Bynum to miss 8 weeks with injury

Bad news for all Andrew Bynum owners - he suffered an injured left knee in last night's game against the Grizzlies. He suffered a subluxation of his left kneecap and a bone bruise...for those of you who don't know,

"A subluxation occurs when the kneecap is pulled toward the outside of the knee".

Ouch! The good news is he won't need surgery; the bad news is he's expected to be out about 8 weeks, which places his return in the middle of March - with only about a month left in the season.

Fantasy impact - Well, it obviously hurts all Bynum owners out there. He began the season as an unproven, talented enigma...and he's emerged as one of the best up-and-coming centers in the league this season, and a very pleasant surprise. In January he was averaging over 17 PPG, more than 12 Reb, 2.7 Ast, 2.3 Blk, and shooting an insane 70% from the field & 74% from the line...good stuff.

In the short term, the Lakers will now likely start Kwame Brown again at center, not someone I'd recommend you go out and grab off the waiver wire. Chris Mihm would be a good option if he were healthy, but as it stands, he'll probably be out for at least another few weeks (and will be rusty when he returns).

If the Lakers want to go smaller & more athletic, they also have the option of putting Ronny Turiaf at center, a high energy guy who I like. In 10 starts this season, Turiaf has averaged 9.6 PPG, 4.8 Reb, 1.8 Ast, 1.5 Blk, while shooting 56% from the field & 77% from the line (in only 25 minutes / game). Solid numbers given the minutes played. If he finds his way into the starting lineup, he'd be someone I'd certainly consider in deeper leagues. Monitor his playing time, because he might even get a majority share of the time at center, even if he's not in the starting lineup.

Looking outside the Lakers lineup for center help, Darko Milicic might be available in some leagues. He's had a disappointing season so far, but he'll certainly provide some blocks, while having the potential to put up solid point & rebound numbers. I see his worst case scenario @ 5 PPG, 5 Reb, 1.3 Blk; while his best case scenario is somewhere around 13 PPG, 9 Reb, 2.5 Blk. Don't forget, in 7 November games this season, he put up averages of 11 PPG, 8 Reb, and 2 Blk...so the potential is there.

UPDATE (1/15) - In the first game PB (Post-Bynum), the players discussed above put up the following lines:

Kwame Brown - 38 Min, 10 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 PF
Ronny Turiaf - 18 Min, 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Blk, 8-9 FT, 6 PF

This doesn't change anything mentioned above, but I'd like to see what Turiaf can do if he stays out of foul trouble & plays 30 or so minutes per game. Energy & upside, a good combination...

ESPN's NBA Daily Leaders (and 24 Season 7 vent)

Just wanted to supply a link to a good place to check out daily NBA top performers. ESPN has daily stat leaders for all major sports, but you can check out the NBA daily leader page here. If someone played even one minute of a game, they'll be listed here & ranked by efficiency (although you can sort by any category you'd like).

It's updated during the night while games are in progress, so if you get bored while watching American Idol or Extreme Makeover, check it out.

On a side note, I'm getting really pissed off with this Writer's Guild of America strike. I mean, it's one thing to not get new episodes of Two and a Half Men, but I can't stand the fact that the new season of 24 has been put on hold indefinitely...The season premiere of season 7 was originally supposed to happen last night (January 13th), but with this strike still ongoing, who knows when it will start.

On the bright side, I still have a few older seasons to watch on DVD to keep me occupied until the new season starts.

You can check out the trailer for season 7 below:



Until next time...

Top Fantasy Basketball Contributors in the last month - continued...

Here is the continuation of the top 25 fantasy basketball contributors in the past 30 days. I now bring you number 15 through number 6:

15 - Kevin Garnett (SF, PF), Bos - Key stats over the last 30 days - .555 FG%, .758 FT%, 19.4 PPG, 9.0 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 1.3 Blk
Garnett's production has been down some in recent months, as he's playing lower minutes / game than earlier in his career, but he's still a beast.

14 - Baron Davis (PG), GS - Key stats over the last 30 days - 2.4 3PTM, 20.5 PPG, 3.8 Reb, 8.1 Ast, 2.0 Stl
He's been good this year, although his shooting % has come down a bit recently...but he continues to shoot away.

