Fantasy Daily: The Under 10% Club

I love fantasy basketball so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. It’s true; and it’s not just following the statistics either. Sometimes it’s finding the next big thing before it blows up, and other times it’s discovering a diamond in the rough. Drafting that player everybody else passed on and I was willing to pounce on is reason for bragging rights and consistently puts prize money in my pocket. Post-draft, this may seem like meaningless mumble-jumble (or gobbledygook if you will), but there are still some Aladdin’s out there (Diamonds in the rough, no?). The following is a list of the best players owned in fewer than 10% of ESPN leagues. Whether you are participating in a deep league or are simply looking for a sure-to-be available player, the following should be more helpful than a fork at a Chinese restaurant.

Corey Brewer (8.4%)-Sure his numbers are up a little bit with Kevin Love out of the line-up, but even upon his return, he is assured a spot as the starting shooting guard. He is a terrific defender even if his offensive game never validates his lofty draft position. His shooting percentage can be expected to be somewhat low, but his current 36.8 should be moving on up like the Jefferson’s. Brewer's 2.1 steals and .7 blocks per game dwarf that of any other widely available player, and the 11.2 points are just the cherries on top. Still only 23, Brewer is a good passer for his height and has much room to develop. 10 ppg, 1.8 spg and .8 bpg with 4 rebounds and 2 assists seem quite reasonable.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7.3%)-Just wait for the Shaq Experiment to end. LeBron and Shaq cannot co-exist and it is obvious that the big Shaquisition was made solely to keep Dwight Howard out of the paint. Big Z is a very skilled, big man who is being severely underutilized right now. Even as a bench player, Zydrunas is averaging 7.6 and 6.4, which is not deserving of such limited ownership. My main league has twelve teams and uses many roster spots, meaning that most available players are only available in ten percent of leagues. That said, if Big Z were dropped I wouldn't hesitate a second to use my waiver priority on him. View it is a speculative add which will still provide slight production in the interim. After all, he did average 13 and 7.5 last year with 80% ft out of the center spot. That type of shooting for the position is more rare than a British person with nice teeth.

Marvin Williams (7.1%)-How Williams could be owned in such a low percentage of leagues is really beyond me. Granted he should be considered a bust after being drafted before Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Nevertheless, the fact he was picked so high should tell you what type of upside Williams has. At 6’9 240, Williams can competently play the three and four spots, and at the young age of 23 his potential has barely been scratched. His last few games, Williams has shown tremendous improvement including 29 and 9 only two games ago. Truth is he is the type of player who one might pray gets traded. As talented as Williams is, his confidence will remain low when he is the fifth option on offense. Being surrounded by Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Mike Bibby he is fighting sixth man Jamal Crawford for shots. His defense has been improving and he has an outside chance at 1 block and 1 steal per game but offensively you can expect another 13 and 6 type season. Not to say that isn’t far more productive than his ownership dictates, but it simply keeps a cap on big Willy’s production.

J.J. Hickson gets big
J.J. Hickson (4.3%)-Watching the Cavs play, the blossoming bond between Hickson and LeBron has been a revelation. After witnessing Hickson play at NC State, it was obvious that the ability was there. Upon his entry into the starting line-up, it was widely known that Cleveland had found a steal. When he goes up to catch alley-oops, one has to be paying attention because you may confuse him with the King. I don’t know that there is a greater compliment than that. Explosive. Mobile. Powerful. Hickson has all the tools to be a great NBA player, but the presence of LeBron James is the biggest key to his success this year. Averaging 8 and 3 so far on 60% shooting, those numbers balloon to 13.6 and 4.6 as the starting PF. While he only averages .5 bpg and spg as a starter his athleticism dictates that his blocks figures should soar. Hickson is only 21 years old and in his second season (this is odd, I never knew I liked ‘em so young), so there is room to grow throughout this season and beyond. I see Hickson as a new-age Kenyon Martin so 12.5 and 7.4 rebounds (Martins rookie numbers) seem achievable if Cleveland continues to give Hickson ample run.


Terrence Williams (4.1%) and Courtney Lee (6.4%)-Although CDR looks to be the NJ swingman to own, both of these players could see extended run this season and could capitalize on the opportunity. Both are athletic swingmen and terrific defenders. As New Jersey remains winless and it becomes evident that the team is playing for a draft pick, these youngsters will pick up even more minutes. Don’t be surprised to see a line-up of Harris, CDR, Williams, Lee and Lopez. Jersey showed they were willing to go small when they started Trenton Hassell at power forward a few games back. With both starting, 10+ ppg seem reasonable, and over a steal per game is even better.

George Hill (2.4%)-If only he had a starters gig. Hill has all the tools, including the ability to guard far bigger players (i.e. the 6’9 Kevin Durant).  This year as a starter Hill is averaging 16.5 ppg, 3 rpg and 3.3 apg on 45% shooting. Plus he went to ooey-pooey (or IUPUI to the laymen), so you’ve got to love the guy. He’s a smooth operator who can fill a stat sheet like Halle Berry can fill a pair of tight jeans. Granted he is stuck backing up Parker, but with the past injuries to Manu it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hill log minutes at both the one and two. When you have such a talented player, your coach needs to find a way to get him on the floor. I don’t doubt Pop will find a way to do that, especially as he tries to rest his veterans during the year so they are fresh during the postseason.

Steve Blake (2.2%)-Currently starting alongside Andre Miller in the Blazers back court; you’d have to be blazing yourself to expect a mere 2.2% ownership. Blake is one of those constantly overlooked players who always ends up having a productive season. I mean in my league, Blake is unowned and Hasheem (cough cough worthless) Thabeet was owned up until a few days ago. Blake is averaging 8.2 points per game this year after dropping 11 and 5 last year. He doesn’t have herpes so you don’t have to be afraid to get close (at least I sure hope he doesn’t). 9 and 4.5 seems in line; so if your team needs the help, go after him.


Ersan Ilyasova (4.8%)-His ownership percentage is up 3.9% meaning a week ago, Ilyasova was owned in only 0.9% of leagues. This is not without reason, after all, his name hardly rolls off the tongue. Still Ilyasova is showing that spending a year playing overseas can do wonders for your career; just ask Brandon Jennings. After being drafted by Milwaukee in 2005, Ilyasova only played one year in the NBA before leaving for FC Barcelona. The experience and confidence he picked up there has been invaluable. At 6’9-6’10, Ersan can play the 3 or 4 spots and has shown excellent range for such a big fella. His averages of 11.3 and 6.8 include 1.3 threes per game at a 39% clip. With Bogut currently injured, Ilyasova could see some run at center. Hopefully, he can gain eligibility at that position. This 22 year old has shown great improvement, and as teams begin game planning around Jennings, Ilyasova could break a lot of hearts with the three ball. I honesty think his 11 and 7 are no mirage, and this is a man who deserves a roster spot. So jump on board the (owner)ship. (And while we address this up and coming foreigner, it seems an appropriate time to share a joke I recently heard. This particular joke was deemed to be the funniest to people worldwide and lacks any type of cultural bias. Without further ado: Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services.
He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?)

Under 1 club: Marcus Thornton (1.0%), Rodrigue Beaubois (0.4%), DeMar DeRozan (0.8%), Omri Casspi (0.6%), Francisco Garcia* (0.9%), Brendan Wright* (0.5%), Chase Budinger (0.5%),

Brian Scalabrine (0.2)%-Glad to see some of us still have a sense of humor.

David Solar can be reached at david@hoopsdaily.com