Carmelo Anthony: AP

Sometimes in fantasy sports you just have to trust your gut instinct. Forget about the numbers. Forget about the odds of this and that. Forget about what logic may say. Sometimes you just have to make a trade because you just "feel" it.

I did that on Saturday night when I traded Carmelo Anthony in a multiplayer deal that netted me Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis. The players in the deal match up well, though I gave up a little more than I wanted to by swapping LaMarcus Aldridge for Josh Howard to make the deal come to fruition.

I did so, because Melo made me nervous due to the bone spurs in his nagging elbow, not because I'm NostraThomas and knew that within 48 hours of making the deal that Melo would break his hand and miss a month of game action.

Trust me, I know that's not the case, because I traded for Yao Ming last year in the same league and he was done for the season within a week with a cracked foot.

The point here is that if you are going to win your fantasy leagues, you need to trust your instincts and be aggressive in trades and on the waiver wire.

Meanwhile, as the Nugs try to pick up the pieces without their superstar, look for J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza to pick up most of the extra minutes. Both can pile up shots beyond the arc, but Smith continues to have the biggest upside -- at least when he stays our of coach George Karl's doghouse. Karl may have no choice but to let J.R. chuck up shots now.

Look for Kenyon Martin to pick up a chunk of the offensive slack, too. Even with Melo around, K-Mart has popped off double-digit scoring in his last eight games, including 25 on Monday.

This isn't exactly a newsflash. I'm a lifelong Pistons fan, and I've been pushing him on readers for two years now. Oh, and I also own him in all of my experts leagues.

Since moving into the starting lineup, Stuckey is averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 dimes, 3.8 boards, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 77.1 percent from the charity stripe. That includes recent games of 40 and 38 points.

I'm taking this moment to make sure all readers understand that this is not a fluke streak for Stuckey; the kid is the real deal, so you should try to get him while you can. He's big (6-foot-5, 205), has great upper-body strength, is quick, shoots a smooth and confident jumper, sees the floor well as a point guard, and he's only 22 years old.

When Joe Dumars dealt Chauncey Billups to the Nugs for Allen Iverson, it wasn't about getting AI or getting rid of Chauncey. He did it because he wanted to turn Stuckey loose and open up contractual flexibility for the future.

Stuckey's had an added statistical boost lately because Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace have been dinged up, but Stuckey's going to be a force from here on out.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reported yesterday that Mike Dunleavy is expected to make his season debut on tonight, barring any last-minute setbacks.

Dunleavy has yet to play this campaign due to a right knee injury that initially seemed benign during training camp. He was never able to shake it, though, so the Pacers took the cautious route and have held him out ever since then.

He had a monster breakout season last year in his first full campaign with the Pacers, averaging 19 points with two threes and great percentages. You have to assume that he's going to see limited action until his knee proves to be up to the grind. I'm not convinced that he's going to return to last year's form, but you can surely get him on the cheap or even off waivers in deep leagues, which makes him worth a shot.

Derrick Ward: Elsa/Getty Images

Another baller who's been out all year but might hit the hardwood soon is Monta Ellis, who already has served his suspension for trashing his ankle in a MoPed wreck. Coach Don Nelson told the San Francisco Chronicle that Ellis thinks he's ready for game action, though the coach remains cautious.

"He's champing at the bit. He wants to play," Nelson said. "We're being very conservative with him. But he's getting close to being in practice. "He feels he's ready to play. The patient is the guy who knows more than anything, but we want to make a good decision. We don't want to bring him back too fast. We're holding him back. If we had rushed him back, he'd have been playing two weeks ago because he wanted to play. We found it's better to be conservative."

It may be the end of the month before we see Monta on the floor with respectable minutes. And you have to be skeptical about him playing at last year's level, too, considering his game is built on his ridiculously quick legs. But just like Dunleavy, if you can get him at a low price, why not roll the dice?

The Chronicle also noted that Stephen Jackson will miss at least the next couple of weeks after aggravating his hamstring injury during Monday's tilt, so keep him benched for now. Nellie said he doesn't expect S-Jax's injury to push Ellis into the lineup any more quickly, but you never know.

The Mavs have grown tired of Josh Howard's off-court antics -- toss in a stretch of games he missed due to injury this season and his inability to post any respectable stats in coach Rick Carlisle's offense, and they appear ready to deal him.

HoopsWorld is reporting that the Raptors are discussing a trade that would send Howard, DeSagana Diop and Antoine Wright to Toronto and Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker to Dallas.

This could be a win-win deal for both teams and fantasy owners, as Howard and Bargnani could flourish with a new team.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported last night that Reggie Bush recently underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis said they expect him to be ready for minicamp in early June, but you really have to be concerned about this if you hold Bush in a keeper league. This is the third procedure he's had on the joint in the past two years, and while football players make quicker recoveries from microfracture surgeries than basketball players, it's still a major procedure.

He has plenty of time to heal before next season, but you'll need to watch his recovery closely over the summer before determining whether to keep him for the '09 campaign.