting older, he will continue to get solid minutes off the bench.
What do you think? Anyone not on the lists that you think should have been?
THE BASELINE JUMPER 