With another fantasy basketball season nearly in the books, smart fantasy owners have re-learned the lesson we learn each year – most owners prefer name value and scoring over anything else and it’s up to us to show them the error of their way. Shooting is nice but it’s only one of at least nine categories. Fantasy playoff runs are built on those other eight categories. Let’s take a look at some guys who can help you with a lot more than points and a few guys you can rid yourself of to make room for them.
Buy:
Reggie Evans: Strong Buy. I’ve had a long running love affair with Evans and I simply don’t understand how he’s available in 70 percent of leagues. It’s probably because fantasy owners are perpetually in love with scorers, dismissing guys that purely dominate other stat categories. Evans has put up double-digit rebounds in all but one of his last 13 games with 16+ rebounds in six of those games. He’s also put up 20+ rebounds in four of those games. He’ll occasionally score some points, he had 22 on Wednesday, but he’s pulling down boards at a monstrous rate and can single-handedly win you that category week to week.
Tobias Harris: Strong Buy. Harris is another guy I’ve been harping about since he moved to the Magic. He has scored double-digits in eight of his last nine and 14 of his last 17. Over his last nine, Harris is averaging 38 MPG, 16 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.1 3PPG, and 1.7 BPG and is a great late-season pick up in any league.
Jerryd Bayless: Solid Buy. Bayless has scored double-digits in eight straight games and has earned nearly 20 shot attempts per game for his efforts. Over his last seven games, he is averaging 19.9 PPG and 2.4 3PPG with a couple of rebounds and assists here and there. If your team needs a shooting boost, he’s definitely got the hot hand.
Maurice Harkless: Strong Buy. This is another guy who’s underrated because he doesn’t always score much (although he’s been scoring more of late) but he is the Reggie Evans of steals right now. Over his last eight, he is averaging 37 MPG, 14.8 PPG, 2.8 SPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and 1.4 3PPG so he can give you a nice boost in quite a few categories.
Kyle O’Quinn: Solid Buy. With Kevin Garnett out another two weeks, Kyle O’Quinn is going to continue to start and get KG’s minutes and opportunities. Over his last four games, O’Quinn is averaging 29 MPG, 14.5 PPG, 10 RPG, and shooting 64 percent from the floor and can be a big help to fantasy teams reeling from injuries.
Brandon Bass: Solid Buy. Bass is also seeing some extra opportunities with Garnett sidelined. Over his last five he is averaging 32 MPG, 13.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.2 BPG while shooting 58 percent. He’s a deeper option but an option nonetheless.
Wes Johnson: Solid Buy. Johnson has suddenly emerged in the ever-evolving Suns rotation and is providing some serious production. He has scored double-digits in four of his last five and is averaging 35 MPG, 16.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.8 SPG, and 2.4 3PPG and can give your team a nice three-point boost. Watch out for that 38 percent shooting though.
Sell:
Manu Ginobli: Ginobli has been one of the most overrated guys in fantasy all year but he’s really just stinking it up of late. He’s scored double-digits just twice in his last seven games and is averaging 8.7 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 2.6 RPG while shooting a miserable 29 percent from the floor. Just dump him and pick up one of the guards I mentioned above.
Evan Turner: Turner has been inconsistent all year but he’s really hit a cold spell in the worst possible time. Over his last six he is averaging just 8.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 3.7 RPG. He’s shooting a decent 43 percent but is no longer getting the scoring opportunities he used to and isn’t producing in any other category.
Ed Davis: Davis was a short term pickup to take over during Marc Gasol‘s recovery but Gasol is already back and Davis isn’t just back to irrelevance, he didn’t play for even a second on Wednesday getting the dreaded DNP-CD. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about how the Grizzlies feel about him with Gasol and Randolph both playing.
Byron Mullens: Just a week after I sung his praises, this guy went and Robin Lopez-ed me and is back to being useless. Mullens has scored a whole seven points in his last three games on 17 percent shooting. Yep, 17 percent. He’s also added a whole eight rebounds over those three. Yep, a whole eight. He’s back to playing minimal minutes, as he should be, so disregard any past postings in which some Jerk writer may have pontificated about a possible Mullens comeback.
Andrei Kirilenko: Kirilenko is a very frustrating player to own, between injuries and horrible inconsistency. He just hasn’t been the same since returning from his last injury, averaging just 24 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 0.9 SPG over his last seven. Might as well just cut him loose this late into the season.
