We’re still a few weeks away from the trading deadline, but it’s never too early to start looking at the rumor mill.  Here’s a little trick that I like to call the Pre-Emptive Strike.  Basically, you go out and get a guy (or deal a guy) that is valuable already, but could see a big increase or decrease in value after the trade deadline if a few deals go down.  A great case in point would have been Andre Iguodala.  He was already plenty valuable, but if you foresaw Allen Iverson and Chris Webber packing their bags and went out and got AI2 at his November value, you got a hell of a steal.  With that in mind, let’s look at some other pre-emptive strikers worth going after or getting rid of:

Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups
One of the worst-kept secrets around the NBA right now is the Piston’s desire to shore up their back-court.  With Nazr Mohammed already having played himself out of the rotation, he’s now on the block and the target is a combo guard along the lines of Marko Jaric to come in and, well, do exactly what they signed Flip Murray to do in the offseason.  I’m not suggesting that Marko Jaric is any good, but what I am suggesting is that if they go out and trade for someone, odds are that person will cut into the starter’s minutes in the backcourt.  The Pistons, as I’ve said plenty of times before, are playing for the post-season, and if I was Flip Saunders I wouldn’t mind getting Rip and Chauncey some rest down the stretch as they gear up for the post-season.  The backcourt mates currently each see right around 37 mpg, and if a deal goes down, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that drop a bit, as well as a minor drop in production.

LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge can probably be found on your wiaver wire right now, and there’s good reason for that – with Jamaal Magloire playing almost 20 mpg, Aldridge has struggled to get any significant court time.  That could all change in the next month, as Magloire has been clamoring to be traded and the Blazers are looking to help him out with that request.  His expiring contract makes him coveted by a number of teams (New Jersey?  Memphis?) and while no one’s a lock to get moved, Magloire is looking pretty good right now.  Aldridge has already been getting more burn this month (21 mpg vs 13 mpg in December) and if you’ve got a free bench spot it probably wouldn’t hurt to stash him away.  With 30 or 35 mpg he could very well turn in close to a double-double with 1.5 or 2 blocks, and that’s a nice asset to have as we head down the stretch.

Dwyane Wade
Make no mistake – right now, Dwyane Wade is sitting pretty at the top of the average player rater, and at a solid #6 on the TPR.  But let’s take a look at the facts:

- FACT #1: The Heat are looking desperately for a point guard.  Sure, this has much more to do with Jason Williams and Gary Payton not being able to stay healthy, but Wade has been playing about 40 mpg this month, which is higher than his career average, and that’s bad because…

- FACT #2: He’s a little achy.  He’s missed a couple games here and there and missed practice Monday and nearly didn’t play.  Wade has been vulnerable to minor injuries his whole career, and he could be getting run down.  Here’s an ominous stat: His FG% goes up with each extr5a day of rest he gets between games.  In the second game of back-to-backs, he shoots just 44%.  On the three occasions when he’s gotten 3+ days of rest, he shoots at a 60.7% clip.  And if you don’t believe me, consider…

- FACT #3: Even Wade himself is looking for his teammates to pick it up.  After the loss to the Knicks over the weekend, he said, “it’s getting to the point now on the offensive end it’s not working smooth. We’re relying too much on one or two guys.”  As in, himself and maybe one other guy if anyone else decides to show up and play.  Oh, which brings me to…

- FACT #4: Guys are going to start showing up to play.  Eddie Jones has just reunited with his old squad and should at the very least log some minutes at the 2 and 3 and shoot some threes.  Shaq is slowly but surely working his way into form.  Antoine Walker and James Posey are both done being fat, at least for the time being.  The Heat are just two games out of the playoffs, and so it’s not like the season is lost.  As the guys start showing up around Wade, though, he may miss a few games here or there and see his production drop as well.

Jameer Nelson
Here’s someone we haven’t discussed in a while and he’s a great target right now.  Nelson has been quietly and mildly disappointing this year, not really improving at all from last year and struggling at times to keep Carlos Arroyo off the court.  Well, now Arroyo is struggling to keep himself ON the court, they’ve had to play Travis Diener on occasion, and there are rumors that one or more of the guards on the Magic could be on their way out of town as Orlando looks for a scorer or a big.  Meanwhile, Nelson has quietly had his finest month of the season in January, setting a new high in points (15.2) and doubling his output in threes to 1.4 per game.  Owners, who may have drafted Nelson as early as the 5th round (not that we necessarily had him there in our mock draft, but I’m just suggesting this could have happened) may be tired of seeing nelson in the low-90’s on the APR and looking to sell high on him, and I’d take that opportunity if offered.  If Arroyo or any of the other glut of guards gets sent packing, Nelson will be in line for more minutes and more production.

How about a little point-counterpoint to DM’s column yesterday on the Cagey Vets?  Here are a couple of guys who were, as of a year or two ago, were fantasy gold, and now?  Not so much…

Andrei Kirilenko
Right now I’m looking at the game log for the New Jersey/Utah game and the last thing reported was “P. Millsap enters game for A. Kirilenko.”  It’s like two ships passing in the night.  For the last two years, Kirilenko – while an injury risk – was one of the most coveted fantasy players in the land, a blocks dynamo who contributed a little bit of everything.  Now, it’s a different story.  His numbers are significantly down across the board, and he seems…well…disinterested?  Well, whatever it is, it’s not resulting in fantasy value.  But before we start trashing AK, let’s think about something.  Here’s the Jazz’s leading minutes getters from this year and from 2003-2004, when Kirilenko had his best fantasy year:

‘03-’04: Kirilenko, Greg Ostertag, Carlos Arroyo, Raja Bell, Jarron Collins, Deshawn Stevenson.
‘06-’07: Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Kirilenko, Derek Fisher, Matt Harpring.

Here’s the point – since ‘03-’04, the Jazz have upgraded their rotation at just about every position.  Could it be that Kirilenko is the same player he’s always been, it’s just that the talent around him demands the ball that much more?  Think back even to last year, when Boozer missed 39 games, Williams struggled at times as a rookie, and Gordan Giricek, Jarron Collins, Devin Brown and Keith McLeod all played major roles.  This year things have changed so significantly around him that Kirilenko may just be lost in his lineup.  Furthermore, if I can’t figure out a way to work Jerry Sloan and the “I didn’t even have to use my AK” line from Ice Cube’s “Good Day” together into this column, I guess it’s just never going to happen.

