Fantasy Corner – Basketball
January 31, 2014
Who’s Hot
D.J. Augustin, PG (CHI): Augustin has been the high-scorer that the Bulls have been looking for after Luol Deng’s trade. He is second in the NBA in three-pointers over the past 15 days, including 16 in the past four games. He also dished out nearly six assists per game over that span.
Markieff Morris, PF (PHO): The Suns, one of the biggest surprises this season, have had contributions from almost all of their players. Morris is one example, scoring at least 13 points in seven straight games. He tends to be a streaky player, so add him to your team while he’s hot.
Al Jefferson, C (CHA): Jefferson has been on a tear lately after a slow start to the season plagued by multiple injuries. With 20+ points in nine straight games and double digit rebounds in five of his last six games, Jefferson is a viable starter in every league format.
DeAndre Jordan, C (LAC): Although he may be best known for his dunking abilities, Jordan leads the NBA in both rebounds per game (13.9) and FG percentage (.645). Jordan hasn’t shot under 50 percent since Jan. 4 and has grabbed double digit rebounds in every game since Dec. 11.
Who’s Not
Jeremy Lin, PG (HOU): Lin has struggled mightily in January, as Dwight Howard, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, and Terrence Jones all outperformed him. With a max of only 13 points, five assists, and two rebounds in a game since Jan. 15, Patrick Beverley’s return has clearly affected Lin.
Ersan Ilyasova, SF/PF (MIL): A streaky player for the last-place Milwaukee Bucks, Ilyasova is only a one-dimensional player. He is shooting less than 38 percent from the field this season and does little to contribute much in assists (1.3), steals (1.0), or blocks (0.1).
Terrence Ross, SG/SF (TOR): Everyone jumped on the Ross bandwagon after his 51-point effort against the Clippers, but here are his point totals from four of the other past five games: 10, 10, three, one. Ross is not the focal point of this offense, and the Jan. 25 performance should be an outlier.
Zach Randolph, PF (MEM): Randolph has played consistently, but he has hit more than half his shots only once in his past 10 games. Throw in the fact that he hasn’t recorded a single steal in January, and it may be time to start playing the match-ups and leaving Randolph on the bench some nights.