Exciting News: Moving to TopTeamFantasy.com

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 16

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!


In Week 10, when Isaiah Thomas was renamed the started for the Kings, we urged you to pick him up. Over the next 6 weeks, the ride has been anything but smooth, but IT2 is no longer just a hot pickup he is a must own player. Still available in 43% of leagues, Thomas has played at least 33 minutes in each of his last 5 games, and has taken the league by storm with insane averages of 19.4 points, 3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 threes, and is even getting to the line almost 6 times per game. If he's still available in your league, stop reading this article right away and go add him before anyone else does. Make sure you come back and read the rest though, there's some good stuff here!

Isaiah Thomas is now a must own fantasy player

The following players will not be discussed here because they are already owned in too many leagues, but should be owned: Byron Mullens, Andrea Bargnani, Danny Granger, Earl Clark, Nate Robinson and Jerryd Bayless

Now let’s take a look at the rest of the hot fantasy basketball pickups for Week 16.

Rudy Gay Traded to the Raptors

We had heard rumors about Rudy for months, but after the Grizzlies shed some cap space by trading away forward Marreese Speights, guard Wayne Ellington and guard Josh Selby to the Cavs just a few weeks back, it looked like the they might keep their core four of Mike Conley,  Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol together for one last postseason run.

However, in the past few days talks had heated up again with the Raptors emerging as the most likely destination. The only obstacle was finding a landing spot for Jose Calderon since the Grizzlies had no need for another PG. Enter Detroit.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups – Week 14

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!



By Brian Cho
Staff Fantasy Basketball Writer

It was announced on Sunday afternoon that Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL. Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa and Jason Terry will have to fill in for Rondo’s absence in the backcourt. All of them are worth a hard look with their minutes and hopefully their production to increase. As of now Avery Bradley is starting point guard and Courtney Lee will start at shooting guard, but keep in mind that nothing is set in stone.

On Sunday, the biggest beneficiary was actually Paul Pierce (a player we discussed as a buy low just last week), who did a lot of the ball handling, finishing with a triple-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. The four players mentioned above all played between 26 and 32 minutes, and none really distanced themselves from the pack. The Celtics will most likely make some moves before the trade deadline especially if their backcourt doesn’t meet expectations. Let’s take a look at each of these players and the rest of this week’s hot pick ups (Feel free to also check out recent Pickups columns for Week 13, Week 12 and Six Players to Buy Low): 

Get ‘Em While You Can – Six Players to Buy Low

Trading in fantasy sports is all about maximizing value. It's the most fun part of the game, but also the most difficult to master. A well-timed trade, acquiring a player for less than he's worth, could easily make the difference between winning and losing your league. Here are some players that are worth targeting while their values are depressed.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 13

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!



On Friday night, Lou Williams tore his ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. While it's a terrible injury for Lou and his fantasy owners, there are a number of Hawks that stand to benefit from the additional opportunity.

On Saturday night, rather than moving Devin Harris into the starting lineup to replace Lou, the Hawks opted to go with a bigger lineup starting Teague, Korver, Smith, Horford and Pachulia. Devin Harris got banged up on Saturday night, but had been averaging 16 points and 2.3 threes in his last 3 games. Harris missed Monday's game, and has been injury prone in his career, so it's unlikely he will be back for a little while.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 12

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!



By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

We are nearly halfway through the 2012-13 NBA season and there have been some very interesting story lines over the past few weeks. The Lakers keep losing (though they beat the Cavs on Sunday) and might not make the playoffs, while the Boston Celtics are continuing their surge to get back into the mix, winning their last five games. However, the biggest headline was on January 9, 2013 when reports went viral stating that Kevin Love re-fractured his third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand. With the Love Machine out for at least eight to ten weeks, the Wolves need to rely on their other forwards, Derrick Williams and Dante Cunningham.

Many of the players discussed in recent pickups columns (Week 9, Week 10, and the discussion of the Lakers injuries and Scott Skiles firing) are still available in a lot of leagues so check those articles out as well.

Now, let's check out some hot pickups for this week.

Fantasy Thoughts: Lakers Bigs, Scott Skiles Fired

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

Over the past couple days, the two biggest stories in the fantasy basketball world has been the injuries to the Lakers' big men, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, and the firing of Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles.

Dwight Howard left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, which was later revealed to be a torn labrum and would be missing at least a week of action. (It was later reported, that it might not actually be torn but regardless there isn't a timetable for his return) Pau Gasol got hit in the face and suffered a concussion. He hasn't passed his concussion tests yet and will be tested again on Thursday to determine if he will be able to return to action on Friday.

