The 11th installment of the fantasy buzz is here! For those who don't know: While I will attempt to make recommendations based on all types of fantasy leagues, I will only be speaking to what is known as "advanced scoring" when it comes to actual fantasy production as I find standard scoring and 9 Category leagues to be boring. That being said, let's dive into the performances of our squad this past week, break down my predictions from last week and look ahead to the next week of games!
The Cats played 2 games this past week: the Mavericks on Tuesday and the Nets on Wednesday. Some players have dropped out of the rotation and/or are having very minimal fantasy impact and so I will leave them out of the discussion. Here's how our boys performed:
Kemba Walker: averaged 28 fantasy points in those two games with a 36 point outing against the Mavs but only a 21 point effort versus Brooklyn. Kemba is sure to have some rust leftover from his injury and we have to hope these two games and a nice layoff from the All-Star break sees him return to the kind of numbers his owners expect.
Gerald Henderson: averaged only 15.5 fantasy points last week and managed to make me look like a fool while doing it! Last week I advised sitting him against the Mavs but starting him against the Nets. Well, Hendo promptly put up 24 against the Mavs and only managed 7 versus the Nets! It will be interesting to see what happens with Hendo's production, especially considering the trade deadline is in two days and the Cats are reportedly shopping for help on the wing.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: averaged 16.5 points in those 2 games, with both being somewhat underwhelming performances. I was hesitant to recommend him at all last week, though I did advise starting him versus the Mavs if you were desperate. My hesitation will obviously continue until we see some consistent fantasy scoring out of him. He was on a tear at the beginning of the season, so patient owners may want to hold on to him a bit longer.
Josh McRoberts: averaged 32.5 fantasy points in those two games and helped me to make up for my disaster of a recommendation with Henderson. If you listened to me last week then you started McBob versus the Mavs, when he put up 45 fantasy points, but you sat him against the Nets which saw him only manage 25. McBob is going to get you 20+ on almost any given night, but he is definitely a player that owners want to deploy strictly based on his matchup.
Al Jefferson: averaged 37 fantasy points per game with a 50 point night against the Mavs but only a 24 point night versus the Nets. Big Al is currently ranked as the #12 fantasy scoring center even with all the time he missed from injury. He has also managed to creep into the top 30 overall and shows no signs of slowing down, aside from the occasional dud against great post defending teams like the Nets.
Ramon Sessions: averaged 22 points across those 2 games with 18 against the Mavs and 26 versus the Nets. More important to note is the fact that he saw at least 22 minutes of action in both those games, so his role, while somewhat diminished by Kemba's return, is still solid enough for fantasy owners to depend on.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats are finally back to a full slate of games with four games this week: the Pistons on Tuesday, the Pistons again on Wednesday, the Pelicans on Friday and the Grizzlies on Saturday. Here are some recommendations of who to get in your lineup:
1. Kemba Walker: I'm pretty much going to recommend starting Kemba every week. If you have another PG that is worthy of starting over Kemba you are most likely fielding trade offers left and right! Kemba has some tough matchups this week with the Pistons ranking #11 against opposing PGs and the Grizzlies ranked #1. However, Kemba has made a habit of torching Brandon Jennings in the past and the Pelicans are in the bottom of the league versus opposing PGs, so if you are lucky enough to have 2 starter-worthy PGs on your squad you may only want to sit Kemba versus the Grizzlies.
2. Gerald Henderson: Henderson has been up and down all season and is a risky play this week. He has 3 solid matchups, with the Grizzlies being the only team that does well defending opposing SGs, but Henderson tends to make a habit of disappearing in the second game of a back to back series. I only feel comfortable recommending him for Tuesday's game against the Pistons. Base the rest of your week around his production in that game.
3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: I can't bring myself to recommend MKG at all this week. Presumably, there are some decent free agents on your waiver wire who could offer a less risky spot start. His only good matchup this week is versus the Pistons, but he will spend most of his evening matched up against Josh Smith and that does not bode well for the sophomore wingman.
4. Josh McRoberts: Ouch. This is a tough week to be a McRoberts owner. While the Pelicans are a good matchup for him, the Grizzlies are fantastic at defending the post and the Pistons' trio of Smith, Monroe and Drummond will be all McBob can handle. Someone has to score for the Cats, but I expect the bulk of those duties to be handled by Big Al, so I’d sit McBob in all of the 4 games this week unless you are desperate for a starter.
5. Al Jefferson: Yet another direct copy and paste from last week: Jefferson has been on fire and there's no reason to think that's going to stop anytime soon. If you have a better option at center then you are truly the envy of everyone in your league as there is just no reason to sit Jefferson on any given night. Continue to roll him out there and hope that he continues this past week's dominance.
6. Ramon Sessions: like Kemba, Sessions has 3 good matchups this week versus the Pistons twice and the Pelicans. However, I'm going to go ahead and go out on a limb and say he will put up decent numbers against the Grizzlies as well. Sessions will be leading the charge for the Cats' second unit and will be depended on to be the scorer among that group. Starting Sessions is always a risk in all but the deepest of leagues, but owners desperate for a start may find some overlooked production from out 6th man this week.
That's all for this week! I will be back next week to review the fantasy performances of our players, point out where my predictions went wrong and/or right and recommend some players for the next week's games. Until then, good luck, have fun and GO BOBCATS!
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