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By Brian McKitish, www.TalentedMrRoto.com

Work the wire with a fantasy expert and find the hidden gems before the competition

Andre Bargnani helps you in both free throw percentage and blocks. (Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

Starting Five

1. This fantasy season may actually be taking place in Jerry Seinfeld’s “bizzaro world”. How else does one explain the relative health of Baron Davis and Grant Hill while “ironmen” like Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups hit the hardwood with semi-major injuries? The injury situation for fantasy gamers has gotten a little out of control at this point. My boy Chris Paul is the latest to succumb to the league-wide injury bug. It’s heartbreaking, really. Reports have surfced that he’ll miss up to a month of action with a severe ankle sprain but I’m actually somewhat optimistic. Paul is a warrior; he proved as much last year when played through a torn thumb ligament in his shooting hand. Still, the ankle sprain looked like a bad one. A real bad one. The four-week timetable sounds like an accurate one to me, but hopefully Paul’s high tolerance for pain will allow him to return a little earlier than that. That’s right, I’m a glass half full kind of guy.

2. One injury many fantasy owners aren’t fretting about is Brevin Knight’s torn abdominal muscle. My apologies to Knight and his owners, but even they can’t deny that the rest of the fantasy world is ecstatic. It’s Raymond Felton’s world now, and we’re just living in it. How’s 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 three-pointers per game sound? That’s what Felton’s put up over his last five games. Now do you know why we were so high on him in the preseason? Nothing else needs to be said.

3. Among eligible players, there are only three who are averaging more than a block and three-pointer per game. One of those players is Mickael Pietrus, who’s putting up 1.7 threes and 1.1 blocks per game on the season. Can you say underrated? As a reference point, the other two are Shawn Marion and Rasheed Wallace. Not bad company if you ask me. To be fair, I might as well mention that Josh Howard is putting up 1.7 three-pointers and 1.2 blocks per game but fails to qualify due to his injury a few weeks ago.

4. If you thought it was tough finding a player who could block shots and drain threes, try finding one that blocks shots and hits his free throws. Of the 31 qualifying players that average 1.0 blocks or more, only five of them shoot 80 percent or better from the line. They are Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Dwyane Wade. But unlike Pietrus or Josh Howard, none of these players can be acquired cheaply in fantasy leagues and all but one are first round talents. If you’re going to compete in the blocked shots category, you may have to be willing to sacrifice your free throw percentage unless you can get your hands on one of the players listed above. If you want to compete in both, you’ll have to find guys who won’t kill you at the charity stripe. Jermaine O’Neal (72.7 percent), Marcus Camby (71.2 percent), Andrei Kirilenko (74.8 percent), Elton Brand (74. percent), Travis Outlaw (74.2 percent) and Amare Stoudemire (76.6 percent) don’t dominate the category but can help keep your free throw percentage respectable while providing those ever-scarce blocks.

5. Numbers three and four illustrate exactly why I’m starting to love Raptors rookie Andrea Bargnani. With increased minutes in the month of December, Bargnani has averaged 12.2 points, 1.4 three-pointers and 1.2 blocks while shooting 81.1 percent from the free throw line. There aren’t many players in this game that can contribute in blocks, threes and free throw percentage simultaneously but Barganani looks like one of them. Sure, he’s seen a bump in production without Chris Bosh around but at age 21, the future is very, very bright for this kid.

Pickups

Players named last week that are still quality options off the wire include: John Salmons, Willie Green, Channing Frye, Nene, Jameer Nelson, Earl Boykins, Gerald Green, Jamal Crawford, Josh Childress, Brendan Haywood and Dikembe Mutombo.

Points

Matt Barnes, SF, GSW- Barnes made a big splash in my inbox last week after putting up 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 three-pointers over his last five games. I’ll tell you exactly what I told the 80-million people who emailed in: Barnes is a nice pickup right now, but he’s not a great bet to continue his production once Monta Ellis returns from injury. Almost all of Barnes’ big games this season have come with either Mickael Pietrus or Ellis out of the lineup. That doesn’t mean he won’t be a good pickup, I’m just not going to drop a player with more potential for long-term value for him. Update: Actually, scratch that, Barnes may have some long-term value after all. News of Jason Richardson’s latest injury, a broken hand, hit the wires late Saturday night. He’s expected to miss up to two months and Barnes will hold value at least until J-Rich returns. Grab him now.

Rebounds

Juwan Howard, SF/PF, HOU- Last week I mentioned Howard as a decent fill in for the injured Yao Ming. Since then he’s gone on to average 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in three games since Yao’s departure. He’s not going to contribute on the defensive end at all, but he’s proven that he’ll be able to average around a double-double while Yao heals.

Devin Brown, SG, NOK- Of all the teams out there, real and fantasy alike, you’d be hard pressed to find one with worse luck than the New Orleans Hornets. With Chris Paul out for the next four weeks, and Peja Stojakovic and David West already on the shelf, the Hornets have almost no one to turn to. Enter free agent signee, Devin Brown. Due to all the injuries, the Hornets signed Brown last Friday and he’s already made a big impact off the bench for Byron Scott’s squad. In the three games since Paul’s injury, Brown has put up 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.0 three pointers in 33.0 minutes. That’s the beauty of being on a team that has no options; just about anyone can produce if given the playing time. Remember a few years ago when Dan Dickau had value for the hapless Hornets? That was back in the Baron Davis days, but this is a similar situation here and Brown should continue to get minutes and opportunities over the next four weeks, making him a solid pickup in deeper leagues.

