Nov. 1, 2009

Week 2 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em

By Sergio Gonzalez | Fantasy Writer
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Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is our weekly look at players around the NBA we feel could help or hurt your Fantasy squad based upon matchups and other factors. Don't expect to read about why you should start LeBron James or why you should sit Brian Scalabrine. In this space, we will try to help you make the call on players you could be on the fence about while also pointing out some players you may not have thought about sitting, but you should consider doing so.

Start of the Week

Who would have thought that going into the second week of the Fantasy hoops season, Marc Gasol would be a better option than his big brother, Pau?

Well that's exactly the scenario that Fantasy owners are faced with as Pau deals with a lingering hamstring injury that threatens to keep him out for another few games and little brother Marc is in for a week of very favorable matchups. While we are recommending you play it safe with Pau and his hamstring, Marc is our choice for the Start of the Week.

Here's why.

Gasol will play four games in Week 2 (Nov. 2-8) against the Kings, Warriors, Lakers and Clippers. Already off to a red-hot start, Marc will face three of the weaker defensive teams in the NBA and should be able to capitalize with a big week both in scoring and on the boards.

The Kings are a bit of a mess up front. They don't know what to do with Spencer Hawes, their promising young center, and have been starting Sean May. That hasn't led to positive results as Nenad Krstic dropped 20 points and 7 rebounds in the opener and Emeka Okafor put up 11 points and 13 boards against them on Friday.

The Warriors, well, get used to seeing their opponents as recommended starts. Under Don Nelson, they play a very fast-pace style of offense that often neglects defensive responsibilities as a result. Last season, they allowed the most points in the NBA at 112.3 per game and also the most rebounds in the NBA at 47.1 per tilt. Things have not changed early on this season as Luis Scola put up 21 points and 11 rebounds against them in their opener and Channing Frye put up 22 points with 8 boards against them Friday night.

Those two matchups should go a long way toward assuring Gasol has a strong week in Fantasy. But he'll also travel to Los Angeles for two games against teams that have had trouble against opposing starting centers early on. The Clippers have allowed 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds to the first three centers they have faced while the Lakers have allowed an average of 13 points and 13 boards through their first two games.

All signs point to a huge week for Pau's little bro. Make sure you get him active if you have him.

Sit of the Week

Andre Miller feels like he's been tricked. After choosing to sign with the Trail Blazers as a free agent this offseason, he learned that he would be used off the bench behind starter Steve Blake. He has said publicly that had he known he would be used this way, he would have never signed with Portland.

Fantasy owners also feel duped. At least early on.

Miller failed to crack double figures in scoring in his first two games with the Blazers, playing no more than 27 minutes in either game. He will play a three-game slate in Week 2 that includes tilts against strong defensive teams in the Hawks and Spurs.

The Blazers and Miller have a bit of a quandary on their hands. They'll each have to figure out how to adjust to each other. That could eventually lead to Miller getting the starting job, but until that happens Fantasy owners should avoid the headache and look for alternative.

Guards

Start 'Em

Mike Conley (@SAC, @GS, @LAC, @LAL): Much like Marc Gasol, Conley will be in line for a good week thanks to very favorable matchups against weak defensive teams. He had 10 assists in Friday's game against Toronto and with all the scoring and all the scorers the Grizzlies should have in Week 2, expect healthy assist totals all week long. Allen Iverson should join the fray, but Conley will remain the team's primary point guard.

Brandon Jennings (@CHI, @MIN, NY): Sure, Jennings is a rookie and he'll play just three games in Week 2. But two of those games come against very weak defensive teams in the Timberwolves and Knicks. Jennings just missed a triple-double in his first NBA game and Fantasy owners should understand that he's not just an average rookie. He played professional ball in Italy last season and was once rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation out of high school. He's got the starting job locked down and should put up good numbers in Week 2 where the amount of teams with three and four games are evenly split. In average-based play, he's that much stronger of an option.

Sleeper alert: Jonny Flynn (@LAC, BOS, MIL, @POR): We like the rookies early coming out of what should prove to be one of the best draft classes at the guard position in quite some time. There are quite a few NBA ready players and Flynn looks to be one of those players. Activated in less than 50 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, he scored 17 points in his first game and then 18 points in his second against two good defensive teams in the Cavaliers and Nets. We'd like to see more assists out of him, but what he's offering in scoring and steals is enough to activate him.

Sit 'Em

Manu Ginobili (@UTA, @POR): Faced with just two games this week, Ginobili will play two solid West Coast opponents on the road on back-to-back nights. The second of those games will come against a Portland team that allowed the fourth fewest points in the NBA last season and have gotten off to a strong start defensively this season. Ginobili has been getting around 25 minutes per night early on this season and is not going to be pushed much in a back-to-back set. We recommend sitting him this week unless your league awards points for pest control.

Raymond Felton (NJ, ATL, @CHI): Felton had a very strong game against the Knicks (who doesn't?) in Week 1, but otherwise has gotten off to a slow start. He is turning the ball over at a high rate and has had few assists outside of the nine-dime performance against the defensively challenged Knicks. Felton is tough to sit, but the Bobcats have clear offensive issues to work out and Fantasy owners with options should think about sitting him until they are sorted out.

Bust Alert: Jason Kidd (UTA, @NO, TOR): Despite his age, Kidd is still viewed as one of the elite point guards in the NBA. And, provided that he stays healthy, he should remain a strong No. 2 guard in standard Fantasy formats this season. However, this upcoming week presents a big challenge as he'll be matched up against some of the best young point guards in the NBA. He'll face Utah's Deron Williams, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Toronto's Jose Calderon.

