Each week, Fantasy Basketball Writer Sergio Gonzalez takes a look at situations that Fantasy owners should monitor over the course of the upcoming week. Have a look at the top storylines in Fantasy hoops and how they might affect your team going forward.
How big of an impact will Troy Murphy's return have on Roy Hibbert?
Fantasy owners have gotten a lot out of Roy Hibbert early on this season, but many of his owners are still worried.
And with good reason.
Hibbert is averaging a very respectable 11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks over the first 11 games of the season. However, he's been a much different player when Troy Murphy has been healthy than when he has been hurt. Fantasy owners will want to pay close attention to which Hibbert emerges during the course of Indiana's three-game week.
In the seven games that Hibbert played while Murphy was injured, Hibbert managed to average 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds with excellent block totals that would qualify as a No. 1 center in just about any format. In the four games that Hibbert played with Murphy healthy, he managed just 6.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
One would figure that with the way Hibbert was playing while Murphy was sidelined, he'd be relied upon even when Murphy did return. That hasn't been the case, however.
In the two games since Murphy returned from his back injury, Hibbert has scored a combined 11 points with 6 rebounds. The return of Jeff Foster could also have a negative impact on his overall minutes, which could detract further from his Fantasy value.
Fantasy owners are understandably frustrated when a capable player doesn't get the opportunity to put up the numbers he is capable of (think Paul Millsap in Utah). Fantasy owners will want to monitor this situation during Week 5 to see if that is indeed the case. He is a player to avoid starting in the meantime.
Who benefits while Andrew Bogut is out?
With Andrew Bogut expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to step up in Milwaukee.
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And while it has been Dan Gadzuric getting the starts in Bogut's place, the early returns have Ersan Ilyasova being the player who sees the biggest Fantasy boost.
In the first two games after Bogut has been out, Ilyasova has put up very good scoring and rebounding numbers. On Nov. 21, he scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and 3 assists against Memphis in a sign that he can be trusted as more than just a fringe starter for the next couple of weeks.
Fantasy owners will want to pay very close attention to his production in a four-game week for Ilyasova and the Bucks to see if he will be able to maintain this type of production. If he's still out there on the waiver wire in your league, look to stash him in case he does remain this solid.
But you should also follow the box scores of Milwaukee games this week to see how other potential beneficiaries of Bogut's absence will fare.
Hakim Warrick had 16 points and 8 rebounds against Charlotte on Nov. 20, the first game following Bogut's injury. He followed that up with a weak performance at Memphis, but if he can stay out of foul trouble (he had four fouls in 19 minutes against the Grizzlies) he too could be a useful Fantasy stopgap.
Kurt Thomas may not be able to help Fantasy owners with much scoring, but he could still be of some help in larger leagues as a possible No. 2 center. He had 10 rebounds and 8 points with 3, steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists against Memphis and is readily available in most Fantasy hoops leagues.
What should Fantasy owners do with Nate Robinson?
Nate Robinson has done some off-the-wall things in his career, but he may never have done anything as crazy as when he shot at his own basket Saturday against the Nets as time expired in the first quarter.
But it's the Fantasy owners who are cutting him who may be the craziest.
The shot he took Saturday went in and while it didn't count because time had expired, Robinson did not see the floor the rest of the game. Coach Mike D'Antoni would go on to say the incident had nothing to do with his being benched, but the benching did seem to light a fire under Nate. The diminutive guard went on to score 19 points on Sunday against Boston and that should serve as a reminder of what he is capable of doing in that Knicks offense.
Fantasy owners have been quick to discard Robinson, who has seen his ownership drop from 80 to 65 percent due to his horrible start to the season. But remember that he averaged 17.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds just a year ago under D'Antoni and has the ability to go on prolonged hot streaks. He averaged 24-5-5 over the month of February last season, for example.
Look to see if this really is the start of one of those hot streaks. And make sure he's on your roster if it is.
With Toney Douglas being used less in recent games and Larry Hughes not being the most reliable of shooting guards, the door could be creaking open for Robinson.
Who gets affected by the return of Devin Harris?
Devin Harris wrote on his Twitter account last Thursday that he was going to try to go for the Sixth Man of the Year award. That was in anticipation of his return to the floor off the bench Saturday against the Knicks.
While that comment may have been toungue-in-cheek, the Nets did have Harris come off the bench against the Knicks and could continue to maintain that approach over the next few games while he gets his playing legs back under him.
So this next week will go a long way in determining who out of Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Terrence Williams can retain their Fantasy appeal.
Lee missed seven games while Harris was out and may have opened the door for Williams, who flourished while both Harris and Lee were out. Alston had a few solid games while Harris was out, but will need to prove that he didn't wear down after playing heavy minutes in the absence of Harris due to the lack of options for New Jersey.
Chris Douglas-Roberts emerged as a go-to-guy in New Jersey while Harris was out and it will also be interesting to see where he stands in the pecking order between Harris and Brook Lopez. We feel he has done enough in Harris' absence to be considered part of a triumvirate with them, but this week will begin to clear up exactly where he stands.
What should Fantasy owners do with Andre Miller?
Andre Miller must really be regretting his move to Portland this offseason. He has already stated publicly that had he known he was not going to be used as a starter, he would have chosen to sign elsewhere this offseason.
However, after getting inserted into the starting lineup for nine straight games, it seemed there was still hope for Miller to return to his status as a solid assist man and viable Fantasy option in all formats.
Not so fast.
Coach Nate McMillan and Brandon Roy think that the team is at its best when Roy and Miller aren't on the court at the same time. That would allow for Roy to have the ball in his hands more often.
Miller disagrees, saying that he didn't think there was a problem as the team went 7-2 with him as a starter. He's right about that.
But Roy is the team's best playmaker and the coaching staff will do whatever it takes to make him as comfortable as possible. With Miller on the bench, Roy moves into the back court alongside Steve Blake and Martell Webster gets a chance to start at small forward. Webster took advantage of that Sunday to the tune of 21 points and 13 rebounds against Minnesota.
To expect that type of production consistently would be foolish, but with Travis Outlaw out with an injury, an increased role for Webster could be very beneficial to him and to Fantasy owners.
Miller's loss could be not only Webster's gain, but also Blake's as well. Blake has retained a starting job this season moving from the point to the two-spot and back again. He is averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 assists with 3.0 rebounds over his last five games and the further Miller is from the starting unit, the more Fantasy value he will have.
Do you have a Fantasy hoops question for our staff? Have a storyline you'd like to see addressed? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyHoops@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Fast Break in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. You can also follow Sergio on Twitter (@CBSGonzalez).
