Monday, January 17, 2011

Five Most Added Players: January 11-17

  1. J.J. Hickson (11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds): With Anderson Varejao going down for the rest of the year, Hickson's value and playing time have increased. He's become a solid source of points and rebounds, but his percentages are awful. For the season, he's shooting a pitiful 43.7% for the season. For a guy that takes most of his shots so close to the basket, that's unfathomable. We only recommend J.J. to owners who are highly ranked in FG% and FT%. He's available in about 30% of leagues.
  2. Channing Frye (10.9 points, 1.7 three-pointers, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks): The moment Frye was moved to the bench, many fantasy owners dropped him even though he's been a top 50 player for the season. Those owners are probably regretting that move as Frye was reinserted into the starting line up after just a few games and he's back putting up solid all-around lines. Like Hickson, team managers will have to deal with his low FG% if they roster Frye. Still, he should be owned in all formats. He's a free agent in about 20% of leagues.
  3. Luke Ridnour (11.6 points, 1.2 three-pointers, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 92% FT%): Ridnour appears on this list for the third straight week as fantasy owners have been slow to pick him up. Ridnour has been playing well all season and there doesn't appear to be any sign that Jonny Flynn will take the starting point guard spot away from him. He should be owned in all formats, but he remains available in just under 15% of leagues.
  4. Greg Monroe (6.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1 steal): With Ben Wallace dealing with an injury, the rookie has moved into the starting line up and played big minutes. He recently had a stretch of four straight double-doubles and he's scored in double figures in six consecutive games. Monroe is also one of the few big men who can get you a ton of steals. He's averaging 2.3 steals in his last six games, a gaudy number for a center. At the moment, Monroe is worth a speculative addition in standard leagues. We're not sure if he'll have a prominent role when Wallace returns, but he's a player to watch for the rest of the year. We especially like him as a break out candidate for the second half of the season. He's available in about 80% of leagues.
  5. Arron Afflalo (12.8 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 51.5% FG%, 85.1 FT%): Afflalo has been hovering around the top 50 of our player ratings all season, yet fantasy owners have been reluctant to pick him up. Many team managers only took notice after his 31-point explosion recently. The likely reason is that much of his value comes from his high percentages. It's very impressive that a three-point shooter is hitting more than half of his shots. Afflalo should be owned in all formats, especially by team owners looking to boost their percentages. Arron is a free agent in just under 30% of leagues.

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