Fantasy Basketball Hot Pickups – Week 7

Fantasy Basketball Hot Pickups – Week 7

J.R Smith has been going off lately and has averaged 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 3.7 threes per game over the past 3 games. J.R needs to be owned in all leagues even if he is coming off the bench. He has averaged 29 minutes per game over that stretch. J.R Smith is currently available in 37% of Yahoo! leagues.

Wesley Matthews has been going off since being named a starter over Nicolas Batum and is averaging 18 points, 2.7 threes and 1.3 steals on .500% shooting since being given his starting job. Matthews is currently available in 44% of Yahoo! leagues and should be snapped up right away.

DeMarcus Cousins is a player who is going to get it going sooner or later. He ascended back to the starting lineup on Saturday night and responded with a 17 point, 11 rebound and 1 block performance. I must admit I drafted Cousins in every league this year and I reached for him, a lot, I still love his upside and believe he will be a top-5 option at center down the stretch. He is currently available in 32% of Yahoo! leagues.

Amir Johnson is currently available in 54% of Yahoo! leagues despite being named the Toronto Raptors starting power forward. His first game as a starter he ran into some immediate foul trouble but flashed some of his upside in his 2nd start with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block against the Thunder. AJ needs to be owned in all leagues going forward.

Marvin Williams is the major beneficiary of the Joe Johnson injury and he has stepped it up in JJ’s absence. Heading in to Saturdays tilt with the Heat, Marvin Williams was averaging 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .585% shooting over his past four contests. Marvin Williams is currently available in 68% of Yahoo! leagues.

Leandro Barbosa has stepped up as the Toronto Raptors sixth man and needs to be owned in deeper leagues. He finished Fridays game against the Thunder with 22 points, 2 steals and 2 threes. Barbosa is currently available in 64% of Yahoo! leagues.

Jason Thompson has been named the starter at power forward for the Sacramento Kings and has been producing well as a starter with 11 points and 7 rebounds per game on .529% shooting. As long as he is starting Jason Thompson should be owned in all leagues. He is currently available in 80% of Yahoo! leagues.

Jonny Flynn has looked good in his D-league rehabilitation stint and should be back with the Timberwolves this week. We have been recommending him for weeks but he is only now ready to return to action. Make the add where available. He is currently available in 79% of Yahoo! leagues.

Shane Battier is a top-25 player over the past seven days with averages of 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 threes, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks on .548% shooting. Battier has the tendency to get hot for stretches so we are recommending the add until he cools down. Shane Battier is currently available in 62% of Yahoo! leagues.

Kyle Lowry has been a top-25 player over the past 7 days averaging 14 points, 8.8 assists, 2 threes and 1.3 steals on .553% shooting over a 4 game span. Aaron Brooks is due to return soon so ride out Lowry until he does. He is currently available in 66% of Yahoo! leagues.

Brad Miller has been solid in Yao Ming’s absence averaging 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 threes on .731% shooting over his past four games heading into Saturday nights contest where he was solid once again with 20 points, 4 threes and 3 blocks. Brad Miller is currently available in 74% of Yahoo! leagues.

Larry Sanders had a tremendous 8 block performance this week in which he narrowly missed the triple double. Sanders is still starting even with Andrew Bogut back in the starting lineup and it is officially time to give this shot blocking machine a roster spot in deeper leagues. He is currently available in 94% of Yahoo! leagues.

Josh McRoberts has 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2 blocks over his past four games and is currently available in 86% of leagues. Consider McRoberts only in the deepest leagues until he can show some consistency.

Kris Humphries continues to go off yet sits at only 50% owned in Yahoo leagues. He has cooled down a bit but has still managed to average 7 points and 10.6 rebounds over his past five games. He needs to be in fantasy lineups as long as he is a starter.

Wesley Johnson went off for 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 threes and 2 blocked shots Saturday night and flashed some of his tremendous upside. He should be owned in deeper leagues and is someone to key an eye on in shallower formats.

Other names to consider: James Jones, George Hill, Jordan Farmar, Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Bibby, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Landry Fields, DeMar DeRozan, Samuel Dalembert and Arron Affalo.