Louis Williams, Sixers

PG

Head to Head’s UP… Louis Williams, Philadelphia 76ers: It's all systems go for Louis Williams in Philly, now that it is confirmed that Allen Iverson will no longer be playing for the rest of the season. Williams has already eased in nicely back into his starting point guard role. Over his last four games, Williams has been averaging 37:30 Mins, 52.0 FG%, 81.3 FT%, 2.3 3PPG, 18.5 PPG,          6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 1.3 TO. We can now expect “Sweet Lou” Williams to continue what he started to average at the beginning of the season; a solid all-around game and good percentages.

Head to Head’s DOWN… Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors: Ellis missed the Warriors road trip this week with a sore back. Prior to this fantasy setback, Monta had been struggling with his shot. In the last two games he did manage to play in, he was averaging a meager 31.8%  from the field. His situation will be reassessed at the end of the week. For the duration of his injury, C.J. Watson will be expected to fill in at point guard for Golden State. Watson is a reasonable plug-in for Ellis owners as he can provide scoring, steals, good FG% from your backcourt. Stay dialed in on the latest news on Ellis' injury before deciding on whether to play him next week.

SG

Head to Head’s UP…Marcus Thornton, New Orleans Hornets: Marcus has come back strong from his injury and has been piling on the PTS and 3PTM, in spite of not getting his starting shooting guard job once again. He is probably the team's third best offensive threat. Trailing behind only Chris Paul and David West. Over the last five Hornet games Thornton has averaged 32:48 Mins, 53.8 FG%, 82.6 FT%, 2.8 3PPG, 26.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 1.8 TO. Thornton is a legitimate candidate as a keeper in fantasy keeper leagues. He represents the team's future in terms of being its perimeter threat. Peja Stojakovic's health will limit his future productivity and it appears that Marcus is ready to inherit a bigger role in Hornets' horizon.

Head to Head’s DOWN…O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies: It has not been a good last five games for O.J. Mayo as far as his fantasy basketball production is concerned. His scoring is down. Mayo managed to average only 15.0 PPG. This is likely because he has not been shooting well from both the field and the line. He shot 43.9% and 62.5% respectively. What also has been quite disconcerting from Mayo's line was his 3.4 TO per game average. This is most likely a slump and a mere bump in the road for O.J. He is still one the Grizzlies' more potent offensive weapons and will still be fed the ball often.

SF

Head to Head’s UP… Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies: With O.J. Mayo having trouble finding the hoop, teammate Rudy Gay has stepped up his game and has become an across-the-board contributor once again. Rudy has had a good fantasy run over the Grizzlies' last five games. He has been averaging 41:36 Mins,  49.4 FG%,  81.3 FT%, 1.2 3PPG, 20.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG,  2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG,  1.4 BPG, 1.4 TO. That's the kind of stat line his owners drafted him for. While he hasn't been averaging that for the entire season, it should not come as a surprise for Rudy to be able to put a string of solid games together reminiscent of this once upside-laden fantasy draft pick.

Head to Head’s DOWN…Shawn Marion, Dallas Mavericks: Internet speak is best used to describe Shawn Marion's fantasy season thus far. In one word, “Meh”, says it all. Underwhelming and quite frankly just plain disappointing, in plain English. Once again, Marion gives us another pedestrian performance. This seals it. It had nothing to do with any lack of synergy with Josh Howard. It is clear as day. It's Marion. He deserves a massive downgrade next season. His rebounding, scoring, and defensive numbers are all down this season. There does not look like there is a light at the end of this tunnel. It's downhill for “the Matrix” from here on out.

PF

Head to Head’s UP… Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: With the Mavericks' window of opportunity to win an NBA title closing on them, their injection of new blood (Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood) has revitalized Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk has been playing some of his most inspired basketball as of late. He feels his team now has the tools to be able make a strong case as a legitimate title contender. Over the Mavericks' last four games the German Juggernaut has been averaging: 42:15 Mins, 54.8 FG%, 96.4 FT%, 0.5 3PPG, 32.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 1.0 TO. His awesome scoring, solid shooting percentages, and low turnovers are simply monstrous in the rotisserie format. The “percentage game” in head to head is often taken for granted, but for those managers who focused on those two categories are reaping the benefits of using Dirk as their teams' anchor.

Head to Head’s DOWN…Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand is suffering from a sore calf and missed the Sixers' last game. Brand has been one of bigger fantasy disappointments this season. He has been a far cry from the scoring and rebounding big man he once was in Los Angeles.  Elton was replaced in the starting lineup by Thaddeus Young. Marresse Speights saw some extended minutes on the floor. Speights will develop some fantasy relevance in deep leagues if Brand misses a significant number of games. Young has been productive off the bench, but should improve his fantasy line as a starter. Young is viable in most fantasy leagues, but do not bother making a last minute bid for him. Brand should return to action soon enough, and Young will likely return to his role as a reserve at that junction.

C

Head to Head’s UP… Al Harrington, New York Knicks: With Wilson Chandler missing a game and with Tracy McGrady being hobbled by a sore knee, Al Harrington has stepped up his offensive game both as a starter and from his role as a reserve. Danilo Gallinari has been struggling with a shoulder problem over the last several games. Aside from David Lee, New York has very few reliable offensive threats on its active roster. Harrington has been averaging 4.3 threes per game and 26 points over the Knicks' last four games. His 62.5 FT% is his only Waterloo during this stretch. His 1.5 SPG and 56.3 FG% are good bonuses to his run.

Head to Head’s DOWN…Rasheed Wallace, Boston Celtics: Rasheed Wallace has not been known for having an ultra-impressive stat line. Well at least not in recent years. Wallace has been utilized in fantasy more for his production to turnover ratio. Unfortunately for Sheed owners, his production has been too low to be worth much lately. It could be the fatigue that has come with the NBA season wearing down on him or it could simply be age catching up, but his recent average 8.3 PTS and 4.3 REB with only 1.0 3s are simply just not cutting it. His 37.0 FG% and glaring lack of steals and blocks are dragging down his value recently. Even in his start, due to Kendrick Perkins' missing a game due to the flu has been lukewarm at best. Rasheed Wallace is down for now, but don't count him out just yet.