Fantasy : Maybe the NBA should re-work there Health Care Plan : Fantasy Hardwood

Surprise surprise! Kevin Martin is hurt again. Any fantasy owner who didn't see this coming must be blind. In K-Marts case it’s not if he gets hurt, it’s when, and for how long. And this time it’s a big one. Martin suffered a hairline fracture in his left wrist in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He had surgery to repair it on November 9th and will be out 6-8 weeks. This couldn't have come at a worse time for his fantasy owners because Martin was averaging 30.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG and was coming off a 48 point effort. I know you might be tempted to cut ties with him because of the 8 week wait, but, I would wait on him if possible because his skills are too good to go without.

Now, with any injury, it opens up additional minutes for other players on the team, and the same goes for fantasy. Here are some players positively affected by injuries.

Beno Udrih PG Sac- he is averaging 13.5 PPG since Martin went down, and he is now starting in the Kings young back court. Many people see this as a fluke but it is not. If Udrih is available in your league, pick him up, and enjoy 2 months of production off the waiver wire.

Will Bynum PG Det- With Rip Hamilton still hurting and likely out this week, and Tayshaun Prince out indefinitely, there are more shots to go around; add that with the fact, that Bynum is a scoring and defense threat coming off the bench in Detroit. And I would say Bynum is a solid add in deeper leagues.

Taj Gibson PF Chi- Tyrus Thomas suffered a very Francisco Garcia-like injury when he broke his forearm in a weightlifting accident in practice (as far as I know, there was no exercise ball involved). Anyway, he will miss 4 to 6 weeks. This forces Gibson into the starting PF spot for the foreseeable future. In his first two starts he had one good game at Cleveland with 11 points and 7 rebounds; and one not so good game at Charlotte, with 6 points and 2 rebounds. I think he will balance himself out, and, be a good source of boards and solid percentages. He should be picked up if you need a big man in your league.

Now it’s still early and there have been a lot of players that have not been doing what you drafted them to do. And, there have been some players that have been performing, and are probably still floating around on waivers. Here is a look at some players to help you sort out your fantasy roster.

Wilson Chandler F NY- a lot of people were high on Chandler coming into this season after he had a breakout sophomore season for the Knicks and looked like a solid bet totake another step forward this year. He has been a slight disappointment so far only averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds a game. You might want to dump him, but I would advise you to hold on, because he still has a lot of potential and is one of the few players who could average 1 three, 1 Stl and 1 Block a game.

Derrick Rose PG Chi- Many people drafted the reigning rookie of the year thinking he was ready to take a big step forward with no Ben Gordon in Chicago anymore. So far he has disappointed his owners only averaging 13.8 PPG and 5.8 APG. He will turn it around; it’s just a matter of time. Do not try to sell Rose because you will only be selling low.

All in all, it’s still early in the season, so don't panic and make a bad move if your team hasn't started out like you want. But if you have some under-performing player sitting on your bench that you drafted late, go ahead and drop him for that hot waiver wire prospect. You really can’t go wrong there, you might as well ride the hot hand while it last.

P.S. Sell Chris Duhon NOW!!!