Mike Bibby
This one, well, ya got me.  How long can a slump last?  Bibby didn’t play great last year but the complete collapse he’s suffered this season is just confusing.  He got on a roll there right around New Year’s, but since then he’s reverted back into his poor shooting habits.  The plus side for Bibby is that it seems that it’s only his shooting that’s been a problem – his other numbers are right around his career averages.  The minus side is that, unlike with Kirilenko, I can’t find something here where I say, “well, in retrospect, I can see how this would happen.”  Maybe – MAYBE – I can blame this on the wrist problems.  But, for this long?  We’ll have to see.  I wouldn’t be surprised if after the year, we see a report that says something along the lines of, “Mike Bibby says that his wrist bothered him throughout the year and that he will need to rest it in the offseason.”  Can we say, “possible sleeper next year?”

Larry Hughes
If there’s one guy that we are big fans of here at FBB, it’s Ernie Grunfeld, GM of our beloved Washington Wizards.  Just like in fantasy basketball, sometimes it’s the deals you DON’T make that make you a great GM, and Hughes is a great example of that (Jared Jefferies would be an even better example).  Two years removed from a career year in Washington, Hughes had one mulligan last year as he suffered through an injury and some personal problems, but this season he’s out of excuses.  Yes, he’s dealt with some injuries but nothing extreme, and he’s still seeing 36 mpg.  Hughes was a popular mid-round pick this year but is just 110 or the APR, and he’s obviously not a favorite of head coach Mike Brown, who has tinkered with starting lineups throughout the year.  Obviously, the 2.9 steals from ‘04-’05 were a major anomaly, as were the 22 points, and Hughes has faded into a late-round pick at this point.

Upside rules fantasy basketball. Everybody wants the Next Big Thing. Everybody wants to find that breakout season from the next young stud. But sometimes it’s the veterans that offer the best value. Today let’s look at three players who have been in the league for a while and always seem to be disrespected a bit on draft day, only to put up numbers year in and year out.

Antawn Jamison
I came up with today’s column idea while watching the Wizards take care of the Celtics, a game in which Jamison scored 34, giving him 69 in his past two contests. Jamison has got to be one of the most underrated players in fantasy, and I can tell you as a Wizards fan that he’s underappreciated by lots of folks here in D.C. Check out the comments on just about any blog post on the most excellent blog by the Wizards beat writers and you’ll see people clamoring for an Antawn trade. He may have his weaknesses, but how can you not appreciate what Jamison brings to the table every night? After his recent strong stretch Jamison is up to an astounding 17 on the player rater. Sure, it’s down to 26 on the APR, but we’re half way through the season, so it’s time to start rewarding players who have been out there every night, as Jamison has. Save for 14 games missed in the 04-05 season, Jamison has appeared in every single game since the 00-01 season. The big question with Jamison this year was whether he would continue to hit 3s at the rate that he was hitting them in the second half of last year. He never averaged more than 1 3pg before last season and as the season wore on he started becoming a serious long-distance threat and averaged 1.8 makes for the year. That number is up to 2.2 this season and a ridiculous 2.9 for the month of January. He’s the only player in the league averaging 2 3s and 8 boards per game, and to get 46% shooting from such a serious long range threat is a bonus. He was drafted at #45 on average in ESPN leagues, at #51 in my league, and is once again proving to be one of the best draft day bargains.

Andre Miller
Miller’s one of my guys. He seems to end up on my team more often than not, and I’m never upset about it. It’s true, he’s not the flashiest guy and won’t put up very gaudy stat lines. He’s topped 30 points just once in the past season and a half and has 10 made 3s in that span, which makes many people wary of him since he’s a point guard. Here’s yet another example of people focusing on what he can’t do rather than what he does bring to the table. Year in and year out, he outplays his draft position thanks to consistent play and outstanding health. He seems to be finding a groove in Philadelphia, averaging 16/6.8/10 in his last four games, and on the season is doing roughly exactly what he does every season. Around 13 points, 1.5 steals, solid FG% and boards for a guard and one of the top assist guys in the league. You’ll notice that in my Transaction Reaction columns, the most common type of player you’ll see on there is a guy who doesn’t really do much except hit some 3s. In my league, four of the top 25 players in 3PM are currently available as free agents. None of the top 25 players in assists are available. Astute owners can easily make up for Miller’s lack of 3s, and that strong FG% is a big-time help if you do indeed need to turn to one of those low-percentage specialists.

Richard Hamilton
You’ll notice that a trend with these guys is that they are all iron men. Hamilton has appeared in at least 76 games in the last four seasons and is well on his way this year. He has a somewhat well-earned reputation as a “points-only” player, but people who label him that must always finish in near the bottom in the percentages. Now granted, Hamilton’s FG% is down this year, but 46% from a SG who takes 18 shots per game is still a very good number. His 49% last year was a number that he’ll likely never match, but he also remains one of the best in the league from the line. (Although it was damn nice to see him go 3-for-6 in a 3-point loss to the Wizards on Friday while Brendan Haywood – Brendan Haywood! – hit all 6 of his freebies.) Hamilton’s the 7^th best from the line so far this season, and he’s perennially in the top 10. He’s under 1 in 3s, steals and blocks, but at least he’s not a black hole, with 0.6 3pg and 0.9 spg. Relatively lackluster numbers, but better than nothing. And “points only” is a silly label anyway. Players who score points play minutes and players who play minutes are good for fantasy teams. Those minor contributions in 3s and steals, along with boards and assists add up. The top four teams in our league right now are are 2^nd-4^th-5^th-1^st in points. Teams with points are usually at the top of the standings. Hamilton sits at #47 on the player rater right now after being taken at #72 on average in ESPN drafts, and it feels like this scenario has played out for the past three seasons. He always gets his shots and points and is clearly the Pistons most consistent scoring option. As a middle round draft pick he doesn’t need to anchor a team, just be a consistent contributor. I love picking guys in rounds 5 through 8 that I can just plug in there for 80 games and know the numbers will be there in the end. Hamilton’s one of the best.

Here’s looking at you week 1/29-2/4:

Four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, LA Lakers, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Portland.

Three Games: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indiana, LA Clippers, Memphis, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle, Toronto, Utah, Washington.

