J.J. Hickson on double-double roll
J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double on Sunday. He may qualify as a sell-high player, but if I own him, I just keep running him out there and hope the wheels don’t fall off any time soon.
Hello and goodbye, Danny Boy
Danny Green, after being cut across the board in many leagues after being invisible for most of the week, scored a career-high 25 points on Sunday, hitting seven 3-pointers in the Spurs’ easy win over Dallas. Green was on fire, hitting 9-of-10 shots and playing just 23 minutes. If you recently cut him, don’t look back, as this will likely be the highlight of his season.
Kawhi Leonard was finally back in the starting lineup for the Spurs after missing 18 straight games with a quad injury. He played well and scored eight points off the bench on Friday, and added 17 points, four boards, five steals and three 3-pointers in the start on Sunday. I’m not as high on him as on some of my Rotoworld colleagues are, only because he plays for the Spurs and you never know which way Gregg Popovich will go each night. But Leonard is pointed in the right direction and it’s possible Pop will be using him as much as he said he was going to early in the season. If he’s still available in your league, he should be picked up.
Big Baby out, Ayon, Vucevic in
With Glen Davis sidelined for at least a month with a shoulder injury, Gustavo Ayon and Nikola Vucevic are both stepping up their games for the Magic. Ayon just missed a second straight double-double on Sunday with nine points and 12 boards, while Vucevic stayed hot with 16 points, 16 boards and a block. Vucevic is a must-own, must-start player right now, while Ayon should be a hot pickup in all formats.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Kris Humphries didn’t even get off the Nets’ bench on Sunday and is clearly in Avery Johnson’s doghouse in Brooklyn. The power forward situation in Brooklyn is a mess, and while Humps will probably get it turned around at some point this season, no one would blame you for dumping him if you own him. Andray Blatche came off the bench behind Gerald Wallace (who started at PF, but isn't a fan of doing so), but is a borderline option at best, and Humps isn’t going to be benched forever.
Mo Williams could miss time with thumb injury
As I briefly touched on in Waiver Wired, Mo Williams is dealing with a thumb injury and an MRI showed some damage. He's been tagged as ‘out indefinitely,’ clearing the way for Jamaal Tinsley to see start and see some run. Tinsley had 11 points, four assists, two steals and three 3-pointers on Sunday, and is worth a look in many leagues with Williams apparently slated to miss time. We’re still waiting on the actual diagnosis on Mo-Will, but it doesn’t sound like great news.
Bye-bye Byron Mullens
Byron Mullens suffered a severely sprained left ankle on Saturday and could miss time for the Bobcats with the injury. There isn’t a suitable fantasy replacement at PF in Charlotte, although Hakim Warrick could see a boost in minutes. Get Mullens on your bench, and consider dropping him in daily leagues that require healthy bodies to put in your lineup, if he’s going to miss significant time.
News and Notes
Roy Hibbert is blaming this season’s dismal shooting on a weak right wrist. He’s receiving treatment on it from the Pacers’ training staff and shooting just 40.4 percent this season, but still looks like an interesting buy-low candidate to me.
Wesley Matthews didn’t travel with the Blazers for Sunday’s game after aggravating his hip injury and will remain day-to-day. I would not start him in weekly leagues.
Jared Dudley and Shannon Brown have been hot for the Suns, Marcin Gortat is playing better, and Goran Dragic had his worst line of the season in an ugly loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Dudley had 19 points, seven boards and two steals Sunday, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer. Brown cooled off with seven points and six assists on 3-of-13 shooting, but both of these guys are worth starting in all formats right now. Dudley is averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 3-pointers over his last five, while Brown clocks in at 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 3-pointers over that stretch, despite a miserable Sunday.
Dragic had just seven points and one assist on 2-of-8 shooting in 29 minutes, and is simply in a funk. Ride it out with him. Gortat is finally playing well again, going for eight points, 12 boards and a block on Sunday, and is averaging 12 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over his last five games. Hopefully you held onto him through the dark period.
Eric Gordon and his balky knee have been cleared for full contact and will start practicing with the Hornets this week. I’m not running out to pick him up, as I expect him to be a source of more headaches than fantasy stats, but it makes sense for him to be owned in all leagues until we see how this plays out.
Chris Bosh was out on Saturday with an illness, but should be back for the Heat on Christmas Day. I’d start him in weeklies if I owned him.
Amare Stoudemire is hoping to play for the Knicks on Jan. 1 or Jan. 3 after missing most of the season after knee surgery, and he should be held in all leagues for now.
