Phil's Week Nine Fantasy Basketball Hot Picks and Sleepers

Greetings, fellow Pounders and Guests!

We’re heading into Week Nine of the Fantasy Basketball season, and the NBA schedule is crazy this week. Houston has a whopping five games this week, while the Boston Celtics are set for only one. I would love to meet the person responsible for devising this schedule.

I don’t know if I can handle five nights of the Beard and the Weird, but their Christmas Day game against the Spurs should be a good one.

Spurs Picks for the Week

Four games again this week for the Silver and Black (Toronto, Houston, Dallas, Sacramento).

Manu Ginobili SG: Ginobili is currently owned in 78% of ESPN leagues and in 77% of Yahoo leagues. The reason he’s not owned in 100% of the leagues has more to do with for whom he plays than with what he’s done on the court. On Thursday, the night of limited action, Ginobili wound up getting a DNP to "rest", and that doesn't sit too well with owners. As I mentioned above, the Spurs have four games this week, so count on his sitting out at least one game again this week. (Stats)

Patty Mills PG. Mills went nuts against Golden State on Thursday, but in the Gregg Popovich system of strange rotations and unlikely lineups, Mills is a wild card at best. He’s fun to watch, though, but probably not a great option unless you are playing in a daily cash league. Keep your eyes peeled for when/if Mills gets another chance to start and then grab him for that night. Mills is currently owned in 1.8 % of ESPN leagues and in 2% of Yahoo leagues. (Stats)

Danny Green SG: Green's Fantasy value is rapidly decreasing, but he’s still owned in 47% of ESPN leagues and in 63% of Yahoo leagues. It just goes to show that there are plenty of owners who still believe in him. Unfortunately for me, he’s laid way too many stinkers for me to take a shot, but if you need a three-point threat on your bench, you might want to give him a try and prove the cynic in me wrong! (Stats)

Marco Belinelli SG: Marco lit up the gym on Thursday and Saturday night, and if you were wise enough to grab him for your regular league or daily play, then bravo to you! Belinelli has been in the starting lineup the last two games and made the most of his time on the floor. He’s currently owned in 2.7% of ESPN leagues and in 10% of Yahoo leagues. If Belinelli starts, he’s a great daily play and can be used if you are running a stringer. (Stats)

My picks for the week

Andray Blatche PF/C Brooklyn: The Nets have four games this week (Indiana, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Indiana), and with center Brook Lopez possibly done for the season, Blatche is now the man in the middle for the Nets. He’s scored at least 20 points in his last three games while filling in for Lopez, and now that he’s the man, grab him while you can. He’s currently owned in 22.3% of ESPN leagues and in 37% of Yahoo leagues. (Stats)

Louis Williams SG Atlanta: Williams is starting to get some consistent minutes, and with Hawks playing four games this week (Miami, Cleveland, Charlotte, Orlando), now just might be the time to grab him. He’s shown some signs of the old "Sweet Lou", recording 25 points at least twice, and he’s laid some stinkers, but he might be worth a flyer this week. Williams is currently owned in 15.8% of ESPN leagues and in 25% of Yahoo leagues. (Stats)

Andrew Bynum C Cleveland: I know what you’re thinking, but Cleveland has four games this week (Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Golden State), so he might be worth a look. He’s had some good results mixed with some rough ones, but since he's owned in just 51% of ESPN leagues and in 78% of Yahoo leagues, Lopez-less owners in need of another big man might find Bynum not only available but appealing. (Stats)

On today’s Phil Naessens Show Fox Sports and NBC Sports Fantasy expert Dennis Farrell joins me to talk Fantasy Sports, . Indy Cornrows' Tom Lewis and I deliberate all things Indiana Pacers, and Rotowire’s Kyle McKeown and I discuss replacements for Brook Lopez, the Houston Rockets and more. You can listen to it below or download it here.

PtR Fantasy League

Duncan Donuts remain the only undefeated team in our PtR Fantasy Basketball league. Things are starting to get tight and week nine should prove to be very interesting. Good luck to all of you! You can check out the standings at the link below.

http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/35869

Thanks, fellow Pounders and guests, for taking time to read, and, as always, I’m looking forward to your input!