Troy Murphy has re-emerged as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy center with the eligibility to play at forward as well.

Devin Brown moved into the starting lineup with Peja Stojakovic out.  Stojakovic missed the Hornets' game against San Antonio on Wednesday night because of back spasms.  An 11-year NBA veteran known for his perimeter shooting, Stojakovic is averaging 13.1 points this season. Hornets coach Byron Scott added guard Devin Brown to the starting lineup and moved Rasual Butler from his regular starting spot at shooting guard to Stojakovic’s small forward spot.

Brown does not get significant enough playing time to make a Fantasy impact. Leave him on waivers except in the deepest of leagues. Stojakovic hits an elite number of 3-pointers and sometimes gets a decent number of rebounds. Start him as a No. 3 or four Fantasy F, when healthy.

Troy Murphy missed Wednesday's game against Golden State with a stomach virus.  Indiana Pacers starting guard T.J. Ford also sat out Wednesday night's game.  Murphy, who was traded from Golden State two seasons ago, is out with a stomach virus. Murphy is dropping 12.4 points and 12 boards over his last five contests with a good amount of threes. He is playing well for the Pacers and has re-emerged as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy center with the eligibility to play at forward as well. This virus does not figure to keep him out long.

Ford is out after he hurt his left groin late in Monday's win over the Washington Wizards. He had been one of two Pacers to start every game this season. Ford scored 16 points and added five boards and five assists against Washington on Monday night. He is averaging almost 14 points, 4.6 boards and 5.6 assists over his last five contests and has been solid as a No. 3 guard all season. However, if Ford cannot return from this groin injury by Saturday, you might consider keeping him reserved over the next scoring period, especially as the Pacers play just twice.

Forward Elton Brand dislocated his right shoulder from a hard fall in the third quarter Wednesday against the Bucks’  He's likely to miss as few as several games and as much as a month.  Thaddeus Young will replace him. Brand entered the game averaging a team-best 16.4 points with 10 rebounds. He was coming off a 27-point effort last Saturday in a victory over the Washington Wizards.

Young has averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in a little over 33 minutes per game in games that Brand has missed. Young stands to benefit if Elton Brand (shoulder) is going to be out for an extended period. Young was averaging more than 15 points per game not too long ago, emerging as a surprise starter in Fantasy leagues. He is a youngster and should bounce back. Right now, he is mostly a No. 4 Fantasy forward until he gets more minutes.  

Brand, who will turn 30 in March, signed an $80 million (U.S.), five-year contract on July 9 after seven seasons with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was limited to only eight games last season with the Clippers because of a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

Wizards center Etan Thomas who underwent open-heart surgery in October 2007, missed Monday's loss to Indiana because he was in Minnesota for a routine checkup related to the surgery. Unfortunately, Thomas is not getting enough minutes to be a fantasy factor at this point. Etan Thomas missed his second consecutive game.

Thomas used to be a starter for the Wizards and log a fair amount of playing time, but he is playing less than 12 minutes per game in 2008-09 and is not doing much. He has little to no Fantasy value when healthy.

G Kevin Martin continues to remain day to day, and there is no timetable for his return. Realistically, he is expected to miss at least another week.  Martin, who missed 12 games because of the ankle, aggravated the injury during Saturday's game. He underwent a precautionary MRI, which did not reveal a new injury. The injury has been called an ankle sprain, but Martin's also feeling pain in his Achilles' tendon. Francisco Garcia will start in his place at shooting guard

Forward Francisco Garcia entered Monday night's game ice-cold from 3-point range, having hit just three of 21 beyond the arc since returning from injury on Nov. 26. However, he hit three of five against Minnesota while tying his season high with 21 points. He should continue putting up nice numbers as long as he is starting for Kevin Martin Garcia is still coming in around his yearly averages over his last 5 games with 15.6 points and 3.4 boards. He does give you some blocked shot help and nails a three per contest but he struggles from long range and one solid game is not going to change that fact. That said, with Kevin Martin still out of the lineup, Garcia remains a solid No. 4 option at worst in Fantasy.

Now, Martin is far too risky to start for Fantasy leagues for Week 8 (Dec. 15-21). The Kings have four games, but Martin is no guarantee to play in any of them. Keep him reserved in all leagues until he can get back on the floor.