Two Games: San Antonio.

Ok… Tim Duncan was one block short of that kind of a triple-double last night, and then 3 turnovers shy of a quadruple-double for that matter.  The Big Fundamental scored a season-high 37 on Wednesday, and is delivering another MVP-worthy season.  Too bad the Spurs only hit the hardwood twice this coming week.

Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:

Troy Murphy, F/C: T-Murph has been a disappointment this season, to say the least.  Injuries and a crowded lineup in Golden State took a toll on his fantasy numbers, but as part of last week’s 8-player-swap, Murphy could be the player who benefits most from the trade.  Now healthy and playing alongside Jermaine O’Neal in Indiana, Troy has the opportunity to regain his old form as a double-double machine.  He’s averaging 11/10/2 since joining the Pacers, and it’s also encouraging to see that he was actually averaging career highs in FG%, threes, assists, and blocks despite his aforementioned struggles and a dip in minutes this season. I know. I was surprised to see that too.

Charlie Villanueva, F: Charlie V. opted for rehab and cortisone shots instead of surgery on his ailing shoulder and returned to action last night.  Skillanueva posted an economical double-double (10/10), seeing 30 minutes off the bench in his first game back.  The Bucks have lost 11 of their last 12, so they’ll take anything they can get from Versatile Villanueva.  He could payoff nicely for those of you that had the patience (and bench) to hang on to him the last couple months.  With four matchups on hand, C-Elite should be solid next week as long as he doesn’t have another setback with his shoulder. You can visit CV’s website to learn more fun facts about him… like his many nicknames; and did you know that Big Smooth grew 7 inches over the summer of 2000? (What?! Isn’t that humanly impossible?)

Jamal Crawford, SG: How does someone go from scoring 9 points off the bench one night to dropping a career-high 52 in a game later that week?  I think I remember Tony Delk doing something like that a few years ago in Phoenix, but this wasn’t exactly a huge surprise coming from Jamal Crawford.  His fantasy value and play can be erratic, but you gotta love the very hot hand.

Marcus Williams, G: The rookie out of UConn has been solid in his last two outings (16.5/4.5/5.5), and there is talk of Williams joining the Nets’ starting lineup soon.  Richard Jefferson is out indefinitely, and with Vinsanity and Kidd both being injury risks, Williams makes for a nice high-upside pickup right now.  The Nets tip off four times next week, so Williams could be a decent play in deeper leagues.

Steve Blake, PG:  Could Blake have found a new home in Denver?  Since moving to the Mile High City, the ex-Terp has averaged 10/3/6 with an impressive 2.4 treys and 2.3 steals.  He’s getting 30+ minutes as a starter and will rack up the dimes with both AI and Melo on the court.  Blake won’t be asked to score much, but he’ll shoot plenty from downtown (34 of his 56 shot attempts have been from behind the arc) and is pretty clutch (see: back-to-back threes to seal the deal at Seattle on Tuesday night).  He appears well-suited for Denver’s up-tempo offense and he’s also an underrated defender.  Stevie B will be a good fit in your lineups with four games next week.

Jose Calderon, PG: DM discussed the Spaniard yesterday… you should definitely plug him in as long as T.J. Ford is out of commission (which could be another week).

Since we love all of our readers – yes, even a certain fitness guru – we’re listening to you. Transaction Reaction seems to be a popular column, so we’re going to start making that a weekly feature. Look for it every Friday, starting today. And because your weekends were empty without some brand spankin’ new FBB content, Head to Head’s Up will now be our regular weekend feature, still in plenty of time for you to set your lineups.

This week’s TR features many of the same names being scooped up and thrown back out. As always, transactions are listed in reverse chronological order. That means the most recent are first. And a big, hearty FBB congratulations to our main man Gilbert Arenas, All-Star Starter. Good job, voters. On to this week’s action in our league…

Add: Devin Brown
Drop: Kendrick Perkins
This move was made by the team that has Chris Paul, so it’s pretty logical. Brown was regularly seeing 38-40 mpg and that number has been down to around 30 since David West and Bobby Jackson have been back, but he still sits at #76 on the 15 day rater. His value comes from his 3s, as is the case with many regular waiver wire options, and as long as he knocking down close to 2 per game he does enough in the other categories to be a solid contributor. With many players like Brown, the biggest drawback is his FG%, which is at 39% on the season. That’s usually enough to scare me away from players like this. Dropping Perkins after his best game of the season is kind of curious. His 15 and 12 with 2 blocks last night was the type of line I thought he’d be able to put up once a week or so to go with a bunch of 8 and 10s, but it just hasn’t happened. Yes, his foot problems have hampered him, but he’s still a very limited offensive player who still isn’t too capable of creating any offense on his own. Those foot issues look like they could cause him to miss some time, and even if they don’t, he’s still a stretch as a second center in most leagues.

Add: Matt Carroll
Drop: Kwame Brown
These are a couple of names that will show up down the page. Brown was picked up when it looked like he was getting close to returning, but a setback with his ankle combined with some strong play by Andrew Bynum makes it look like his return to fantasy relevance will still be a couple weeks off. Speaking of Bynum, it’s hard not to like what the 19-year-old big man has done this year. Like many young players he’s plagued by foul trouble and occasional mental lapses, so that keeps his minutes down, but in 25 starts, he’s averaged 9.4/7.4/1.4 with 1.9 blocks in 24 mpg, with overall percentages of 57/70.  Prorate his numbers out to a modest 32 mpg and that puts him at 12.6/9.5/1.9 with 2.7 blocks. Remember, he won’t turn 20 until right before next season starts. Dwight Howard was 19 during his rookie season and saw just about 32 mpg and put up 12/10/0.9 with 1.7 blocks. Just saying, is all. Phil Jackson will make him earn everything, as well he should, but if you think Kwame Brown is going to stand in the way of Bynum’s development for much longer, think again. Bynum will be an extremely popular sleeper pick in drafts next year and will probably be one of those guys you need to draft a round or two earlier than you should if you want to make sure to get him. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Aren’t we supposed to be talking about Matt Carroll?

