Players to Watch: March 11

These are players we're keeping an eye on over the next week. Stats listed below are from the last 7 days.

1. Kendrick Perkins (Has not played due to injury): Perkins participated in his first practice as a member of the Thunder this week. He's very close to debuting with his new team, possibly as early as tonight against the Detroit Pistons. Deep leaguers should not hesitate to add him now. In shallower formats, fantasy owners in need of a defensive-minded big man should have Perkins on their radar. Although he's expected to play heavy minutes for Oklahoma City, we want to see how he fits in with his new teammates before rostering him in shallower formats.
2. Tracy McGrady (15 points, 2 three-pointers, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block): After riding the pine for a few games, T-Mac returned with a vengeance. McGrady has shown the ability to fill up the box score, but head coach John Kuester has been constantly fiddling with his rotation. We'll be watching McGrady's minutes closely this week. He's a must own if he's playing heavy minutes on a regular basis.
   
3. Kirk Hinrich (16 points, 3 three-pointers): After a slow start in Atlanta, Hinrich has scored in double digits in three straight games. He's been very hot from outside the arc. We're still a bit concerned by his assists numbers. We would like to see Kirk's assist totals closer to his career numbers, as they just haven't been where we expected given the minutes he's playing.
4. Landry Fields (14.6 points, 1.6 three-pointers, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 64.3% FG%, 91.7% FT%): Fields slowed down a bit following the Carmelo Anthony trade, but he's stepped his game up of late. He's scored in double digits in five of New York's last six games and he continues to put of some great all-around lines. Even with two superstars around him, he continues to produce and play heavy minutes.
5. Chase Budinger (17 points, 2 three-pointers, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 90% FT%): Following the trade deadline, Budinger has been one of the best pick ups in fantasy basketball. He's become not only a great scorer, but someone you can count on to contribute in nearly every category. He's solidified himself as Houston's starting small forward and Chase is someone we like down the stretch.