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.
Is Jameer Nelson ready to be activated?
Jameer Nelson made his return a little early Monday after missing a month following arthroscopic knee surgery. He clearly was not 100 percent.
Nelson managed just 2 points in 14 minutes and was 0 for 6 from the field against the Utah Jazz. Fantasy owners will have to keep an eye on his progress this week before deciding what to do with him for the upcoming scoring period and beyond.
Some of it has to do with the rust of a long layoff, but there are also conditioning issues. You'll also want to keep an eye on whether or not he suffers any setbacks.
Coach Stan Van Gundy said that Nelson will ultimately return to the starting lineup, but that won't be until he is 100 percent. That may be the indication Fantasy owners may need to wait for before activating him.
Will Lou Williams return to the form he displayed prior to his injury?
Nelson may have returned early, but Lou Williams returned really early from a fracture in his jaw that kept him out for around a month. Initially expected to miss two months, Williams' return came about a month ahead of schedule over the weekend.
The Sixers play just two games in Fantasy Week 9 (Dec. 21-27), so most Fantasy owners should use this week to gauge exactly how far along Williams is in his recovery. He looked a bit rusty in his first game back Saturday against the Clippers, shooting just 2 for 9 from the field in 24 minutes.
With the Sixers also dealing with an injury that is expected to sideline Allen Iverson until next week, there was a need for Williams to be moved along possibly quicker than the team would have liked. Williams will re-enter the starting lineup this week alongside rookie Jrue Holiday.
Fantasy owners won't get a chance to see how an Iverson-Williams back court will shake out until at least next week, but these two games against the Wizards and Jazz will be a good indication if Williams can return to being the Fantasy breakout player he was prior to the injury.
Williams has averaged over 16 points, 5 assists and over a steal per game in what has been his first season as a starter. However, his injury forced Philly's hand in acquiring Iverson and there is a strong possibility his numbers could dip as Iverson takes away some of his touches in the back court.
But if Williams sets the tone this week with a couple of strong performances, he could establish himself as the player Philly will lean on more in the back court even when Iverson returns.
When will Tracy McGrady be ready to contribute?
Fantasy owners got a little excited last week when Tracy McGrady made his much anticipated return to game action. That excitement fizzled quickly, though.
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To say that T-Mac looked like a shell of his former self would be an understatement, and there is a strong possibility that it could take a while before he's ready to be activated in any Fantasy leagues.
T-Mac played no more than 8 minutes in any of his four games and coach Rick Adelman said he does not expect his playing time to increase much for at least the next couple of games.
The Rockets play four games again in Week 9 and Fantasy owners will need to pay close attention to McGrady's progress (or lack of it). The Rockets don't seem to be in a rush to get him back into the mix, partly thanks to the play they've gotten from players like Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks.
And it's owners of Ariza and Brooks who may be most concerned that T-Mac's presence will end what has been a strong run of Fantasy production from the two players thus far this season. However, we would not be too alarmed.
Not only is McGrady not ready to make an impact for the Rockets, there is also a strong possibility that the team will be looking to move the veteran by the February trade deadline. So while there could be a time when T-Mac is showcased for other teams, in the long term the Rockets still plan on keeping the base of their team what it has been so far this season.
McGrady's appeal, or what it will be this season, remains a mystery. This week, it could begin to take shape.
What affect will lineup changes in Miami, Indiana and Utah have on Fantasy?
Rotation changes are always worth keeping an eye on and moves by the Heat, Pacers and Jazz this week are no different.
The Heat have decided to go with Carlos Arroyo over Mario Chalmers at the point, the Pacers have moved Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones into the starting lineup over T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush and the Jazz have decided to replace Wesley Matthews with C.J. Miles in the starting lineup.
In Miami, Arroyo is not a player with much statistical upside. He won't be trusted with many shots in the offense and he likely won't be a player worth activating in Fantasy leagues. What Fantasy owners should be hoping for here is that Chalmers, a player with much more upside, gets back into the starting lineup.
In Indiana, the Pacers may have finally lit a fire under Ford with this move. Ford is averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 assists over his last five games and is playing his best stretch of what has been a disappointing season. The Pacers likely won't be sticking with the veteran Watson for too long, especially if Ford's play continues to be what it has been for the last few games. As for Jones, he's getting around 30 minutes per game, but is not turning in the lines he had been over the first month of the season. The team will be relying more on Mike Dunleavy Jr. and it does not look like Jones will be getting quite as many offensive touches as he was earlier in the year. If he doesn't start to turn things around this week, it's time to cut bait.
In Utah, a run of strong play by Miles has earned him his first chance to start this season. Miles started 72 games last season and averaged mediocre numbers (9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists), but this time around it does look like the Jazz plan to give him a bigger role. He averaged just 22.5 minutes in last year's 72 starts, but he's gotten 30-plus minutes in his last two games. In his first start of the season Monday night, Miles played 32 minutes, scoring 13 points with 5 rebounds, an assist and a block. He attempted 15 shots and has done so in each of his last two games.
Coach Jerry Sloan has lauded his work ethic and recent play and appears to have bigger plans for him than last season. If he maintains his recent play, he'll be one of the hotter pick ups off the waiver wire this week.
Are the Knicks slowing things down for good?
The Knicks have looked like a different team over the last couple of weeks. They aren't the high-flying offensive team that throws caution to the wind and thinks playing defense is a thing of the past.
Under coach Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks have typically been a team that plays a fast-paced offensive style that consists of short posessions, leading to more shots, which also leads to more rebounds and assists and numbers across the board. That didn't lead to much success so far this year, however, and the Knicks have decided to abondon their "Seven Seconds or Less" mentality.
That has led them to average just 97 points per game over their last seven games, but the impressive thing is that they've gone from allowing 105 points per game to just 93 points per game.
So not only do Fantasy owners have to start worrying about how their new style of play could have an impact on Knicks' players dropping in production, but it could also mean that the Knicks are no longer one of the better teams to face from a Fantasy standpoint. The 93 points per game they are allowing over the last two weeks would actually rank them fourth overall in team defense in the league.
Who would have thought of the Knicks as a defensive team?
And if you are holding out hope that the Knicks return to their high-flying ways, don't hold your breath. They've gone 5-2 in the last seven games and are suddenly in the playoff hunt.
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. You can also now follow Sergio on Twitter ( @CBSGonzalez ) where he'll also answer questions.
