Chris Paul is back. Now what?
Who would have thought that Chris Paul could actually be this much of a headache to Fantasy owners?
Sorry to answer your question with a question, but that is exactly the case with CP3's return after a 25-game absence causing more harm than good in many Fantasy scenarios. Paul returned from his knee injury on Monday night against the Mavericks, leaving many Fantasy owners flustered and not knowing what to expect not only out of him, but also players like Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, who have stepped up in his absence.
The questions we faced most from Fantasy owners going into Fantasy Week 22 (March 22-28) were about what to do with those three players.
For the most part, the consensus among Fantasy owners was to avoid Collison and Thornton, with both players likely to see a reduced role now that Paul was back. On Monday night, both Collison and Thornton had big games while Paul played a limited role.
Many Fantasy owners may be kicking themselves, but it's too early to call this one.
The Hornets shuffled their lineup to accommodate Paul. They started CP3 at the point, Marcus Thornton at shooting guard, Morris Peterson at small forward, David West at power forward and Emeka Okafor at center. Collison and Julian Wright moved to the bench.
Paul played 21 minutes and looked somewhat rusty while collecting 11 points and three assists. Meanwhile, Thornton dropped 28 points and Collison had a great line off the bench with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals against the Mavericks.
That was just game one, however, in a three-game week that will feature tough matchups against the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers.
The fact that Paul returned, with the Hornets out of any realistic playoff contention, means that he's back to play his usual, prominent role. Otherwise, why bring him back and risk further injury? Paul indicated there was a restriction on his minutes Monday night, which is natural to expect after such a long layoff. Expect his minutes to increase in the coming games.
Eventually, Paul will get back to his usual workload of around 40 minutes per game and that will leave Collison and Thornton to battle each other for the remaining minutes alongside CP3. There simply won't be enough to go around, making Collison and Thornton a lot less productive than they had been for the past 25 games or than they were Monday night.
How long it will take Paul to get back into game shape remains to be seen. But by the end of Week 22, Fantasy owners will have a much clearer picture of what the back court situation in New Orleans will look like for the final couple of weeks of the Fantasy season.
Hopefully, they'll feel a lot better about the decisions they made coming into this week.
How will the Lakers deal with the loss of Andrew Bynum?
The Lakers are once again dealing with an injury to Andrew Bynum down the stretch. New year, same story.
At least, in this scenario, Fantasy owners should know what to expect. And they should be flocking to one player in particular -- Lamar Odom.
Odom will step into the starting lineup at power forward for the Lakers, allowing Pau Gasol to shift over to center. It's a very familiar situation for the Lakers, considering that Odom has started 58 games over the past two seasons, mostly filling in for an injured Bynum or Gasol.
In the past, Odom's numbers have soared in this situation. A look at his numbers as a starter prove that. In 26 games as a starter this season, Odom is averaging 37 minutes per game, 11.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals. As a reserve in 44 games, he's averaged 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.6 steals.
The reasoning is simple. More minutes lead to more touches and more touches leads to more production. With Bynum ruled out through at least early April -- and possibly longer -- Odom could be the solution to a lot of forward problems.
But he's not the only player who could see a boost in this situation. Ron Artest also figures to see a trickle-down effect, as Artest will now play a more active offensive role off the bench. Odom has focused almost exclusively on his defensive responsibilities this season, leading to an overall drop in production, but the potential is there for a resurgence in the final couple of weeks of the season.
Now that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back, what happens to the Cavs' front court?
One of the worst kept secrets in the NBA following the trade deadline was that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was going to return to the Cavaliers after being traded to Washington in the Antawn Jamison deal.
Big Z was bought out by the Wizards, having never played a game for them. And after waiting the obligatory 30 days before being able to re-sign with his old team, he inked a deal on Tuesday with the team he has spent his entire career.
Ilgauskas' presence could shake things up in the Cleveland front court, starting as soon as Wednesday's game against New Orleans.
