BROWNNOSE
BOOTLICKER
Marcin Gortat is making what's already been a bad year even worse for the Lopez brothers, Robin Lopez in particular.
With his spirited play in the paint, Gortat has found himself in the starting lineup for the Suns and his new role really starting to pay off for fantasy owners. In his first start with Phoenix, Gortat scored 12 points with nine rebounds a steal and a block against the Lakers.
As for Lopez, since Gortat's arrival the once promising big man has seen his minutes decrease. He hasn't played in more than 15 minutes in any of his last five games, despite remaining in the starting lineup. Lopez has failed to hit double figures in scoring, grab at least five rebounds and record a single assist in those five contests. He's also added only a grand total of one steal and one block in that span. Time to drop Lopez in 10- or 12-team leagues.
Bottom line, Gortat needs to be added off the wires. He's looking to solidify his role with the Suns and should remain in the starting lineup, playing at least 30-plus minutes per game for the time being. He's not a high-ceiling guy, but 12 points, 8-9 rebounds, a high FG% and over a block per game is what you can expect. It's good to be out of Dwight Howard's shadow, isn't it?
Ramon Sessions, Cavaliers - With Daniel Gibson (ankle) out for the next five games, Sessions is going to see a huge bump in value. While Manny Harris has been starting, it's Sessions who is the real fantasy player here. Sessions is good for a near nightly double-double off the bench in his expanded role. He also can be counted on for a few steals, but it's worth noting that you're not going to make up for Gibson's 3-point shooting with a Sessions add.
DeAndre Jordan, Clippers - I'm sounding like a broken record here, since Jordan has been a bit of a fantasy obsession of mine since he came into the league. I talked about Jordan's performance in Thursday's post, but it's worth mentioning just how good he's been. His 19 blocks over the last three games are incredible. That's two more blocks, in three games, than LeBron James has all season long. Jordan is a rebounding and shot-blocking machine. And with no return date on Chris Kaman's ankle, I expect we'll see a lot more of Jordan in the near future.
Tony Allen, Grizzlies - Fight! OK, the jokes are getting old. But Allen's fantasy stock certainly isn't getting old. He's, for what it's worth, the best defender on the Grizzlies and the steals numbers are really starting to pile up. Now starting at the two-guard for the Grizzlies, Allen has 17 steals in his last five games. He's also scored in double figures in four of his last five and added a decent amount of rebounds. Forget the fight, the jokes, the cards, etc. Add Allen as a fantasy thief. It will be well worth it in the end.
Leandro Barbosa, Raptors - Barbosa hasn't been getting enough credit for what he's been able to do over the last month. He's scored in double figures in all but three games since December 1, and has hit the 20-point mark in six of those contests. In fact, according to Yahoo! he has been the 65th most valuable fantasy player over the last 30 days, and he's still available in more than half of Yahoo! leagues. With Jerryd Bayless nursing a sore ankle and Jose Calderon always due for a DNP, I would pick up Barbosa where available and take the points, steals and threes.
Shawne Williams, Knicks - Williams is a deep-league add over the next few weeks with Danilo Gallinari out. Williams has nice value for 3-pointers, having at least one in seven straight games. He's played 18 or more minutes in six of his last seven, and in this offense often times minutes can translate into production. He's probably not the best candidate in shallow leagues, but in deeper formats he makes a lot of sense.
With his spirited play in the paint, Gortat has found himself in the starting lineup for the Suns and his new role really starting to pay off for fantasy owners. In his first start with Phoenix, Gortat scored 12 points with nine rebounds a steal and a block against the Lakers.
As for Lopez, since Gortat's arrival the once promising big man has seen his minutes decrease. He hasn't played in more than 15 minutes in any of his last five games, despite remaining in the starting lineup. Lopez has failed to hit double figures in scoring, grab at least five rebounds and record a single assist in those five contests. He's also added only a grand total of one steal and one block in that span. Time to drop Lopez in 10- or 12-team leagues.
Bottom line, Gortat needs to be added off the wires. He's looking to solidify his role with the Suns and should remain in the starting lineup, playing at least 30-plus minutes per game for the time being. He's not a high-ceiling guy, but 12 points, 8-9 rebounds, a high FG% and over a block per game is what you can expect. It's good to be out of Dwight Howard's shadow, isn't it?
Ramon Sessions, Cavaliers - With Daniel Gibson (ankle) out for the next five games, Sessions is going to see a huge bump in value. While Manny Harris has been starting, it's Sessions who is the real fantasy player here. Sessions is good for a near nightly double-double off the bench in his expanded role. He also can be counted on for a few steals, but it's worth noting that you're not going to make up for Gibson's 3-point shooting with a Sessions add.
DeAndre Jordan, Clippers - I'm sounding like a broken record here, since Jordan has been a bit of a fantasy obsession of mine since he came into the league. I talked about Jordan's performance in Thursday's post, but it's worth mentioning just how good he's been. His 19 blocks over the last three games are incredible. That's two more blocks, in three games, than LeBron James has all season long. Jordan is a rebounding and shot-blocking machine. And with no return date on Chris Kaman's ankle, I expect we'll see a lot more of Jordan in the near future.
Tony Allen, Grizzlies - Fight! OK, the jokes are getting old. But Allen's fantasy stock certainly isn't getting old. He's, for what it's worth, the best defender on the Grizzlies and the steals numbers are really starting to pile up. Now starting at the two-guard for the Grizzlies, Allen has 17 steals in his last five games. He's also scored in double figures in four of his last five and added a decent amount of rebounds. Forget the fight, the jokes, the cards, etc. Add Allen as a fantasy thief. It will be well worth it in the end.
Leandro Barbosa, Raptors - Barbosa hasn't been getting enough credit for what he's been able to do over the last month. He's scored in double figures in all but three games since December 1, and has hit the 20-point mark in six of those contests. In fact, according to Yahoo! he has been the 65th most valuable fantasy player over the last 30 days, and he's still available in more than half of Yahoo! leagues. With Jerryd Bayless nursing a sore ankle and Jose Calderon always due for a DNP, I would pick up Barbosa where available and take the points, steals and threes.
Shawne Williams, Knicks - Williams is a deep-league add over the next few weeks with Danilo Gallinari out. Williams has nice value for 3-pointers, having at least one in seven straight games. He's played 18 or more minutes in six of his last seven, and in this offense often times minutes can translate into production. He's probably not the best candidate in shallow leagues, but in deeper formats he makes a lot of sense.