Derrick Williams scores season-high 25 points - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams scored a season-high 25 points to go with 10 boards, one assist and one 3-pointer in 45 minutes against the Heat on Monday.

Derrick Williams leads Wolves w/ 23 points - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams led the Wolves with 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 40 minutes vs. the Blazers.

Mostly NBA Notes: Blake Griffin’s developing game and Bradley Beal’s emergence

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

After being the 100th most valuable fantasy player during the first month of the season, Blake Griffin has ranked 19th ever since, as his value hasn’t been tied to Chris Paul availability (actually if anything he’s been more valuable when CP3 is sidelined, with his assists notably going up). Griffin is on pace to finish with career lows in ppg (18.5) and rpg (8.6) - the latter by a wide margin. But he’s become much more active on the defensive end, averaging 1.4 spg (his previous high was 0.8), and ironically, his drop in Usage Rate has

Mostly NBA Notes: Blake Griffin’s developing game and Bradley Beal’s emergence

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

After being the 100th most valuable fantasy player during the first month of the season, Blake Griffin has ranked 19th ever since, as his value hasn’t been tied to Chris Paul’s availability (actually if anything he’s been more valuable when CP3 is sidelined, with his assists notably going up). Griffin is on pace to finish with career lows in ppg (18.5) and rpg (8.6) - the latter by a wide margin. But he’s become much more active on the defensive end, averaging 1.4 spg (his previous high was 0.8), and ironically, his drop in Usage Rate has helped his fantasy value, as while his free-throw shooting has improved (his 66.2 percent mark is a career best, but he shot 64.2 percent from the

Derrick Williams plays well again in win - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams stayed hot on Wednesday with 17 points, eight rebounds, a steal and two 3-pointers on 7-of-12 shooting.

Derrick Williams has career night in loss - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams exploded for a season-high 24 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, a block and two 3-pointers on 7-of-17 shooting in 37 minutes on Wednesday.

Derrick Williams moves ahead of Cunningham - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams will start at power forward for the Wolves on Thursday.

Derrick Williams will start on Thursday - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams will start at power forward for the Wolves on Thursday.

Williams or Cunningham could start Thursday - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams or Dante Cunningham could start on Thursday, and a decision will not be made until Thursday afternoon.

Wolves considering starting Derrick Williams - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Terry Porter said Wednesday that he's considering inserting Derrick Williams into the starting lineup in place of Dante Cunningham.

Derrick Williams double-doubles vs. OKC - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams had his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, adding one steal in 28 minutes against the Thunder on Wednesday.

Derrick Williams plays well again off bench - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams came off the bench again and played just 21 minutes, but hit 7-of-13 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 17 points, a rebound and a steal in Tuesday's win.

Mostly NBA Notes: Stephen Curry on fire

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Stephen Curry entered the year as one of the biggest boom-or-bust players in the league, as he had been the 11th, ninth and 14th most valuable player on a per-game basis over his first three years in the league — a feat matched by few. However, while injuries only cost him eight games during his sophomore campaign, they hobbled him in many more (which in turn also made his per game value all that much more impressive since he played just 33:36 mpg, which ranked 65th in the league), and they then cost him 40 games last year (which could have been many more if it wasn't an abbreviated season). The ankle problem specifically even lingered into this preseason, so he was (and remains) a pretty big gamble, but

Day 18: Waive Racers

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

(Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America)

Line of the Night: Portland may be struggling, but Nicolas Batum (2.86) is not. Thanks to a monster 35 points (5 threes, 13-19 from the field), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks, Batum has climbed to #4 overall on Give Me The Rock’s Fantasy Basketball Player Rater (and that Top 3 includes the injured Kyle Lowry). Of course, Batum also a fairly ridiculous 7 turnovers. He’s only averaging 2.6 on the season, though, and this was an overtime game, so he should be

Derrick Williams scores season-high 23 points - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams scored a season-high 23 points on Friday against the Warriors, hitting 8-of-16 shots (1-of-2 3PTs, 6-of-6 FTs) with seven rebounds, two assists, and four blocks in 37 minutes.

Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Top 25 Small Forwards

Source: Fake Teams by sportsbyjack

The "Durantula" is a close second as the NBA's reigning scoring champion, Young guns to watch include Nicolas Batum, who got a nice contract extension with the Blazers for his efforts last season and Derrick Williams, the somewhat forgotten up and comer and a Timberwolves team that features Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, here are the top 25 small forwards as we move into the 2012-13 fantasy basketball season:

LeBron James, MIA

Not too many shooting guards in the world can pass like a point guard and shoot a sky-hook like a center, but this guy can. He's a threat to put up a triple double every night.

Kevin Durant, OKC

Won

Kevin Love Breaks Hand, Out 6-8 Weeks

Source: Fantasy Basketball Daily by Tippy

Kevin Love suffered a broken hand yesterday and will miss 6-8 weeks. Fantasy Analysis:  What a brutal start for Roto league owners who used a top 5 pick on Love.  With Love out, Derrick Williams really has a chance to get some significant minutes and make a case for more playing [...]

Love Hurts: Kevin Love out six weeks

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

Kevin Love broke the third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand during practice and is expected to miss six weeks. Declaring this as a big blow to fantasy basketball is an understatement. He was a shoe-in as either a third or fourth pick in fantasy drafts this season. No less. For those of you who’ve already drafted and picked him, my condolences. I will be missing his elite game, double-doubles, and 30-30 explosions almost as much as you.

This news definitely shakes up the first round

Derrick Williams: Could Play Bigger Role In Love's Absence

Source: RotoWire.com NBA

Derrick Williams: Williams could open the season as the starter at power forward with Kevin Love (hand) expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Steelers | Seven players released

Source: Footballguys.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released QB Jerrod Johnson, OT Trai Essex, WR Derrick Williams, FS DaMon Cromartie-Smith, WR David Gilreath, WR Marquis Maze and WR Toney Clemons.

Will Barton scores 72 pts in Baltimore game - Will Barton | POR

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Trail Blazers rookie G Will Barton scored 72 points during a recent scrimmage in Baltimore, torching defenders including Brandon Jennings, Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams.

Wolves pursuit of Nicolas Batum gets messy - Nicolas Batum | POR

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

The Trail Blazers have rejected multiple sign-and-trade offers from the Wolves for Nicolas Batum, including as many as three first-round picks or last year's No. 2 pick Derrick Williams.

Day 112 of 124: the Beginning of the End

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

That’s right, this is the last recap that is going to mean anything to the owners who are playing for a championship in fantasy leagues that end this week. Still, like much of the NBA at this point, all we can do is soldier on until the end.

Line of the Night: Coming off a rare bad game against the Wolves, Chris Paul (3.01) bounced back in full force to score 28 points (on 12-17 shooting), with 13 assists, 3 threes and 3 steals in a win over the Warriors. Paul is not only having an expectedly great fantasy year (he’s currently ranked #3 on the GMTR player rater for the season) but he’s also

Court Report: Dwight Howard suffers setback, out at least a few more games

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Dwight Howard is out Friday and is not expected to be available on Sunday or Monday as he seeks a second opinion on his troublesome back. Howard left the team for further evaluation in Los Angeles after suffering a setback while practicing on Thursday. Howard's continued absence means more starts for Glen Davis - he's averaged 36 minutes, 19.2 points on 46-percent shooting, 11.8 boards, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks over the past six games. As for Howard himself: his default h2h season is over, and we should know more about his status through the end

Day 110 of 124: You’ve Got To Be (Jason) Kidding!

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

or: The Bizzaro NBA

Line of the Night: Jason Kidd (2.75) took advantage of Charles Jenkins to the tune of 9 points (3 threes), 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. It was Kidd’s first Line of the Night, and really, I wasn’t sure that he was going to play again after his 4-game absence. I don’t think anyone missed him except maybe the Mavericks. He is still ranked #74 on the Player Rater for the season, though, so I guess for the team that can stomach his 35% shooting, you’ve gotten some decent assists, steals, and threes. I honestly didn’t think I’d see him up this high again, though.

