Good week for Bills’ Allen to play like his old self
ROCKETS NETS 112 101
If you have a championship game on the line this week, we are here to help. There are 13 teams in must-win situations: Jaguars, Bills, Colts, Texans, Steelers, Packers, Bucs, Eagles, Cowboys, Seahawks, Saints, Falcons and Vikings. I will be pulling my Giddy Up! recommendations from those rosters, as should you. Additionally, teams that have secured playoff slots and should be resting their starters include the Ravens, Chiefs, Browns, 49ers, Lions and Rams. This is why your Fantasy season should end in Week 17. I would shy away from players on these teams. Even if coaches announce that “most everyone will play”, remember; coaches lie! As for my three Fantasy leagues, I won two championships and came in third in another. A very successful year. And congrats to the Kardiac Kids of the OFFL who defeated SuperNova, 139-134, in an intensely competitive game.
GIDDY UP!
● — Josh was so off-target last Sunday he stirred up memories of past horrible Buffalo QBs J.P. Losman, Nate Peterman and E.J. Manuel. Yeesh! But with the playoffs and No. 2 seed on the line, not to mention injuries to Miami’s Bradley Chubb and Xavien Howard, Josh can right the ship and “squish the fish.”
● — Knocking the rust off his game after a two-week hiatus from a concussion, Stroud wasn’t asked to do much (213 yards, 1 TD). The Colts’ pass defense stats are inflated because they haven’t faced a decent QB since Matthew Stafford in Week 4. Giddy Up!
● — Jones has always produced against the Bears, with 330 combined yards and four
TDs in his last three games. QB Jordan Love is keeping defenses honest with the pass, which opens the running lanes for the resurging Jones.
● — The Panthers can’t stop the run, coughing up 277 yards and three TDs to RBs the last two outings. White has been terrific all year (sixth in RB Fantasy scoring) and will carry the Bucs on his back in their must-win game in Carolina.
● — The Commanders boast the worst pass defense in the NFL. Lamb should do all his damage in the first half and might be on the bench if the Cowboys build a sizable lead. Best hope it’s a competitive match to keep
Lamb in the game.
● — Diggs burned us against New England with 26 yards, but his day would have been saved had Allen not overthrown him on a sure-fire 88-yard TD bomb. If Diggs doesn’t excel against a depleted Dolphins secondary, he should shuffle out of Buffalo.
● — He needs a “Hail Mary” to score, and it’s a very risky play. But if you’re trying to catch lightning in a bottle, Shaheed might be your man. He’s had 18 or more Fantasy points in 30% of his games.
● — The Giants gave up seven receptions for 71 yards just two weeks ago to Goedert. He has the safest floor of any TE.
WHOA DOWN!
● — The Ravens are locked into the top seed in the AFC. I don’t envision them exposing Jackson to injury in a meaningless game. Look for HC John Harbaugh to have a short leash if Jackson gets the start.
● — Dan Campbell says he’s playing all his starters against Minnesota. The HC is channeling his rage after the controversial loss to the Cowboys to fuel his team for the playoffs. Calm down coach. You’re guaranteed the third seed in the NFC. Keep Goff safely on the pine.
● — Hubbard has averaged 12 fantasy points per game the last four weeks against suspect run defenses. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have shut down RB stalwarts Bijan Robinson (34 yards), Aaron Jones (53 yards), Travis Etienne (12 yards) and Alvin Kamara (45 yards) over that same span. Twelve points might be the ceiling for Hubbard.
● — You would have to be desperate to add the 30-year-old journeyman at this crucial time of the season. Gordon will be a TD-dependent RB5 against a Steelers team that has given up one rushing TD since Week 13.
● — Douglas is the Pats’ best weapon. But the miniscule marvel does his damage between the 20s. He hasn’t scored all season, nor will he score against the Jets. Even though Gang Green gave up three TD receptions against Cleveland, none were by WRs.
● — Pitts has been a burr in my saddle since the Falcons drafted him. He hasn’t topped 15 Fantasy points in any one game this year, and the Falcons maddeningly do their best to keep him under wraps.
Get 30% off the subscription from FantasyGuru.com, the finest source for Seasonal, DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) and Sports Gaming advice. Just go to FantasyGuru.com and enter the code Rob30 for instant savings. Look for Fantasy Billboard in the Daily News and a separate column at FantasyGuru.com.
assists. He also logged 41 minutes in Monday’s victory over the Timberwolves.
Brunson is averaging 23.5 points and 13.5 assists in the two games since the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Raptors in the OG Anunoby deal.
His 14 assists on Monday were a career-high, and he nearly matched that mark against the Bulls.
“It’s a credit to my teammates. They’re finding a way to put the ball through the hoop,” Brunson said in his walk-off interview. “All the credit goes to them. I’m just out there running around.”
Brunson’s production is not the issue. It’s the mileage accruing on a player whose legs the Knicks need to stand the test of time.
Brunson has logged 81 minutes over his last two games. His increased load is a thorn among the roses that have come with the acquisition of Anunoby.
Anuunoby clearly makes the Knicks a better team.
