Dose: Lineup Changes Abound - 01/30/2012
BY Steve Alexander It’s Monday and as long as you don’t play in a Yahoo! Weekly league, that somehow still requires you to set a lineup before you go to bed on Sunday night, you’ll likely be setting your lineups illegally at work today. Let’s go with team-by-team notes and hope that this doesn’t take too long to get through. The NBA Season Pass is up and running, so check it out! Weekly projections and rankings, exclusive live chats, the schedule grid and breakdown, customizable scoring, and much more is all there. Do you miss football already? Didn’t get into enough hoops leagues? Check out SnapDraft, where you can draft a new team every night and win some cash. Atlanta 3 games Jeff Teague was back from his ankle sprain in a big way on Sunday and should be good to go, but the Hawks play just three games this week. The same holds true for Josh Smith and Joe Johnson (despite struggling on Sunday). Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia are playing well for the red-hot Hawks, but should be on benches with three games. Boston 4 games Rajon Rondo sounds like he could be out until the All-Star break (Feb. 24?) with his wrist injury. Fill-in Avery Bradley, who tweaked an ankle on Sunday, is worth a look, but hasn’t played well enough yet to be dropped into lineups. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are all healthy and worth starting with four times this week. Jermaine O’Neal is shaky with a knee injury (shocking, I know), so Greg Stiemsma could be a sneaky deep-league play if JO! is out. Charlotte 3 games Gerald Henderson is iffy with a tailbone injury and I’ve got him benched for this week, while D.J. Augustin (toe) doesn’t sound likely to play this week. Kemba Walker and Tyrus Thomas look like good plays, while B.J. Mullens and Boris Diaw are potential fantasy starters after playing well on Saturday. And if this is the best Charlotte has to offer, you can see why they aren’t very good. Matt Carroll, Bismack Biyombo and Derrick Brown are worth a look in deep leagues, but aren’t trustworthy. The Cats play just three times this week. Chicago 4 games Luol Deng was out again on Sunday and is too shaky to have in weekly lineups. Richard Hamilton was back and can be used, despite struggling with his shot last night. Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah remain must-starts, while Ronnie Brewer is also a possibility if Deng remains out. Cleveland 3 games Kyrie Irving, Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao are decent 3-game starters, while I wouldn’t risk starting Omri Casspi, Anthony Parker or Ramon Sessions in most leagues this week. Dallas 4 games Jason Kidd sounds doubtful to play this week, meaning Roddy Beuabois is a nice option for Week 6. Vince Carter started at shooting guard on Sunday and should stay there as long as he’s healthy. He had 21 points and is worth a flier, while Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion are also worth starting. I’d stay away from Brendan Haywood and Lamar Odom this week, unless ! you’re in a deep league. Denver 4 games Ty Lawson was out on Sunday, but was close to playing through his sprained ankle. He’s a risk-reward play for Week 6, but I’d probably run him out there. Andre Miller, Danilo Gallinari and Nene should all be good to go, while owners in deeper leagues may want to run with Rudy Fernandez or Arron Afflalo, who has been struggling. Al Harrington is playing well enough to be used in four-game weeks. Detroit 5 games Tayshaun Prince is back from a personal leave but struggled on Saturday, making him an intriguing play with five games this week. Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe all look like great plays, while Austin Daye is a risk-reward choice in deeper leagues. Ben Gordon’s shoulder injury makes him nearly unplayable, while Jonas Jerebko could have a few nice lines this w! eek. Golden State 3 games They only go three times, but Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and David Lee have must-start status in my book. Dorell Wright is also worth a look, but I bet you can find safer options than Andris Biedrins, Nate Robinson and Brandon Rush. Houston 4 games Kyle Lowry can’t throw it in the ocean right now, but remains a must-start point guard, while Samuel Dalembert and Luis Scola look automatic in weekly leagues. Kevin Martin has missed two straight with plantar fasciitis, but I think I’d roll the dice on him where I own him. Chase Budinger is coming on as Chandler Parsons struggles, so weigh options carefully with those two. And if Martin suffers a setback, Courtney Lee is also worth a look. Big man Jordan Hill has double-doubled in two straight in limited minutes, but he makes me nervous. Indiana 4 games Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West and Roy Hibbert all look good to go, although Hibbert struggled on Sunday. George Hill and Tyler Hansbrough might be worth a look in deep leagues, but I’d stay away if possible. Clippers 4 games Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan all look like solid plays, while Mo Williams is a deep-league option. Lakers 3 games Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are must-starts, while Metta World Peace and Derek Fisher should be avoided with three games, if possible. Memphis 5 games With five games, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol are all must-starts, with O.J. Mayo, Tony Allen and Marreese Speights worth a look in weekly leagues. Mayo and Allen are the best options there, as Speights is struggling. There are conflicting reports as to whether or not Zach Randolph (knee) will be back this season or not, so using a roster spot to hold him is risky. He’s ! having another MRI on Monday. Miami 4 games LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are must-starts, while Mario Chalmers might be worth a look. Outside of that, I’d ignore Norris Coles, Shane Battier, James Jones and the other Heat players. While I haven't been as available on Twitter as I would like to be, I'm there a lot. Check me out. Milwaukee 4 games Brandon Jennings and Drew Gooden are must-starts this week, while Stephen Jackson (coming off a suspension), Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Delfino are decent options. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is starting at PF, and Shaun Livingston at SG, but they are too inconsistent to be used if you have options. Ersan Ilyasova looks like a better bet. And in case you’ve been living in a cave, Andrew Bogut could be done for the season with a fractured ankle, making Gooden a top pickup. Minnesota 4 games Here’s where things get interesting. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are must-starts, while Michael Beasley is relevant again after Sunday’s line of 18 points, 12 boards, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes. With four games, I’m rolling the dice on him. Darko Milicic has missed a couple games with the flu and Nikola Pekovic played well in his absence. It’s possible that Pekovic could stick in the starting five over Darko!, but I’m not sure I have the guts to use Pekovic this week. Howeve! r, he does look like an interesting pickup in case it happens. Luke Ridnour is back from his injury, but hasn’t played well in his last couple games. As for Derrick Williams, I’m starting him in my 30-team leagues because I don’t have options, but he should probably be dropped for now, with Beasley back and ballin’. Wes Johnson and Martell Webster (Jose Juan Barea, ankle) are worth keeping an eye on, but I wouldn’t plan on using them. New Jersey 4 games Deron Williams and Kris Humphries look like auto-starts, while Anthony Morrow and MarShon Brooks, who returned from an Achilles injury on Sunday, look like solid options. Mehmet Okur could miss a few more games with a back problem, but Shelden Williams is not worthy of most starting lineups. And with the return of Brooks, Jordan Farmar is too risky in most leagues. &! nbsp;As for Brook Lopez, he can be held if you think he’ll be back and dominant for the Nets in a few weeks. FYI, I’m not holding him in any of my leagues, but never really had an opportunity to do so. New Orleans 4 games Jarrett Jack, Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor all look like solid plays, while Marco Belinelli and Carl Landry are also worth a look. But Ariza and Bello are struggling, and Landry saw just 14 minutes on Sunday, making them all a little risky this week. Chris Kaman is on the trading block and has been shelved for the Hornets, so make sure he’s on your bench. New York 4 games The Knicks are a mess, but Carmelo Anthony should be back after a two-game layoff. Melo and Amare Stoudemire are must-starts, while guys like Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert and Bill Walker are all worth a look. I’m even considering Jeremy Lin in my 30-team league after he had nine points and six dimes on Saturday, as my only other options are Derek Fisher for three games, or Marcus Thornton for potentially zero. All of these guys are worth a look, but only Melo and Amare can be counted on, and that’s a stretch given what Melo did to his owners last week (two bad games, two DNPs). As for Baron Davis, he’ll play at some points, supposedly, but he’s not close to being ready for fantasy use as of now. I feel bad for you if you live and breathe the Knicks. Oklahoma City 4 games Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are must-starts, while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins are worth a starting look in deeper leagues. It’s sad that Ibaka’s minutes have been screwed with so badly by Scott Brooks, but Ibaka has played well lately, going for 20 points and 12 boards on Friday, while blocking 47 shots on the season. I say play him with four games. Orlando 4 games The Magic are simply a mess after being blown out in Indy on Sunday, but Ryan Anderson was back for that one. Dwight Howard, Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu look like good starts, despite some inconsistency, while Jason Richardson and J.J. Redick can both be used in some leagues. Richardson is really struggling and Stan Van Gundy could be considering a lineup change that would put Redick in the starting five. But that’s just my take. Chris Duhon played well on Sunday and will start for Jameer Nelson on Monday, and possibly for the whole week, but it will take a nice set of cajones to start Duhon (or Nelson) in weekly leagues this week. But for a one-game play on Monday, I’m good with Duhon. Philadelphia 4 games Spencer Hawes missed the week with his achilles injury and I wasn’t happy about it. He seems to be nearing a return, but I don’t have the stones to play him as of now. Hopefully we get good news on Monday afternoon, as the Sixers host the Magic tonight. Andre Iguodala (trip-dub on Saturday), Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams and Elton Brand all looks like strong plays, while Evan Turner, Jodie Meeks and Thaddeus Young can be used in many leagues. Phoenix 4 games The Suns made a lineup change on Saturday and Jared Dudley responded to the start at SG with 20 points and a fat stat line in his return to the first unit. With four games, I say roll with him. Steve Nash suffered a thigh contusion courtesy of Marc Gasol’s knee and will be a game-time decision for Monday. If I owned him, I’d probably roll him out there, as they play the Mavs, which is Nash’s former team. We should have a Nash update before lineup deadlines on Monday. |