13 - Yao Ming (C), Hou - Key stats over the last 30 days - .489 FG%, .861 FT%, 22.4 PPG, 10.7 Reb, 2.9 Ast, 2.4 Blk, 3.6 TO
Mr. Consistency...or 先生一致性

12 - LeBron James (SF), Cle - Key stats over the last 30 days - .705%, 1.1 3PTM, 28.3 PPG, 8.2 Reb, 6.9 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 0.7 Blk, 3.4 TO
LeBron is always going to be one of the top players in the fantasy game - his blocks are down a bit in the last month from his earlier season production, and if only he could get that FT% up...

11 - Gerald Wallace (SF, PF), Cha - Key stats over the last 30 days - .766 FT%, 1.4 3PTM, 23.4 PPG, 7.2 Reb, 4.8 Ast, 2.3 Stl, 1.0 Blk, 3.7 TO
A traditionally slow starter to the season, Wallace has been awesome in the last month. He provides help across the board, with TO's being his one weak point. I'd still like to see him bump his block total a bit, but he's a huge asset to any fantasy team, just keep your fingers crossed that he stays healthy the rest of the year.

10 - Andrew Bynum (C), LAL - Key stats over the last 30 days - .703 FG%!, .705 FT%, 16.9 PPG, 10.9 Reb, 2.1 Ast, 2.4 Blk, 1.6 TO
The biggest surprise on this list...the young stud has arrived! That FG% alone is a huge help to any team, but when you include the points, rebounds, and blocks, coupled with low turnover totals, you have a blossoming star. Kobe's got to be loving it...speaking of Kobe...

9 - Kobe Bryant (SG), LAL - Key stats over the last 30 days - .421 FG%, .869 FT%, 1.9 3PTM, 25.9 PPG, 5.8 Reb, 5.2 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 3.4 TO
Kobe's scoring is down some this season, but he's still one of the top scorers in the league, and he'll help you across all other categories. His shooting hasn't been great recently, but he'll come around.

8 - Jason Richardson (SG, SF), Cha - Key stats over the last 30 days - .478 FG%, .753 FT%, 3.1 3PTM, 24.4 PPG, 5.2 Reb, 3.6 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 0.8 Blk, 2.1 TO
Richardson is finally starting to look comfortable in his new environment. His shooting, both from the field & the line, is up in the last month. He's hitting a ton of 3's (tops in the league per game in the last 30 days), and his contributions in other areas are pleasant as well. It looks like he's found a home, and I expect a continued strong season from Richardson, although I'd expect his %'s to come down a little bit from where they've been recently (but not so much to harm most fantasy teams).

7 - Dirk Nowitzki (PF), Dal - Key stats over the last 30 days - .485 FG%, .899 FT%, 1.1 3PTM, 23.4 PPG, 8.8 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 0.9 Stl, 1.0 Blk
Dirk is just being Dirk...and that is good.

6 - Amare Stoudemire (C), Pho - Key stats over the last 30 days - .596 FG%, .724 FT%, 24.4 PPG, 10.2 Reb, 2.6 Blk
Amare continues to be a top tier center; expect this type of production to continue.

The top 5 is on the way...

Top Fantasy Basketball Contributors in the last month

Today, I'm going to take a look at some of the top fantasy basketball contributors in the past month (using averages, not totals). This is using a standard 9 category structure, meaning turnovers are included.

I'm going to break it up in three posts, just for your convenience.

And without further adieu, in inverse order (25 - 16):

25 - Pau Gasol (PF, C), Mem - Key stats over the last 30 days - .500 FG%, .795% FT%, 21.9 PPG, 9.5 Reb, 1.4 Blk

24 - Chris Kaman (C), LAC - Key stats over the last 30 days - .451 FG%, .691 FT%, 16.9 PPG, 13.8 Reb, 3.3 Blk
Kaman has continued to be very production in his surprising breakout fantasy season. Teams are starting to recognize that the Clippers lack a supporting cast down low, and have been doubling up Kaman more as the season has progressed. This has led to a slightly lower FG% and some poor shooting games as he presses some, but he's still been very productive. I'm a little disappointed in his recent FT%, but he's been a solid free throw shooter during the past few seasons, so I really wouldn't worry.

