High-Risk Hibachi – Fantasy Outlook on Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas sat out the October 12th preseason Washington home opener game due to apparent knee soreness.  Agent Zero later revealed that he faked the injury in order to allow Nick Young to start in his place.  He has now been fined by the Wizards but more importantly has possibly broken the trust that was established with Head Coach Flip Saunders.

“I said to him that I’m most disappointed personally. Because I believe in him. There’s been a trust factor.” – Flip Saunders.

Lying directly to the coach is bad enough, but due to the gun incident from last year, Arenas will be under severe scrutiny from the media, fans, Wizard front office, and NBA Commissioner David Stern throughout the year.  The pressure could  mentally weigh on a player’s mind and translate negatively to their on-court performance.  One would hope that Arenas proves everyone wrong and have a comeback year, but with this most recent incident, it is hard to believe.

To make matters worse, Nick Young denied knowing anything about the situation.  Arenas claims that he told teammate Young that he will fake an injury to enable Young to start.  Young told the media – “I didn’t know anything about it.”    While there are different opinions on the possible motives Arenas had for faking an injury, this action seems like a warning to fantasy owners who are thinking of drafting Agent Zero.

It has been half a decade since the glory days of Gilbert Arenas (per game averages 28 points, 6 assist, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an amazing 2.8 threes).  Considering that he has averaged 15 games per season over the past 3 years, Arenas needs the practice more than anyone. Instead of getting back to playing ball after a 50-game suspension, he is letting his teammate get ‘playing-time.’  This isn’t house league basketball. This is the NBA.  He should be more concerned with developing chemistry with Rookie John Wall as opposed to developing the Wizards’ young talent.  Somehow I don’t expect this to be the last of his antics this season.

Fantasy Outlook: With John Wall at Point Guard, Arenas’ fantasy value will be limited to points, threes, and steals.  Help in 3 categories is not much when you consider that he is such a high-risk fantasy selection. I would much rather draft O.J. Mayo or Caron Butler at SG than the high-risk hibachi.

Written by Justin Hasan exclusively for WinMyFantasyLeague.com

Comment below or e-mail him at JHas@WinMyFantasyLeague.com