The 2013-2014 NBA season is almost over and we are just about to enter the marvelous playoff period. Right before we do, let’s have a look at some fantasy players who could have under your scope. Some of you, fantasy owners, might already be preparing for the next season but I am sure that there are a few owners out there still searching for some leftovers for this current season. Let’s try and address the needs of both categories of fantasy owners, by examining some players, who were underperforming earlier in the season.

Tyreke Evans

When Tyreke Evans was signed by the New Orleans Pelicans, he was expected to be the next big thing for this young emerging team. However, playing off the bench, Evans was not as good as we all expected during the first half of the season. However, as of lately and especially after the injury of Ryan Anderson, the emerging forward started uplifting his performance. He is averaging 21.5 PPG, 6.1 APG and 5.5 RPB during the last 10 games and in general this season, his averages are 14.0 PPG, 4.9 APG and 4.7 RPG. Look for Evans to further improve next season. Those of you who are searching for quick fixes, go with him, too.

Kenneth Faried

The Manimal had a very slow start in the season. His numbers were low and he even seemed to have struggles adjusting to the new Head Coach of the Denver Nuggets. However, he managed to improve his outputs since the All-Star break, since when he is averaging 18.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.1 STLPG. With J.J. Hickson out for the remainder of the season, Faried can only be expected to uplift his performance.

Amir Johnson

Amir Johnson is a player who goes on hot streaks often. However, after those streaks, he usually goes cold. In general, though, Johnson is a reliable and valuable solution for your fantasy team. Although he includes a big dose of risk for fantasy owners, if he finds pace, he will definitely reward you with his outputs. Don’t select him if you have too many risky players in your team but do select him if you want to break out of a slump your team might be into.

Derrick Favors

Now, I know that most of you barely take a close look on Utah Jazz players. I can’t blame you, I do the same sometimes. However, despite the Jazz are one of the worst teams in the NBA, they have some capable players and very good for your fantasy team and Derrick Favors is one of them. He is averaging 12.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG and 1.5 BLKPG in 30.2 MPG this season. Keep him in your radar for the next seasons, too, as he is young and emerging. Of course, he will need to improve his game, mainly on the offensive end, but he has the entire summer to do so.

 
Third base is a relatively shallow position, giving the best hot corner options even more relative value. Leaving aside now-first-baseman Miguel Cabrera, the best of the bunch has been Texas’ Adrian Beltre who, over the past five seasons, sits just behind Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria in runs, home runs and RBI, but has a batting average nearly 30 points higher, enough to get the nod, particularly since Beltre has stayed relatively healthy throughout his career. That’s not to say that Longoria isn’t great; he’s hit 30-plus homers three times and he played 160 games last season, but missed 117 in the previous two years, so that hangs over any decision to take him. The injury bug has caught the Mets’ David Wright in two of the past three seasons, causing him to miss 50 or more games in 2011 and 2013, but he’s also a career .301 hitter who has power and has added at least 15 stolen bases per season in eight of the past nine years. Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman has belted at least 25 homers in four of the past five seasons, and that consistency makes him better than most at the position. While those have the longer track record, there are some that are newer to the hot corner that also have put up big numbers.

Ryan Zimmerman

Oakland’s Josh Donaldson had a breakout season in 2013 and Seattle’s Kyle Seager has back-to-back 20 home run seasons. St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter, who might have more value at his previous position of second base, but he led the National League with 126 runs scored last year, while hitting .318, and that works at any position. Beyond that, there are more challenges involved.

San Diego’s Chase Headley followed up a breakthrough 2012 season with a dramatic drop-off in 2013, so take your chances. Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez led the National League with 36 home runs last season, but also whiffed a league-high 186 times on his way to a .233 batting average, so you pay a price to get that power; probably enough to avoid Alvarez unless he’s filling a corner infield spot. In his mid-30s and coming an injury-shortened season, Milwaukee’s Aramis Ramirez can still mash when healthy — more than 25 home runs in eight of the past 10 seasons.

Aramis Ramirez

A couple of rising stars may still be a year or two away from being huge fantasy contributors, but it’s worth keeping Baltimore’s Manny Machado, coming back from knee injury, and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado have potential that’s worth investing in at some point.

Others with upside include Toronto’s Brett Lawrie, who is still untapped potential, and San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval has dropped some weight, so might be a bit of a sleeper. Really, beyond the top handful of choices at third base, a lot of the appeal is in the eye of the beholder.

The Maple Leafs have had an up-and-down season and are just above the woeful Buffalo Sabres in terms of puck possession at 41.6%. Somehow, the Leafs still manage to sit in a playoff spot for two reasons. First, goaltender Jonathan Bernier has been great with a save percentage of .925 which ranks third among goaltenders with at least 35 starts this season. Outstanding goaltending can help thwart the puck possession monster, but that’s a risky proposition because goaltending performance tends to vary so wildly. Take Bernier’s partner in the crease, James Reimer, for example. This year, thanks to his recent run of poor outings, Reimer’s save percentage has dipped to .908, below average for an NHL goaltender. Last year, it was .924; the year before that, .900 and, as a rookie in 2010-2011, .921. Over those four years, Reimer’s save percentage sits at .914, which is good enough to be an NHL starter, but the fluctuations in save percentage are standard for most at the position, making it a dicey proposition to bank on winning that battle of percentages when the alternative, having a successful possession team, allows much more leeway for the unpredictable nature of the position.

The other factor keeping their playoff hopes alive is their shootout prowess. Despite not reaching a shootout since January 15, the Leafs are tied for second in the league with nine shootout wins; their 9-4 (.692) shootout record standing behind St. Louis (8-3), Pittsburgh and Columbus (both 5-2) in terms of winning percentage. The point of all this isn’t to pile on the Leafs when they are hitting a rough patch at a critical time; it’s more to note that the perception of this team has been affected by strong goaltending and shootout success. With time running out to earn a playoff spot this season, however, it’s terribly ungrateful to now set sights on goaltending as the cause for this team’s troubles. The issues run deeper and have been running

Likewise, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been on a steady decline since Christmas. While Pittsburgh’s record is 19-10-4 in that span, the Penguins have endured significant injuries, losing players like James Neal, Pascal Dupuis, Kris Letang and Paul Martin for more than 20 games apiece. It’s understandable to have performance fall off for a team missing quality player’s for large chunks of the season, but there are other issues at play too.

The Penguins’ bottom six forwards have been getting destroyed in terms of puck possession and while some of that is a matter of how teams deploy their talent (starting more shifts in the defensive zone makes it harder to generate positive possession stats), the Penguins’ player usage chart also shows that their defence is in trouble without Martin and Letang to aid in the puck-moving effort. In the Penguins’ case, they can out-perform possession numbers, to some degree, because they have rare elite forward talent in Crosby and Malkin, driving the offence. With Malkin out, perhaps for the rest of the regular season, that’s putting a heavy load on Crosby’s shoulders. That means the likes of Brandon Sutter, Marcel Goc and perhaps a soon-returning Beau Bennett have to take responsibility for improving the play of Pittsburgh’s bottom six forwards. For much of the season, it appeared to be a two-team race in the Eastern Conference, but it’s pretty clear now that the Boston Bruins are ahead of the fading Penguins and now Pittsburgh needs to get healthy and playing better in a hurry if they’re not going to be a vulnerable favourite in round one of the playoffs.