Of note is his increased block per game totals during the year, as his monthly average was 2.5 in Nov, 3.3 in Dec, and 3.8 thus far in Jan. Over the past month, he's second in blocks / game, only trailing Marcus Camby...this is especially impressive considering his previous season high average was 1.6 (last season). He has increased his blocks per game average every season since he's entered the league, so I don't see his performance as a fluke, although I'm not sure I'd expect him to finish the season averaging over 3 per game; 2.5 seems like a solid expectation.

I expect him to remain production as the year goes on, but it's unknown how much Elton Brand's return will affect Kaman later this year or next season (if you're looking at him as a potential keeper).

23 - Hedo Turkoglu (SG, SF), Orl - Key stats over the last 30 days - .908 FT%, 2.1 3PTM, 20.0 PPG, 5.9 Reb, 4.3 Ast, 1.3 Stl
Hedo has been helping teams nearly across the board this season. He's only been weak in blocks & turnovers (which have increased a bit throughout the season). If you've got him on your roster, keep playing him & enjoy the excellent production from a player who was taken 115th on average in Yahoo drafts.

22 - Rasheed Wallace (PF, C), Det - Key stats over the last 30 days - 1.4 3PTM, 11.6 PPG, 7.7 Reb, 1.5 Stl, 1.9 Blk
One of only 14 players averaging more than 1 steal & 1 block per game this season.

21 - Josh Smith (SG, SF, PF), Atl - Key stats over the last 30 days - .497 FG%, 19.7 PPG, 8.1 Reb, 3.0 Ast, 1.7 Stl, 2.5 Blk, 2.9 TO
Josh Smith has been an up-and-coming fantasy star for the last few seasons, dating back to the second half of 2005. He has been giving owners the type of contributions that Andrei Kirlienko provided a few years ago. He's been improving in recent months shooting the ball (or more specifically, he's been taking better shots), and his scoring has increased as well. Even though
Joe Johnson is still the number one option on the Hawks, he's been struggling with his shot much of this season, and Smith has stepped up to be a solid #2 option.

But even though Smith's offensive game has continued to improve, it's on the defensive end where his value really shines. He's averaging about 5 total blocks + steals / game, which is incredible production. He uses his athleticism & incredible leaping ability to provide great block totals, and he's shown improved anticipation (while using his long arms) to up his steal totals. And the fact that he grabs 8 + rebounds & gets a few assists / game is only frosting on the cake.

In summary, he's taken the next step this season towards fantasy superstardom...He's still young, so I see no reason he shouldn't continue to get better, especially if he puts in the necessary work on his jump shot. If you have him, congrats on grabbing a top 20 talent & enjoy his contributions as the year progresses.

20 - Jose Calderon (PG), Tor - Key stats over the last 30 days - .507 FG%, .897 FT%, 1.1 3PTM, 14.3 PPG, 4.2 Reb, 9.5 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 1.5 TO
Calderon has been incredibly consistent & solid again this season. He has always produced in his career when placed in a starting role, and this year has been no different. With TJ Ford's injuries, Calderon has stepped up & been a top 10 PG this year.

Keys that make Calderon a great member of your fantasy team - He has excellent %'s across the board, he hands out plenty of assists, and his incredible assist / turnover ratio, which stands at 6.33 for the past month. He's first in this ratio in the NBA this season, averaging almost two more assists per turnover than the next best (Brevin Knight & Chris Paul). Even if / when Ford returns, Calderon is a must keep, and he'll likely be a full time starter next season, either in Toronto or another team (I like the thought of him in the Cavs backcourt next season).

19 - Dwane Wade (PG, SG), Mia - Key stats over the last 30 days - 26.8 PPG, 4.3 Reb, 7.5 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 0.9 Blk, 4.4 TO (ouch!)
Following last season's shoulder injury, Wade has come back strong, although his high turnover totals really hurt his ranking.

18 - Mo Williams (PG), Mil - Key stats over the last 30 days - .478 FG%, .889 FT%, 1.5 3PTM, 19.9 PPG, 3.5 Reb, 6.3 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 2.0 TO
Williams has continued to improve as the season has progressed. His scoring average has increased from 15.0 PPG in November, to 20.9 PPG so far this month. Barring injury, I expect him to continue his strong season.

17 - Grant Hill (SG, SF), Pho - Key stats over the last 30 days - .545 FG%, .887 FT%, 16.6 PPG, 4.8 Reb, 3.4 Ast, 0.8 Stl, 1.5 Blk
Hill's currently recovering after an appendectomy, but he's fit right into the Phoenix offense. He doesn't hurt you anywhere, and he's even hit a few more 3's this season than in season's past. I would plug him right back into my lineup after he returns (expected around the end of the month).

