Fantasy hoops Week 12 outlook

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

Zaza Pachulia won't block many shots, but he has proven to be a capable rebounder, which the Hawks will need with Al Horford injured. AP

Am I actually suggesting to start Zaza Pachulia this week?

Evil's 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 12 examines the number of games played for each team, followed by five teams with poor and favorable schedules.

After that are my top-eight pickups for normal-sized to deep leagues.

Unfortunately, no team-by-team analysis this week.

Four games: CHI, DET, MIA, MIL, NJ, NOR, NY, OKC, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA
Three games: ATL, BOS, CLE, DAL, DEN, IND, LAL, ORL, PHI, SAC, SA, WAS
Two games: CHA, GS, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIN

Five poor schedules

1. Memphis Grizzlies (2 games: Cleveland, Utah)
2. Charlotte Bobcats (2 games: @Detroit, Portland)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (3 games: @Houston, @San Antonio, Orlando)
4. Dallas Mavericks (3 games: @Denver, New Orleans, Utah)
5. Indiana Pacers (3 games: @Utah, Detroit, Toronto)

Five favorable schedules

1. Utah Jazz (4 games: Indiana, @Oklahoma City, @Memphis, @Dallas)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (4 games: @Washington, Miami, @Sacramento, @LA Clippers)
3. New York Knicks (4 games: @New Orleans, Washington, @Washington, Philadelphia)
4. Atlanta Hawks (3 games: @Phoenix, @LA Clippers, @Golden State)
5. Washington Wizards (3 games: Milwaukee, @New York, New York)

Top eight pickups and fill-ins

I'm having a hard time rankings these guys this week, so instead I'll just list them in alphabetical order by team.

Hawks: Zaza Pachulia

Pachulia returned from the flu on Sunday to start at center in place of Al Horford. Big Al is going to be out a minimum of three games and possibly more due to a sore knee, so consider picking up Zaza if you need another big man. He won't block many shots, but he's a solid rebounder (11.7 per 36 minutes) and efficient scorer. I like him as a starter this week because if he can get by Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire on Tuesday, he'll be rewarded with games against the Clippers and Warriors.

Hornets: Rasual Butler

I mentioned Butler as a potential pickup earlier this season, and he did absolutely nothing, but he showed what he's capable of on Friday, when he scored 21 points and made 6 treys in 33 minutes. He's very unreliable, but he's getting steady minutes, and the Hornets play a maximum number of games in six of the next seven weeks. If you're in a deep league and you need threes, he's worth a look.

Nets: Bobby Simmons and Ryan Anderson

Just when Yi Jianlian was starting to play well with some consistency, he went down with a broken pinkie finger on Friday. He's going to be out for 3-4 weeks, so the Nets will need other forwards to step up in his absence. In his last five games, Bobby Simmons is averaging 13.2 points and 2.8 threes in 32.6 minutes, and he should get more shot attempts with Yi out of the lineup. He's shooting 42.7 percent from beyond the arc for the season, so he's a nice pickup if you need threes.

If Simmons is gone, consider picking up the rookie Ryan Anderson. He hasn't even played in five of the Nets' last six games, but supposedly he's going to replace Yi in the starting lineup because Lawrence Frank prefers Eduardo Najera's energy off the bench. In the four games in which Anderson has gotten 24-plus minutes this season, he's averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 threes (in 28 minutes), so he could be a solid producer if he gets enough playing time. Yes, he shot just 32 percent from the floor in December, but he was bothered by a bad back that he says has healed. In case you're not familiar with the rookie, Anderson led the Pac-10 in scoring last season with 21.1 points per game (beating out O.J. Mayo, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook). Most people wait for players to have big games before picking them up, but I quietly added the former Cal star in three of my five leagues on Sunday.

Nuggets: Linas Kleiza

Kleiza is now starting in place of the injured Carmelo Anthony, so he's a nice short-term pickup. Last Wednesday he scored 21 points, grabbed 7 boards, and made 4 threes, but he followed that up with just 1 point in 34 minutes on Friday. The latter game was against a tough Detroit team, so if you're in a daily league and can play the matchups, that makes him a much safer option. Either way, Linas is going to have some nice games with Melo out.

Rockets: Shane Battier and Von Wafer

It's been a tough year for Battier. He missed the first 15 games of the season with a foot injury, shot under 40 percent from the field in December, then missed six more games recently due to soreness in the same foot. Well, he finally returned on Saturday and scored 9 points, pulled 9 boards, blocked 3 shots, grabbed 1 steal and made 1 three in just 26 minutes. He doesn't score a ton of points, but his ability to contribute in every category is what makes him a solid fantasy player. And if Battier's foot can handle more minutes, he's probably going to get them, because Ron Artest's ankle injury is really bothering him and Tracy McGrady continues to miss games.

Wafer is only 23 years old, but he's already played for five NBA teams. However, the Rockets are the first team to give him big minutes and he's made the most of it. In his last five games, Wafer is averaging 14.4 points, 2.2 threes, and 1.4 steals on 50 percent FG shooting. I'm kind of surprised it's taken him this long to stick with a team, because he has good size for a shooting guard, is a solid outside shooter (42 percent on three for the season), and is fairly athletic. With T-Mac and Artest ailing, Wafer is a nice replacement for someone like Marquis Daniels.

Thunder: Nenad Krstic

Krstic is back in the NBA, and he's played fairly well thus far. In three games, he's totaled 24 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks and 9 fouls in just 52 minutes. I don't suggest starting him yet, but he's a nice pickup for several reasons. For starters, the Thunder appear to be very active in trade talks. They already shipped out center Johan Petro, and Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox are also on the block. If either big man gets traded, that will mean more minutes for Krstic. And according to this article in the Oklahoman, Nenad is expected to join the starting lineup later this month. Don't expect wonders, but this is the same guy who averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and .9 blocks on 52.6 percent field-goal shooting in '06-07, so his upside is fairly high.