GuardsAndre Miller, PG, SG (DEN)--The latest injury to starting point guard Ty Lawson has opened the door for Andre Miller to return to fantasy relevance once again, when most thought he would fade away at the nd of his career. In two games since joining the Nuggets starting lineup, Miller has seen a significant jump in playing time, averaging just over 38 minutes per game racking up 12 and 10 assists respectively in each contest. He has also scored in double-digits in both games while connecting on almost 50 percent of his field goal attempts while leading the Nuggets offensive attack. His spot in the starting lineup may be short-lived, considering Lawson's injury is not considered to be serious, but until he returns expect Miller to be a threat to reach a double-double on a regular basis.Vince Carter, SG, SF (DAL)--After a dismal 2011-12 season, many fantasy players wrote-off Vinsanity, but since joining the starting lineup three games ag he has proven to his doubters he still has something left in the tank. In his last three games, Carter has scored at least 13 points while totaling 17 rebounds and six assists at the team's starting small forward. His three point shooting has been lacking, hitting just four field goal attempts from downtown, but that his likely improve as his minutes begin to level off. The Mavericks have been cautious with Dirk Nowitzki since his return from injury earlier in the month, so that should continue to allow Carter to get regular minutes and stay consistent in terms of fantasy.
Jamaal Tinsley, PG (UTA)--Since joining the starting lineup for the Jazz, Jamaal Tinsley has been a hot commodity in fantasy circles. An opportunity opened for Tinsley when Mo Williams went down with an injury two weeks ago, and he has not looked back, making the best of his recent jump in playing time. In five games as a starter, Tinsley has racked up 27 assists while scoring at least eight points in three of those five games. His most valuable fantasy asset will be in the assist column, but in those five contests he is averaging one steal per game, which puts the icing on the cake. According to the Jazz, Williams will be out until at least early February, so if you are in need of help at the guard position, Tinsley would be a solid addition in most fantasy formats.ForwardsCharlie Villanueva, PF (DET)--As if this advice column didn't have enough throwback players, lets add one more to the list. After falling off the face of the Earth the last few years, Charlie Villanueva has resurfaced and has now strung together a solid run of games and now should be considered in the fantasy game. In his last five games, Villanueva has scored at least nine points per game while averaging over 23 minutes per game, prior to his early exit on Tuesday. There is certainly no rhyme or reason why he has now found playing time, considering there haven't been any roster moves, but it appears to be here to stay. While he may not contribute outside of scoring categories, Villanueva has been hitting from behind the ark at a high level over the last five games. Connecting on 17 three point field goals over that span ranks him near to top of three point shooting categories. So as long as he continues to get the playing time, consider him in all fantasy formats.Hedo Turkoglu, SF, PF (ORL)--The Magic were happy to get Hedo Turkoglu back on the court after missing almost two months of action due to injury. Since returning to action, Turkoglu has given the Magic a spark off the bench in limited duties. Although he has yet to score in double-digits since returning to action, it is only a matter of time before he gets back to the level of play we have grown accustomed to. It is unlikely that we will see him back in the starting lineup this season, considering the direction the team is going, but he should get over 20 minutes of action each game once he gets up to speed, and when that happens, double-digit scoring and help in rebound and assist categories will likely be the outcome.Danny Granger, SF, PF (IND)--There is good news out of Pacers camp on Wednesday in regards to Danny Granger and his knee injury. He has now increased his rehabilitation efforts in hopes to build up more strength in the knee that has kept him off the court for the first two months of the season. Although Granger is slated to return in early February, now is the time to pick him up if he is sitting on the waiver-wire before fellow fantasy players get the word on the most recent news. It is unlikely he will automatically get thrown into the starting lineup, but once he gets him feet under him expect Granger to return to fantasy excellence, contributing in multiple categories.CentersEmeka Okafor, C (WAS)--Quietly, Emeka Okafor has put together a solid season, despite playing on a dismal Wizards team. Averaging 7.7 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, Okafor is a threat to record a double-double on any given night, and can also fill the block column on a regular basis. The Wizards are in a transitional period, choosing to play younger players when ever given the opportunity, but Okafor has managed to stay in the starting lineup playing roughly 25 minutes per game. It would be nice to see Okafor get to the foul line more frequently, considering he has just 10 attempts in his last five games, but even without the attempts, he is still finding ways to score He is available in roughly 50 percent of fantasy leagues throughout the spectrum, so there is a good chance he is available to help out fantasy teams for those in need at the center position.Tyler Zeller, PF, C (CLE)--With the most recent injury to Anderson Varajao, an opportunity for quality playing time as presented itself to Tyler Zeller, and he has not let the chance slip by him. In his last seven games, Zeller has reach double-digits in scores five times, including one double-double and at least seven boards in each contest. There has been no timetable set for Varajao's return, and considering Zeller's recent performances, there is no reason to think he will lose playing time moving forward. He will need to work on limiting his turnovers, racking up 16 turnovers in his last seven games, but that will come with time in his rookie season. Zeller classifies at both the power forward and center positions, so those in need of depth at those areas should consider Zeller short term.
To make setting your Fantasy Basketball lineup easy, be sure to utilize RotoInfo.com’s new NBA Lineup Grids.Matthew Beck is a Fantasy Sports Columnist for Rotoinfo.com. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail him at matthewbeck@rotoinfo.com. Also follow him on Twitter @MatthewRBeck for up-to-date Q&A and fantasy information. And, to make setting your Fantasy Basketball lineup easy, be sure to utilize RotoInfo.com’s new NBA Lineup Grids. Player News
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points (11-of-13 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs), four rebounds, eight assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Aside from Game 4 against Memphis, SGA hasn’t been his typical uber-efficient self during the playoffs so far. Well, that changed in Game 2, which contributed to a dominant win for Oklahoma City. This was his fourth straight 30-point game, and that helped OKC bounce back from a two-point loss in Game 1. He only played 30 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter, but SGA did plenty of damage when he was on the floor. The series will now shift to Denver, and OKC will need to win a road game to retake homecourt advantage in this series. Game 3 will be on Friday.