Derrick Williams to start on Friday for Love - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams will start Thursday's game in place of Kevin Love (concussion).

Court Report: LaMarcus Aldridge officially done; Is Kevin Love next?

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Kevin Love suffered a mild concussion and neck strain when he took an elbow from JaVale McGee on Wednesday night - he spent the night in a Denver hospital as a precautionary measure and is out indefinitely. The NBA's concussion policy:

A player diagnosed with a concussion will have to complete a series of steps to prove he's healthy enough to play. Once a player is symptom free, he is tested through increasing stages of exertion - from a stationary bike to jogging, agility work and non-contact team drills - to make sure he remains symptom free. An NBA-hired neurologist is consulted before the player is cleared to

Day 109 of 124: Waiver Wire Team Assemble!

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Line of the Night/ Waiver Wire Line of the Night: There was an insane triple-double last night and some dude grabbed 30 boards, but neither of those games was the best fantasy line of the night. Instead, waiver wire champion Danny Green (2.61 WARP) finished with 22 points, hitting 5-6 from three and 7-11 from the field, with 2 steals, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers. If that sounds like an underwhelming line of the night, I’d agree, but unlike some other performances, Green was a plus in just about every fantasy category. Ironically, it was also a far better game for Green than the one the other day when Parker,

Day 95 of 124: Where Deron Williams Doesn’t Feel the Love

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Line of the Night: Amazingly, Deron Williams (2.94) edges out Kevin Love’s 40 point performance with a 30 point, 4 three, 9 assist and 2 steal game against the Pacers. How did he do it? Williams shot better from the floor and the line than Love, had more assists and fewer turnovers. Of course, the big negative is that he didn’t have 19 rebounds like the #2 player on the night.

Honorable Mentions: Just how good has Kevin Love (2.62) been recently? Love’s 40 point, 19 rebound and 4 three game against Charlotte just missed out on the fantasy line of the night, which would have been his third line of the night in four days. Love is now #3 on our player rater for the 2011-12

Court Report: Lowry, Rose, Pekovic continue to sit

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Kyle Lowry was with the Rockets Monday but is still a ways away from basketball activity and his chances of returning with any kind of impact on the fantasy season  are minimal. Lowry still had the IV setup in his arm on Monday and will continue on his antibiotics cycle through April 7. He's now three weeks removed from any physical activity and, in addition to his bacterial infection, the groin injury that originally put him on the shelf is still an issue. It's safe to drop Lowry in all standard h2h leagues, and there does not appear to be a good argument for holding him in many

Day 88 of 124: Where Ben Gordon Strokes It

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Alternate Title: Free Ramon Sessions!
Second Alternate Title: Every Time Darko DNPs, an Angel Gets Its Wings

Line of the Night/ Waiver Wire Line of the Night: If you were somehow still holding onto Ben Gordon (3.76) through all his badness this season, he finally rewarded your faith last night with a completely insane game: 9-9 from three on his way to 45 points, adding 8 assists and a couple steals. To put this game in perspective, before last night’s game Gordon had 11 threes total since the beginning of February. 11 threes in 19 games!

Gordon can thank Rodney Stuckey for the opportunity in his acceptance speech. Stuckey missed the game with a

Court Report: Jason Thompson, h2h playoff heavyweight?

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Dominating performances on Tuesday kept the arrows pointing up for Marcus Thornton (42 minutes, 31 points, 3 threes, 7 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals), Isaiah Thomas (34 minutes, 18 points, 5 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals), and Jason Thompson (41 minutes, 14 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block). Thompson in particular has been an unexpected boon, posting four straight double-doubles while averaging 35 minutes and notable numbers like 70-percent shooting, 4 offensive boards, and 3.5 assists. Thompson's red-hot shooting will cool but his minutes should stay in the substantial range, given that the Kings are only playing three bigs and DeMarcus Cousins is regularly in foul trouble, and his confidence and activity levels are

Court Report: Danilo Gallinari out, Wilson Chandler in

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Danilo Gallinari suffered a fractured left (non-shooting) thumb during Denver's 112-95 loss to the Mavs on Monday and could be sidelined for up to a month. The team has yet to issue and official timetable and Gallinari hopes to cut the initial expectations short, but his fantasy season could be over for all intents and purposes, particularly in default h2h leagues.