Anderson Varejao has missed three straight games with a knee injury, but is hoping to play on Wednesday. I’ll need to see more information before starting him in a weekly league, but it would make sense for him to return to action on Wednesday.
Well, it’s Christmas Eve and my four kids are in their annual “we’re gonna stay up all night and catch Santa” mode, although they never seem to accomplish their goal. There were plenty of happenings around the league this weekend, including the return of Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, a Marcus Thornton sighting, a DeMarcus Cousins suspension, and injuries to guys like Wesley Matthews. Let’s get to it.
In order to catch up on everything you missed this weekend, also be sure to check out the Saturday Dose, the Injury Report, and Waiver Wired before setting your lineups. And you can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
We're all looking forward to a day of rest on Christmas Eve with no games scheduled, so enjoy a break from fantasyland and spend some time with your family. Christmas Day's five-game schedule will give you hoops on TV from noon until about 3 a.m., and then we've got a 13-game night on the schedule for Wednesday, and 12 more games on Friday.
Games Played for Week 9
4 Games – Celtics, Nets, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers, Heat.
3 Games – Hawks, Bobcats, Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Pistons, Warriors, Pacers, Lakers, Bucks, Hornets, Knicks, Thunder, Magic, Sixers, Suns, Blazers, Spurs, Kings, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards.
2 Games – Grizzlies, Timberwolves.
Welcome back, Dirk
Dirk Nowitzki returned from knee surgery on Sunday and had eight points and six rebounds in 20 minutes off the Mavs' bench. Dirk will be brought along slowly and we’re about to find out if his presence crushes the value of O.J. Mayo, who had been rolling. Mayo had just seven points and six turnovers in 28 minutes on Sunday, but I’m thinking it was just an off day for Mayo.
Darren Collison had 15 points and two assists off the bench on Sunday, as Dominique Jones got the start at point guard and hit 1-of-7 shots for five points in 20 minutes. I’m not sure what Collison did to Rick Carlisle, but I still like him to return more fantasy value than DoJo, even if coming off the bench.
Steve Nash back in action
Steve Nash returned from his leg injury on Saturday and had 12 points and nine assists in the Lakers’ tough win over the Warriors. He’s going to have to deal with some pain in the leg going forward, but intends to try to play through it. Jodie Meeks is still coming off the bench for the Lakers, but had 12 points and seven boards in the win, and remains a solid option if you need a 3-point shooter.
Pau Gasol had nine points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win, and might be ready to start playing well for the Lakers. The addition of Nash should help him, but I’m still not expecting huge stat lines as long as Pau’s playing alongside Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Nash and Metta World Peace.
Welcome back, Marcus Thornton
Marcus Thornton started for the Kings on Sunday and had 22 points, two 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and two steals with 10-of-18 shooting. His personal leave is over and it looks like his slump might be, too. I was able to pick him up in a couple leagues recently, so make sure he wasn’t dropped in yours.
DeMarcus Cousins served the first game of his indefinite suspension on Sunday, but that might be the only game he misses. He’s apologized for blowing up at coach Keith Smart during Friday’s halftime, and it sounds like there’s a chance he could be reinstated in time for Wednesday’s game. But unless we hear for certain that he’ll be active, I’d be very hesitant to start him in a weekly league.
No Love, no problem for Pekovic
Nikola Pekovic posted his fourth straight double-double for the Wolves on Sunday with 21 points and a career-best 17 rebounds against the Knicks, as Kevin Love sat out with an eye injury. Love is expected back on Wednesday, but it shouldn’t matter to Pekovic, who has been on a serious tear for two weeks now. Maybe that qualifies him as a sell-high player, but honestly, he’s pretty much doing what I had hoped he would prior to the start of the season. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to start Love in weekly leagues, but he’s had plenty of time to recover from the eye injury, and should play in his next game.
Dante Cunningham had 12 points and 10 boards off the bench in Love’s absence, but obviously isn’t a great option with Love due back soon. Alexey Shved, on the other hand, played well again on Sunday with 18 points and a fun stat line, and should be owned in all leagues as long as he continues to start for the Wolves. Ricky Rubio is still on a minutes limit and may continue to sit out back-to-backs, meaning he’s probably best served on fantasy benches until the minutes improve.
J.J. Hickson on double-double roll
J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double on Sunday. He may qualify as a sell-high player, but if I own him, I just keep running him out there and hope the wheels don’t fall off any time soon.
