Being a sell-high guy must be contagious. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Buy Low:
Wesley Matthews

Dirk Nowitzki

Josh Smith

Kyle Lowry

Channing Frye

Brook Lopez, Manu Ginobili, Luol Deng and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates.

Sell High:
Landry Fields

Vince Carter

Tim Duncan

Jamal Crawford

Al Harrington

[See another version of this post on DimeMag.com]

You got a problem with LeBron's zero three-point attempts so far this season? (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James had himself a typically big line to the tune of 35 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. He shot 57 percent (13-23) from the field, 100 percent (9-9) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Through three games, James is averaging 32.7 points on 59 percent shooting from the field and 87 percent shooting from the charity stripe. The odd thing is that he has yet to attempt a single three-pointer. The fact that he’s been such a stud without a three-pointer says volumes about his fantasy value. It’s early, but James looks primed to make a run at top-dog honors this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Paul George: 5-11 FG (46%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 threes, 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; no surprise about his solid start

Andrea Bargnani: 9-17 FG (53%), 2-5 FT (40%), 1 three, 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO; lack of rebounding is wretched, but he has other places of value

Boris Diaw: 7-14 FG (50%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 16 Reb, 8 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO, 6 TO; he’s dialing it up a notch and will reward his owners this season, but this hot start won’t be maintained

Ramon Sessions: 4-11 FG (36%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; his value will ultimately be determined by the rotation that solidifies for the Cavs

Nick Young: 6-12 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 21 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast; he’ll be good for points and threes this season

Jarrett Jack: 8-17 FG (47%), 5-5 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; barring any signings of reliable point guards, Jack is set for a huge season

Russell Westbrook: 0-13 FG (0%), 4-4 FT (100%), 4 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO; buy low

Manu Ginobili: 6-10 FG (60%), 7-7 FT (100%), 5 threes, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl; another studly start

Andre Miller: 2-7 FG (29%), 3-5 FT (60%), 7 Pts, 3 Reb, 12 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; he’ll have value despite bench role

Landry Fields: 5-10 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 three, 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 TO; has a few weeks to solidify his standing as the starting SG while Iman Shumpert heals

Waiver-Wire Watch (four stars = must add; one star = keep an eye on him):
James Johnson: 6 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 6 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO (****)

Jerryd Bayless: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO (**)

Brandon Knight: 23 Pts, 3 threes, 1 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO (**)

Marvin Williams: 17 Pts, 2 threes, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk (***)

Carl Landry: 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Blk, 2 TO (****)

DeJuan Blair: 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO (***)

Spencer Hawes: 9 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO (***)

Jeremy Pargo: 15 Pts, 3 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO (*)

Brandon Rush: 19 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO (***)

Ishmael Smith: 11 Pts, 1 three, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO (*)

Injuries:
Eric Gordon (knee): a swollen knee made him a late scratch last night; monitor his status

Mike Conley (ankle): monitor his status

Jrue Holiday (knee): doesn’t sound serious but keep an eye on him

Chris Wilcox (shoulder): day-to-day

Tyrus Thomas (ankle): day-to-day

Jeff Foster (back): day-to-day

Mike Miller (hernia): day-to-day

Eddy Curry (hip): day-to-day

For Tonight:
See if Kevin Martin can get things going tonight, as the Rockets host the Spurs. Also, keep an eye on Terrence Williams.

See if Westbrook and Serge Ibaka can break out, as the Thunder host the Mavericks.

[See another version of this post on DimeMag.com]

As his frontcourt mate continues his decline, Blair has a shot at making some noise at the center spot for the Spurs this season -- but will he? (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Tony Parker, Cory Joseph, Chris Quinn*
SG: Manu Ginobili, Gary Neal, Danny Green, Adam Hanga
SF: Richard Jefferson, Kawhi Leonard, James Anderson, Da’Sean Butler, Davis Bertans
PF: Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Steve Novak*
C: DeJuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, Antonio McDyess