Anyway, Carroll was dropped after his 4-point game the other night, which broke a streak of 12 consecutive games in double figures. Gerald Wallace’s return to prominence has eaten in Carroll’s time and opportunities, but you know that he’ll go down again. The Bobcats are relatively healthy right now with Wallace, Raymond Felton and Sean May all active, so Carroll doesn’t have the benefit of seeing minutes if his shots aren’t falling early. That said, I still think he’s worth a roster spot right now. I shy away from 3-point waiver wire specialists because of poor FG%, but Carroll’s shooting a very respectable 45.5% and don’t discount his prowess at the line, where’s the 29^th most valuable player in the league in that category so far. Four straight games without a steal is worrying, especially since he tallied 12 in his previous 7. He’s a risky play with the Bobcats at full-strength, but can help you in 3s without hurting you anywhere, which makes him a decent utility guy if you need it.

Add: Ruben Patterson
Drop: Rudy Gay
Rudy did it again. After once again earning the temporary trust of the residents of fantasy land after a two-game stretch in which he averaged 20/4/3 with 1.5 steals, 1.5 3s and a block, he was back to being worthless just two games later. It must have been especially frustrating for those who rolled the dice with him to get rewarded with 2 and 2 and nothing else in just 8 minutes in a game in which the Grizzlies scored 132 points. Gay’s still not a bad person to stash on your bench if you have room, but he simply cannot be started until he stays in the starting lineup and puts up 3 or 4 good lines in a row.

In TR earlier this week I said Patterson was still worthy of a roster spot, and someone in my league agreed. Charlie Villanueva may be back soon, but you get the feeling his shoulder still isn’t right. Mo Williams is going to be out longer than anticipated and Michael Redd isn’t ahead of schedule, so Patterson should remain in line for PT in the short term. Patterson was back up to 41 minutes in Sacramento the other night and impressed with 21 and 12. More importantly, he can do some real damage when he gets to the line 12 times like he did in that game, but he connected 9 times. Patterson’s steals are way down this year and even more so in January, which is a bit of a bummer, but as long as he’s getting those minutes, he’s worth using in deep leagues.

Add: Kendrick Perkins
Drop: Jannero Pargo
We’ve already covered Perkins, so we’ll focus on Pargo. It’s been a disappointing run for Pargo in Chris Paul’s absence. It doesn’t help that he only started a handful of games, but Pargo just didn’t shoot as much as I thought he would. In many games he was passive for three quarters before taking just about any shot presented to him in the fourth. He’s at #113 on the 30 day rater, and I thought he’d be closer to 75. His 1.8 3pg in January are solid, but he was shooting even more 3s back in December when Paul was still around. I guess I was thinking that Pargo would see 40+ minutes, and wasn’t really expecting Devin Brown to come out of nowhere and see 35 minutes of his own. Pargo was down to 13 minutes on Wednesday and shouldn’t be owned by anyone at this point. He’ll have the random huge game, but don’t worry about him.

Add: Jose Calderon
Drop: Shaun Livingston
In a column at the beginning of December I said “it’s reasonable to expect Calderon to run wild if Ford were to miss time.” I think that 16.5/2/9.5 with a 3 and a block on 50% shooting qualifies. Sure, it’s only two games, but long-time readers of FBB know we love the Temporary Point Guard Strategy. Find that good backup PG, pounce on when the starter goes down and plug him in there for however many games you can get out of him. Livingston’s back to the bench and that’s probably where he belongs right now. January started out well for him, but once Sam Cassell was back it all went downhill, as he forget how to make a shot then got hurt. It would be surprising if he’s not back in the starting lineup again sometime before the season is out and is obviously someone to keep your eye on, but Livingston simply hasn’t shown all that much as a fantasy asset in his career so far.

Add: Earl Watson
Drop: Matt Carroll
I talked about Watson’s shooting woes earlier in the week and they have continued. As always the assists and steals are nice, but 29% for the month is just … wow. And now he has a bruised shoulder, and if he misses time and Luke Ridnour shines in his absences it wouldn’t be surprising to see Watson back on the bench. As you can tell, I’m not too high on little Earl right now.

Add: Mickael Pietrus
Drop: Willie Green
Oh, Don Nelson, what a joker you are. Pietrus started the first two games after the big trade, and had a 14/14/2, 3 steal, 1 block, 1 3 performance. So he of course came off the bench the next night. Say this for Nelson, though — he mixes up his lineup with frustrating regularity, but at least he keeps the rotations short on night to night basis. Guessing what Nelson will do is pretty silly, but if I had to make a guess, I’d think Wednesday’s game is a good example of what things might look like. Baron Davis, Al Harrington and Monta Ellis should have the safest minutes, although the latter two could give way to Stephen Jackson and Pietrus depending on who’s rolling. Andris Biedrins should get first shot at big minutes each night, but Nelson won’t be afraid to go small and keep him under 30. Pietrus could be back in the starting lineup any day, and is worth holding on to, but you obviously shouldn’t expect consistency. Willie Green’s knee is bothering him, so don’t worry about him. Also, he sucks.

Add: Kwame Brown
Drop: Gerald Green
Green’s shooting has been awful lately and he can’t be used right now, but I’m still not giving up on him. Wally Szczerbiak is going to shut it down for the season at some point in the next month or so, don’t you think? Paul Pierce may have already done just that. Green’s last game showed why I like him. Yeah, yeah, I always talk about the crappy shooters and their FG% killing you, and hey, I could’ve picked up Green but I didn’t just for that reason. I simply can’t afford that kind of thing WHEN MY CENTER IS THROWING UP 4-FOR-20s THANK YOU VERY MUCH JERMAINE O’NEAL. But I digress. On Wednesday Green hit just 4-of-16, but three of those makes were from downtown and he added 8 boards, 3 assists and a steal. He’s not as one-dimensional as most 3-point specialists and the Celtics might have nothing to lose by running him out there for big minutes. He’s a stasher right now.