16 - Chauncey Billups (PG), Det - Key stats over the last 30 days - .895 FT%, 1.9 3PTM, 17.2 PPG, 2.7 Reb, 6.3 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 2.0 TO
A consistent, steady producer.

Up next, 15 - 6...stay tuned.

I'm back!

Wow, it's been a long time. Well, let's review what has happened since I last posted:

-Standard fantasy football seasons have ended. I ended up winning my two H2H leagues, and finishing 3rd in a 10 team roto keeper league (in my first year playing roto fantasy football). I'll have season reviews & lessons learned soon.

-Fantasy basketball season is nearly half over. I'm currently in three leagues, and I stand tied for last (!) in a 10 team keeper roto league, 6th in a 12 team H2H keeper league, and 4th in a 8 team H2H league. I'll soon be discussing the season thus far, along with some keys to success.

-Fantasy baseball season is just around the corner! Wow, does time fly. I'll start talking position ranks soon, along with supplying updates on my drafts & the overvalued and undervalued players at this stage in the year.

-It's already 2008!

-I impregnated my wife & we're expecting our first child!

I'll be posting some updates soon, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading (although I think my dog may be the only regular reader of the site, but if there is anyone else out there, thanks!)...

Fantasy Football Roster Analysis - Fantasy Gameday Keeper (Points League)

Recently, I took part in my first fantasy football draft of the season. This is a points league, set up by Kelly from Fantasygameday.net. This will be the first non-head to head football league I've been a part of, and I'm looking forward to an interesting season. This will also be a keeper league, where we'll be holding on to 3 players at the end of the season. The setup is as follows:

QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
WR
TE
K
DEF
6 Bench spots

This draft went like most fantasy drafts I've taken part in - I got a few guys that I thought would be gone by the time I drafted them, I reached for a few others, and I had a few of those Doh! moments where I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a guy when the team ahead of me picked him away from under my nose (Stupid Flanders!).

Below is my draft with some quasi-analysis....although I'm bound to be biased, since this is my team.

Round (Overall Pick) Player, Position:
1 (8) Willie Parker, RB
Even given the keeper league setup, I was hoping Shaun Alexander would fall to me at pick 8 (he ended up going at 7). I know, I know, he's already peaked & he's going to end up sharing caries with Maurice Morris at some point in the not too distant future...but I just have a good feeling about Shaun this season.

OK, on to my Parker analysis - he was the best player on the board. The picks immediately after Parker were Bush, Maroney, & Westbrook; I think Parker is absolutely in a different league than those guys (right now from a fantasy perspective). He's proven he can put up excellent numbers, and I don't see any reason why he won't have another great year.

Picks around this selection - (6) F Gore, (7) S Alexander, (8) PARKER, (9) R Bush, (10) L Maroney

2 (13) Rudi Johnson, RB
It seems like I end up with Johnson on at least one team every year. It's not that I don't like his solid performance, but I am always looking for a reason to take somebody else. I did consider the fact that Kenny Irons is injured & is out for the season (he was drafted in the 3rd round to take a few carries & allow Johnson to get some rest) when making this selection.

To be honest, I was ready to select Chad Johnson with this pick (who went 3 picks later)...until I read a blurb saying he punched a teammate at practice. I've already owned Randy Moss & TO over the last few years, so that was enough to scare me off. That and the fact that you need two top running backs to effectively compete in most football leagues. There was nothing wrong with this pick, and he should have another solid season.

Picks around this selection - (11) B Westbrook, (12) C Palmer, (13) R JOHNSON, (14) T Henry, (15) S Smith

3 (28) Roy Williams, WR
Man, that wait from pick 13 to pick 28 felt like a few weeks. I saw top players keep dropping off the board, all while trying to determine what to do with my next pick. I'm normally a fan of waiting a little while for my starting QB, so that left backup RB (not important yet, unless a top player dropped), a #1 WR (very important), or a TE (Gates). I guess I also considered for a moment taking a DEF or K here also, but then I thankfully gained my sanity back (which doesn't happen very often).

