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March 4 -- [NOTE: This article was written before the conclusion of Friday night's late games.]

There's no room for fluff this week... let’s get right to the good stuff. I basically go through the five positions and comment on things that I’ve seen around the league over the past week. I try to give you the heads-up on position battles, injuries, hot and cold streaks, upcoming schedules, and how you can get the edge on your league-mates from my analysis. So, let’s get cracking...

Jameer Nelson, ORL – He's baaaaaaaack. Nelson returned Friday night to score 24 points in 21 minutes. Though DeShawn Stevenson and Keyon Dooling will still have good nights here and there, it looks like the Magic might settle on Nelson and Carlos Arroyo seeing the majority of minutes in the backcourt. Keep an eye on the situation in deeper leagues and grab Nelson if he was dropped in shallow ones.

Anthony Johnson, IND – Johnson returned from his flu Friday night to score nine points and dish out seven assists in 24 minutes. If he was dropped, grab him and use him, as the Pacers start a string of six consecutive four-game weeks next week – the best remaining schedule in the NBA.

Antonio Daniels, WAS – I know, I seem to mention him every other week, but he keeps delivering the goods. He scored 13 more points Friday night, and in two of his last four game, he had seven assists. He's a great guard to either have on your bench or use in a pinch in deeper leagues.

Bonzi Wells, SAC – Wells returned Friday night, playing for the first time since Feb. 3. He scored three points in 19 minutes. While he has been out, Ron Artest and Kevin Martin have been really solid. I'd recommend watching the situation in most cases, but Wells may not get his minutes back the way he had them before getting hurt. Look for him to either split time with Martin, canceling out the fantasy worth of both players, or settling into a 25-minute-per-night sixth-man role.

Marvin Williams, ATL – Williams stepped up and scored 17 points in 23 minutes Friday night, but note that Josh Childress left the game early, throwing some extra minutes Williams' way. Williams also hit seven of nine shots, which won't happen every night. He's a great young talent, and the Hawks play a nice, heavy schedule down the stretch after a two-game week next week, but remember that he's a rookie. His minutes have been hovering around the 25-minute mark, and though the Hawks are out of it, he just isn't likely to make a difference for your fantasy squad unless you're in a really deep league with a spot for him on your bench, just in case.

Jamal Crawford, NYK– Crawford scored zero points in 19 minutes Friday night. If you had any doubts before that performance, they should have been erased. The additions of Jalen Rose and Steve Francis have combined to totally kill any remaining fantasy value for Crawford. Drop him if you haven't already done so.

Tim Thomas, PHO – Thomas scored 20 points in 24 minutes Friday night, including five three-pointers. He recorded zero rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. With Kurt Thomas out, Tim will currently see good "sixth-man" minutes, and this team will provide scoring opportunities for him. However, take this night with a grain of salt. You have to say that the man just got lucky and had a good night – one of those adrenaline rush circumstances. He hadn't played since November! Crazy. Don't pick him up even in the deepest of leagues. He'll have more bad nights than good, and when all you can really do is score, you won't be helping any fantasy teams out.

Corey Maggette, LAC – Well, he said he'd make it back for the Wednesday game, and he was pretty close in his prediction. He returned Friday night, playing in his first game since Dec. 5 (due to a foot injury). The game hadn't finished as of this writing, but needless to say given his talent level, if you can get him on your squad for the stretch run, by all means do so.

Al Jefferson, BOS – Jefferson returned from his injury to play 12 minutes on Wednesday and seven on Friday. Ryan Gomes has been superb in his absence and will likely continue to be solid, but Jefferson is definitely a player you'll want to add if he's available. He'll probably need another week to get back into a groove, but he should be very useful down the stretch for teams in need of some extra rebounding.

Stromile Swift, HOU – Swift returned from his ankle injury to score 15 points and pull down six boards Friday night. So will I recommend him? Perhaps, but only half-heartedly. Houston has a light schedule down the stretch, and he'll have to fight through Juwan Howard and Yao Ming for minutes. Also, we all know how maddeningly inconsistent he can be, so maybe just stuff him on your bench if you have room.

Samuel Dalembert, PHI – Dalembert returned from his ankle injury to play 20 minutes on Wednesday but just four on Friday. When asked why this was so, coach Maurice Cheeks said that Steven Hunter has just been playing well, but Dalembert will resume his starting role later this season. Some may view this as a negative, but I view it as a great chance to get Dalembert cheap and enjoy his rebounds and blocks over the final few weeks of the season as your second center.

Johan Petro, SEA – Petro has fought through Chris Wilcox, Robert Swift, and Nick Collison to be a useful member of the Sonic frontcourt. This is definitely a situation to watch in October as you draft your squad for the 06-07 season, but use the rest of this season to scout these players to get a clearer picture of the situation. Wilcox and Swift should be the most valuable throughout the remainder of this season, but keep an eye on the seven-foot Petro, who has produced in limited minutes lately.

Emeka Okafor, CHA – Okafor missed yet another game Friday night. It's officially time to give up on him. If you have a free DL slot, sure, keep him there. But if he's wasting a bench spot, feel free to fill it with an alternative that is at least getting floor time. By the way, can you believe the lineup that Charlotte is forced to field? Two point guards in the backcourt (Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight), two small forwards in the frontcourt (Gerald Wallace and Jumaine Jones) and absolute junk in the middle (Primoz Brezec, Melvin Ely, and Lonny Baxter). Nice team.

That’s all for this edition. Check back in a week for more fantasy basketball fun.

Dave Gawron is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Slam Dunk runs every Saturday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at Dunk@TalentedMrRoto.com.

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