BV touched on this topic in his most recent N!U!T20! but it deserves a more in-depth look. To put it bluntly – LeBron, what the fuck?! Coming into the season almost everyone agreed that he was the #1 overall pick, even though statistical evidence didn’t necessarily support this. Shawn Marion and Kevin Garnett were perennially at the top of the player rater, but LeBron almost caught up to them last year, and here’s a 21 year-old ready to kick it into super high gear. There was no real weakness in his game, save for a bit of trouble at the free throw line, and he showed the ability to dominate in just about every category. But then…

After last night’s game in which LeBron notched his season high 39 – although he would have been under 25 if not for a pair of overtimes – he sits at a respectable 11/16 on the player rater, but that’s not counting turnovers and not at all what those of you who drafted him #1 overall last year were expecting. Some people were disappointed with his output last year, so I can only imagine how those people feel if King James ended up on their team again and he’s ranked slightly below Caron Butler. LeBron’s numbers are down in every single category, except for turnovers. That’s really hard to do. Granted, some of the drops aren’t too drastic – 6.7 boards instead of 7.0, 47.6% from the field instead of 48% – but he hasn’t improved in a single category.

So what’s wrong with him? Well, not to let him off easy, but I think a lot of the blame falls on those around him. The Cavs just don’t have a very good supporting cast, and too much of the burden is falling on LeBron. It would be great for LeBron if he could serve as a finisher more often. Carmelo Anthony is flourishing in Denver this season because people get him the ball in situations where he can score. Granted, that’s his main strength where LeBron is just as good as a playmaker. But having the ball as much as LeBron does takes its toll, and it doesn’t even result in improved assist numbers since the Cavs don’t really have any other finishers. The team misses plenty of jump shots, Zydrunas Ilgauskas scores many of his baskets on offensive putbacks and Larry Hughes is a slashing scorer. After averaging 7.2 apg in his sophomore season, LeBron is down to 6.1 this year, even though he’s seen a boost in turnovers. Eric Snow isn’t a bad guy to have around, but he’d be much better off in an Antonio Daniels-type role, coming off the bench as a steadying force. It’s hard to figure out why the Cavs didn’t go after Steve Blake, who is flourishing in Denver (did you see those back-to-back 3s last night and the ensuing chest bumps from ‘Melo and AI?) and could have surely taken a bit of the burden off of LBJ while getting him at least a few easy hoops per game.

The free throw issue is a full-fledged problem now, too. Personally, I’m enjoying the hell out of it after what transpired between him and Gilbert Arenas during the playoffs last year. After last night’s 8-for-13 outing, he’s just under 70% for the year. Not crippling, but you can deal with that number a lot more if it’s coming from your center and you have other players to make up for it. Getting that from your SF leaves you at a great competitive disadvantage. Of the top 50 SF listed on ESPN’s player rater, LeBron has the least value in FT%. He’s never shot above 75% from the line in a season, and four years is a pretty good sample size. There have been games this year when he just can’t hit anything from the line – a pair of 6-for-13s in the past week, 5-for-11, 4-for-10, etc.

I’m most disappointed in LeBron’s lack of steals. In the 04-05 season he grabbed 2.2 spg, and I thought this would set the stage for him to become one of the league’s top defenders on an annual basis. It’s dominance in this category that can really make a difference between being a stud and one of the top fantasy players in the league. Instead he’s stagnated and is averaging a merely decent 1.6 spg, although he’s been swiping the ball more of late. It may have been unreasonable to expect a 30/8/8 season, but getting back to those 2.2 spg he averaged a couple years ago would almost make up for it.

So is LeBron just saving himself for the playoffs? Has he grown bored with the regular season? I don’t think it’s fair to say that, but as BV said, he may be just 21 but he has logged an insane amount of minutes in his first few years in the league. It’s not to say that he’s worn down, but perhaps he realizes that he’ll be playing 40+ minutes in 100 games for each of the next 10 years, at least, and going all out every night might not be the way to go. I don’t see a lack of effort out there, he’s still a great competitor, but that might explain some of the small things, like the drops in boards and steals. During his second season you could see that killer instinct where he wanted to prove to the world that he justified the hype. Now, he’s been anointed King and doesn’t necessarily feel the need to show it off every night, like, say, our boy Gilbert. LeBron’s got Nike, he’s got Microsoft, a few extra points or steals won’t really make that much difference to him. I still say that he has a huge second-half surge in him as we head toward the playoffs, but more and more a statement like that is based on speculation than evidence.

I thought I’d resurrect an old column idea, where we go over some guys that we would love to see play some more minutes.  In fact, let’s do a “starting lineup” of PPPM players:

PG: Sergio Rodriguez, POR
First of all, Sergio should probably change his last name to “Garcia” because I’ve accidentally typed that in three times in the last five minutes.  Anyhow, Sergio is a guy who is not just being held back – he’s being held back without much reason.  Let’s take a look at the Trail Blazers PG’s, their MPG and their PER

Jarrett Jack: 34.8 MPG, 15.1 PER
Sergio Rodriguez: 11.1 MPG, 16.79 PER
Dan Dickau: 8.3 MPG, 8.8 PER

What do we notice here?  Well, obviously the first thing that stikes me is how god-awful Dan Dickau has become.  But the important thing here is that Rodriguez, despite being a 20-year-old rookie, and despite inconsistent playing time, is playing up – and even slightly surpassing – to the level of the guy in front of him, Jarrett Jack.  Rodriguez’s Per-35 minute stats 9.8/3.9/10.5 with .9 3’s and 1.6 steals.  Hey Coach McMillian, give the kid a shot!

SG: Manu Ginobili
Now, I know Ginobili isn’t the kinda guy that you’d expect to be put here, but let me tell ya something – it is tough, and I mean DAMN tough to be a strong fantasy player and yet see under 30 mpg.  So it’s extremely rare to see a guy like Ginobili amongst the fantasy elite, but there he is, averaging 28 mpg, and yet still showing up as a SECOND round value on the APR.  Yes he’s been hot lately – and as a result his mpg have snuck up to that 30 barrier in January.  Still, wouldn’t you love to see what he could do with 35-38 mpg?  I sure as heck would.

SF: Shelden Williams, ATL
Sure he’s not really a SF but he qualifies here so let’s chat him up.  Shelden was the source of a lot of jeers from both NBA and fantasy pundits prior to the season, but let’s give the guy some due.  if he was getting starter’s minutes – 35 or 40 mpg – He’d be a nightly double-double (just barely) with a steal and a block.  I’m not saying he deserves minutes like that, because there’s certainly a logjam at the F position in Atlanta, but Williams probably deserves a little recognition for not being the total bust that people were projecting him to be.