* unrestricted free agent

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft positions/per-game stats:
- Manu Ginobili, SG/SF (Rd. 3): 45% FG, 85% FT, 1.7 Threes, 17 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 4.7 Ast, 1.5 Stl, 2 TO
- Tim Duncan, PF/C (Rd. 6): 50% FG, 70% FT, 12.5 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 2.5 Ast, 0.7 Stl, 1.7 Blk, 1.5 TO
- Tony Parker, PG (Rd. 7): 50% FG, 75% FT, 18 Pts, 3 Reb, 6.5 Ast, 1 Stl, 2.5 TO
- DeJuan Blair, PF/C (Rd. 11): 50% FG, 65% FT, 9.5 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 0.5 Blk, 1.5 TO
- Gary Neal, SG (Rd. 12+): 45% FG, 80% FT, 1.5 Threes, 9.5 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 1 TO
- Tiago Splitter, PF/C (Rd. 13+): 55% FG, 55% FT, 6 Pts, 5 Reb, 0.5 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 0.5 Blk, 0.7 TO

Sleeper:
Neal

Most likely to surprise:
Blair

Most likely to disappoint:
Duncan

Category specialists:
- Threes: Ginobili, Neal, Bonner
- Steals: Ginobili
- Blocks: Duncan

Things to consider:
- whether a prolonged offseason could benefit Duncan and Ginobili’s production
- how much Blair asserts himself at C
- who, if anyone, emerges with reliable value at SF

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2010-11:
- Pts: 6th
- FGM: T-5th
- FGA: 16th
- FG%: 4th
- FT%: 14th
- 3PTM: T-4th
- Reb: 12th
- Ast: 8th
- TO: 6th
- Stl: T-14th
- Blk: T-18th
- Pace: 14th
- Offensive Efficiency: 2nd
- Defensive Efficiency: 11th

Fantasy-friendliness for 2011-12: B

Bonus:
Manu Ginobili meets Raja Bell

Howard was unfair last night. (David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks last night. He shot 82 percent (9-11) from the field, 83 percent (10-12) from the free-throw line and had four turnovers. With this monstrous line, Howard has amassed eight steals and nine blocks in his last two games. Though his boost in scoring has received the lion’s share of attention this season, it’s worth noting that Howard has also boosted his rebounding and thieving from last season’s marks.

Lines for Discussion:
Marcus Thornton: 9-14 FG (64%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 25 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO

Ty Lawson: 7-10 FG (70%), 7-7 FT (100%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 TO

Manu Ginobili: 9-18 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 4 threes, 28 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ryan Anderson, Daniel Gibson, Tony Allen, Darrell Arthur, Omer Asik, Ekpe Udoh, Acie Law, Tiago Splitter

Injuries:
Stephen Jackson (hamstring): says he’ll play Wednesday

Baron Davis (back): day-to-day

Arron Afflalo (hamstring): probably won’t return until next week

Raymond Felton (ankle): expects to play Wednesday

Anthony Morrow (finger): playing through it

Kelenna Azubuike (knee): will have to have another knee surgery

Marcus Camby (ankle): questionable tonight

Tim Duncan (ankle): will miss about two weeks

Devin Harris (hamstring): day-to-day

Damion James (foot): day-to-day

Amir Johnson (ankle): sprained his other ankle; day-to-day

Derrick Favors (ankle): day-to-day

No one can stand in K-Mart's way these days. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Martin averaged 31.5 points, four three-pointers, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, three steals and 0.5 blocks in two games over the weekend. That’s three straight games with 30+ points for Martin, who will be shedding no tears over Aaron Brooks’ departure. K-Mart has only missed two games and is averaging top-20 numbers so far this season.

