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 worried should Fantasy owners be about Kobe Bryant's injured finger?
When it comes to one of the most productive players in Fantasy hoops, it is easy to see why Fantasy owners would overreact to Kobe Bryant having an off night here and there.
Add to that a broken finger and a banged up knuckle and you've got a five-alarm fire in the minds of many Fantasy owners.
Bryant has had a few off nights since suffering an avulsion fracture in his right index finger on Dec. 12 in Utah in a game against the Jazz. The most recent off night came Sunday when he shot just 4 of 21 from the field and scored 12 points against the Bucks.
That sent Fantasy owners sounding the alarms.
The majority of the e-mails I received from readers from Sunday night through Monday afternoon had to do with Kobe. 'Is he alright?' 'Should I trade him?' 'Will Kobe ever get back to normal?' These were just some of the questions Fantasy owners have been asking me.
Relax. That's the main theme that I have for anyone who owns Kobe.
Prior to Sunday's clunker, Kobe had scored 30-plus points in back-to-back games. In fact, since hurting his finger on Dec. 12, Kobe has been held under 20 points just three times -- one of which happened to be the game in which he got hurt. Outside of Sunday's game and that Dec. 12 game, the only other instance was on Jan. 3 against Dallas when he was held to 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field.
The fact remains that if this injury isn't serious enough to hold him out of games, especially when you consider the way they've held back players like Pau Gasol this year, it shouldn't be serious enough for Fantasy owners to get too worried.
Unless Kobe has another clunker or two this week. Then, oh boy. What comes after five alarms?
How long can Lamar Odom keep up this production?
We've been down this road plenty with Fantasy owners this season. Odom is a far different player when the team is at full strength than when it is missing one of its key players in the front court.
Right now, Odom is a monster. He is averaging 13.5 points and 15.0 rebounds in six January games entering Week 12 and has had at least 13 rebounds in all but one of those games. He is also averaging 6.2 assists in that span and is putting up numbers worthy of a No. 1 forward in just about any format.
Where have we seen this before? Maybe it was earlier this season when he put up big numbers while Gasol missed the first 11 games of the season. Or maybe it was last season when he averaged 16-13-2 over an entire month after Andrew Bynum went down with an injury.
But what Fantasy owners seem to forget about is what his production looks like when the Lakers are at full strength. They forget that his numbers dropped to around 8.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game with only 2.2 assists in December when the team had all of their key players. They forget the four straight weeks he was held under 70 Fantasy points in standard Head-to-Head formats.
Gasol is traveling with the team on its road trip through San Antonio and Dallas. He should return at some point during the team's three-game scoring period in Week 12 and when that happens we expect Odom's numbers to take a big hit.
Then, maybe people will remember.
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| Latest Gonzalez chat transcript (4/6) |
Is Randy Foye the next big thing in Fantasy leagues?
The indefinite suspension of Gilbert Arenas has given Foye a chance to make an impact. Exactly how big of an impact is something we'll start to see this week.
Foye was our Start of the Week going into Week 12 and if he puts up anything close to the numbers he put up in his first two games as a starting point guard, Fantasy owners would be more than happy.
Foye has posted excellent numbers in the three games since Arenas was suspended by the NBA. He scored 18 points with two assists in the first game, but that came off the bench with Earl Boykins getting the start. Coach Flip Saunders decided to make Foye the starter for the next game and he contributed 20 points with six assists and four rebounds. He followed that up with 23 points, eight dimes and four boards against the Hornets.
To expect the 20-7-4 line he put up through the first two games may be a stretch, especially when you consider that those were just about the numbers Arenas was putting up.
Foye is no Arenas, but he does have upside. Last season with Minnesota he averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds as their starting point guard and those are more along the numbers we expect from Foye going forward. That's more than useful in just about any Fantasy format.
But if he puts up big numbers this week against the Pistons, Hawks, Bulls and Kings, watch out. We could be talking about the next big thing in Fantasy Hoops leagues.
How much does Rafer Alston have to offer Fantasy owners?
The Heat brought Rafer Alston back to Miami after he was bought out by the Nets last week. They instantly made him their starting point guard and now many Fantasy owners are wondering if Alston will be a player who can help them win in Fantasy.
The early results have been mixed.
Alston had 10 points (all in the second half) against the Suns in his first game back with Miami and even chipped in a respectable four dimes and three boards with a steal, two threes and only one turnover in 35 minutes. He followed that up with only four points, four boards, two assists, a steal and two turnovers against the Clippers in his next game.
The Heat have bumped Carlos Arroyo, who had been starting prior to the acquisition of Alston, out of the rotation entirely. That will allow the minutes to be distributed a lot more efficiently among Alston and Mario Chalmers, who is a player we feel still has the most upside of the two.
For now, it appears that the two players could split the role pretty evenly, but that could change. This week, with a four-game slate that includes very favorable matchups against Golden State and Houston -- two teams that allow the opposition to run the floor and put up numbers -- we should begin to see if Alston can shake loose and become a reliable Fantasy starter.
Is rookie A.J. Price ready to contribute?
Price, a rookie out of UConn, is getting a chance to play. With T.J. Ford getting removed from the rotation and Earl Watson providing unsteady results at point guard, he may get even more playing time starting this week.
Through the first two months of the season, Price appeared in just 12 games and played double-digit minutes five times. His first 20-minute game came on Jan. 3 when he chipped in a then season-high 11 points with three rebounds and an assist. He got 20-plus minutes in two of his next three games and has started to show the type of ability that should buy him more playing time in the very near future.
Price had 10 points and seven assists in 22 minutes off the bench at Minnesota on Jan. 8. He backed that up with 23 points and three assists against the Thunder the next day.
Watson provides the team with a sound ball handler and a good distributor, but his offensive game is weak. If Price can establish himself as a player that can take care of the ball and dish it out to the likes of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, then we could begin to see him climb into the 30-35 minute per game plateau that would give him a chance to keep up the production he's shown in flashes over the last few games.
A very favorable four-game slate that includes games against the Raptors, Suns, Nets and Hornets should give him plenty of chances to show what he can do. Hopefully, you'll like what you see.
Do you have a Fantasy hoops question for our staff? 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 now follow Sergio on Twitter ( @CBSGonzalez ) where he'll also answer questions.