PF: Ronny Turiaf, LAL
Andrew Bynum may be getting all the attention – and rightly so – in LA, but I’ve tended to be just as impressed by Turiaf, who doesn’t have the potential of Bynum but is perfectly capable of putting up major stats.  His per-35-minute stats: 11.9/8.1 with 0.7 steals and 2.1 blocks – are very solid, particularly on the defensive side of things.  He’s generally pretty aware of what’s going on on the court, which is more than I can usually say for Kwame Brown, but if he’s not getting minutes with both Brown and Lamar Odom out, I don’t know how he’s going to get anywhere.

C: Nazr Mohammed, DET
I know a lot of you are probably sick of me talking about Mohammed but that’s just too bad.  Mohammed’s PER is at a career-high this year, he’s top-20 in blocks AND rebounds per minute (his per-minute rebounding is actually HIGHER this year than Ben Wallace!), top-50 in steals per minute, and is shooting 55% from the field.  Now, I know, the Pistons play better when he’s on the bench.  But you’re telling me this guy can’t get on the court?  PLEASE trade this guy, Dumars, to a team that will plug him in for 30 mpg.

It’s going to be an interesting month in Jersey.  The Vince Carter trade watch is on, the Richard Jefferson injury watch is on, and the Jason Kidd off-the-court issues watch is on.  Meanwhile, in non-big 3 news, Nenad Krstic is still out for the year, and two UCONN rookies are looking to get some PT.  What it all adds up to is a .500 record, and about a month until the trading deadline.  Let’s do it:

Vince Carter, G/F – Let’s do some projecting here.  Right now, the Nets are 20-21.  They’re in first place in the Atlantic, and yet they’re also one game out of missing the playoffs altogether.  With Miami a virtual lock to pull out of the 9 spot and into the playoffs, and Indiana breathing new fire after the trade, the Nets will have to win the Atlantic to make the playoffs.  If they have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs (and thus securing the 4 spot in the East), it says here that they hang on to Carter.  I think that in a month, even without Jefferson, the Nets will hold on to the top spot in the Atlantic, and thus they’ll hold on to Carter, and so should you.  VERDICT: HOLD.

Jason Kidd, PG – With Jefferson out, the Nets are apparently looking at a by-committee approach to fill his role.  One of the scariest ideas out there – at least for Kidd owners – is for rookie Marcus Williams to fill in at the two, with Carter moving to the 3.  I’m not saying that Williams is going to take over the reins from Kidd of course, but when he’s on the court, he uses up possessions; his usage rate is higher than Kidd’s OR Jefferson’s.  He also doesn’t have the rapport with Kidd that Jefferson does.  This didn’t happen last night but it certainly could in the future.  Eddie House, he of the 16 shots in 23 minutes last night, is similarly assist-unfriendly.  So Kidd could see a minor dip in assists.  Another concern is even though Kidd has seemed to be ageless, the truth is that the two years prior to last he missed at least 15 games, so that’s something to store away as we head into the stretch run.  Then again, I’ve been wrong about Kidd for about three years running here… VERDICT: SELL.

***CAVEAT***
Both Vince Carter and Jason Kidd are FANTASTIC options for struggling teams.  They’re exactly what you’re looking for – guys who are, in all likelihood, going to be perorming just fine, but who each have little issues that could make fantasy owners worried.  They can probably be had at a slight discount because of these issues and right now, if your team is struggling, you’ve really got nothing to lose.  VERDICT: BUY (for struggling teams)
***

Richard Jefferson, SF - Jefferson’s due back in mid-late March, so that means he’s probably got about 10 or 15 games left in him this season, or about 1/3 of the remaining games left.  That’s assuming that a) he comes back on schedule and b) he comes back at full strength.  This is going to be entirely dependent on your bench but some teams may have no choice but to drop Jefferson, and at this point that’s not an awful idea.  VERDICT: SELL.

Mikki Moore, F/C - The Nets are a team that appears to avoid shot-blockers at all costs, and so Moore fits this role nicely.  He’s a journeyman 30-year old who is probably this year’s best example of our “minutes are the most important fantasy stat” rule.  He’s certainly nothing special, but he qualifies at C and won’t hurt you anywhere, so he certainly belongs on rosters and may even be worth starting.  VERDICT: BUY.

Jason Collins, F/C - This may be redundant here, but it’s worth remembering that Jason Collins is one of maybe 4 or 5 fantasy players who is completely worthless even when he’s playing 30 mpg – and he’s only playing 20.  VERDICT: HOLD (as in, hold off).

EVERYONE ELSE: Everyone hates the “by committee” approach in fantasy football, and this isn’t any better.  Eddie House was the “big winner” last night, and he only put up 12/2/3 with a steal and 2 3’s.  Tomorrow it could be Marcus Williams or Bostjan “apparently still in the league” Nachbar.  Not only are these guys going to be inconsistent but they’re also not going to top out as being too valuable.  If someone really steps up over the next few games this could change, but for now I’d wait.  VERDICT: HOLD.

Add: Steven Hunter
Drop: Earl Watson
Hunter seems to have overtaken Joe Smith for the starting PF spot in Philadelphia, but I still don’t see too many more games like yesterday’s outing with 10 and 15 with 3 blocks. Hunter’s always had potential as a blocks and boards guy, and has leaped back toward the top of the league in block rate after suffering a sizeable drop last year. But he’s extremely limited on offense – his 14 FGA yesterday were a career high – and will struggle to reach double digit points on a regular basis, meaning both the boards and blocks have to be there every night for him to be worth it. The fact that he likely qualifies at center does make him a bit more attractive, but Smith will still get his minutes and Hunter isn’t likely a long-term answer. Watson’s shooting has just been too brutal to handle and Luke Ridnour looks to be working his way back into the swing of things. Watson’s minutes have gone 39-28-26 in the past three, and while only Steve Nash has been better at dropping dimes over the past two weeks, Watson’s 29% shooting in January is just crippling. He might have another flourish left in him, and if he could just stay around his career mark of 41%, those 3s and assists would give him some value, but right now he’s too cold to mess with.

Add: Jerry Stackhouse
Drop: Ike Diogu
An overreaction to one fantastic, nationally televised quarter. Stackhouse certainly had it working in the fourth against the Heat yesterday, but he still hasn’t topped 24 minutes in his nine games back from injury and simply isn’t worth using unless he’s starting. In eight games as a starter earlier this year Stack averaged 15.3/3.1/3.3 with 1.5 steals and 1 3, showing that he might still be relevant as a utility guy in deep leagues if the minutes are there. But as long as Josh Howard stays healthy, Stackhouse will be relegated to a bench role and isn’t worthy of fantasy consideration. Diogu’s obviously nowhere near having value with the Pacers and isn’t even worth stashing, but Stack isn’t much of an upgrade.

