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Put in Tyson Chandler against the Warriors smaller frontcourt this week in the Pick One Challenge. (Chris Graythen/NBAE/Getty Images)

Basketball is a sweet elixir for the eyes, especially in its new style of pushing the ball up the court. It makes me long for the days when I could run like a racehorse…on its way to the glue factory. Let’s push it and see if we can get some good looks for easy buckets.

Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner

Putting some players out on the trading block before the season started resulted in some disappointing action. Another owner offered to take Richard Jefferson and Rudy Gay off my hands in exchange for Peja Stojakovic and Rajon Rondo. While I was hoping to pawn Jefferson off onto someone, I can’t give up on Gay, since he had four blocks, a steal, and a three in the opener. While those numbers are inflated by the three overtime sessions in that game, his athleticism in a fantasy league where steals and blocks are so heavily rewarded is something I can’t let go. I declined, as Rondo’s minutes go up and down nightly, as will most Celtics not named Paul Pierce or Wally Szczerbiak, so I don’t really want any of them, and neither should you.

I won my first week but finished with the fifth-best scoring total in my league. As expected for this points league, guards led my team. In fact, my top four scorers were my guards and utility player (another point guard). Jefferson scored a little more than 21 fantasy points per game in this league, so my cheat sheet correctly diagnosed him as an overrated commodity. Jefferson’s poor play undoubtedly made his numbers worse, but he only beat Luther Head on my 14-man team. Head is averaging 20 fewer minutes per night than Jefferson. Eddie Jones’ slow start earned him a spot on the bench in favor of Antoine Walker, who surprised me with his performance last week. If Shaquille O’Nealcontinues to sit, Walker’s production should go up, as well.

Salary Cap Challenge

Instant payoff was the name of the game in Salary Cap Challenge. I was in a tie for third place after two days of NBA action, and my team’s value had already climbed $30,000. I felt like C. Montgomery Burns. OK, so I didn’t turn into an elderly, animated fictitious character, but I did feel “excellent” about my team’s value and the value of some other players who were available.

I traded Tyson Chandler, whose value literally increased overnight by $10,000 and snapped up Anthony Parker of the Raptors, who only cost me $0.51M. Why Anthony Parker? Well, he started and played 36 minutes for Toronto in the opener, amassing 31 fantasy points. That’s great production for the cost. I used that cap space along with the salary of dumping Samuel Dalembertto get Chris Bosh. While Bosh does have injury concerns, I still expect him to have a good season. If his value slides, his cap number is $9.36M, so I can flip him for another star.

You can acquire a low-cost, consistent-producing player and a top-50 fantasy player by dropping two mid-range salaries, especially if they are disappointing or low-upside players. Find your targets by doing a player search for low-salaried players, then sort the result by minutes played. Minutes mean stats, stats mean points, and points help your team while simultaneously increasing your players’ value.

Several quality players cost less than $3M, yet average more than 20 minutes and 20 fantasy points a game. Hakim Warrick is getting 36 minutes per night and averaging almost 30 fantasy points for $2.04M. Pau Gasol isn’t coming back soon, so Warrick’s value should continue to increase. Anthony Parker is right behind him, along with Ruben Patterson, Monta Ellis, Earl Watson, Travis Outlaw, Carlos Arroyo, and Etan Thomas. Of those players, Ellis, Watson, and Thomas seem likely to improve their standing. Ellis is playing well in the Warriors speed game, but should be eyed in any case, should Baron Davis gets injured. Watson gets time for the Sonics backing up Luke Ridnour. Also, when they use a smaller lineup, Thomas is the starting center for the Wizards (but is an injury risk, so buyer beware).

Pick One Challenge

Since it’s just points, rebounds, and assists used to score in this game, I created a baseline expectation for production for this game. Players should fall into one of three categories: power player, point guard, and swingman. “Power players” should be players who play down low and rebound well, but do not generally pile up assists. Most centers and power forwards fall into this class. “Point guard” is obvious, as it is for players who score and rack up assists, but don’t rebound well. “Swingman” is for most small forwards and shooting guards, whose value comes from scoring, as they neither amass assists nor get rebounds. I am setting these expected levels of production for the three classes so I can better judge how I’m doing:

Power players - minimum of 25 points (15 points, eight rebounds, and two assists)

Point guards - minimum of 25 points (15 points, six assists, and four rebounds)

Swingmen - minimum of 22 points (15 points, four rebounds, and three assists)

Remember, these are baseline point totals that you should expect from most, but not all, players. For example, if you start Brevin Knight, your expectations for him should be a little lower. Typical production for Knight is more along the lines of eight points, eight assists, and four rebounds, which would be 20 points in the game. Udonis Haslem is similar in that he is good for 10 points, nine rebounds, and two assists, which is 21 points. My team is averaging 21.7 points per day, thanks mostly to Jameer Nelson having a lousy Sunday (six points), so I need to get it together.

Match-ups are the key to getting top production out of your daily plays in this game. Exploiting a poor defensive team or player is something to look toward in maximizing what you get out of your selections, as well as playing someone from a home team against a team playing a road game for the second consecutive day. You’re going to use more than 160 players during the course of the season, so at least do yourself the favor of making things as good as possible for them.

One team that caught my eye for this week’s picks is the New Orleans Hornets. They have a back-to-back match-ups against Golden State, the second at the start of a road trip. Following that second game is a flight up to Portland, where they play the following night. Golden State has issues up front. Troy Murphy is off to a slow start and a mix of other players aren’t consistently producing, either. Tyson Chandler should have a good night in the first game, as he faces a smaller Warrior team in front of his home crowd. While Chandler is not a consistently good enough scorer to expect 15 points from as a “power player,” double digits in rebounding certainly looks possible. When the two teams meet two nights later in Oakland, David West should be able to exploit the same undersized front line for a double-double. The following night, though, the Hornets play in Portland, who has a day off preceded by a home game. The Blazers should be well-rested for the Hornets, so someone like Zach Randolph or Jarrett Jack could do well against a tired opponent.

Jim Stechschulte is a fantasy expert for TalentedMrRoto.com, which features free advice, news, stats and analysis for all fantasy sports. It was nominated for four FSTA awards, including best site. Contact him at jims@TalentedMrRoto.com.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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