I felt good about getting R Williams as my #1 receiver. I was really targeting Larry Fitzgerald, but he went one pick ahead of me (damn you Headbangers!). At this point, I ended up taking the 8th receiver off the board, following:

2 (15) S Smith
2 (16) C Johnson
2 (19) M Harrison
3 (21) T Holt
3 (22) T Owens
3 (23) R Wayne
3 (27) L Fitzgerald

Williams should catch his fair share of touchdowns this year from Kitna, and should be a lock for 1,000 yards +. All that & he's young with plenty of upside...especially since Calvin Johnson is now around to help draw some of the defense's attention away from Williams. Overall, I'm happy with this pick.

Picks around this selection - (26) D Brees, (27) L Fitzgerald, (28) R WILLIAMS, (29) C Benson, (30) M Bulger

4 (33) Antonio Gates, TE
I typically follow the same strategy for picking TE's that I use for QB's - don't reach & pick one early. I didn't follow this strategy in a baseball league with Joe Mauer this year (let's assume catcher in baseball = TE or QB in football) & it's killing me in this league (since I passed up Hanley Ramirez for Mauer)...although I also went against that strategy in another league & I've been quite happy with Victor Martinez's production in 2007...whatever. You usually don't get good bang for the buck when picking the top player at a weak position early in the draft.

That being said, I still picked him...and here is why. San Diego has a young, still mostly unproven WR core; meaning Gates will be turned to often, especially in the red zone (although I'll talk about Vincent Jackson in a few). Phillip Rivers is a young & improving QB, who will likely only rely on Gates more as they continue to build a rapport with one another. In addition, I was basically pissed that the player I was targeting (Marcus Colston) was taken one pick ahead my mine (for the second time in the draft - damn you The Wounded Healers!).

Once again, I was happy with this pick; as Gates should put up #1 WR type numbers across the board, even though he's a TE...not bad.

Picks around this selection - (31) A Johnson, (32) M Colston, (33) A GATES, (34) T Houshmandzadeh, (35) J Walker

5 (48) Brandon Jacobs, RB
Here is where I started to take some chances. Not that Jacobs can't be a fantasy beast this season; last year, in limited carries, he proved he can be a TD machine. But what impresses me more about Jacobs is his surprising speed, elusiveness, and soft hands & reception ability. I'm a little nervous with R Droughns waiting in the wings (and potentially sharing carries), but Jacobs has the potential to put up #1 RB-type numbers this year. In addition, he's still young...so he has immense upside as a potential keeper. He gives me the luxury of having 3 potential starting RB in a league that only starts 2 (with no flex positions).

In the 5th round, many of the second tier / unproven backs went off the board, so now was the time to pull the trigger on Jacobs. In this round, the following backs were selected:

A Peterson (Minn one)
C Williams
M Lynch
B Jacobs

This gives my team some flexibility, and I'm hoping he busts out big time, like some fantasy experts expect.

Picks around this selection - (46) Cal Johnson, (47) M Lynch, (48) B JACOBS, (49) L Coles, (50) D Jackson

6 (53) Braylon Edwards, WR
I decided to go with a guy from my home town team, the Cleveland Browns, to occupy my #2 WR position (which is up for debate, as you'll see later in my draft). I think Edwards will approach, if not exceed 1,000+ yards, score 7 - 10 TD, and be 'the man' for Charlie Frye, Brady Quinn, Bernie Kosar, or whomever is running the Browns offense. At times last year, Frye & Edwards seemed to start building a poor man's version of that Peyton Manning - Marvin Harrison thing...where the WR just knew where he needed to be to make the play; and the QB knew where the WR was going & delivered the ball...you know...

OK, that didn't quite transpire last year, but Edwards & Frye did seem comfortable & occasionally got into a good groove. Edwards even stuck up for Frye after the Browns drafted Brady Quinn in April. Any way you look at it, Edwards has enormous upside, runs good routes, and knows how to get into the end zone. I may have reached a bit with this pick (his average draft position (ADP) in Yahoo drafts is 59), but I'm confident that he'll be a solid fantasy contributor this year (or maybe I only believe that because I bleed orange & brown?).

Picks around this selection - (51) S Moss, (52) D Branch, (53) B EDWARDS, (54) M Barber III, (55) T Jones

I'll take a look at picks 7-15 in an upcoming post. Hopefully I ended up drafting a QB during that time...