Lines for Discussion:
J.J. Hickson (2/25): 9-17 FG (53%), 6-10 FT (60%), 24 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Ast, 5 Blk, 3 TO

Deron Williams (2/26): 3-12 FG (25%), 9-12 FT (75%), 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 17 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO

Paul Millsap (2/26): 9-12 FG (75%), 5-8 FT (63%), 23 Pts, 11 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Blk, 2 TO

Chris Kaman (2/26): 8-12 FG (67%), 16 Pts, 9 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO

Stephen Curry (2/27): 13-21 FG (62%), 2-2 FT (100%), 5 threes, 33 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO

Manu Ginobili (2/27): 10-22 FG (46%), 13-16 FT (81%), 2 threes, 35 Pts, 6 Reb, 8 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO

Brandon Roy (2/27): 3-9 FG (33%), 6 Pts, 1 Reb

Kevin Love (2/27): 8-13 FG (62%), 18-23 FT (78%), 3 threes, 37 Pts, 23 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Thornton, Gerald Henderson, Greg Monroe, Anthony Parker, Wes Johnson, James Harden, George Hill, Chase Budinger

Injuries:
Antawn Jamison (finger): he fractured his left pinky finger Sunday; monitor his status

Baron Davis (knee): day-to-day

Matt Barnes (knee): getting close, but unlikely Tuesday

Martell Webster (back): day-to-day

Tim Duncan (ankle): monitor his status

Tony Parker (calf): ditto

Andrea Bargnani (illness): check his status

Luis Scola (knee): day-to-day

Kendrick Perkins (knee): out another 2-3 weeks

Kelenna Azuibuike (knee): Knicks are now considering releasing him

Ersan Ilyasova (concussion): day-to-day

Jason Thompson (ankle): check his status

Mike Dunleavy (thumb): out 6-8 weeks

Andray Blatche (hip): day-to-day

Anthony Morrow (knee): monitor his status

Xavier Henry (knee): seeking a second opinion, could be out for the rest of the season

Love has been a beast this season, but his weak playoff schedule kind of makes him a scumbag.

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Fantasy playoffs are right around the corner, with most playoff matchups beginning in Week 21 (3/14) or Week 22 (3/21). This means most fantasy owners who are still in contention for a playoff spot in their leagues should start pondering whether or not they want to swing some deals to bulk up their teams’ schedules during that all-important stretch of the season. In essence, fantasy owners should see this as another way of buying low (on players whose teams have favorable fantasy playoff schedules) and selling high (on players whose teams have weak fantasy playoff schedules).

Below is a quick rundown of how many games each team plays in Weeks 21-25 (Week 25 might be combined with Week 24 in leagues that play to the very end of the NBA regular season). Keep in mind that this post is meant to be read through the lens of your teams’ specific situations. So, for example, if your team is fighting for a spot in the playoffs, you might want to worry a bit less about playoff schedules than an owner whose team has a strong hold on the No. 1 overall spot in their league.

18 games:

17 games:

16 games:

15 games:

14 games:

No, don't slow things down, Derrick! (Flickr/Keith Allison)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Derrick Rose finished with 42 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a block. He shot 64 percent (18-28) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. This was a nice way to head into the All-Star break for Rose, who has made a lot of noise in fantasy circles this season. Expect more of the same post-All-Star weekend.

Lines for Discussion:
Manu Ginobili: 6-18 FG (33%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO

Dirk Nowitzki: 13-18 FG (72%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 35 Pts, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO

Steve Nash: 6-10 FG (60%), 3-3 FT (100%), 15 Pts, 5 Reb, 14 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO

Waiver-Wire Watch:
Roddy Beaubois, Robin Lopez

Injuries:
Delonte West (wrist): expected to return next Tuesday

Joakim Noah (thumb): he’s on track to return on Feb. 23

Acie Law (wrist): expected to return after the break

Louis Amundson (back): ditto

Emeka Okafor (hip): expected to return to the starting lineup after the break

Francisco Garcia (calf): according to coach Paul Westphal, Garcia’s not “anywhere near ready”

Rashard Lewis (knee): expects to return to practice Monday

Paul George (groin): day-to-day

Trevor Ariza (ankle): monitor his status

For Next Week:
4 games: ATL, DET, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, OKC, SAC, TOR, WAS
3 games: BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GS, MIL, NO, NY, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SA, UTA
2 games: NJ

Smith gave his fantasy owners some V-Day lovin' last night. (NBA.com)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Josh Smith gave his owners some love on Valentine’s Day with a line of 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one three-pointer. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the floor, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had five turnovers. Smith is averaging season-high marks in his shooting from the field, scoring, rebounding and steals so far in February. He’s also shooting free throws a lot better lately.

