Fantasy hoops Week 7 outlook

By Eric Wong, RotoEvil.com, Special to SI.com

With the Pistons 7-8 since acquiring Allen Iverson, Rodney Stuckey might be asked to steady the Detroit ship this week. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Outlook goes around the league, team by team, and examines which players are hot and cold, and which players you should keep an eye on. The outlook for Week 7 suggests 96 players who are safe starts and 47 players who are borderline, so if your league is much smaller or larger, adjust accordingly. As always, let's start with a look at the schedules for the coming week. Listed first are the number of games played for each team, followed by five teams with poor and favorable schedules.

After that are my three top pickups for deep leagues and my top five fill-ins for short-term help. Lastly, all 30 NBA teams are listed in alphabetical order. Ideally, you'll be able to get a good feel of what's going on around the league just by reading this, even if you didn't watch a single game or look at any boxscores last week.

Four games: ATL, CHA, CLE, GS, HOU, LAL, MEM, MIN, OKC, ORL, SA, TOR
Three games: CHI, DAL, DET, IND, LAC, MIA, MIL, NJ, NO, NY, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, UTA, WAS
Two games: BOS, DEN

5 poor schedules

1. Los Angeles Clippers (3 games: Orlando, @Portland, Houston)
2. Washington Wizards (3 games:Detroit, Boston, @Philadelphia)
3. Phoenix Suns (3 games: Milwaukee, @LA Lakers, Orlando)
4. Utah Jazz (3 games: @Minnesota, Portland, Orlando)
5. Boston Celtics (2 games: @Washington, New Orleans)

5 favorable schedules

1. Houston Rockets (4 games: @Memphis, Atlanta, @Golden State, @LA Clippers)
2. Oklahoma City (4 games: Golden State, Memphis, @Dallas, @San Antonio)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (4 games: @Sacramento, Phoenix, Sacramento, Minnesota)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (4 games: Toronto, @Philadelphia, Philadelphia, @Atlanta)
5. Milwaukee Bucks (3 games: @Phoenix, @Golden State, Indiana)

Top 3 long-term pickups

1. Rodney Stuckey, Pistons

I cited Stuckey as a top "fill-in" pickup last week, but he could be moving into the starting lineup after Sunday's debacle in New York. Not only did Detroit lose to a depleted Knicks team, but they were outscored 29-12 in the first quarter. As a result, Michael Curry is considering lineup changes, and Stuckey is the likely candidate to be promoted. If Kwame Brown is removed from the starting lineup and Allen Iverson slides over to shooting guard, Rodney can play PG with four very talented players. In his last six contests, he's averaging 12 points, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals, but he's done that in just 24.8 minutes per game. If he starts and gets 28-30 minutes of action, his value would soar. Stuckey is still available in many leagues, so if you need a PG, I suggest picking him up before he has a big game.

2. Francisco Garcia, Kings

Garcia is still still working himself into shape, but if he's available in your league, now is the time to pick him up. His minutes have been limited thus far, but he's picked up a steal or block in every game, and more points will come once his three-point shot starts falling. It looks like John Salmons is the clear-cut starter right now, but Garcia could be inserted into the lineup if Kevin Martin misses more games (he left Saturday's game with soreness in his ankle). When healthy, 'Cisco is a solid all-around contributor, so grab him before he gets hot.

3. Jose Juan Barea, Mavericks

Barea has started the past two games for Dallas, and averaged 20 points and 4 assists in two victories. He's been a major sparkplug for the Mavs, and he's clearly earned more minutes going forward. His solid play has probably surprised many people around the league, but Barea has excelled at every level. As a college senior, he was third in the nation in assists and was named an Honorable Mention All-American. In the 2007 Vegas Summer League, Barea dominated to the tune of 14.4 points, 6.2 assists and just 1.4 turnovers in 25.6 minutes per game. And in only seven games in the D-League last season, he dropped back-to-back 40-point games and had his number retired! Barea is also a key member of the Puerto Rican national team, and the guy can clearly play. However, I'm a little concerned about his long-term value, because I don't think he'll get as many minutes and shot attempts once Josh Howard returns from injury.

Top 5 short-term fill-ins

Even in deep leagues, most of these players will usually fly under the radar, but they could fill-in quite nicely.

For boards and blocks: Chris Andersen, Nuggets and Andray Blatche, Wizards

Since returning from his rib injury, Andersen has averaged 5.3 boards and 2.7 blocks in just 16.8 minutes per game. While it's tough to rely on anyone playing less than 20 minutes per game, Andersen makes the most of his minutes. And since Kenyon Martin missed his last game with a lingering wrist injury, and Carmelo Anthony is also ailing, the Birdman could easily get more playing time in the future. In most roto leagues, there are usually several teams bunched together in the blocks category, making Andersen an excellent spot starter if you want to move up the rankings. The Nuggets have four games each in weeks 8-10, so you should pick him up before others realize this.

Blatche was a major disappointment to start the season, but the coaching change in Washington seems to have rejuvenated him. The talented big man flashed his abilities on Friday night, when he scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds (5 offensive), made 2 steals, and one three vs. the Lakers. He followed that up with 14 points, 4 boards and a three on Saturday, and seems to be earning more minutes. He'll likely be inconsistent all season long, but now is a good time to pick him up.

For boards and threes: Matt Bonner, Spurs

Bonner was recently moved into the Spurs' starting lineup, and he's responded by averaging 12.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.8 threes on 20-for-32 FG shooting in his last four games. While he can't maintain that excellent field-goal shooting, he is a very good three-point shooter, and San Antonio likes his ability to lure opposing defenses away from the basket a la Robert Horry. Give him a look if you need threes, because if he hangs onto the starting gig, he could even have some long-term value.

For assists and threes: Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers

In 15 November games, Gibson shot just 33 percent field and 23 percent from beyond the arc. However, Mike Brown continued to give him big minutes, and it looks like he's finally starting to heat up. Gibson has made 6-of-12 threes and shot 15-24 overall in his last three games, and he's also dished out 11 assists and grabbed four steals in those games. If you need a backup PG, consider picking him up.

For steals and assists: Kyle Lowry, Grizzlies

Lowry has replaced Mike Conley as the Grizzlies' starting point guard, so if you're desperate for a PG, consider picking him up. Both men are still in a time-share, but Lowry will get more assist opportunities as the starter, and the defensive-minded player is capable of grabbing lots of steals. And while Lowry won't make many threes, he's a decent rebounder and shot-blocker for his size.