Add: Willie Green
Drop: Desmond Mason
Not that there was ever any real question, but I think we can now definitely say that Desmond Mason just isn’t a fantasy factor. He was the de facto #1 option for NOK over the past month or so and just hasn’t impressed. He’s at #156 on the 30 day rater, and now that David West and Bobby Jackson are back, it will only get worse. Green is a similar player. Right now he’s getting as many minutes as he can handle and he’s still not helping many fantasy teams. He’s started the past six contests, averaging a healthy 37.3 mpg. But his numbers leave a lot to be desired – 18.5/2.2/2.5 with 1.3 3s and 46% shooting that’s a bit misleading. Take out his 13-for-19 game and he’s sitting at 41%, which is above his career average. He’s a FG% killer who doesn’t do enough in the other categories to offset the damage there. The points and minutes make him seem enticing, but it’s a trap.

Add: Ryan Gomes
Drop: Matt Barnes
Remember how a few days ago I said I wasn’t going to have an especially short leash with Barnes? I guess I lied. He gave me a fine final performance with 12/7/5 with a pair of steals and 3s in 33 minutes (with help from an extra session), but there are just too many people competing for minutes in Golden State. Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington played 48 and 37 minutes respectively in their first games, and Baron Davis wasn’t even accounted for. It’s possible that Barnes continues to see enough time and will hit enough 3s to give him some value, but Gomes is simply playing too many minutes right now for me to leave him out on the free agent list. He’s played at least 45 minutes in the past four contests and is averaging 19.3 and 7.8 on 48/89 shooting. He simply won’t get you any 3s, steals or blocks, but I can gain some ground with just a small boost in boards and FG%, so Gomes fits my needs right now.

Add: Rudy Gay
Drop: Devin Brown
This was an astute pickup, right before the Grizzlies tipped off on Saturday. Gay was in the starting lineup that game and put up a well-rounded line of 17/5/3 with 2 3s, a block and a steal. Those are the kinds of numbers that Gay is capable of putting up most nights, but consistency has eluded him through the first half season of his career. That’s to be expected, though, and it will probably happen again. Gay’s last breakout game was the last time he was inserted into the starting lineup and it was followed with a 5/4/2 clunker and four games later he was back on the bench. The Eddie Jones situation might hold the key to whether Gay will be worth using going forward or not. If the veteran remains out of the picture, either due to injury or a buyout, Gay may get the extended chance to prove himself. But if Jones is back in the picture Gay might find consistent minutes hard to come by. He’s averaging just about a steal and block per game and a best case scenario might see him putting up Danny Granger-esque numbers. Brown is yet another Hornet who had marginal value to begin with who is now rendered fantasy irrelevant with the return of West and Jackson.

Add: Channing Frye
Drop: LaMarcus Aldridge
This was a move I made, and it’s not one I’m particularly thrilled with. I keep waiting for Aldridge to get his chance, but as long as Joel Przybilla, Jamaal Magloire and Raef LaFrentz are all around, 13-minute games like last night will be rather frequent. Andrew Bynum’s currently filling my #2 center spot and his run could be over any day when Kwame Brown gets back, so I decided to pick up Frye since he qualifies at center and is at least starting. Toss out his last game since he somehow managed to foul out in just 10 minutes, but he scored in double digits in four of the previous five. David Lee is around to take some of his minutes, and very deservedly so, giving Frye very little upside, especially considering he doesn’t block many shots. I still like Aldridge down the road this year and will be ready to pounce when the opportunity comes, but Frye is a better, if not all that great, option in the short term.

Add: Charlie Villanueva
Drop: Damon Stoudamire
Stoudamire is worthless, as I was saying last week, so there’s no harm in taking a chance on Villanueva, but I’m skeptical this story has a happy ending in 2007. Word is that Villanueva could be back within a couple of weeks, and with the Bucks missing so much scoring, the opportunity could be there for Charlie to come up big. But it doesn’t sound like there’s actually been any progress with his injury, just that it hasn’t gotten any worse. Villanueva also has to work his way back into Terry Stotts’ rotation, which theoretically shouldn’t be too tough, but he was pretty buried by the time he went on the shelf for the second time. And he’ll also have to fight for shots with Charlie Bell, Earl Boykins and Ruben Patterson, none of whom are known for their sharing skills. Depending how your roster looks right now Villanueva could be a fine use of a high-upside bench spot, but don’t get your hopes too high.

Add: Darko Milicic
Drop: Kurt Thomas
Darko has been a fairly big disappointment in fantasy circles this season, but is just a lesson that you can’t speculate too much on draft day. Milicic hasn’t been able to knock Tony Battie out of the starting lineup and it’s kept his PT down. Overall, Milicic seems to have regressed this year, mostly due to his 41% shooting, which is just unacceptable for a 7 footer who plays inside. The 1.8 bpg are nice, but he averaged 2.1 per game in slightly less time last year, and he’s averaging nearly 2 turnovers per contest as well. But people are always looking for help in the middle and Darko’s at least consistent with his blocks, although winning teams certainly wouldn’t have him anywhere near a starting lineup right now.

Add: Erick Dampier
Drop: Donyell Marshall
In deep leagues that require two centers, you can do worse than Dampier. You can obviously do a lot better, but the blocks and boards have been somewhat consistent lately. A couple early fouls, though, and you’re looking at a 2-point, 3-rebound night, just know that. Marshall just isn’t ever going to have fantasy value in Cleveland. He put up one of the great, random fantasy seasons in recent memory in 03-04 with Toronto after escaping Chicago, but he did it while receiving 39 mpg. He’s come nowhere close to that number with Cleveland and is down to 18 mpg this season. Mike Brown puts some weird-ass lineups out there. In overtime Saturday night against the Warriors Marshall was on the bench along with Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes as the Cavs went with a crunch time lineup of Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao and David Wesley along with LeBron. Uh, OK. They won the game, so I guess it worked, but still. Marshall can still be of plenty of use to the Cavs, especially come playoff time – the Wizards would have been wise to guard him in their elimination game last May – but it’s time to take him off the fantasy radar.

