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It’s a Sprint to the Finish: Forwards Who Can Help You Out

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Categorized as: Author: Patrick, Ballin Outta Control, Fantasy Basketball, Houston Rockets, Player News
Posted on: March 4th, 2009

A couple days ago, we took a look at a few guards who were playing well enough to help out any kind of fantasy team. Of course, immediately after the post both Charlie Bell and Antoine Wright crashed and burned. But that does not stop us from continuing to dispense fantasy advice with little regard for human life. So, onto the forwards! Here are the guys who have picked up their games the most over the past couple of weeks, using the same fuzzy math as last time.*

Ron Artest (ranked #53 on the year/#16 over the last 10 games) – Hate him or hate him, coming into the season Artest was a decent fantasy player who suffered through some minor bouts of complete insanity. After joining Houston, he got off to a slow and injury plagued start to the season, but with McGrady now out for the rest of the year, Artest has definitely turned it up on the offensive end. Since the all-star break, Artest has increased his points per game from 16.7 to 21.7 and his threes from 2.5 to 3.1. His shooting percentage has also increased from 40% to 49% over that same span. The FG% will not stay that high, but he will remain an integral part of Houston’s McGrady-less offense.

Boris Diaw (90/21) – Diaw has been great since coming to the Bobcats and getting handed their starting PF spot. One piece of advice: Don’t be the guy who way overpays for Diaw when drafting next year.

Luis Scola (118/47) – Scola’s minutes have been on the rise thanks again to Tracy McGrady’s injury. Scola has seen about 34 minutes a game since the break and has had double-doubles in 6 of the Rockets last 7 games. Granted, Scola won’t do much for your team other than scoring and rebounding (he doesn’t block any shots for example) but who couldn’t use a double-double threat who will likely see 35+ minutes a game for the rest of the year.

Ryan Gomes (130/57) – Gomes has entered the Wolves starting lineup to replace the injured Al Jefferson, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Before a recent slow stretch, Gomes had 5 straight games of 20+ points. At his best, Gomes will do a little bit of everything (except block shots) and is a solid power forward for a small ball team.

Ryan Gomes

Dominic McGuire (194/92) – The second year forward has temporarily moved to shooting guard to cover for the injured Caron Butler. And while McGuire only shot 3-7 from the field in the Wizards last game, he did contribute 9 assists, 6 boards, 2 steals and a block. Besides shooting threes, McGuire will do a little bit of everything and should get plenty of playing time considering the Wizards have absolutely nothing to play for this season. Definitely take a look at him if you’re in need of a GF to finish out the year.

James Singleton (239/94) – Does your team need rebounds? Singleton is your man – he’s averaging 10.7 since the break for Dallas as their backup center. We all know about the Mavs starting center, the blob of human flesh known as Erick Dampier, so it’s not surprising that Singleton is carving out a bigger role. This past Saturday, he got a total of 33 minutes (and 16 boards) in the Mavs/Raptors game. Note: I believe Singleton currently only qualifies at forward in Yahoo leagues, so a petition might be in order.

Darius Songaila (214/117) – Unlike those other pansy basketball sites, we at GMTR are not afraid to wade deeeeeeeeeep into the shit to find help for people in even the biggest leagues. While Songaila is no longer a young man – he’s (gasp) a year older than me – he could also benefit from Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison getting more rest as the season rolls on. With Butler sitting out of the Wizards game yesterday, Blatche slid to the 4 and Songaila started at the 5. The result was a whopping 26 minutes for Songaila, who scored 12 points and added a steal and a block. WARNING: Songaila rebounds as well as an armless leprechaun, so he’s definitely small ball material if you’re desperate for a forward.

Thabo Sefolosha (211/204) – GMTR superfan and criminally underutilized GF Sefolosha is starting for his new team thanks to – what else – an injury to Kevin Durant. In OKC’s last two games, he’s scored a total of 30 points and grabbed 18 boards while playing 41 minutes in each game. While his extra playing time and value may be shot lived – Durant may return by the end of this week – word is that the Thunder want Durant to take things slow so he doesn’t jeopardize his health for next season.

*This is by no means a list of the forwards who have been playing the best (hell no, I’d never make that claim about Darius Songaila), but rather the group who has increased their fantasy value the most relative to their play earlier in the season. Lets call them the underrated.

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