Category Strategy: Week 3 Opportunity

CATEGORY STRATEGY

Each week, this article highlights players who are widely available in standard leagues who can help in specific roto categories. While each player highlighted can help in a specific category, there's no guarantee for production in other areas.

POINTS

Jeremy Lamb, SG, Thunder
Lamb has always been a tricky player to evaluate. Sometimes he looks like a very competent shooting guard, who could be a legitimate starter. Other times, he doesn't even resemble a rotation player. For now, he is worth a flier as one of the few healthy Thunder players who can put the ball in the hoop on a semi-regular basis from the perimeter, but there's a chance that when Perry Jones, Anthony Morrow and Andre Roberson get healthy in the coming days, Lamb will see a smaller role. However, the former UConn Huskie played 41 minutes and scored 17 points in his first game of the season Friday, and Lance Thomas started and played 29 minutes, so Thomas will be the first to sacrifice minutes to returning players, and even if Lamb sees his minutes dip to 28-32 per game, he will still be pretty useful as long as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are out.

REBOUNDS

Steven Adams, C, Thunder
Even when it was announced that Adams would be the Thunder's starting center, the fear was that he would struggle to see starter's minutes, partly because of anticipated foul trouble and partly because coach Scott Brooks has shown the propensity to platoon his centers to the point that none of them have fantasy value. Fortunately, Adams has been set free, at least in the early going. He has yet to play fewer than 27 minutes in a game, and he has played 30-plus minutes in each of his last three games. Considering the level of consistent run Adams has received, fantasy owners may actually be somewhat disappointed by the 7.7 rebounds per game he is averaging, but there's a strong case to be made that there is significant room for improvement on that average. He had 11 rebounds Friday against the Grizzlies' stout frontcourt, and going forward, it would not be surprising to see him average closer to nine or 10 boards per game if he continues to see 30-32 minutes per game. Kevin Garnett is another player who has seen more minutes than many might have expected, and if that trend continues, he can be an asset in this category as well.

ASSISTS

Mo Williams, PG, T-Wolves
Williams may not be a true point guard, as he's a better scorer than distributor, but the T-Wolves will have no choice but to give him big minutes at the one with Ricky Rubio out one-to-two months with a severely sprained ankle. As recently as 2012-13, Williams averaged 6.2 assists per game in 46 games with the Jazz, the fifth stop over his 11-year career that he has averaged over six dimes per game. It was rookie Zach LaVine who got the start at point guard in Saturday's game, but unless the T-Wolves are willing to throw in the towel on the season, Williams will step into the starting role sooner than later. Even off the bench, he still led the team in assists Saturday with five. Kirk Hinrich is another player who is poised to be of help in assists due to an injury ahead of him on the depth chart. The Derrick Rose tragedy continues, as he is currently dealing with sprained ankles, plural. Hinrich, like Williams, is not someone who will immediately be a high-end contributor in assists if he has to step into the starting role on a semi-regular basis, but given how difficult it is to find assists on the waiver wire, he is worth a roster spot, even if he is just contributing five dimes per game.

STEALS

Corey Brewer, SG, T-Wolves
Brewer remains widely available as he's off to a horrible start on offense, shooting just 38.5 percent from the field, and 20 percent from downtown. But in his last three games, he is averaging 5.5 rebounds and three steals in 24.5 minutes per game. He won't finish in the top five in steals per game, but Brewer averaged 1.9 thefts last season, and with Ricky Rubio expected to miss significant time, the aforementioned Mo Williams and rookie Zach LaVine will play primarily at point guard, which could make some extra minutes available at the two. Tony Allen remains the best specialist for steals who is widely available, but Brewer profiles as a better contributor across the board.

BLOCKS

JaVale McGee, C, Nuggets
This is probably the only time all season where a player averaging less than 15 minutes per game will be recommended in this article. McGee can't help but block shots, and through five games, he is averaging almost a block every five minutes, which is ridiculous. Now, naturally he won't help you in any of the other counting stats because of his limited role (13.2 minutes per game), but he is a well-above-average contributor in field-goal percentage (54.1 percent for his career), and he won't attempt enough free throws to cause serious damage in that category. McGee is widely available, but in a deeper roto or category league, he can push a team to the top in this one category. Brandan Wright also remains another solid option for blocks and field goal percentage.

THREE-POINTERS

Mirza Teletovic, SF, Nets
Teletovic is attempting six threes per game, and is hitting at a 50 percent rate. He has at least two three-pointers in each game this season, and if you weren't able to draft Kyle Korver or Trevor Ariza, Teletovic might be the next best option for a long-range specialist. Chris Copeland and Randy Foye are other solid options in shallower leagues, and Anthony Morrow is another name to consider here, especially in deep leagues. Remember, in 2012 Morrow had a 42-point game where he hit eight three-pointers, so there's some upside here as long as the Thunder are shorthanded.