Picks and Roles provides all the vital information you need in making those tough lineup decisions for the week ahead. The injuries have arrived. We're starting to see more and more ankle sprains and the 'DNPs' are beginning to add up. It's important as a fantasy owner to stay on top the the injury reports, especially in weekly leagues, as you don't want to set your lineup with a player who could miss an entire week of action.
Of course I had that happen to me last week with Pau Gasol. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't in any rush to get Gasol back to the court. But don't they know that we need him back? I didn't use an early-second round draft pick on a guy, only to have him sit on the bench.
Anyway, let's see if we can get an idea of who is and isn't playing this week, checking in with our good friend Pau Gasol.
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Start 'Em
• Caron Butler looks ready to go this week. With the Wizards scheduled to play four times, I would get him in my lineup. Looking forward to the end of the week -- at Indiana, home to Phoenix -- Butler might make it worth your while, even if for some reason he sits on Tuesday at Cleveland.
• Vince Carter, after missing Sunday's game, seems like he'll be ready to go for Tuesday's game in Detroit. Still, start him at your own discretion.
• Mehmet Okur practiced on Saturday, so he should be ready to go for Monday's home game against the Rockets. With four games this week, you should get Okur in your lineup.
• Tyreke Evans will more than likely get the nod this week, after he suffered an ankle sprain in Saturday's 'bat-gate' game against the Spurs. Sacramento has four games this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing Evans torch the Warriors on Saturday night.
• Jason Richardson has returned from his two-game suspension. It's nice to have him back. The Suns play four fairly tough road games this week, but as we know they usually force their opponent to play at their pace, which means plenty of points.
Question 'Em
• Allen Iverson is supposed to be back on the court on Monday. I wouldn't rush to get him into your lineup, especially since his role is still undefined.
• Pau Gasol missed an entire week of action and is still questionable for this coming week. The Lakers play on back-to-back nights this Tuesday and Wednesday. The matchups are quite favorable, but I'm not sure that even if he does play he'll see significant action. At this point it's a gamble. If you do have a better option at center, I would recommend starting that option.
• Michael Redd is questionable after leaving Saturday night's game with soreness in his knee. There's always cause for concern when a guy like Redd leaves a game early. The Bucks play three times this week, with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Redd's knee is probably hurting just thinking about having to play on back-to-back nights. If you have a better option, I would consider using it.
Sit 'Em
• Devin Harris is out 7-to-10 days with an ankle sprain. Rafer Alston is a nice play this week with four games. You probably won't see many more 8-of-11 shooting nights from Alston as we did on Saturday, but he can score, dish, and hit the three-ball.
• Nate Robinson is likely out for the next two weeks. Sit him for sure this week. In his place we might actually see Toney Douglas get some burn on the court, but I wouldn't take the gamble on him this week, especially with Mike D'Antoni giving Larry Hughes some playing time at shooting guard. • Jeff Foster is set to miss the next two weeks , but really, what do you care? The reason I bring it up is because the Pacers might finally get Tyler Hansbrough back later on in the week. I wouldn't suggest putting Hansbrough in your lineup, but it might be worth it to check in on his progress and see if he's worth a short-term flier.
• Anyone not named Tim Duncan or Tony Parker on the Spurs should see themselves on your bench this week. With just two games this week, I would even suggest sitting Manu Ginobili this week. I still can't get over how he smacked that bat.
I will continue to update as more news comes in throughout the evening.