Assists

Jannero Pargo, PG/SG, NOK- Owners in deeper leagues who rostered Pargo a few weeks ago got a nice little holiday present when Chris Paul hit the floor on Tuesday night. With Paul out, Pargo becomes the primary floor general in New Orleans and quite valuable in fantasy leagues. Over the last week, Pargo has gone for 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 three-pointers per game but the assists have climbed to 5.1 per game since the injury. The nice thing about grabbing Pargo is that he’ll still have some value even after Paul returns. CP can’t do it all by himself, you know.

Delonte West, PG/SG, BOS- It appears that Doc Rivers has decided to hand the point guard duties over to his main man from last year, Delonte West. When West returned from a back injury on Friday night, he stepped right into the starting role over Sebastian Telfair and the performance was reminiscent of last season with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 three pointers and a block. For those that don’t remember, West averaged 11.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 three-pointers and 0.5 blocks per game last year as the starter. He’s unlikely to be that good again, but if he sticks in the starting lineup, he’s a multi-categorical force to be reckoned with in fantasy leagues.

Steals

Rudy Gay, SF/PF, MEM- This quote from Memphis’ new head coach, Tony Barone, sums things up pretty well: "He's going to play minutes. If he's dying, he's going to play minutes. I told him, 'Don't look over to the bench to me because you're tired, because you're not coming out. You will die. You'll be the first player who died on the basketball court because you're tired.' He's going to play minutes and he's going to produce." I don’t know about you, but I’m grabbing Gay now just on principle. Minutes equal production in this league so even if Barone only half lives up to his word (and gives him 30 minutes per night), Gay’s going to have value. Gay has been incredibly frustrating to own this season this season due to inconsistent minutes but check out his numbers when he sees 30 minutes or more: 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks and 0.6 three-pointers in seven games. He’ll still be inconsistent but his upside with more PT is way too tempting to ignore.

Threes

Hedo Turkoglu, SF, ORL- With Grant Hill staying relatively healthy for much of the season, Turkoglu has been a minor disappointment so far this year. That said, he can still score and hit threes even with Hill around. Since returning from a sprained ankle on Wednesday night, Turk has come on strong with an average of 14.3 points while connecting on a total of six three-pointers in three games. Trevor Ariza came on strong in Hedo’s absence, but Turk should be able to hold him off and secure around 30 minutes per night for the Magic.

Earl Watson, PG, SEA- When Ray Allen went down, Damien Wilkins was the main beneficiary. But now that Rashard is out, it appears that Earl Watson is getting the big bump in playing time for the Sonics. You would think that it would be the opposite, but Coach Bob Hill works in mysterious ways. Watson has been moved into the starting lineup, playing in the backcourt alongside Luke Ridnour with Allen at the three. While he’s there (and he should be there for the next two months), he’ll have value in points, steals, threes and assists. He’ll give typical point guard production over this stretch and the best part is that he’s available in plenty of leagues. Over his last five games he’s averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 three per game.

Blocks

Nazr Mohammed, C, DET- Like Brendan Haywood last week, Nazr Mohammed has picked up his game in recent action after struggling for much of the season. I’m not a huge Nazr fan – largely due to his inconsistent nature – but he can be pretty darn good when he’s on a hot streak. Speaking of hot streaks, Mohammed has averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game over his last five. Grab him now and ride the steak (especially if you lost Yao or Chris Bosh), but don’t say I didn’t warn you when he goes back to his 4-point, 3-rebound games.

Rankings

1. Delonte West
2. Earl Watson
3. Matt Barnes
4. Rudy Gay
5. Hedo Turkoglu
6. Juwan Howard
7. Jannero Pargo
8. Nazr Mohammed
9. Devin Brown

I’m Watching You

The Detroit Pistons have found themselves in unfamiliar territory. Chauncey Billups has missed a total of three games over the past two years and just 15 games since joining the Pistons prior to the 2002-03 season. Now he’s going to miss at least two weeks with a calf injury. With no reliable backup, the Pistons may turn to Ronald “Flip” Murray while Billups mends over the next two weeks. However, Flip has been brutal since coming over to Detroit, so the Pistons may find help in shooting guard Carlos Delfino. I’m much higher on Delfino than any of the other options the Pistons have, although they could decide to play big and leave the ball handling to Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince over the next two weeks.

Add Marc Jackson to the list of players taking advantage of the hospital ward over in New Orleans. I’m not completely sold yet but I can think of worse options for those of you dealing with injuries in deeper leagues.

Matt Carroll has hit a hot streak over in Charlotte and has drilled eight three-pointers over his last two games. He probably won’t have much long-term value but if you’re looking for streaming options for the upcoming week, Carroll may not be a bad option.

Depending on the severity of Dwyane Wade’s injury, both Dorell Wright and Jason Kapono could have some short (or long) term value. The Heat have no other options…literally.

Both Kirk Hinrich (groin) and TJ Ford (ankle) missed their respective games on Saturday night with injuries. If these injuries become serious, look for Chris Duhon and Jose Calderon to pick up the slack for Chicago and Toronto. I like Duhon for his assists, threes and steals in deeper leagues anyway, so this is a great excuse to pick him up.

The Nets have been increasingly tough to figure out since the injury to Nenad Krstic. Eddie House went off in their first game without the big man but has done nothing since. Mikki Moore was nearly invisible on the court until Saturday night when he posted 20 points with 8 rebounds and Josh Boone has been consistently mediocre with his increased minutes. Boone has the most upside but Moore should have the most value going forward.

Sean May finally returned from a severe ankle injury on Saturday night and posted eight points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes for the Bobcats. Pick him up ASAP if someone in your league dropped him.

Brian McKitish is a fantasy expert for www.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 littlemac@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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