Lines for Discussion:
Manu Ginobili: 6-14 FG (43%), 8-8 FT (100%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO

D.J. Augustin: 3-7 FG (43%), 1 three, 7 Pts, 9 Ast

John Salmons: 5-13 FG (39%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 16 Pts, 1 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 Stl

Luis Scola: 3-10 FG (30%), 4-4 FT (100%), 10 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO

Waiver-Wire Watch:
George Hill, Jordan Farmar, Gerald Henderson, Nazr Mohammed, Mike Bibby, Carlos Delfino, Dante Cunningham, Martell Webster, Courtney Lee

Injuries:
Paul Pierce (foot): MRI came back negative; monitor his status

Monta Ellis (thumb): didn’t practice Monday; check his status

Ersan Ilyasova (eye): check his status

Amar’e Stoudemire (toe): didn’t practice Monday but should play Wednesday

Goran Dragic (toe): will play tonight

Ronnie Price (toe): game-time decision tonight

Raja Bell (calf): ditto

Andrei Kirilenko (ankle): out tonight

Carmelo Anthony (shoulder); left last night’s game in the fourth quarter; check his status

Danny Granger (neck): iced his neck in Monday’s practice but should be fine for tonight

Yep, you should've sold high on Manu. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Game watch:
2 games: ATL, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GS, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJ, NO, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SA, UTA
1 game: BOS, CLE, MEM, NY, OKC, ORL, TOR, WAS

Waiver-wire watch:

• Rudy Fernandez: averaging 19.3 points, three three-pointers made, two rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals in his last four games
• Chuck Hayes: he should really be owned in more leagues by now; good source of rebounds, steals and field-goal percentage
• Tony Allen: good for steals in deeper leagues
• Sasha Vujacic: averaging 16.7 points, 2.7 threes, 2.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals in his last three games
  
• Reggie Williams: getting consistent run lately, posting solid all-around numbers
• George Hill: started Saturday, which is a sign of things to come as Manu Ginobili gets more rest down the stretch
• Will Bynum: making some noise lately, decent for points and assists in deeper leagues
• Jodie Meeks: cold spell from January is broken, posting solid all-around numbers in February and is especially good for threes (2.1 per game this month)
• Josh McRoberts: playing nearly 26 minutes a night and putting up good numbers across the board, especially in points and rebounds
• Austin Daye: his minutes have never been steadier; posting 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.7 threes per game in February
• Cartier Martin: last two games have been solid; he should be monitored
• Sam Young: continues to be a good source of points and steals
• J.J. Barea: has been good for points, threes and assists this month, but stands to lose time to Roddy Beaubois
• Nikola Pekovic: should be a decent big man so long as Darko Milicic is out
• Anthony Tolliver: also benefiting from Milicic’s absence
• Mike Miller: finally getting consistent run, averaging 10 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 threes per game so far this month
• Timofey Mozgov: continues to start and is a decent big man to own in deeper leagues
• Randy Foye: productive days will end once Eric Gordon returns, but remains a solid play right now
• J.J. Redick: worth a look if you need help with threes
• Daniel Gibson: ditto
• C.J. Miles: started his last game and should be a good stash in most leagues
• Shaun Livingston: a decent point guard to have in deeper leagues and is worth monitoring in others

Injury watch:

• Amar’e Stoudemire (toe): hopes to play Wednesday
• Kevin Durant (ankle): hopes to play today
• Luther Head (knee): day-to-day
• Corey Maggette (back): monitor his status
• Martell Webster (back): aiming to practice today; monitor his status
• Marcus Camby (knee): won’t play today, but getting very close
• Andrei Kirilenko (ankle): monitor his status
• Rashard Lewis (knee): day-to-day
• Al Thornton (finger): day-to-day
• Josh Howard (knee): expected to return today
• Nate Robinson (knee): expected to play today
• Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles): out until the All-Star break, maybe beyond
• Leandro Barbosa (hamstring): unlikely today
• Raja Bell (calf): day-to-day
• Brandon Roy (knees): expected to return Wednesday

