STOCK UP
Kemba Walker: After taking a huge leap during his sophomore campaign (going from being ranked No. 173 as a rookie to No. 32), Walker took a step back last season (when he ranked No. 60), but he’s rebounded nicely so far this year, once again coming in as a top-50 player (No. 23 over the past month). Over the past two games, Walker has averaged 35.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 3.5 3pt, so few players are currently hotter. His 3.7 AST:TO ratio is second only to Chris Paul (minimum 20:00 mpg), and his Usage Rate will sky rocket as long as Al Jefferson is out with his groin injury (Walker has attempted a whopping 53 field goals, including 20 from downtown as well as 22 free throws, over the past two contests). Despite the shaky shooting, Walker is throwing his name in as one fantasy’s elite point guards.*
[Join FanDuel's $1.75M Wild Card fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 14,530 teams paid]
Alex Len: He’s really thrived since being inserted into Phoenix’s starting lineup, averaging 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 2.7 blocks while shooting 56.5 percent from the field. His playing time has remained limited (22:40), which reveals the kind of upside Len has should he learn to curtail all the fouling (he’s recorded the fourth-most fouls in the NBA this season despite playing 19:10 mpg). In fact, the 21-year-old has been a top-10 player on a per-36 minute basis over the past two weeks (and No. 54 over the past month). Len isn’t a bad free throw shooter for a big, is putting up dominant block numbers and should only continue to improve the more experience he gets. He looks locked into the role as the Suns’ starting center moving forward.
Tristan Thompson: With Anderson Varejao out for the season, Thompson looks like the Cavs’ new starting center and since being placed in the starting five, he’s grabbed 24 boards over two games. Cleveland has been highly disappointing so far and may eventually trade for a true rim protector, but Thompson needs to be added in fantasy leagues right now, and he’s owned in just 52 percent of Yahoo leagues. Thompson isn’t much of a shot blocker, but he rarely turns the ball over and should be an asset in rebounds.
Cory Joseph: He’s averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 79.3 percent from the line over 11 games when starting this year. Tony Parker is without a timetable for a return from his hamstring injury, so Joseph needs to be owned. He’s been the No. 85 ranked player over the past month.
Brandon Knight: Here are Knight’s final fantasy ranks from 2011/12-2013/14, respectively: 194, 230, 103. Still just 23 years old, the point guard has been a top-50 player this season, thanks to averaging career highs in rpg (4.5), apg (5.2), spg (1.3) 3pt (1.9), FG% (44.1) and FT% (90.2). His Usage Rate (25.6) is tied for No. 25 among all players in the NBA, so Knight’s hot start doesn’t look like a fluke.
Here’s DeMarcus Cousins with a vicious slam on Mason Plumlee.*
This fast break by the Suns was nice, culminating with the aforementioned Alex Len dunking.*
This dunk by a high schooler was legit.*
Jimmy’s gonna put the moves on Elaine (and the rest of the NBA, apparently).*
STOCK DOWN
LeBron James: I made a bet with Chris Liss*about five years ago that James would win more than 3.5 titles, and I own The King in my home league this year, so I really hope this is just small sample size noise. But James is currently averaging the fewest ppg (25.2) and rpg (5.3) since his rookie season, and his 1.3 spg are the lowest of his career. James is shooting 65.0 percent from inside five feet this year, and while that’s not bad, it’s a noticeable slip in a category in which he’s led the NBA in each of the past three years (minimum 3.5 attempts), when he’s converted 78.2%, 74.4% and 73.7%. In fact, it’s the lowest mark since his rookie season. James’ PER still ranks eighth in the league, and it’s not like anyone would argue he’s still not the best player in the NBA, but he’s already eclipsed 1,000 games played (James will soon accrue more minutes played throughout his career than Michael Jordan totaled during his tenure with the Bulls. LeBron turned 30 years old Tuesday). James is playing for a Cleveland team that ranks in the bottom five in PACE, and he hasn’t been a top-25 fantasy player over the past month.

Brook Lopez: Since returning from a back injury in which he now proclaims he’s fully recovered, he’s seen fewer than 15 minutes in all four games, averaging a paltry 6.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks. After getting to the free throw line 6.8 times per game last season, Lopez has done so 2.9 times this year. He was the No. 28 ranked player in 2012/13 and No. 12 before suffering a season-ending injury last year, but he hasn’t been a top-150 asset over the past month, as something appears fundamentally wrong in Brooklyn.
Terrence Jones: He was a top-25 player before suffering an injury early on, and while his upside meant many fantasy owners held onto him, Jones is going to come back with a lesser role once he returns after the acquisition of Josh Smith. Donatas Motiejunas takes a similar hit in value and both can be dropped.
Arron Afflalo: He was a top-100 player in three of the past four seasons but has struggled badly during his return to Denver, especially recently. Over the past six games, Afflalo has shot an ugly 30.7 percent from the floor (23-for-75), and over his past 13 games, he has a 23:30 AST:TO ratio. He’s been the No. 231 ranked player over the past month despite getting 35.3 mpg on a Denver team that ranks fifth in PACE and desperate for a scorer.
Joakim Noah: He’s been a top-20 asset in each of the past two seasons (and top-50 in the prior two years before that) but hasn’t been a top-100 player in 2014/15, including ranking No. 186 over the past two weeks. Normally injuries are the problem with Noah, but over his last seven seemingly healthy games, he’s averaged a modest 7.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 37.5 percent from the floor. With Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and the emerging Nikola Mirotic, the Bulls have a loaded frontcourt.
Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter.*