"I don't know how long it's going to be. It's not

Day 85 of 124: Capping Off “Paul Millsap Week”

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

Line of the Night: Chris Paul (3.16) was his impressive self as he led the Clippers over the Detroit Pistons in an overtime win. He was one rebound shy of achieving a triple-double performance, but I’m sure his owners aren’t complaining. Especially after Paul just delivered  19 points, nine rebounds, 15 assists, four steals and ZERO turnovers!

Honorable Mentions:
As great as CP3 was last night, I think some credit is due Paul Millsap (2.74) who capped off an insane week in fantasy with yet another mind-blowing night. Millsap had 24 points, nine boards, five dimes, 5

Day 79 of 124: You’ve Just Been Bismacked

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Line of the Night: Brandon Jennings (3.09) scored 34 points, hitting 6 threes, with 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks in a 105-99 win over the Nets. Jennings is still too inconsistent to be put in the class of elite PGs, but the 22 year-old has taken a big step forward this season, which is all you can ask for from a young PG. There is an outside chance that he might be traded along with Bogut at the deadline, but for now he remains the Bucks’ best player (which admittedly is not where you want to be as an NBA team).

Ricky Rubio: Possible ACL tear

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

I haven’t seen MRI results yet (it was scheduled for this morning), but if you’ve got someone questionable on your roster and you could use some PG/SG help from a guy like Luke Ridnour, then it’s definitely worth scooping him up in the chance that Rubio’s season could be over. A torn ACL will take a month to heal (at the very least, since he’s young and has professional caliber trainers and staff), which means he’ll be out until the playoffs (if the Wolves can still make it without him in the lineup).

From

Derrick Williams posts 22 and 10 w/ Love out - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams started for injured Kevin Love (back) on Friday, scoring 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting (including a three) with 10 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 43 minutes.

Day 74 of 124: Bye-Bye Boris

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Line of the Night: There were some gaudier looking lines last night to be sure, but no one matched the efficiency of James Harden (2.99), who scored a career-high 30 points and hit 4 threes on 8-12 shooting from the field and 10-11 from the line. He also added a couple steals and blocks for good measure in the 115-104 win over the Suns. Not only was this Harden’s best game of the season, it’s his first really good fantasy game since he dropped 25 on the Warriors in the middle of February. Here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait another three weeks for Harden’s next great game.

Honorable Mentions: Harden’s teammates had some big games all-around (well, not Daequan Cook).

Day 68 of 124: 38 is Great!

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

Line of the Night: LeBron James (3.78) almost got to WARP factor 4 with his 38 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Looking at the numbers below, I think 2-3 more assists might have done it… And since Unathletic just happened to send me a link to the Miami Heat dancers looking pretty awful for the Miami Heat dancers, there’s LeBron’s reward.

Honorable Mentions:
Speaking of 38 points: Kevin Durant (1.99) also had 38 points (5 threes,

Court Report: Randy Wittman has had enough of JaVale being JaVale

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Randy Wittman benched both JaVale McGee and Nick Young in the second half of the Wizards' 119-118 loss to the Bucks on Tuesday. Wittman explained his decision after the game with the following:

"We played guys that wanted to play defense in the second half. I went with guys who I knew were going to go out there and bust their rear ends and try to do things the right way in the second half ... I'm done with young guys (as an excuse). If they don't want to play the right way, young guys aren't going to play. It does us no good. They're not going to

Potential Second Half Breakouts

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

This is a companion piece to our Breakout Podcast that we recorded over the weekend. If you were able to listen to that, you’ll find a lot of the same information in the post. If not, then he following is more of less what we discussed in that podcast. Nels’ article on SI.com this week also has to do with breakout players, but his take is slightly different than mine and Erik’s and is worth a read as well.

