By Lead Expert Rob Shaw and Brian Wagoner

THE FANTASYFANATICS.COM STOCK REPORT

On the Rise

Ricky Davis – Guard/Forward – Heat: In the three games since Dwyane Wade was shut down for the season, Davis has gotten over 40 minutes in each contest. He is averaging 21.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in those games. Ricky “Buckets” is back, baby! Also, watch Daequan Cook’s production over the next few games after returning from the D-League. He could be another benefactor of the available minutes left behind by Wade.

Travis Diener – Point Guard – Pacers: Diener has taken full advantage of his opportunity to start at point guard for the Pacers. In March, he is averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 three pointers a game.

Rashad McCants – Guard/Forward – Timberwolves: Despite coming off the bench, McCants has been contributing help in the points and three pointers categories. He does not offer much in other categories, but you might want to ride him while he is hot.

Charlie Villanueva – Forward – Bucks: Villanueva is one of the most frustrating players in fantasy basketball, no actually all of fantasy sports. He has all the tools to fill the box score, including three pointers, blocks, and great percentages. However, he virtually disappears for long stretches, offering nothing but minimal statistics. Lately, Villanueva has been great, averaging 24.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last four games. The risk here is that he is no lock to keep up this pace.

Thaddeus Young – Forward – Sixers: Young went from little used rookie to a player with promise to a legitimate fantasy starter. In his first five March games, 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 71% shooting from the field. He is a big candidate for a breakout season next year, but enjoy the production this season.

On the Way Down

Mark Blount – Center – Heat: After a strong end of January and beginning of February, Blount has finally come back to Earth. He is still good for the occasional double-digit scoring night, but can not be counted on to produce anything else.

Andrew Bynum – Center – Lakers: The good news is that Bynum is now running on a treadmill. The bad news is that he running on only running on about 65% of his body weight. The worse news is that is nearing the middle of March, so the time is dwindling for him to come back and make an impact. If there are other options out there, you may want to cut him loose to help your team in the stretch run. Of course, in keeper leagues, you should hold on to him.

Larry Hughes – Guard – Bulls: Hughes was outstanding for the Bulls after coming over in a blockbuster trade. However, he has reverted to the “Bad Shot” Larry that we have all grown accustomed to. In his last five games he is averaging only 11.6 points and shooting a dreadful 36% from the field. On the plus side, he is getting decent minutes and racking up steals.

Dwyane Wade – Guard – Heat: In case you had not heard, Wade is shut down for the season, check back in 2008-09.

Top 10 Fantasy Ballers as of Week 19:

RANK     LAST WEEK
1. Chris Paul    1
2. Kobe Bryant    2
3. Amare Stoudemire   3
4. Shawn Marion    10
5. Dirk Nowitzki    6
6. Marcus Camby   5
7. LeBron James    4
8. Baron Davis    7
9. Chauncey Billups   8
10. Allen Iverson    9

A third consecutive week of having the same faces appear in the top ten, but once again, the deck has been shuffled.  Shawn Marion makes a return inside the top five, after slipping to tenth overall last week.  Back-to-back 17 rebound performances helped his cause, as he also became more offensive minded with Dwayne Wade out for the season.  Marion has had his own injury woes, as he’s missed back-to-back games because of back pain.  The biggest fall comes from LeBron James, as he slips from 4 to 7.  Despite a couple of big performances, including 42 points against New Jersey, James has struggled once again at turning the ball over, and knocking down his free throws.  In fact, in the past two games, he has combined for 13 turnovers and 9 missed free throws.  Sure, LeBron is great, but to be the best he can’t have any weaknesses.

Fantasyfanatics.com Forums:

QUESTION: What’s the deal with LA Clipper forward Elton Brand?  I heard that he was going to come back a week or so ago, and yet he has yet to play for the struggling Clippers.  Should I drop him and hope for another savior?

ANSWER: I just hope that you didn’t make the mistake of drafting this guy early, not realizing that he was hurt.  Or even worse, have Brand in a keeper’s league, leaving you with a major void on draft day.  The fact is that not many players available on the waiver wire would be able to provide you the numbers that Elton Brand can offer if he does return.  At the moment, he’s taking part in pre-game shoot-around and looks pretty good as far as weight and shooting, but there is still plenty of rust that he must shed.  I spoke with Elton the other day in Orlando and he told me, “This is not a lost cause.  I would like to get back on the court and remind my teammates, management, and even myself, what’s in store for 2008-2009.”  He has ever right to be confident about next season.  The Clippers will get another lottery pick, and last year’s selection Al Thornton, seems to be improving each day.  In fact, Mike Dunleavy said, “The guy is a future 20-point per game scorer; we’re very happy with who we drafted.”  With Chris Kaman, Thornton, and the currently rehabbing Shaun Livingston returning next season to join Brand, the Clippers future does appear bright.  On that note, Brand is excited to return to the hardwood, an event that may transpire within the next 7-10 days.  Be patient, and enjoy the payoff.

*For full video of Rob’s interview with Elton Brand, check out Fantasyfanatics.com.