Daily Notes for Monday: Florida fantasy love
| Time | Visitors | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | Home | Opp. PPG | Opp. FGP | RPG Diff. | |||
| 7:00 p.m. | | Oklahoma City Thunder | 94.4 | 43.600 | -3.6 | @ | | Indiana Pacers | 100.8 | 46.400 | 0.0 |
| 7:00 p.m. | | Portland Trail Blazers | 100.8 | 51.400 | 0.4 | @ | | Orlando Magic | 93.8 | 43.400 | 0.2 |
| 7:30 p.m. | | Toronto Raptors | 97.8 | 44.700 | -10.2 | @ | | Boston Celtics | 88.5 | 38.000 | 1.8 |
| 7:30 p.m. | | New Jersey Nets | 100.0 | 44.300 | 0.3 | @ | | Miami Heat | 92.6 | 42.900 | -3.0 |
| 9:00 p.m. | | Memphis Grizzlies | 90.8 | 40.800 | 0.7 | @ | | Phoenix Suns | 98.5 | 45.400 | 2.0 |
All times are ET.
Key: Opp. PPG = Points per game allowed to opponents. Opp. FGP = Field goal percentage allowed to opponents. RPG Diff. = The difference between team's rebounds per game and its opponents' rebounds per game.
Out
Mike Dunleavy, SG/SF, Pacers (knee)
Rasho Nesterovic, C, Pacers (ankle)
Greg Oden, C, Trail Blazers (foot)
Day-to-day
Marcus Banks, PG, Heat (hip)
Rudy Fernandez,, SG, Trail Blazers (back)
Devin Harris, PG, Nets (ankle)
Dwight Howard, C, Magic (knee)
J.J. Redick, SG, Magic (leg)
Martell Webster, SF, Trail Blazers (foot)
Dorell Wright, SF, Heat (knee)
I'd count on sitting Devin Harris for Monday's game. Count yourself lucky that his ankle injury appears to be relatively benign Don't let the numbers from the Magic's most recent outing scare you -- they were low due to Orlando's blowing out the Wizards. They're playing the porous Trail Blazers and still boast the best top-to-bottom starting five in fantasy, though the Heat may be closing in. If you're starving for a short-term fix at center, give Jeff Foster (12 points, 13 rebounds on Saturday) a try. He'll be serviceable off the boards until Rasho Nesterovic comes back in a few games. Rudy Fernandez played through his back injury Saturday night, posting just enough production (11 points, 4 rebounds) to proclaim him safe to start. Leandro Barbosa's shaping up to be a top-5 fantasy disappointment, and I can't imagine Matt Barnes' return helping his cause. Sit him down. Conversely, Barnes' absence means you can give Grant Hill a spot in your lineup. Chris Quinn's sharp outing (14 points, four 3-pointers) should be treated as what it is: A roadblock preventing Mario Chalmers from getting more minutes. As of this writing, Chalmers is ranked higher on the Player Rater than Shawn Marion. I'd stay away from Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry until one of them gains the upper hand in the Grizzlies' rotation -- which may not be until 2010. Jamario Moon is doing just enough to warrant a start in deeper leagues, but just barely enough. This is thanks to the fact even when he's not scoring, he delivers 3-pointers, steals and blocks. Sort of reminiscent of Doug Christie.
As I noted above, Miami has one of the more dangerous starting fives in fantasy, thanks to the decision to shift Udonis Haslem to center. As long as you're getting blocks elsewhere, he'll make a nice No. 2 center in deeper leagues as soon as he gains eligibility. If you're looking for blocks, and don't expect much else, Kendrick Perkins makes a nice one-game add. Jeff Green (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) had his best game as a pro Saturday. He's not going to do that every night, but he's getting enough minutes to make him a good upside add. When Mario Chalmers starts hitting his 3-pointers, owners will scoop him up. Do it now if you've got a roster spot to burn. Yi Jianlian is looking like another nice developmental pickup. Yi's averaging nearly a block and a 3-pointer a night, and is doing a better job of staying out of foul trouble. Marquis Daniels is still unowned in 80 percent of leagues. What 80 percent of you don't realize is Daniels (15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals) is a must-own until Mike Dunleavy returns. If you're trying to decide which Grizzlies PF to claim off the wire, I'd go with Hakim Warrick for now. He offers less upside but more consistency than Darrell Arthur.
John Cregan is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
