Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
As the Atlanta Hawks battle to hang onto their eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, DeMarre Carroll continues to surprise everyone with his play.
In today’s edition of “All Wired Up”, I’ll delve into the fantasy strengths of potential waiver wire gold like Carroll and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Ryan Kelly.
» DeMarre Carroll, SF, Atlanta Hawks (53.8 percent owned on ESPN.com)
15 points (5-11 FG, 1-2 FT), 4 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover vs Bucks.
Before you read any further, go and have a sneaky look at your league’s waiver-wire and see if DeMarre Carroll is still there. If he is, add him immediately and then keep reading.
Why hasn’t people jumped on the DeMarre Carroll bandwagon yet? Is it because he plays for the Atlanta Hawks? Is it because he doesn’t end up on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays? Is it because he is solid rather than spectacular?
To be more accurate, it’s probably a combination of all those things and I’d imagine that Carroll is still flying under the casual NBA fan’s radar. I could be wrong, but I’d be surprised if 10 percent of NBA fans knew which team Carroll plays for.
But what about his fantasy production? How can he help your fantasy team?
Carroll has been remarkably consistent this season, starting every game he has played for the Hawks. Over the duration of the season, Carroll is the 54th ranked player on Basketball Monster.com. His averages are 11.1 points, 1.4 three-pointers, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals, while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor.
Things have gotten even better recently, though. In the last three games, Carroll has drained a total of 10 three-pointers and scored in double digits in all three games. He’s also accumulated 14 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.
There’s really not a lot more that needs to be said regarding DeMarre Carroll in fantasy leagues. He’s a top 60 player, who’s play is getting better as the season wears on. There is no league in which Carroll shouldn’t be owned. Just make sure he’s owned on your team.
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Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
» Ryan Kelly, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (10.9 percent owned)
12 points (4-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 2 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover vs Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a fantasy gold mine this season. They are also a fantasy graveyard. The key is knowing which players reside in which zone at what time. And that makes us fantasy players tear our hair out.
Throughout the course of the season, we’ve seen numerous Lakers rise from nothingness to become must-own players. Chris Kaman. Steve Blake. Jordan Farmar. Kendall Marshall. Kent Bazemore. Jordan Hill. Nick Young. We’ve also seen the majority of these player drop of the face of the fantasy Earth at the whim of coach Mike D’Antoni.
Ryan Kelly, the rookie from Duke, is the next on that list. He’s D’Antoni’s power forward du jour, and that means big minutes and big stats. Kelly has started the last two games for the Lakers and played 32 minutes off the bench in the prior game and has looked really good doing it.
If you look at his numbers for those three games, Kelly is the 7th ranked player on Basketball Monster.com. Seventh! He’s averaged 16.0 points, 2.7 three-pointers, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.7 blocks on 50 percent shooting from the floor and a perfect 100 percent from the line.
I’m hardly going out on a limb, but there is no way Kelly continues at this torrid pace. In saying that, he still will be super productive for as long as D’Antoni keeps him as the starting power forward. As with all of the Lakers’ brightly burning supernovas, Kelly is a must-add for as long as he starts. Just be ready to make a move when D’Antoni has his regulation change of heart and starts Robert Sacre for a stretch.