Week 5 Fantasy Basketball Planner

Week 1 (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)

Teams playing four games: Dallas, Denver, L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Utah, Washington
Teams playing two games: Chicago, New Orleans

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics: Who would have thought this day would come, Celtics C Kendrick Perkins (10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks) is averaging similar numbers to Kevin Garnett (13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.9 blocks).
New Jersey Nets: There will be a shake up in the Nets back court with Devin Harris returning, initially off the bench. Rafer Alston could remain in starting lineup if Nets choose to keep Harris off the bench or start him at shooting guard. Harris will get his, but who gets affected out of Alston, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams remains to be seen. Take a cautious approach there. Lee is dealing with a groin issue, but should be fine for Week 5.
New York Knicks: Eddy Curry is back and all signs point to the Knicks wanting to give him minutes. It could take another week or two to get his conditioning, but he's certainly going to be of value if he gets any real run in Mike D'Antoni's offense. The Knicks choosing to stay away from Allen Iverson equals great news for Toney Douglas, who has emerged as a solid play early on. He had a bad game against the Pacers this week, but he was under the weather. He's a good low-end starter in a four-game week. Larry Hughes will retain some viability in larger leagues for the time being and is a decent play due to a four-game slate. Nate Robinson isn't producing just yet, but he is certainly worth your patience. Just look back at his game logs from last season.
Philadelphia 76ers: With Marreese Speights out until 2010, Elton Brand is finally starting to come around. It's now or never for him. He's a great play in a four-game week. Thaddeus Young should also benefit. Rodney Carney, who is dealing with a minor wrist issue, saw good minutes this week and is a sleeper for deep formats. Keep an eye on him.
Toronto Raptors: Rookie DeMar DeRozan is holding on to the starting shooting guard job by a thread, but Marco Belinelli is becoming the De facto starter in any case. He is on a roll and makes for a good sleeper play in a four-game week.

Central Division

Chicago Bulls: The Bulls have arguably the worst schedule in Week 5 with just two games that includes a game against the team allowing the fewest points per game (Portland, 87.5 points). In cumulative leagues, you are going to want to consider reserving even your high-end Bulls (Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng). Rose is being slowed by the ankle injury he sustained in the preseason and that's the reason he isn't putting up the numbers he did a year ago. Consider reserving him if you've got alternatives who are hot and have better matchups this week.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James hurt his wrist on a dunk this past Wednesday, but don't worry. He isn't going to miss any time and will remain glued to your starting lineup. You will have to monitor Shaquille O'Neal's shoulder issue over the weekend and it does appear he'll be an injury risk for Week 5. His status directly impacts players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao, but also J.J. Hickson, who has emerged as a quality No. 4 forward. The Cavs don't have very favorable matchups this week with three top-10 defenses, so keep that in mind for everyone not named LeBron James or Mo Williams.
Detroit Pistons: There is no timetable for Tayshaun Prince (back) and he is not a player you should be counting on at this stage. Even prior to the injury, his numbers have been down. Jonas Jerebko has been starting in his place, but has been unimpressive. Richard Hamilton could return mid-week, but is not someone we recommend activating in a weekly format. Will Bynum could see a negative impact upon his return and is a risky play this week as a result of that and the team's limited three-game slate.
Indiana Pacers: If Troy Murphy (back) does not suffer any setbacks over the weekend, the Pacers can get back to some form of normality. It should be Murphy and Roy Hibbert up front, T.J. Ford and Dahntay Jones in the back court and Danny Granger at small forward. Brandon Rush will return to the bench. Rush returns to being an unreliable Fantasy option at least while Jones remains so productive. Ford continues to struggle and is a player to consider reserving, but he is worth your patience.
Milwaukee Bucks: With Andrew Bogut out for the next 2-4 weeks, the Bucks will have to split time at center between Dan Gadzuric and Kurt Thomas. Neither makes for a very attractive Fantasy option despite a boost in minutes. The most direct Fantasy boost will likely go to Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick. Warrick would appear to have the better upside, but Ilyasova has been playing better of late. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute should also continue his recent strong play as a result and all three are very good sleepers in a four-game week.