Stock watch:

↑ Carmelo Anthony: blasting opponents with his scoring lately, averaging 40.3 points and three three-pointers made in his last three games

↑ Andre Miller: averaging season-high marks in points (15), rebounds (4.2) and assists (nine) per game in February

↑ Gerald Wallace: finally putting things together, averaged 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks, one turnover and 1.3 threes in four games last week

↑ Raymond Felton: looks revived in February, back in double-double territory

↑ DeJuan Blair: has notched double-digit rebounds in seven of his last eight games, even blocking some shots lately

↓ Chris Paul: shooting a season-low 44.7 percent from the field in February, while turning the ball over a season-high three times per game

↓ Dirk Nowitzki: has looked very human lately, struggling from the field, not hitting threes, grabbing fewer rebounds

↓ Wesley Matthews: two stinkers in a row isn’t a good way to defend his minutes against Brandon Roy’s return

↓ Manu Ginobili: coach Gregg Popovich said Batman is banged up right now, played him just 8:11 on Saturday

↓ Jason Richardson: season-low marks in field-goal percentage, points and rebounds so far in February

There shall be no Yao Ming here. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Now that the NBA has announced its All-Star starters for 2010-11, it’s our turn. In case you missed it, back in late December we posted our “ballots” for the 2010-11 NBA fantasy All-Stars. The idea behind this was, “If the NBA can have us vote on each season’s All-Stars, why can’t we do the same for fantasy basketball?” Well, the people have spoken.

It’s clear that some players earned the most votes based purely on their straight-up values so far this season. In other cases, the reasons were a bit less obvious. Some races were close, others were blowouts. Below is a rundown of the results, along with my own votes and brief comments.

Eastern Conference starters (number/percent of votes for each position)
PG: Derrick Rose (71/37%)
My vote: Raymond Felton
Comments: There are three main reasons to vote for a player to be a fantasy All-Star: 1) he boasts the best averages so far; 2) he has offered the biggest returns based on his average draft position; or 3) you just plain like him. For me, Felton fulfills criteria Nos. 1 and 2. Yes, he’s slowed down a lot lately and looks like he’s burning out, but based on what he’s done so far in 2010-11, and based on the fact that he’s offered top-20 value despite being drafted around No. 60 overall (this and all other referenced average draft positions are according to Yahoo), Felton is a no-brainer for me. Rose is right there with him, but the tie-breaker is Rose was picked in the third round of most drafts and is offering top-20 value, a feat that isn’t as surprising as Felton’s. But hey, Rose is finally nailing threes, so who am I to rain on that parade?

SG: Dwyane Wade (82/43%)
My vote: Ray Allen
Comments: Wade has produced top-20 numbers so far, which falls far short of his average draft position of 6.0. But I have no qualms with having him win the race here. I’m picking Allen simply because he was supposed to be showing signs of atrophy this season. Instead, he’s improved upon six of the nine major statistical categories counted in fantasy leagues and has been a top-25 fantasy stud so far in 2010-11. Case closed.

SF: LeBron James (95/50%)
My vote: Paul Pierce
Comments: I’m a bit surprised to see James get so many votes here, not just because he’s been a bit of a disappointment, but also because he’s just not as likable as he once was. I’m fine with James here — after all, he’s averaging around 26/7/7. The reason I’d choose Pierce is because of his stunning averages so far. He has improved his scoring, field-goal percentage, rebounding, assists, turnovers and, by smaller margins, his blocks and free-throw percentage. All this has placed him among the top 15 fantasy players in the land thus far this season, which is pretty elite air. I was never a fan of Pierce for fantasy purposes, but I can’t deny his stellar play.

PF:  Josh Smith (64/34%)
My vote: Kevin Garnett
Comments: This was probably the most bewildering result to me. Yeah, Smith started out with a roar, but he’s since tapered off and has underperformed his average draft position (17.2) by putting up top-30 numbers so far this season. Smith’s bread and butter — his steals and blocks — have both dipped from their 2009-10 marks. Garnett should be the winner here. He’s taken a gulp from the fountain of youth, has his knee back and is averaging top-12 numbers. If that doesn’t convince you, maybe this will.

