NBA: The Watch List

• By: Kyle McKeown
• On: 1/11/2012 11:01:00 PM

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The Watch List

One of my favorite tools in fantasy basketball is the watch list. If you aren't currently using your watch list function in all of your leagues, you should take a trip through the free agent pool and flag any players you think might develop relevant value this season.

Beyond flagging players who are currently available, I also flag players who I want to trade for so that I can easily track their production and offer trades for them when they're in a slump.

Here's a few guys I'm currently targeting for trades:

DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans: Cousins' value is still limited by his shooting woes from early in the season. In his first four games, Cousins shot a putrid 32 percent from the field. In his last five games, he's shot 54 percent from the field. Overall, he's shot 43 percent from the field, which is reflected in his current ranking. I believe he's going to finish a lot closer to shooting 50 percent from the field than the 32 percent he shot in the first four games. Therefore, I've been agressively persuing a trade for Cousins in most of my leagues. Paul Westphal's firing by the Kings was no small thing. Since Westphal was fired, coach Keith Smart has installed a more sensible rotation that is defining the players' roles. With the team playing their starters more and committing to a more rational rotation, it should result in Cousins and Tyreke Evans solidifying themselves as the foundation of the team. Everyone else on the roster will play second fiddle to Cousins and Evans.

Stephen Curry: With the new news that there is no structural damage to the tendon he had repaired in the off season, I'm optimistic that Curry and the Warriors will figure out some kind of brace or proper shoe to help him keep from spraining his ankle every other game. I'm not offering a lot for him right now, but I'm willing to throw out some speculative offers for Curry to see if I can get him on the cheap.

Rudy Gay: Gay's scoring is down 3.5 points per game this season because his shots haven't been falling. That won't continue. While he's currently shooting 41 percent from the field and 63 percent from the free-throw line, Gay should eventually get his percentages back up to their career levels of 46 and 77 percent respectively. With Zach Randolph out, he should eventually figure out that the team needs more from him on offense. If he figures that out, we could see Gay start to post some great numbers. I'm buying low and hoping he gets the wrinkles ironed out sooner rather than later.

Other guys I'm targeting in trades, because I believe they'll come out of their slumps or because they're ranked lower now than they will be at season's end: Raymond Felton (shooting percentages will rise), John Wall (He'll get it figured out or he'll just start taking games over and playing for himself.), Andrew Bynum (ranking still low due to missing the first four games), Andrew Bogut (missed games hurting his ranking)

Here are some guys I'm watching in case they get bigger roles on their teams:

Rookies

Nikola Vucevic: Watch this kid play for just five minutes and it's obvious that he understands the game. He's composed, he's in control, and he's big. If Spencer Hawes didn't shock the world this season, finally showing up and being the dominant low-post player that he can be, Vucevic may have already taken over the Sixers' starting center job. Vucevic is going to struggle a lot in his first season, but we're also going to see him put up some amazing nights in short minutes. If you're playing in an ultra-deep league with minor league players, make sure this kid isn't sitting in your free agent pool. It's hard to say when he'll actually get his shot to play a regular role in the Sixers' frontcourt, but when he does, he'll post great fantasy numbers.

Jan Vesely: I don't know how efficient of a player Vesely will be in his first couple seasons, but the Wizards are going to get him significant minutes at some point this season. When they commit to him in their rotation for 25-30 minutes a night, make sure you're ready to grab him on a speculative add. He has the perfect mix of length and athleticism to complement John Wall's lob passes with an emphatic placement in the cylinder. Vesely's length also makes it easier for him to collect steals and blocks, key defensive categories for fantasy value.

Kawhi Leonard: I just picked him up in multiple leagues this evening. He's had three big games in a row, and coach Greg Popovich started him at shooting guard Wednesday. The Spurs don't make many personnel decisions lightly. It was evident they had big plans for Leonard the second they traded George Hill for him on draft night. He's going to contribute some in steals and blocks, but Leonard's most reliable asset is his ability to contribute in rebounds from pretty much any position.

Other players I'm watching in case they get a bigger role:

George Hill: If Darren Collison or Paul George get hurt, he should be a lot more reliable.

Omri Casspi: The Cavs traded for Casspi this offseason, because they want him to be their version of Danilo Gallinari. That will never happen, but he could be a poor-man's Gallo with enough minutes. Watch him to see if he finally starts producing and eventually gets over 30 minutes per night. Until then, his jumper isn't reliable enough to warrant wasting a roster spot on in most leagues. I'll freely admit I expected a lot from him this season, and he's been a huge disappointment.

Josh Howard: It's hard to get too excited about Howard, but he may already be worth making a speculative grab on in standard leagues based on his last two games. He's scary to own due to his injury history and the fact that he's playing on a team with way too many wings. I wasn't ready to bite on him just yet, but someone grabbed him in my hometown league Wednesday.

Anthony Randolph: The T-Wolves are considering making changes to their starting lineup. There's an off-chance that could mean we'll see Ant-Rand starting in the frontcourt with Kevin Love soon. When he's on the court with Ricky Rubio, Randolph looks like the high-potential pick the Warriors drafted. If he gets the minutes, he can put up big numbers across the board, especially in rebounds and blocks.

Rudy Fernandez: If Arron Afflalo, Andre Miller, or Ty Lawson get significantly hurt, grab him with the quickness. With Lawson (foot) out Wednesday, he posted a line of 15 points, two three-pointers, five rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. Ridiculous.

Kyle McKeown is an NBA writer and editor for RotoWire.com. You can reach him at kyle@rotowire.com and on Twitter @rotowirekylenba