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks: Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby continue to cut into each other's Fantasy output. Neither player has been able to get on any kind of an extended run. Crawford is not producing many assists off the bench and Bibby is rarely getting double-digit shot attempts.
Charlotte Bobcats: Stephen Jackson has stepped into the go-to scorer role in Charlotte and his numbers don't appear to be in any danger of suffering despite a slower pace than he was accustomed to in Golden State. The rest of the Bobcats still stink on offense, however, and players like Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton are having trouble even cracking double figures on a consistent basis. Wallace and Diaw can do enough across the board to make up for their lack of scoring, but Felton could be a player to consider reserving in a cumulative league.
Miami Heat: Miami will have a very unfavorable schedule this week with just three games against teams that allow under 100 points per game. Outside of Dwyane Wade, no player is starting in even 70 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. It's a week to consider reserving Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal. Mario Chalmers and Quentin Richardson should be reserved. Udonis Haslem is dealing with a shoulder issue that could keep him out over the weekend. With the injury and the poor matchups, consider other options where possible.
Orlando Magic: A knee injury to Jameer Nelson has left the Magic without their starting point guard again. Last year, the team reacted by trading for Rafer Alston. This year, the interim solution appears to be Jason Williams. Williams is going to get minutes, but his appeal is still very limited. He attempted just four shots in his first game replacing Nelson and outside of being a cheap source for assists, his appeal is very limited -- even in the team's upcoming four-game week. The return of Rashard Lewis from his suspension has made Brandon Bass obsolete, but Mickael Pietrus and Ryan Anderson have retained much of their appeal at least for now.
Washington Wizards: The Wizards play three games in the upcoming scoring period, two against top-five defensive teams. Antawn Jamison has proven healthy in his first week back from his shoulder injury and the team's Big Three is back intact. Outside of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Jamison, however we recommend sitting your Wizards this week.

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks: Josh Howard (ankle) remains out without a timetable, but reports out of Dallas have him out until at least late December. Don't expect him back in Week 5, that's for sure. Shawn Marion (ankle) says he plans on playing Tuesday against Golden State and should be a safe play with a four-game slate. Erick Dampier (illness) is also out indefinitely and Fantasy owners should not rely on him in Week 5 unless he is fully cleared to play before lineup deadlines on Monday. In his absence Drew Gooden has stepped up tremendously and has put up high-end numbers in scoring and rebounding. He was seeing limited time off the bench prior to Dampier's absence, but the Mavs could be forced to play him more considering his recent play. The Mavs have a very favorable four-game slate and Gooden is worth starting even with the possibility of Dampier's return.
Houston Rockets: The Rockets have an unfavorable three-game slate in Week 5 that includes three games against teams that allow under 100 points. Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks remain good starts, but be careful starting fringe options like Carl Landry, Shane Battier or Kyle Lowry this week.
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies have a favorable four-game slate with three games against teams that allow 100 points or more per game. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol are must starts. Mike Conley Jr. continues to be a frustrating Fantasy option, but if you need to take a chance on a one-week injury replacement his matchups could lead to a somewhat fruitful week. Jamaal Tinsley was added this past week and while he could become a Fantasy option in the long term, it is clear he still has conditioning issues and has to get comfortable in Memphis.
New Orleans Hornets: Without Chris Paul, the Hornets have turned to several players in their back court to fill the void. Darren Collison is starting at point guard, but Devin and Bobby Brown have also seen spikes in their production. However, as one of just two teams to play only two games this week, you are likely to avoid all Hornets this week outside of average-based play.
San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs back court is banged up as Tony Parker (ankle) and Manu Ginobili (groin) deal with injuries. Parker is considered day to day and will be an injury risk for Week 5, though a four-game slate does ease the burden some. Monitor his progress all the way until lineup deadlines. Ginobili is ruled out through Nov. 23 against Milwaukee, which means he would play at best a three-game slate and is too much of a risk to consider using this week. George Hill is not an advisable play as the return of Parker during the week would make his impact minimal once again.