He’s a staunch defender, an efficient corner three-point shooter and has the prototypical size at the small forward position to both rebound and finish through traffic at the rim.
He is an upgrade, specifically for a team that plays through two ball-dominant stars in Brunson and Julius Randle. Randle finished with a game-high 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting.
Losing Quickley, however, directly affects Brunson, and while the Knicks gave McBride a threeyear contract extension after the Quickley deal, Thibodeau’s quick hook of his third-year guard was a clear indication that the current situation at the one is not sustainable.
The Timberwolves outscored the Knicks by 10 in McBride’s seven minutes on Monday.
On Wednesday, the Bulls outscored the Knicks by 15 in McBride’s nine minutes.
And while playing Brunson heavy minutes is a recipe for success at this juncture of the season, it’s clear this can’t be the formula if the organization wants him at full strength when the games matter in April and May.
Malachi Flynn is another reserve guard the Knicks acquired in the Anunoby deal, but he has not yet been cleared to play while nursing an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Quickley scored 21 points through three quarters for the Raptors and finished with 25 in a six-point victory over the Grizzlies.
The Knicks need to replace Quickley’s production and presence as a backup point guard option, but if that option is not on the roster, they will need to strike a deal, be it via free agency or trade.
For most of Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, the Nets looked like a far more focused team compared to the group that took the court on Tuesday in New Orleans. The effort was better, but it still was not enough to stop the bleeding.
A 112-101 loss at Toyota Center marked the Nets’ fifth straight loss, mercifully ending a winless fourgame road trip. The Nets’ next chance to get back on track will come on Friday against the surging Thunder at Barclays Center, the same team that beat them, 124-108, on New Year’s Eve.
Three-point shooting woes aside, much was clicking for the Nets in the first half. Nic Claxton hauled in 10 of his 13 rebounds in the first quarter, the most he has recorded in any quarter in his career. Deflections and steals came much easier, a defensive effort fueled by Royce O’Neale, who recorded back-to-back steals to start the second quarter leading to buckets in both instances.
The Nets (15-20) led, 50-49, at halftime, which should be viewed as an absolute success given how they have played in recent weeks. They turned defense into offense, which made things a little more capable in transition. And they forced 15 total turnovers, which led to 16 points.
But it was not enough. Despite winning the paint, 46-28, the shooting woes carried over from Tuesday, as Nets shot just 38.7% from the field (13-of-44 from deep). One night after allowing the Pelicans to go 16-of-39 from behind the arc, they could not prevent another 3-point barrage, either. The Rockets started 6-of-11 from deep and finished 19-of-39.
Six of those 3-pointers came in the third quarter alone, when Houston outscored the Nets, 3825, to build an 87-75 advantage entering the final frame. Once the Rockets took control of the game, they never relinquished it.
The Nets took 17 more field goal attempts than Houston in the loss. The Rockets went plus-18 at the 3-point line, and it is just hard to win games with that kind of disparity.
Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson both scored 15 points for the Nets. O’Neale chipped in 13 points off the bench, and Day’Ron Sharpe totaled 11 points and 12 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Alperen Sengun led Houston with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Cam Thomas is 0-of-18 from the field over his last two games but did match a season high with five assists and just one turnover.
Wednesday marked his fourth straight came as a reserve.
Ronny Mauricio has not officially been ruled out from playing in 2024, but it’s not looking good.
The Mets infield prospect underwent ACL reconstruction surgery Tuesday at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the club announced. The timeline for a return is 8-12 months, which would have him playing rehab games in August if his rehab goes well, but it’s tough to plan on a definitive return for a young prospect like Mauricio.
Mauricio was injured last month playing in a Dominican Winter League game. The injury occurred on the basepath and he was able to walk off the field on his own, providing some optimism, but that quickly disappeared when imaging revealed a tear in his ACL.
The Mets’ fourth-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, Mauricio made his big league debut last September and did not disappoint. His first career hit was a double and he went on to hit three more in the final month of play, as well as two home runs and nine RBI. In 26 games, he slashed .248/.296/.347 with seven stolen bases. He played mostly at second base but also saw time at shortstop and third base.
Mauricio was signed and developed as a shortstop but moved to second base last season while playing with Triple-A Syracuse. However, some talent evaluators believe his future is at third. He was playing third this winter with Tigres del Licey intending to get reps at the hot corner in important games.
Manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to Mauricio after he received a diagnosis, saying the 22-year-old was “devastated.”
“I feel for the kid, we all do,” Mendoza said last month at Citi Field after the Mets’ annual holiday kids party. “We know how hard he’s worked to get to a point where he was scheduled to compete for an Opening Day roster spot and to see something like that happen — not only to Mauricio but to anybody — is awful.”
The Mets anticipated a spring training position battle between Mauricio, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. Last month, president of baseball operations David Stearns said that the Opening Day third baseman will come from inside of the organization. That may still be true, especially since the Mets signed utility infielder Joey Wendle in December. However, that was before Mauricio’s injury.
Mauricio still has plenty of developing to do, especially when it comes to defense and plate discipline, and this injury will put a pause on it. It could also force the club to make a move for third base help.