Add: Stephen Jackson (waiver)
Drop: Joe Smith
Jackson was dropped just a day before he was traded to Golden State and this claim was put in before he suited up for the Warriors. No doubt this owner was patting himself on the back after Jackson’s fantastic debut in which he put up 29/7/5 with 5 steals and 5 3s. Damn that’s a nice line. The five steals match Jackson’s total from the previous 12 games, so don’t get too excited there, but he might be about to go on a 3s binge. Golden State players seem to have their value in streaks and Jackson has set himself up for plenty of minutes over the next few games after his hot start. Don’t be surprised to see him reel off a bunch of games of 40+ minutes this week, which would obviously make him very valuable, although he might do some serious damage to your FG%. Jackson has never shot above 43% from the field in his career, so his owners might not want him taking 25 shots per night. I’ll definitely up his short-term prognosis, but am not convinced it’ll be clear sailing for him a month from now.

Add: Delonte West (waiver)
Drop: Ruben Patterson
West is getting the chance to prove to us that he really is a fantasy contributor. The Celtics are obviously depleted and West was part of the wounded, as he missed four games just shortly after regaining the starting PG spot. The last two games show why West was a solid choice as a waiver claim, though, as he’s averaged 19/4/8.5 with 2 3s and 2 steals in 44 mpg. There was an overtime in there, but the fact remains that he’s starting, the Celtics are depleted and Sebastian Telfair is basically a non-factor. Even with Rajon Rondo seeing decent minutes, West can still be out there all the time. West shot 49% from the field last year, and much of his value was tied in there. He’s down to 41% this season, but that number is up to 46% when he starts, and he’s still an excellent free throw shooter. West is a very solid pickup right now if you can make it happen. Patterson’s certainly worth consideration still, as he is at #89 on the 15 day rater and had another solid outing yesterday with 15 and 5 with a steal and a block on 6-of-12 shooting in 37 minutes. That’s a pretty typical line for Patterson, as he hasn’t topped 17 points in his last six and has only 4 total steals. His FG% remains strong and as long as he keeps free throwing around 70% he’s a decent utility player.

Add: Jason Williams
Drop: Stephen Jackson
Probably wishes he hadn’t given up on Jackson so soon, but J-Will has been fairly productive over the past couple weeks. His clunkers are ugly, but he’s been pretty consistent, as yesterday’s game was the first in nine contests that he didn’t register at least one steal. He looks to have most of his explosiveness back, at least for now, and has suited up for the last pair of back-to-backs. His assist numbers won’t be dominant since Dwyane Wade will take so many, but most teams can use 6 dimes and 1.5 3s and steals per game, which is roughly what Williams has been providing in January. He doesn’t have much upside these days, but is worth playing while he’s relatively hot and healthy.

Another full week coming up.  Let’s look ahead to 1/22-1/28:

Four games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Indiana, LA Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah.

Three Games: Dallas, Detroit, Golden State, LA Lakers, Orlando, Portland, Seattle, Washington.

Two Games: Houston.

Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:

Willie Green, SG: Iverson and Webber have departed and their 40 ppg need to be made up somewhere.  Yes, Iggy has definitely stepped up his game with a career season, but he has yet to become a legitimate scorer.  Enter 4th-year guard Willie Green who had yet to average more than 19 minutes per game before this season.  Green has started the last five games for the Sixers, averaging 20/2/3 with 1.6 threes in 38 mpg over that stretch.  He should post Cuttino Mobley-type numbers going forward (with weaker percentages), and is not a bad option in deeper leagues.

Samuel Dalembert, C: While Willie Green may be a shoddy replacement for AI, Dalembert is quietly having a career year and has particularly stepped it up in C-Webb’s absence. Take a look at Sam’s monthly averages thus far: Nov – 8 points / 8 rebounds / 1.8 blocks, Dec-11/8/1.9, Jan-13/9/2.5.  He has improved every aspect of his game with increased minutes and most importantly he has not missed any time due to injury this season.  Slammin’ Sammy may finally be coming into his own in ’07.  Plug him in for four games this week and just pray that he continues his healthy streak.

Steve Blake, PG:  You now have the green light to get Stevie “Not the Franchise” Blake in your fantasy lineups.  I never thought this guy could be a starter in the NBA, but there he is starting alongside Allen Iverson in the Nuggets’ backcourt.  The former Terrapin’s shooting will hurt you (39.8% career), but he won’t be taking too many shots in Denver.  More than half of his shots are from long range anyway where he’s hit an impressive 38.4% in his career.  It appears as though he’ll get 30-35 minutes a night in Denver and should be a good source of steals and assists as well.  Blake makes for a good PG3 or utility player, especially with a full schedule this week.

David West, PF: West returned to action last night and produced as if he hadn’t missed a step.  David posted 19/11/3 with 2 thefts after missing 30 games with a sore elbow.  Hornets’ stars Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic are still sidelined with their injuries, so West will have every opportunity to assert himself on offense.  His biggest strength are his high percentages (51/84% last season); categories often neglected by fantasy owners.  West appears to be back to full strength and should be ready to play four games next week.

Delonte West, PG: The Celtics’ starting PG returned to the lineup (bruised back) last night and scored a season high 25 points to go along with 6 dimes and 3 treys.  Off-season acquisition Sebastian Telfair has played his way back to the bench and so West has been handed the reigns as the more reliable veteran.  Delonte and Gerald Green should continue to excel as long as Paul Pierce is out (which now appears to be until the All-Star break).

Sit ‘em down:

Tracy McGrady, GF: That’s right.  Bench T-Mac this week.  He missed last night’s game with his recurrent back problems, and the Rockets only play twice next week, including a game at San Antonio on Wednesday.  Willie or Gerald Green are better options with four games a piece on tap.

Jason Kapono, GF:  Kapono managed only 2/2/1 in 20 minutes last night.  Meanwhile, formerly fat forwards, Antoine Walker and James Posey, have both recently returned to action and are getting plenty of playing time (they combined for 67 minutes last night).  Dwayne Wade is back to full-strength, and Shaq is allegedly scheduled to resume play this week.  It looks as though J-Kap’s stint as a fantasy commodity may be coming to an end.