Fantasy basketball owners rejoiced as one of the most frustrating coaches (because his rotations are so unpredictable), Bucks coach Scott Skiles, was fired and replaced with interim coach Jim Boylan.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 10

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!



Here are your hot pickups of the week for Week 10 of the fantasy basketball season.

For more pickups, see the Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups for Week 9 as many of those guys are still available. Additionally, for more fantasy basketball content, check out the Well Rounded Fantasy Basketball Stat Stuffers.

Some guys that I have no issue dropping (owned in at least 50% of ESPN leagues) to pick up one of these hot free agents in a standard ten team league include: Dion Waiters, Luis Scola, Jason Terry, Raymond Felton (out 4-6 weeks), Mo Williams (out indefinitely), Ray Allen, Ramon Sessions.

Well Rounded Fantasy Basketball Stat Stuffers

In fantasy basketball it's extremely important to draft players who are well rounded, so that you give yourself the chance to win as many categories as possible. In reality, very few players actually help your team in all eight categories. In this article, with the help of ESPN's player rater (sorted by 2013 averages), we will look at some of those well rounded stars.

An average player would post the following stats: 7.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks and 0.6 3PTs with percentages of 44% FG and 75% FT. This player would not help you in fantasy leagues, but wouldn't hurt you either. To be a well rounded fantasy basketball player, you must perform better than average in each of those eight categories.

Last season, only 6 players accomplished this feat for the whole season: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Rudy Gay, Gerald Wallace, Gordon Hayward, Brandon Rush.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 9

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

Thanks!



Here are your hot pickups of the week for Week 9 of the fantasy basketball season. Players such as Jarrett Jack, Jordan Crawford, Robin Lopez, Shawn Marion and Jared Dudley are owned in most ESPN leagues and most of them have been discussed in previous pickups columns. Therefore, they will not be discussed here, but if they are available all should be owned in standard leagues.

If you are planning to pick up a hot FA, here are some guys I have no issue dropping: Patrick Patterson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humpries, Jason Terry, Steve Novak and Michael Beasley.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 7

Here are your hot pickups of the week for Week 7 of the fantasy basketball season. Please check out the pickups for Week 5 and Week 6 as well, as many of those players are still available in many leagues.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 6

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

Here are your hot pickups of the week for Week 6 of the fantasy basketball season. 

Fantasy Basketball Sell Highs - Week 5

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

In fantasy sports,  the difference between winning an losing is often a well timed trade that enables an owner to acquire a player for less than what they are worth. In this article, we will highlight some of the sell highs that if sold for the right price could help you acquire the talent necessary to lead you to a championship. Check out the buy lows released earlier this week as well.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 5

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

After a week hiatus, the weekly pickups column is back. However, there will be a couple changes this week. By popular demand, the pickups will go a little deeper this week. The first section will discuss players that are owned in less than 40% of Yahoo leagues. Next, some deeper league pickups will be discussed (owned in less than 10% of Yahoo leagues).

So without further ado.... your Week 5 Hot Pickups!!

Fantasy Basketball Buy Lows - Week 5

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer 

In fantasy sports,  the difference between winning an losing is often a well timed trade that enables an owner to acquire a player for less than what they are worth. In this article, we will highlight some buy low candidates that if acquired for the right price they could help lead you to a championship.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 3

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

There are a lot of players that have had tremendous success so far this season. In this article, we will highlight a few of those players that are worth picking up that should help your fantasy team. So without further ado, this week's hot pickups!

Weekly Hot Pickups - Nov 4th

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

At the start of the NBA season, there is a lot of valuable information that can be obtained in the first couple weeks of the season. It is important to quickly recognize which players are getting more playing time than expected or performing well. A good early-season pickup can make all the difference in your fantasy basketball season. So without further ado, this week's hot pickups!

2012-13 Breakout Stars

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

We have almost finished one week of NBA action and it's a good opportunity to look at some of the breakout stars for the year. Some of these players are already off to great starts, but with only a few games of NBA action so far this season, the price of acquiring one of them may be cheaper then it will be later in the season when everyone realizes how valuable these players are.

Harden to the Rockets Trade Reaction

Throughout the preseason, there were reports of extension talks between the Thunder and the reigning sixth-man of the year, James Harden. It was widely believed that they wouldn't be able to keep Harden after having already signed Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to max deals and having recently signing Serge Ibaka to an extension. However, after Harden rejected a 4 year, $52 million deal from the Thunder over the weekend, the writing was on the wall that his time in OKC was coming to an end.

Late Saturday night, Thunder GM Sam Presti decided to take matters into his own hands and traded James Harden along with Cole Aldrich, Deaquan Cook, and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. For the Thunder as a franchise it's a great win, but let's look at how the fantasy value of each of the players involved are affected.