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| Something tells me we get this LeBron back this year. |
The small forward position is currently home to a handful of stat sheet fillers. Players who score, rebound, and dole out a healthy amount of assists. I recommend you grab a few of these guys for your team. There are the obvious studs, such as LeBron, Carmelo and Durant, but there is also Andre Iguodala, who went 14-6-6 last year. Most people focused on the scoring dip Iguodala had, dropping from 17 a game down to 14, when we actually expected a jump up to 20. But, with 6 assists and 6 boards a night, you can’t go wrong, even if he scores in the teens again.
Superstars-
LeBron James- Even with the transitional issues of teaming up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh last year, LeBron still was able to put together an MVP like season going 26-7-7. With a year under their belt, I say the Heat stars find a way to excel at another level. LeBron could easily go for 30-8-8 this year and regain the MVP.
Carmelo Anthony- In the D’Antoni system almost anyone can thrive. Carmelo is already considered one of the purest scorers in the game. I expect a slight jump in his already impressive numbers this year.
Kevin Durant- He keeps getting better every year and has led the league in scoring the past two years. I won’t be surprised to see him lead the league again and make a run at his first MVP award.
Automatics-
Rudy Gay- Gay was having a great season last year until an injury cut his season short. He got to sit on the bench as he watched his teammates beat the number one seed Spurs and push the Thunder to a Game 7 in the second round. I expect him to be hungry this year.
Danny Granger- All of the sudden Granger is surrounded by a strong supported cast in Indiana. This team is going to be dangerous and I expect all of Granger’s numbers to jump slightly.
Paul Pierce- He no longer averages as many points as he did earlier in his career, but he is far from washed up. You can still expect him to score in the upper teens every night and as with most prolific scorers, as the scoring drops off some, the boards and assists usually rise. That’s good news for fantasy owners.
Breakouts/Fantasy Grenades-
Danilo Gallinari- Gallinari was traded out of the high scoring D’Antoni system last year, but now he is a centerpiece in the Denver rebuilding process. I won’t be surprised to see him start scoring in the low 20’s this season.
Dorell Wright- Wright was finally given the proper minutes and it paid off for the Warriors. One might say last year was his breakout year, but something tells me his ceiling could be even higher and he has an even larger breakout this year. Especially if Monta Ellis is traded at some point.
Stephen Jackson- Jackson could easily be considered an automatic, but he has found a new home in Milwaukee and age will be an issue sooner than later. I don’t expect his numbers to drop off too much, but I see him more of a Fantasy Grenade this year. He’ll have a dozen or so games where his numbers are LeBron-esque.
Michael Beasley- He has maturity issues. He has a GM who is collecting point guards and small forwards. He also has game. I don’t care if the wolves took Derrick Williams at number 2; Beasley is going to explode this year.
Mr. Consistent-
Luol Deng- For the past couple of seasons Deng has scored 17 points and grab a few boards. So this year I expect him to show up, score 17 points and grab a few boards.
Andre Iguodala- I mentioned Iggy in the intro paragraph to this section, but for those of you who jumped down, I expect a consistent 15-6-6 night in and night out from the guy. I doubt we’ll see many 30-point games from him this year but it won’t matter much when he’s bringing in all those assists and boards.
Grant Hill- The training staff in Phoenix has added a few years to Hill’s career. He is also playing alongside Steve Nash, another aging star who seems to refuse to lose a step. Expect Hill to score in the teens again with three to four assists and five or four boards a night.
Gerald Wallace- Wallace’s presence in Portland is overshadowed by LaMarcus Aldridge. This might be a good thing. Wallace is a double-double candidate and though he isn’t going to win your league for you, he can be a valuable addition to your fantasy team.
Caron Butler- He’s coming off an injury, but he also just landed in Lob City, teamed next to Paul and Griffin. I think we can expect to do the same thing he has done his whole career. Score 15-20 points a night.
Andrei Kirilenko- AK47 has been as about as consistent a player throughout his career as one can be. A true stat sheet stuffer, he does it all. It looks like he’ll be landing in New Jersey to pair up with his old teammate Deron Williams and the new Russian owner. I say that’s a good thing.
Purgatory-
Corey Maggette- Last year Maggette saw a huge drop off in points dipping from 19 to 12 per game. He also now finds himself in Charlotte with a young group of players. There is a chance he can return to his old form but it’s really only just a chance.