Forwards

Start 'Em

Stephen Jackson (MEM, LAC, @SAC): Remember all that nonsense with Jackson heading into the season? Well it looks like it's all behind him -- at least for now. Coach Don Nelson has stayed with him in the starting lineup and it's status quo for Jackson, who had a typical line in the opener: 17 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. The Warriors have favorable matchups this week against teams that play a fast-paced game, which fits right into what the Warriors like to do.

Danilo Gallinari (NO, IND, CLE, @MIL): The Knicks got very little out of Gallinari in his rookie season and it looked like it would be a while before they got anything out of him this year following a slow preseason. But Gallinari has come out of the gates red hot and looks like a Fantasy hero early on. He has made 18 threes in his first three games and has scored 20-plus points in two of those contests, including 30 points against the Sixers Saturday. We pegged him as a sleeper going into the season based on the fact that the Knicks had plans to use him to stretch out opposing offenses, but he's been a lot better than we've anticipated. In Week 2, he will face a four-game week that includes matchups against two weak defensive teams in the Pacers and Bucks.

Sleeper alert: Paul Millsap (HOU, @DAL, SA, SAC): Millsap is a bit of a frustrating Fantasy option early on this season as he'll have to play behind Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur while they are both healthy. We saw once again what he is capable of when he started in place of Okur against the Clippers Friday, scoring 23 points with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Okur should be healthy in Week 2, along with Boozer, but the Jazz have some very favorable matchups. The Rockets are very thin up front and the Mavericks and Kings don't defend bigs very well. Millsap could put up strong numbers even coming off the bench.

Sit 'Em

Charlie Villanueva (ORL, @TOR, @ORL, PHI): Anyone who has ever owned Villanueva in a Fantasy league, dating back to his days in Milwaukee, knows how frustrating an option he can be. He can be great one night and a total dud the next. So far with the Pistons, he has just been mediocre. He is averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks with just over one three pointer per game. There are better weeks ahead for Charlie, but a week that includes two tilts against an Orlando team that plays excellent defense does not give us a lot of confidence that this will be the week.

Boris Diaw (NJ, ATL, @CHI): The Bobcats have gotten off to a horrible offensive start this season and that has trickled down to last year's second-half Fantasy superstar Boris Diaw. He has failed to score more than 7 points in two of his first three games and outside of a 52-minute performance in an overtime game against the Knicks, he has seen no more than seven field-goal attempts in a game. Diaw averaged 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists after being traded to Charlotte last season, but that type of production has not been there early on.

Bust Alert: Thaddeus Young (BOS, NJ, @DET): The Sixers will have just three games this week, including two of the toughest defensive teams in the league against Boston and Detroit. The Celtics have been absolutely stifling early and Young -- outside of an overtime game against the weak Knicks in which his team scored 141 points -- has not been particularly strong in the early going. Elton Brand is starting to get going for Philadelphia, getting stronger with each game and that does not bode well for Young this week.

Centers

Start 'Em

Chris Kaman (MIN, @GS, MEM): The absence of Blake Griffin to begin the season has allowed Kaman to establish himself as the team's low post presence early on. That may change after Griffin returns, but that won't happen until at least mid-December. All three opponents the Clippers will face this week give up 100-plus points with regularity and the game against Golden State should make up for this being just a three-game week.

Andray Blatche (@CLE, MIA, @IND, PHO): For Blatche, it's the absence of Antawn Jamison that has allowed him to play a much bigger role than expected in the early going. He is a huge part of the team's low-post offense, getting 18 shots in one game against the Nets on Saturday when he scored 30 points. He may not averaged 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks like he did in Week 1, but a four-game week that includes matchups against the defensively challenged Pacers and Suns should allow for another strong week.

Sleeper alert: Channing Frye: (@MIA, @ORL, @BOS, @WAS): Frye looks comfortable in the Suns offense early on this season and while Fantasy owners should not expect the 22 points and 8 rebounds he put up against the Warriors from him on a regular basis, the potential is there for him to be a steady No. 2 Fantasy center when facing favorable weeks. A four-game slate in Week 2 is the perfect chance to get him in your lineup in cumulative formats.

Sit 'Em

Greg Oden (ATL, SA, MIN): We like Oden to become a consistent Fantasy option down the road this season, but his lack of an offensive presence early on this season makes him someone to avoid starting in a three-game week that includes a tilt against two strong defensive teams. The rebounding is there and so is the shot blocking, giving us confidence that he'll become a very strong Fantasy center down the line. But he has not taken more than five shots in a game yet and has failed to play 30 minutes in a game.

Brad Miller (MIL, @CLE, CHA): There was some concern last season when Miller was shipped to Chicago that his Fantasy appeal would take a huge hit. That didn't happen as he averaged 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 27 games with the Bulls. He has gotten off to a slow start and has failed to score 10 points in a game or play as much as 25 minutes. A three-game week that includes games against two very strong defensive teams in the Cavs and Bobcats doesn't lead us to believe he'll get going this week.

Bust Alert: Spencer Hawes (MEM, ATL, @UTA): For some reason, the Kings seem set on keeping Hawes off the court despite their lack of an inside presence. He has come off the bench behind Sean May of all people in the first three games and he had just 10 points and 10 rebounds combined over his first two games before breaking out for 22 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday. Be careful, as his role off the bench could lead to a lot of inconsistency and games like Saturday could be the exception and not the rule.

Do you have a Fantasy hoops question for our staff? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyHoops@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Start 'Em and Sit 'Em in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.