Hello and goodbye, Danny Boy
Danny Green, after being cut across the board in many leagues after being invisible for most of the week, scored a career-high 25 points on Sunday, hitting seven 3-pointers in the Spurs’ easy win over Dallas. Green was on fire, hitting 9-of-10 shots and playing just 23 minutes. If you recently cut him, don’t look back, as this will likely be the highlight of his season.
Kawhi Leonard was finally back in the starting lineup for the Spurs after missing 18 straight games with a quad injury. He played well and scored eight points off the bench on Friday, and added 17 points, four boards, five steals and three 3-pointers in the start on Sunday. I’m not as high on him as on some of my Rotoworld colleagues are, only because he plays for the Spurs and you never know which way Gregg Popovich will go each night. But Leonard is pointed in the right direction and it’s possible Pop will be using him as much as he said he was going to early in the season. If he’s still available in your league, he should be picked up.
Big Baby out, Ayon, Vucevic in
With Glen Davis sidelined for at least a month with a shoulder injury, Gustavo Ayon and Nikola Vucevic are both stepping up their games for the Magic. Ayon just missed a second straight double-double on Sunday with nine points and 12 boards, while Vucevic stayed hot with 16 points, 16 boards and a block. Vucevic is a must-own, must-start player right now, while Ayon should be a hot pickup in all formats.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Kris Humphries didn’t even get off the Nets’ bench on Sunday and is clearly in Avery Johnson’s doghouse in Brooklyn. The power forward situation in Brooklyn is a mess, and while Humps will probably get it turned around at some point this season, no one would blame you for dumping him if you own him. Andray Blatche came off the bench behind Gerald Wallace (who started at PF, but isn't a fan of doing so), but is a borderline option at best, and Humps isn’t going to be benched forever.
Mo Williams could miss time with thumb injury
As I briefly touched on in Waiver Wired, Mo Williams is dealing with a thumb injury and an MRI showed some damage. He's been tagged as ‘out indefinitely,’ clearing the way for Jamaal Tinsley to see start and see some run. Tinsley had 11 points, four assists, two steals and three 3-pointers on Sunday, and is worth a look in many leagues with Williams apparently slated to miss time. We’re still waiting on the actual diagnosis on Mo-Will, but it doesn’t sound like great news.
Bye-bye Byron Mullens
Byron Mullens suffered a severely sprained left ankle on Saturday and could miss time for the Bobcats with the injury. There isn’t a suitable fantasy replacement at PF in Charlotte, although Hakim Warrick could see a boost in minutes. Get Mullens on your bench, and consider dropping him in daily leagues that require healthy bodies to put in your lineup, if he’s going to miss significant time.
News and Notes
Roy Hibbert is blaming this season’s dismal shooting on a weak right wrist. He’s receiving treatment on it from the Pacers’ training staff and shooting just 40.4 percent this season, but still looks like an interesting buy-low candidate to me.
Wesley Matthews didn’t travel with the Blazers for Sunday’s game after aggravating his hip injury and will remain day-to-day. I would not start him in weekly leagues.
Jared Dudley and Shannon Brown have been hot for the Suns, Marcin Gortat is playing better, and Goran Dragic had his worst line of the season in an ugly loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Dudley had 19 points, seven boards and two steals Sunday, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer. Brown cooled off with seven points and six assists on 3-of-13 shooting, but both of these guys are worth starting in all formats right now. Dudley is averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 3-pointers over his last five, while Brown clocks in at 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 3-pointers over that stretch, despite a miserable Sunday.
Dragic had just seven points and one assist on 2-of-8 shooting in 29 minutes, and is simply in a funk. Ride it out with him. Gortat is finally playing well again, going for eight points, 12 boards and a block on Sunday, and is averaging 12 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over his last five games. Hopefully you held onto him through the dark period.
Eric Gordon and his balky knee have been cleared for full contact and will start practicing with the Hornets this week. I’m not running out to pick him up, as I expect him to be a source of more headaches than fantasy stats, but it makes sense for him to be owned in all leagues until we see how this plays out.
Chris Bosh was out on Saturday with an illness, but should be back for the Heat on Christmas Day. I’d start him in weeklies if I owned him.
Amare Stoudemire is hoping to play for the Knicks on Jan. 1 or Jan. 3 after missing most of the season after knee surgery, and he should be held in all leagues for now.
Anderson Varejao has missed three straight games with a knee injury, but is hoping to play on Wednesday. I’ll need to see more information before starting him in a weekly league, but it would make sense for him to return to action on Wednesday.