Highlight Performances:
Jarrett Jack, NO– Following a disappointing night in Sacramento, Jack caught fire Monday night, scoring 27 points and dishing out 11 assists. Jack is having an impressive season averaging 16.5 points a game to go with 8.0 assists, however his value, especially scoring, figures to take a slight hit with the imminent return of Eric Gordon.
Carmelo Anthony, NYK- Nobody has ever questioned Melo’s ability to score, so his 35 point/11 reb. game was not too out of the ordinary. But the key here is with Amare Stoudemire banged up, Melo is forced to put the the New York offense on his back. As long as Amare sits (which may not be much longer), expect huge scoring numbers out of the New York Knick’s star forward.
Andray Blatche, WSH– Although his performance may have been a bit fluky, 28 points and 9 rebounds is a very impressive night. It cannot be reasonably expected that Blatche will consistently put up more than around 15 points a game, but his owners are enjoying it nevertheless.
Performances to Forget:
Jason Kidd, DAL– Yes, owners will gladly take 9 assists and 5 rebounds from their point guard. But 0 points on 0-1 shooting in 34 minutes of action? Kidd was a complete non factor scoring Monday night, which may hamper his value if he has a few more nights like this.
Manu Ginobili, SA– I wouldn’t exactly say this was a *performance* to forget. He was having a solid night prior to breaking his hand. But this is devastating news to fantasy owners, especially considering the brilliant start he got off to. I would not ridicule any owner for dropping him, as this looks like an injury that may keep him out for most of the season. Brutal.
Players to Watch:
Richard Jefferson, SA– If anyone is going to see a dramatic increase in value following Manu’s injury, it figures to be Richard Jefferson. He is having a solid season, especially from long range (13-26), and I expect an uptick in scoring with an upside of about 16.0 ppg and a heavy dose of threes.
Jonas Jerebko, DET- When searching the Free Agents for a pickup, a key attribute to look at is MPG (Minutes per Game). The second year forward from Sweden is averaging 34:06 MPG, and after his 20 point/12 reb. game on New Years Day, he responded with 8 points/11 reb. last night. Deep-League owners in need of some modest rebounding and scoring numbers should look no further.