Should Fantasy owners be worried about LeBron James?
Any time the best overall player in Fantasy hoops is held out of games, there is cause for concern.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown held LeBron James out of Saturday's game in Milwaukee in order to give him some rest. James was also on the bench for Cleveland's win Monday night vs. San Antonio.
Don't be too alarmed, though. Brown says he wants to rest LeBron. That's the story and he's sticking to it.
It is a feasible concept, this rest thing is. LeBron had played in each of the team's first 63 games of the season and in those games built up a five-game lead in the Eastern Conference over Orlando. That lead will allow Brown to pick his spots to rest his franchise player as he gears up for another playoff run.
This particular spot seems to fit just right. The Cavs do not play again until Friday. That would give LeBron a built-in week of rest without really putting the team in any kind of a bind.
LeBron and the Cavs earned the right to rest King James here and there down the stretch. So if you are really concerned about it, the best thing you can do is root for that comfy lead to go away.
Let's go Orlando Magic!
Who steps up for the Mavs in the absence of Jason Terry?
The answer to this question is simple. Roddy Beaubois.
With Jason Terry out for 10-14 days following surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone this past Thursday, Beabois has gotten a chance to step up. He is already making the most of it.
Beaubois had 17, 21 and 22 points in the final three games of Fantasy Week 19 (March 1-7). He bested a career-high in scoring each time out and proved he can be more than just a reliable Fantasy option. He fills the Terry void quite nicely.
Beaubois can shoot the deep ball, going 7 for 17 from beyond the arc in Week 19. He can pick pockets, with steals in two of the three games. He does not have a turnover problem and he can even chip in assists with a couple of games with four or more this past week.
In Week 20 (March 8-14), Beaubois will get a chance to continue this type of high-end production against the likes of Minnesota, New Jersey and New York.
But don't get too attached. After Week 20, the Mavs face a two-game week in Week 21 with poor matchups. By the time Week 23 rolls around, Terry should be back.
Who steps up for the Spurs in the absence of Tony Parker?
There is an easy answer to this question, but also a sleeper winner in this whole deal.
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George Hill is the obvious player to benefit from the absence of Parker, who is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken right hand. We've seen at different instances this season when Parker has dealt with injuries that Hill can step up his production to the level of a No. 2 guard when Parker misses time, so we aren't helping anybody by stating the obvious there.
But the sleeper here may not be a guard. It may be Richard Jefferson.
Jefferson has struggled to put up numbers in his first season with the Spurs, averaging his lowest overall numbers since his rookie year with the Nets.
The reason for that has been his inconsistent role as a third, fourth and sometimes fifth scoring option for the Spurs. His shot attempts have gone down from around 15-17 shots per game in his best days with the Nets (and even last year in Milwaukee) to just under 10 shots per game this season.
The absence of Parker will give Jefferson more room for shots in the offense. Jefferson scored 18 points with six rebounds in the same game where Parker was lost due to injury in a sign of what he may be capable of down the stretch.
Look to see if he can get on a hot streak in Week 20. If he does, get ready to make the most of it in the Fantasy stretch run.
Can Marcus Camby get going?
Marcus Camby has turned out to be one of the biggest Fantasy losers following this year's NBA trade deadline.
Camby left a very comfortable situation in Los Angeles to go to a new system in Portland. He has not made the adjustment very well.
In seven games with Portland, Camby is averaging just 3.3 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Camby was only averaging 7.7 points in 51 games with the Clippers this season, but he averaged 12.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go with 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Now, he is also dealing with the injury bug. Camby missed Sunday's game in Denver with an ankle injury and entered Week 20 as an injury risk play.
Whether you chose to start him or not, this will be a big week for his Fantasy appeal the rest of the way. If Camby plays at all this week, he'll get a chance to face three of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Clippers will play the Kings (twice), Warriors and Raptors, all teams that habitually give up big stat lines.
If this week doesn't get him going, maybe nothing will. Then it will be time to look elsewhere for center help in Fantasy playoff scenarios.
What is going on with the Knicks back court?
The Knicks continue to shuffle their back court, creating a virtual revolving door situation at the point guard spot.
Early in the season, it was Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson and Toney Douglas who were in and out of the spot. Sure, it was Duhon who got the majority of the starts, but coach Mike D'Antoni was never satisfied with his level of play and always tinkered where he could.
Then, shortly after D'Antoni re-inserted Duhon into the lineup and declared him his starting point guard for the remainder of the season, the Knicks shuffled their roster at the trade deadline and it was time to mix and match again.
Enter Sergio Rodriguez, who has been called a personal favorite of D'Antoni's since the coach drafted him back when he was with the Phoenix Suns and never really got a chance to use him after he was traded away for financial reasons. Oh, and because the Suns had this guy named Steve Nash.
Rodriguez was going to be the next big Fantasy point guard to flourish under D'Antoni -- a poor man's Steve Nash. Even yours truly was touting him as the next big thing off the waiver wire. But outside of a big stat line against Boston on Feb. 23 and a few nice assist totals, Rodriguez disappointed and eventually lost his starting job.
Then came Bill Walker. After a couple of 20-plus scoring games against the Cavs and Pistons in Week 20, he fizzled and put up a couple of clunkers against Toronto and New Jersey, two much weaker defensive teams.
Walker, who really isn't a point guard anyway, was benched after Wilson Chandler returned from a personal leave and was able to get back into the starting lineup after playing off the bench in his first game back.
On Sunday against the Nets, the Knicks started Tracy McGrady at point guard alongside Wilson Chandler. McGrady is a point-forward type (think LeBron James, now stop thinking that because he is not and never was as good) who is able to take on a lot of the play-making responsibilities and gives D'Antoni several options with what he can do with the lineup around him.
It's a stopgap measure for D'Antoni, surely. And it is this ever-changing situation in New York that should have Fantasy owners as far from it as possible.
Sure, Sergio Rodriguez, Toney Douglas, Bill Walker -- or heck, maybe even Chris Duhon -- could post nice stat lines here and there the rest of the way. None of them should be trusted, however. There is far too much instability here to be messing with at this critical juncture of the Fantasy season.
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.
