LestersLegends.com

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Now that the NFL Draft is behind us it is time for fantasy football nuts to start breaking down the rookies. Here’s the LestersLegends’ look at the 2012 NFL rookie quarterback class.
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1.  Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
RG3 and Andrew Luck are basically a coin flip in terms of fantasy value. I prefer RG3 slightly because of his rushing ability. Both have big time arms and are capable of making the throws. RG3 ran for 33 scores in college. That could translate into big fantasy points.
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2.  Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Luck figures to be a heckuva consolation prize (or RG3 if Luck goes first) in dynasty leagues. RG3 has borderline QB1 potential in re-draft leagues while I would put Luck at a QB2. There is a wide chasm following these two.
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3.  Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
Weeden will likely be the third rookie QB to start. He figures to do a lot of handing off to Trent Richardson though. He is seasoned though so he could have some decent spot starts at times. I wouldn’t draft him initially.
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4.  Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
Tannehill won’t likely start for the Dolphins out of the gate, but could easily see a few starts along the way. He should only be drafted in dynasty leagues.
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5.  Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Cousins would need an injury to RG3 to surface as a fantasy option. He would have had a better chance if he went elsewhere, but those are the breaks.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Early Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2012 Early Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Running Backs
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
• 2012 Top Five Rookie Fantasy Football Tight Ends
• 2012 NFL Draft First Round Skill Players: A Fantasy Perspective

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OK, I am playing a little with his name, but Cleveland guard Lester Hudson has been on a mini scoring binge. In his past five games he’s averaging 29.4 minutes, 19.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.6 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
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In the past three he has really stepped it up averaging 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.3 blocks, 2.0 steals, and 2.7 three-pointers.
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The Cavs are going nowhere fast so continued heavy minutes and production wouldn’t be a stretch. If you have a roster spot that you can open up, ride him while he’s hot.
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Also check out:

• Redd Resurgence
• Get J.J. Hickson While He Lasts
• The Landry Man Can
• Doing Fantasy Basketball Favors
• Should You Dump David West?

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Phoenix Suns swingman Michael Redd has turned back the clock in his past five games. Once upon a time he would score in bunches, but he has lost his scoring touch since the 2008-09 season. Suddenly though, he’s had a resurgence.
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In his last five games he’s looked like the Redd of old, reaching double-figures each game while averaging 17.2 points per contest. He’s been shooting at a solid clip, hitting 45.7 percent of his shoots, including 41.7 percent from downtown. Surprisingly he made just 75.0 percent of his free throws, but that’s not a terrible number nor does he get to the charity stripe enough for that to matter.
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Unlike the old days, Redd isn’t stuffing the stat sheet with decent numbers in the rebounds, assists, and steal categories. He never confused anybody for Grant Hill in that regard, but he at least did enough to help fantasy teams.
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In his past five games he’s averaged just 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.8 steals. He has, however, helped out in the three pointer category, averaging 2.0 per game during the hot stretch.
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Redd is readily available in most leagues, with a 4.0 percent Yahoo! and 1.1 percent ESPN ownership.
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He can still score in bunches and knock down the deep shots so if you are looking for help in those two categories, Redd is a solid option down the stretch. He is particularly effective in daily leagues where you can plug him in for a night and dump him the next.
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Also check out:

• Get J.J. Hickson While He Lasts
• The Landry Man Can
• Doing Fantasy Basketball Favors
• Should You Dump David West?
• Gerald Henderson Heating Up

Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE
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The window of opportunity to add J.J. Hickson to your fantasy basketball roster is dwindling. Currently he is owned in 59.0 percent of ESPN and 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues. If he continues to put up big numbers, he’ll be gone before you know it.
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His signature game came on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Hickson went for 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting with 13 rebounds and two assists. He let fantasy owners down by going three for seven (42.9 percent) from the line, but if you plugged him into your lineup that night, you weren’t complaining.
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I wouldn’t recommend adding a player based solely on one performance. He has strung together four solid performances in a row, thanks to injuries that have bumped his playing time to 31.5 minutes per night during the stretch.
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He has responded with averages of 19.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals while shooting a ridiculous 69.4 percent from the floor. As you would expect he shot 52.9 percent from the line, but again that’s something you can live with given the other numbers he’s providing.
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This surge isn’t coming from nowhere. He had stretches in the 2010-11 season with the Cavs where he put up big numbers, most notably the eleven games in April 2011 when he averaged 18.4 points and 11.5 rebounds.
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Hickson is a nice option for fantasy owners because he is eligible at Power Forward and Center. That positional flexibility is especially beneficial in daily leagues.
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He is not a lock to continue on this path, but as long as he’s producing, you should ride Hickson while he’s hot.
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Also check out:

• The Landry Man Can
• Doing Fantasy Basketball Favors
• Should You Dump David West?
• Gerald Henderson Heating Up
• Fantasy Basketball Boards & Blocks: Bismack Biyombo

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Often times your last few rosters spots of a fantasy basketball team are expendable. Injuries and ineffectiveness lead to players suddenly popping up and doing some damage. Some of those players come and go quickly so you have to act fast.
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One player that is definitely trending in the right direction in New Orleans Hornets forward Carl Landry. In his past four games he is averaging 18.3 points per game. He has scored at least 14 in all four contests.
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Not only is he scoring, but he has been very efficient doing so, shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 86.4 percent from the line. Often times a scoring surge like that comes at a price, in the form of poor field goal or free throw percentages. This isn’t the case here. Given his career marks, 53.5 and 77.7 percent respectively, that should not come as a surprise.
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Landry has also been hitting the glass, averaging 7.5 boards per game during the stretch. He has averaged 31.5 minutes per game, and if he can continue to play heavy minutes he should continue to produce.
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That is the extent of his fantasy goodies though as he has averaged 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Still, if you can get points, boards, and FG percentage help, that is useful to fantasy owners.
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Landry has both SF and PF eligibility which adds to his value. He should be available in a decent amount of leagues as he is owned in about 40.0 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.
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If you are in need of a quick boost, maybe the Landry Man can…help your squad that is.
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Also check out:

• Doing Fantasy Basketball Favors
• Should You Dump David West?
• Gerald Henderson Heating Up
• Fantasy Basketball Boards & Blocks: Bismack Biyombo
• Kendrick Perkins: Glass Cleaner

STEVE C. WILSON / AP PHOTO
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Looking for a boost in the rebounding department? Utah’s Derrick Favors has a nice six-game stretch going, heading into tonight’s game against Atlanta.
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In those six games he is averaging 11.5 rebounds, with a low water mark of seven (acceptable) and a high water mark of 17 (outstanding). His recent rebounding prowess has put him up to 5.9 boards per game on the year.
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Favors is also averaging 11.7 points on 50.0 percent shooting (25 of 50). He is a 60.9 percent shooter from the line on the year, but has hit 71.4 percent of his shots from the charity stripe during the half-dozen game outburst.
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He has also averaged 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks. He has had three or more blocks in half of those six games.
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Part or the reason for his recent success has been the extra bump in minutes. He has topped 20 minutes in his past seven games. With Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson ahead of him, he’s not going to suddenly see 25-30 minutes per game, but he has shown that he can still be effective in 20+ minutes.
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Favors has power forward and center eligibility in Yahoo! (just PF in ESPN) leagues. He is owned in 33.0 percent of  Yahoo! and 27.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
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If there were an injury to Big Al or Millsap, Favors value would skyrocket. However, he is still a decent play if you’re looking for rebounds and blocks, especially in leagues where you can adjust your lineups daily.
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Also check out:

• Should You Dump David West?
• Gerald Henderson Heating Up
• Fantasy Basketball Boards & Blocks: Bismack Biyombo
• Kendrick Perkins: Glass Cleaner
• Grant Hill Continues to Churn

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David West is easily one of the biggest fantasy disappointments this season. He has scored 17.1 ppg or more since the 2005-06 season. He has scored 18.9 ppg or more since the 2007-08 season. This year he is scoring just over 12.0 ppg.
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To make matters worse, his rebounding is down below 7.4 boards per game for the first time over the same stretch. His shot attempts are down, his field goal percentage down. It’s basically been a disaster in his first season with the Pacers.
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Things had been getting better though. In fourteen games from February 8th through March 10th he averaged 14.9 ppg and 7.8 rbp. Still not where he has been at for the past six years, but closer.
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Suddenly though, things are worse. In his past six games, he has failed to reach double-digits four times. One of those times he managed just ten points. Three times he has been held to three or less. Over the six-game stretch he has averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. To say that is simply unacceptable is a major understatement.
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But is it bad enough to pull the plug on him? As bitter as I am as a David West owner, I am not quite ready to go down that road. Believe me I have considered it, but there probably aren’t better options if and when he snaps out of this funk.
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I certainly wouldn’t hold it against you if you released him, but for the time being I would say just relegate him to bench duty.
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Also check out:

• Gerald Henderson Heating Up
• Fantasy Basketball Boards & Blocks: Bismack Biyombo
• Kendrick Perkins: Glass Cleaner
• Grant Hill Continues to Churn
• Something Brewing in Denver?