NBA Monday: A Valuable Lineup
NBA Monday
Week in Review and Preview
When the Christmas games finally pass, it starts to feel like the NBA season has finally begun. The highlights of the week were the rise of the Magic and the fall of the Lakers. L.A. seemed sluggish in their back to back losses against the Bucks and the Heat, meanwhile the new-look Orlando Magic snapped off the Spurs’ 10-game win streak, then immediately went on to snap Boston’s 14-game win streak. I went to the Magic game on Christmas, and other than Hedo and Brandon Bass’ decently impressive lines, nothing special stood out to me about individual players’ play on the Magic, which is scary. With everyone contributing from the starting-5 through the bottom of the bench, this is usually indicative of great basketball team play, which is great in real life, but unfortunately leads to inconsistency and/or terrible fantasy lines. It looks like the big winner of the epic trade the Magic spurred could be Rashard Lewis (38 Fantasy Points last night with Blatche out) putting up numbers we haven’t seen since his days with the Seattle SuperSonics. We’ll have to wait and see if he can continue this production when Blatche returns, but he is definitely going to have more value with the Wizards than he did with the Magic. Pietrus should also continue to produce as long as once amazing Vince Carter sits out with knee issues.
Tonight is a HUGE 10-game Monday tipping off when Orlando gets an exhibition game vs. the Nets tonight to continue their win streak to three and to get some work in with their new team. Ending the night a fantasy-haven matchup when Philly takes on Golden State. With such deep options this Monday, it could get overwhelming fitting your lineups into the range of options Fantasy Sports Live offers for point cap (from 175 points to 275 points). This lineup should help you get there.
A Valuable Lineup – FSL Scoring
| Pos. | Name | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Jrue Holiday | 25 pts | Jrue has been hot at the expense of Iggy lately, and has an amazing matchup tonight vs. GSW. |
| PG | Earl Boykins | 10 pts | Tiny Boykins has stepped right in as a leading scoring producer for the Bucks in the absence of Jennings. |
| S.G. | Richard Hamilton | 19 pts | Rip seems motivated to play again and recently exploded for 35 points. I expect him to keep it up and easily pass his cost of 19 points. |
| S.G. | Wesley Matthews | 21 pts | This guy won’t be on value lists much longer. He’s in the NBA to stay and will be a strong pick as long as Roy is out. |
| PF | Rashard Lewis | 19 pts | Blatche is back, but the Wizards are going to want to see what they have in Rashard after that showing. I’d expect around 37 minutes with 14-22 points 5-8 boards and 0-2 in the rest of the categories; much better on average than the 19 point cost he earned with the Magic. |
| PF | Brandon Bass | 17 pts | He’s going to log heavy minutes until the Magic are able to trade for another big man, and he’s starting to get comfortable in the Magic’s system. |
| SF | John Salmons | 20 pts | After reading our forum posts on how awful he’s been, Salmons has decided to play well again. OK, it’s because Brandon Jennings is out. |
| SF | Linas Kleiza | 14 pts | As long as Weems is out, Kleiza will crush the 14 point price. |
| C | DeAndre Jordan | 15 pts | He’s averaging 10 points, 8 boards and almost 2 blocks as of recent. He’s getting comfortable in the Center role with Kaman out, and is a solid value play at Center. |
Salary Cap
Depending on what Salary Cap game you are playing this should help get you under the limit. The first upgrades I would make would probably be to the Center spot, then Rip due to their inconsistency. Next I would use the extra money to try and upgrade to elite spots at PG and PF. Good luck tonight!
| Cap Used: | 115 |
|---|---|
| Salary Cap Ranges: | 175-275 |
| Cap Remaining for Top-Pics: | 60-160 |