C: Amar’e Stoudemire (61/54%)
My vote: Al Horford
Comments: Stoudemire has proven his doubters wrong. He doesn’t need Steve Nash, he can rebound (on most nights) and he can really block shots (2.3 per game, tied for third in the NBA). So I don’t have a problem with this pick. I’d vote for Horford simply because he’s putting up slightly better value overall and was drafted nearly 1.5 rounds after Stoudemire.

Reserves (the second highest vote-getters at each position): Raymond Felton (57/29%), Ray Allen (35/18%), Paul Pierce (50/26%), Wilson Chandler (41/22%), Dwight Howard (28/25%)

Western Conference starters (number/percent of votes for each position)
PG: Chris Paul (61/36%)
My vote: Russell Westbrook
Comments: CP3 is the No. 1 overall fantasy player right now based on averages, so it’s not surprising at all to see him get the most votes here. I’m going with Westbrook because he’s far outperforming his average draft position of 35.6. Westbrook is putting up top-20 averages so far and has improved on his shooting from the field (a big weakness in his first two seasons in the NBA) and free-throw line, his rebounding, assists, steals and scoring from last season’s marks. The one downside is that he’s turning the ball over an insane 3.8 times per game (third worst in the league), but we knew that was one of his weaknesses coming into the season. I was a Westbrook doubter this fall, but he’s making me look a fool right now — maybe that’s the main reason I’m giving him my vote.

SG: Manu Ginobili/Monta Ellis (tied: 50/31% each)
My vote: Manu Ginobili
Comments: This was our only tie, and it’s understandable — both of these guys manage to put up exciting fantasy numbers on nearly every night they’re on the court, and despite their reputations for DNPs, both Ginobili and Ellis have managed to rack up a total of exactly zero DNPs so far this season. I’m voting for Batman because he’s averaging better numbers (top-five numbers, in fact) so far this season and he was drafted at around No. 39 overall. Ellis, on the other hand, is averaging slightly inferior numbers (top-15, which isn’t shabby) but was drafted at an average of No. 29 overall. There’s also the “Robert Downey Jr./’Iron Man’” factor here: We always knew Ginobili had the talent to be a fantasy stud — he just couldn’t stay healthy enough or play enough minutes to realize that potential. Well, 2010-11 arrived and so far, it has proven to be the perfect situation for Ginobili: health, a steady starting gig, a faster offense and a superstar teammate in decline. This season is his “Iron Man.”

SF: Kevin Durant (74/45%)
My vote: Dorell Wright
Comments: KD is doing his thing and that’s fine and dandy, but Wright has blindsided the fantasy basketball world this season. He wasn’t drafted in most leagues but has managed to rise up and produce averages good enough to rank him at No. 16 overall so far this season. If that isn’t a feel-good story, I don’t know what is. Wright gets my Amar’e nod of approval.

PF:  Kevin Love (76/46%)
My vote: Kevin Love
Comments: If you disagree here, I have nothing to say to you. Love was taken around No. 42 in drafts this fall and has feasted on the competition on his way to top-three value. The only thing he hasn’t done in 2010-11 is master the art of the high-five. Just give him time — Love will get the hang of it soon enough.

C: Pau Gasol (71/73%)
My vote: Pau Gasol
Comments: Gasol got the biggest share of votes of any of the starters in both conferences, and for good reason. The return of Andrew Bynum has been a bit of a downer for Gasol’s value, but he remains a player who does everything well. Just take a look at his averages so far in January: 17.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, one steal, 1.7 blocks and two turnovers per game. He’s also shooting 53 percent from the field and 86 percent from the charity stripe this month. The numbers and votes say it all.

Reserves (the second highest vote-getters at each position): Deron Williams (47/28%), Kobe Bryant (19/11%), Rudy Gay (42/25%), Dirk Nowitzki (51/31%), Serge Ibaka (9/9%)