Predicting breakout players is always a tricky process because as much as we think we can predict

Fantasy: Williams, Beasley enjoy increased minutes

Source: Fantasy Basketball Blog by Tom Carpenter, Special to ESPN.com

Tom Carpenter recaps Tuesday night in the NBA, including rare opportunities for both Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley.

Day 66 of 124: Not Quite The 1% (Owned)

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

Or: But Certainly The 50%

Half of the Top 10 performances from last night come from guys who are less than 50% owned. One of them is one of the 1% (and should probably stay that way), but among the others, there are some interesting players that other owners might have given up on. But first, the traditional dominators…

Line of the Night: DeAndre Jordan (2.51) grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, which made his 7-9 shooting much easier, I’m sure. He ended with 14 points and 14 rebounds, along with 2 steals and 4 blocks. Can’t ask for much more

Derrick Williams explodes for career-high 27 - Derrick Williams | MIN

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Derrick Williams got hot off the bench and hit 9-of-10 shots and four 3-pointers for a career-high 27 points, five rebounds and a block in Tuesday's tough win over the Clippers.

GMTR Podcast #30: Second-Half Breakout Players

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

In this week’s podcast, we discuss the all-star festivities (or lack thereof), talk about guys who are expected to return from injury after the All-Star break, and breakdown some players who could potentially break out in the second half given the right set of circumstances.

Click to play or Download here (Right-click and Save As)
Or rock the GMTR podcast feed for iTunes.

Podcast Links:

Nels’ Sports

Court Report: Jeremy Lin takes his turn

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

The Knicks' next hope to turn the season around? Jeremy Lin, who is now the team's starting point guard after posting a huge line in Saturday's win over the Nets (36 minutes, 25 points, 10-19 FG, 5 boards, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals). The Knicks still have no idea when Baron Davis might join the team's active roster - Mike D'Antoni confirmed that he had a setback and said the team is not counting on his returning before the February 24-27 All-Star break, but "If he does, great." As for Lin, D'Antoni will certainly give him every chance to make things work after

Bracket Big Board: The Patsy-12 has officially hit rock bottom

Source: Roto Arcade by Brad Evans

The Bracket Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the field of 68 (31 automatic and 37 at-large bids). Essentially, the Bracket Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for amateur bracketologists if they were filling out a Tourney Pick 'Em '12 entry today. The Triple-B, the second-most accurate bracket predictor among macro-sites over the past four years, is updated every Monday until the dance card is unveiled March 11.

At US Airways Center in Phoenix, UCLA head coach

Court Report: Luol Deng out for “a while”

Source: Roto Arcade by Matt Buser

Luol Deng has been shut down with a torn ligament in his left wrist. He's being called week-to-week and Tom Thibodeau acknowledged that "he's going to be out for a while." The plan as of now is to avoid surgery and return to play through the pain, likely after a couple of weeks. Deng opted for surgery after suffering the same injury to his right wrist at the end of the 2004-05 season - he's choosing the "pain management" route this go-around, given the Bulls' title aspirations and

Court Report: Week 5 Dashboard

Source: Roto Arcade by Justin Phan

Each week, the Dashboard centralizes all the crucial information fantasy managers need to dominate their weekly head-to-head matchups or climb the standings in their rotisserie leagues. The Dashboard covers schedule analysis, status updates, adds, drops, watch list candidates, and deep league targets for managers of all skill levels. Quite simply, it is a comprehensive weekly cheat sheet packed with every bit of information that you could possibly need.

Week 5 Schedule Grid

Click here for a full season schedule grid. Hat tip to kiwishaq on the busersports forums.

Week Five, quality

Steelers | Five signed to future contracts

Source: Footballguys.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed WRs Tyler Beiler, Jimmy Young, David Gilreath and Derrick Williams and CB Walter McFadden to future contracts. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.