Welcome back to the Island my loyal readers. It is starting to come down to it in our Fantasy worlds and the playoff picture is starting to unfold. In my nine-cat league our first place team has finally clinched a playoff spot, meaning of course that if he somehow went 0-9 for the rest of the year he would still be in it. But this is not the case for everyone as anything can change very quickly if you make mistakes.
My team in third place could possibly drop out of the picture with poor play from myself and perfect play from others. There are only three to four weeks left for most of us, unless you have abbreviated playoffs, so it is now officially crunch time. Stay on top of your lineups or your 20 dollars are automatically down the drain. This isn’t fantasy football and at this point in the season you should know that it takes more consideration and work than football too. If you don’t, then you probably already forfeited that money you were hoping to buy endless Firestone-Walker variety 12-packs and Freebirds nachos with. Don’t worry though, because baseball is coming up and that only takes 100 times more consideration than both of these sports combined. Play Ball!
Back to the NBA now. This season has been a nightmare for all owners with the vast amount of injuries and the crazy trades that have happened as of late. I personally lost all value in my once dominant Aaron Afflalo due to his dealing to the Blazers. He will undoubtedly help that team out but he now has to compete for minutes and shots. Hopefully nobody in my league reads this blog because I’m going to try and sell him high based off the player he was in Denver, to someone unaware of his true value. Go watch The League and find out what they call this kind of trade.
Games Per Week
Four Games: BKN, BOS, CHI, CLE, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, OKC, PHI, PHX, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Three Games: ATL, CHA, DAL, DET, IND, LAL, NYK, ORL, POR, SAC
Brandon Bass, PF Celtics
His minute competitor, Jared Sullinger, has just been shut down for the rest of the season which means it’s time to drop the Bass! Wait no, I mean add the Bass! Or reel it in? Okay sorry I’m done with puns for this section. Brandon isn’t going to save your fantasy season but when he gets more than 20-25 minutes he averages just around double figures and doesn’t hurt you in field goal percentage. He throws in a couple of blocks for you too, which is always nice. B.B. is one of the only consistent players you will find on the wire and his starting spot is solidified now. Only owned in 18 percent of Yahoo leagues right now.
Lou Williams, G Raptors
I don’t know why I have to talk about this guy right now but the fact that he is only owned on 60 percent of leagues is driving me a little bit insane to be quite honest. I personally own this player in my nine-cat league and he is easily my best and brightest waiver-wire addition. The man is a consistent scorer dropping 20-plus point games all season long and even continued this dominance when DeRozan made his return. He sprinkles in other stats here and there with streaky performances in the steal category, but if you need points and three pointers, then this is your man. In his last game with the mighty Atlanta Hawks, Lou dropped 26 points and splashed seven threes on the East’s number one team and showed Korver how it’s really done.
Mason Plumlee, F/C Nets
A team that is now relieved of the NBA’s biggest bully in the league, Kevin Garnett, is a place of opportunity for this particular Plumlee. Yes, they got Thaddeus Young in return but he will not play a role comparable to that of what KG did for obvious reasons and the team’s front court is not deep. Mason is 57 percent owned so it is quite possible that he is already gone in your league but if he is there, then give him a look because he will provide points and boards to anyone’s team. He doesn’t miss many shots and surprisingly enough he is an adequate cookie jar thief. Let’s not forget he is probably the most athletic big man in the game so he can also do this…
Omer Asik, F/C Pelicans
Not the biggest upside for this power big, but with both Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson out for a while, it will be Asik territory. The man had 15, 9 and 2 with an added steal in Saturday’s game against Miami but is also known to throw in some blocks as well. He has upside for anyone in a 12-team or deeper league but even then its not the greatest pair of shoulders to put weight on in playoffs. At 56 percent owned and with the other two bigs out, he may provide a burst going into postseason but I’d look to move him before your first matchup.
Nené, PF/C Wizards
Oh, I’m sorry does it offend you that I didn’t put his adopted last name? Too bad, I’m going off of what its says on the back of his jersey now and what I learned it to be when I picked him up in NBA Street Vol. 3 for the GameCube. This big is only owned in a little over half of leagues but provides a much larger upside than that. He drops buckets for his squad off of good shooting so if you can afford to tack on some extra TO’s then he is your man just like he was for me on my 3-on-3 team in 5th grade. He isn’t a huge rebounder like you would expect but he throws more dimes than the next seven footer.
Isaiah Canaan, PG 76ers
This young stud showed immediate benefit in his first game with his new team. Having dished away ROY Michael Carter-Williams, this guard has been giving full control of a young, talented and athletic roster. In this first game Canaan was given the starting spot and didn’t disappoint dropping 14 points off of four treys and added four boards, three dimes and a block. His four threes were more than any game from Carter-Williams this season. Playing behind MVP candidate James Harden and skills challenge champ Patrick Beverley is not an easy task but he now has his own team to dictate. He could easily provide a boost heading into playoffs for those hurting in treys and points. Only 31 percent owned but that number is on the rise as of late.
Kevin Garnett, PF T-Wolves
A player that should be worried more about his own performance than that of what his teammates do in the locker room before games. Last time I checked, every player has their own unique ritual of preparing for a game and sometimes that includes using one’s cell phones, especially in this day and age. The old veteran who returned to his starting point, where he was once crowned MVP, does not have much to offer this team or even this league anymore besides these silly animosity stories that are probably doing nothing but riling up a team full of teenagers. KG is only owned in 12 percent of leagues and it should stay that way. His return home does not increase he chances at strong performances and in my eyes it was just a media oriented move to bring fans in. Good call by the front office to add a couple extra bucks in their wallets at the end of a rebuilding season and be able to retire #21 to the rafters pretty soon. It is well deserved from a very accomplished player and with that being said I will leave you off with an example of just what I mean.
That will conclude this week’s stay on the Fantasy Sports Island. I hope these guys can help you out in your pursuit of the playoffs and that all of you find yourself fighting for title of best manager in your group of friends. The season is winding down fast so you have to match that speed. If you need any help or have any questions at all, you know where to find me! @TheRealMoebus