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have a very favorable four-game slate with good matchups against Minnesota (twice) and New York, teams that allow over 103 points per game. It is a great week to start J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, but we don't recommend Ty Lawson or Chris Andersen. Lawson's production has declined since the return of Smith. Andersen is day to day with a knee injury.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves are coming off a two-game week where most owners in cumulative leagues decided to keep their players reserved. Al Jefferson is obviously once again a must-start in all formats. Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer are decent plays in cumulative formats, though their recent production doesn't inspire much confidence if you are in an average-based league. Quietly, Ramon Sessions has returned to Fantasy prominence and is a solid sleeper this week -- especially in cumulative formats due to the matchups.
Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers have a four-game slate in Week 5 that includes a favorable tilt against Memphis. This is a good week to start Greg Oden and Andre Miller in any format. Rudy Fernandez has stepped up his production some in the absence of Travis Outlaw, who may be lost for the season. Steve Blake has some low-end appeal for deeper cumulative leagues this week as a one-week fill-in, but only of other options are scarce.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A three game slate and not the most attractive of matchups this week make this a week to avoid starting Nenad Krstic, Thabo Sefolosha or James Harden.
Utah Jazz: Mehmet Okur is expected to return from his bout with the flu over the weekend and should be a safe play in Week 5. The Jazz have an unfavorable three-game slate against three top-10 defenses and that could lead to slow weeks from your fringe Jazz players (Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap).

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors: The Warriors lost Raja Bell for an extended amount of time shortly after trading for him in the Stephen Jackson deal as he decided to undergo wrist surgery that could keep him out months. The other part of the deal -- Vladimir Radmanovic -- has been inserted into the starting lineup. His numbers haven't been great and we don't recommend activating him in a three-game week with tough matchups, but he is worth monitoring. The absence of Kelenna Azubuike and the departure of Jackson have turned Corey Maggette into the team's second strongest Fantasy option behind Monta Ellis. Only Ellis and Maggette are strong plays in Week 5. Andris Biedrins is going for an evaluation on his back Monday and there will be a better idea on his return then, but at the moment he is not a recommended play for Week 5 in any format.
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have a top-five schedule this week thanks to a four-game week and good matchups against Minnesota, Indiana and Memphis. Eric Gordon is expecting to return for all four games and is a great play considering the matchups, but be aware he is coming off a lengthy absence due to a groin injury and that makes him a tad risky. Marcus Camby is day to day (as always) with a back issue. He should be a safe play, however. It is a good week to start Al Thornton based on his recent play and the favorable schedule.
Los Angeles Lakers: Pau Gasol is back, finally. But just as he returned, Andrew Bynum tweaked his ankle. He is expected to be fine and should play over the weekend. We have told Fantasy owners to keep a close eye on how the team's production breaks down now that it is at full strength, as it stands to have a negative impact on Ron Artest and Lamar Odom. Odom fared fine in Gasol's first game back and adjusted well to a bench role that he was not too comfortable with early last season. However, that is something that could lead to erratic results and in a three-game slate that includes two games against teams that regularly keep their opponents under 95 points, Odom could be in for a light week. A matchup to wrap things up against Sacramento could help his cause, however, as the Kings allow 104.6 points per game.
Phoenix Suns: Grant Hill's production has lowered compared to his torrid start, but he is still putting up useful numbers. His scoring has dwindled to around 10 points per game over his last four games, but he is still offering around six boards with scattered production across the board. In a three-game week, however, his appeal is limited to a low-end No. 4 forward in cumulative leagues. Leandro Barbosa has not lived up to his potential this season, but he is still dealing with the lingering effects of a wrist injury. Better days are ahead for him. Channing Frye is a quality play due to the scarcity of available centers and he has begun to play better on the road after getting off to a slow start in early road games. The Suns play two of three games on the road in Week 5. Jared Dudley has been good for some solid numbers off the bench recently, but this is not a week to take a chance on him.
Sacramento Kings: The Kings have a favorable four-game slate this week that includes three games against teams that allow over 100 points per game. The Kings are a team that likes to run and score over 102 points per game, so the matchups could lead to some high-scoring affairs all week. With Kevin Martin out, Beno Udrih has stepped up his production as a starter and is worth starting in leagues of 12-plus teams this week thanks to the matchups. Spencer Hawes is a good play despite his struggles.

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