Fantasy Basketball Starts/Sits: Week of Feb. 13

(Photo courtesy of turner.com)

Start ‘Em

Jared Dudley – Pho – Since being re-inserted into the starting lineup by coach Alvin Gentry six games ago, Dudley has averaged 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 three-pointers and 1.5 steals while shooting almost 50% from the field. Those are numbers worthy of starting in almost any league but considering the Suns play five games next week, Dudley is a no-brainer.

Channing Frye – Pho – Sticking with the Suns, Channing Frye has seen a resurgence in his past two games, scoring 33 points with 14 rebounds, five three-pointers and four blocks. If he was dropped in your league, now might be the time to scoop him up with a full schedule on the horizon.

Randy Foye – LAC – The fourth guard in the Clippers’ rotation for most of the season, Foye will step into a much bigger role with Chauncey Billups out for the season. When Chris Paul missed five games a few weeks ago, Foye averaged 11.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.2 three-pointers, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in just over 34 minutes a night, numbers that he can easily match for the rest of the season. If you can stomach his poor shooting (39.8% from the field), he makes for a solid play with four games this week.

Jeremy Lin – NY – Lin has been the talk of New York over the past week and rightfully so; three straight games with at least 23 points and seven assists make him more than deserving of the attention he’s receiving. Lin won’t hit threes (1-for-10 in those three games) but he’ll help nicely in assists and steals (five during that two-game stretch), two of the more difficult categories to find on the waiver wire. Lin is becoming a must-start, especially with Carmelo Anthony expected to miss some if not all of next week with a groin injury.

Nikola Pekovic – Min – Pekovic might be playing better than any player on this list right now and he’s been doing it for a longer stretch of games. In his last nine games, Pekovic is averaging 14.7 points and 9.2 rebounds on 69% shooting from the field. He won’t contribute anywhere else but if you need quintessential big-man stats, Pekovic will give you four games of solid production even if Darko Milicic starts to eat into his minutes.

Sit ‘Em

Greivis Vasquez – NO – Vasquez played well while replacing Jarrett Jack in the starting lineup and certainly earned himself more minutes off the bench. While he can still produce enough across the board (especially in assists and steals) to maintain a roster spot in all but the shallowest of leagues, Jack’s return combined with the Hornets’ three-game week make him a must-bench this week despite his recent strong play.

Manu Ginobili – SA – Ginobili is “likely” to return on Saturday according to coach Gregg Popovich but even if he does, his minutes will likely be monitored for his first few games back. The Spurs play just three games next week and two come against Detroit and Toronto, opponents San Antonio will likely blow out and use as a reason to rest Ginobili. It may be tempting to get a stud back right away but if you have a decent option with four games (or a Phoenix Sun with five), bench Ginobili for this week and this week alone.

Trevor Booker – Was – Booker has played well since Andray Blatche hit the shelf but I’d be wary of using him next week. The Wizards play just three games in a West Coast road trip against the Blazers, Clippers and Jazz. Role players like Booker tend to perform better at home, which is where the Wizards played their last two games that saw Booker score 36 points. He could be in for a low-output week.

Daequan Cook – OKC – Cook has played well in his five games as a starter, averaging 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers, 0.8 steals and 1.2 blocks replacing Thabo Sefolosha. Sefolosha is due back soon and while there’s a chance he misses a game next week, his return would significantly cut into Cook’s minutes and make him devoid of fantasy value. With a four-game schedule, he might still be playable by deep-league teams desperate for three-point help but you can most likely do better next week.

Chris Kaman – NO – Two hornets on this list is a big byproduct of a three-game week but there are other reasons to bench Kaman. Since returning to the team he’s averaged 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in two games, but he averaged just over 25 minutes a night. His season averages are 9.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in just over 23 minutes, but some owners may look at his past two games and say he’s worth a shot despite only three games. You can get a subpar week out of a four-game player like Pekovic and find more value in him than in Kaman.