Just a few games after the Ilgauskas trade, the Cavaliers took a big hit to their perceived front court depth when Shaquille O'Neal was lost for the remainder of the regular season to a thumb injury. J.J. Hickson stepped into the starting center role and both he and Anderson Varejao stepped up their production.
Hickson has been inconsistent, averaging around 10 points and five rebounds since the switch. Varejao, despite coming off the bench, has been a slightly more steady option, offering around 10 points and eight boards with over a steal and a block per game.
Both players will have their minutes cut into by Ilgauskas, likely leading to a lot of inconsistent results.
Use Week 22 to determine who the most viable center option will be going forward. If Ilgauskas can get even 25 minutes per night, he could once again become a viable center option in leagues that require starting two centers. Fantasy owners who have gotten by with Varejao the past few weeks could be left looking for alternatives.
Can Joakim Noah help Fantasy owners down the stretch?
The simple answer to that question is no. Joakim Noah is not likely to help Fantasy owners down the stretch.
Noah certainly won't be nearly as helpful as he was to Fantasy owners in the first half of the season.
Plantar fasciitis has basically eliminated Noah from the Bulls' rotation for the past two months. He has appeared in just six games since Feb. 5 due to the injury, but with Noah returning from a 10-game absence on March 20 many Fantasy owners have told us that they are optimistic he can help them win a Fantasy title.
So far, that looks to be far-fetched. Noah returned against the Sixers this past Saturday and managed to play only nine minutes. He had seven points and four rebounds in the game. Then, despite a public outcry for more minutes, he followed that up with a grand total of 12 against the Rockets Monday night.
Noah has said several times during the past couple of months that he feels like he can play and that he can play a significant role to help a team that is vying for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
That appears to be more bravado than realistic expectation.
The truth is that Noah will not be 100 percent. Plantar fasciitis is not an injury that goes away and no amount of treatment will help him get back to the stellar level he was at when he averaged a double-double in the first half of the season.
The best thing Noah can do for Fantasy owners right now is to stay away. That will leave things open for Brad Miller, who has filled in admirably these past two months. While Miller won't be quite the Fantasy center that Noah was in the first half of the season, he can be a useful No. 2 center in just about every Fantasy format.
Miller's Fantasy value has not been hurt -- yet -- by the latest return to activity by Noah, but if his minutes were to increase to even 20 minutes per game, it could make Miller too erratic to trust in Fantasy leagues.
Will Toney Douglas and Reggie Williams maintain their hot streaks?
Two of the hottest additions off the waiver wire entering Week 22 play on opposite sides of the country.
Toney Douglas of the Knicks has been the most added player in CBSSports.com leagues, coming off four 20-point performances in his last five games. Reggie Williams of the Warriors has averaged 20.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in his last four games, getting a sudden spike in playing time from whimsical coach Don Nelson.
Both players play for two of the more productive offenses in the NBA and will have the potential to put up numbers like this down the stretch. But both players also play for two of the more inconsistent rotations in the league and coaches that don't have a ton of patience for young players.
Mike D'Antoni seems to have found a solution -- and a good one -- at the shooting guard position in New York. Tracy McGrady, Nate Robinson, Larry Hughes and even Bill Walker have all enjoyed runs like the one Douglas is currently on only to suddenly fade away completely from one game to the next.
And Nelson, well any Fantasy owner who has played Fantasy hoops during the Nellie era knows just how sketchy his rotations can be. One game, Williams is a star, the next, he could find himself playing 10 minutes.
This time, it might be different. The Knicks and Warriors don't have a ton of alternatives to go to and as long as Douglas and Williams can continue to produce, they'll continue to get minutes. Both players have favorable matchups throughout Week 22 and if they come out of it looking as good as they have been, it's time to trust these guys in all formats.
Trusting D'Antoni and Nellie during the Fantasy playoffs. Pass the Tums.
Do you have a Fantasy hoops question for our staff? You can e-mail us at DMFantasyHoops@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Fast Break in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. You can also now follow Sergio on Twitter (@CBSGonzalez) where he'll also answer questions.