Trevor Ariza- Ariza averaged 14 points per game two years ago and last year saw a bit of a dip. With both Chris Paul and David West now gone, he has the ability to become the Hornets’ second scoring option behind Eric Gordon. This is probably not a good thing for the Hornets, but a good thing for anyone owning Trevor Ariza.
Shawn Marion/Lamar Odom- The Mavs just picked up Odom for just about nothing and out of the two of them I think Odom has more in the tank. The problem is going to be how much playing time each of them will get.
Thaddeus Young- Young has been stuck in neutral for the past two seasons after appearing to break out three years ago when he averaged a career high 15 points per game. He is still only 23, but I question how much more of a ceiling he has.
John Salmons- When he gets enough opportunities Salmons is capable of going for 20 a night. But like many players in Sacramento, it’s hard to judge how many minutes he will get.
Too Soon To Tell-
Omar Casspi- Casspi had a great rookie campaign and then took a slight step back in his sophomore season. Now he finds himself in Cleveland. There should be plenty of playing time for the third year player. Can he take advantage of it?
Jared Dudley- Dudley had his best year yet last season in Phoenix. If he can land the starting role and get a few more minutes a game, he could be good for 15 a night. Could be. I use caution because last year was the first year he broke 10 per game. He could easily fall back below into fantasy irrelevancy.
Wesley Johnson- It’s too bad Wesley isn’t a center or a shooting guard because Minnesota is overloaded at point guard, small forward and power forward. He had a decent rookie campaign, but with so many players in his way, it’s hard to tell how much time he’ll get and if he will be able to improve at all.
Rashard Lewis- The Wiz Kids didn’t amnesty Lewis because it would have forced them to spend money in order to meet the salary cap minimum once they got rid of him. He still remains the most overpaid player in the league and I expect another lackluster performance. But if for some reason he returns to his old form he could be very valuable.
Josh Howard- Howard has been struggling with injuries the past two years and now finds himself playing for a rebuilding Utah. If he can stay healthy he will get minutes and hopefully return to the 18 and 6 player he was in Dallas.
Tayshaun Prince- Prince has been one of the most consistent players in the league averaging 14-3-5 for what seems like an eternity. But this year he turns 31 for a rebuilding Pistons team. Age may soon catch up with Tayshaun.
Chase Budinger- The vetoed trade that kept Pau Gasol from coming to Houston is going to help out a couple of young players. Budinger is one of them but something in my gut is uncertain if he is ready to make a leap.
Mid-Season Upside-
Kawhi Leonard- The Spurs traded up to get Leonard but still hung on to Richard Jefferson. I see Kawhi coming off the bench to start the season and then proving his worth come late February.
Linas Kleiza- Linas is recovering from injury and it’s up in the air as to when he comes back. But when he does he’ll find plenty of minutes in Toronto and could be a special mid-season addition to your team.
Jan Vesely- Vesely is going to be a fun young player with great athletic ability. I don’t expect him to produce right away, but come mid-season he may obtain some value.
Wilson Chandler- Chandler is stuck in China at the moment. When he returns he will have great fantasy value as long as he can find minutes in Denver.
Austin Daye- The third year player saw an increase in minutes last year and an increase in production. If the same thing happens this year he could be a valuable third or fourth forward on your team.
Tony Allen- He threw some punches last year mid-way through the season and wound up having a fairly productive second half when OJ Mayo’s minutes were handed over to him. If Mayo gets traded we could see the same thing happen this year.
Derrick Williams- It’s uncertain whether Williams will play at the three or the four. It’s also uncertain where he will find minutes on an oddly constructed Wolves team. Only time will tell.
Mid-Season Downside-
Richard Jefferson- Jefferson has clearly lost his step and it is also pretty clear that the Spurs plan to replace him with Kawhi Leonard.
Hedo Turkoglu- Hedo has fallen off the past couple of years and I expect the trend to continue.
Washed Up-
Marvin Williams- To call him washed up might be unfair considering he was never much of anything to begin with. I would rather trust someone with upside than a disappointment like Williams.
Metta World Peace/Matt Barnes- If you combined the two of these guys for the Lakers you would have a beast. That being said, both players are being used for mainly defensive purposes and should not be expected to have significant fantasy production by any means.
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