Centres

Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics: With Kevin Garnett out of action, Perkins has a chance to elevate his production, though that hasn’t really happened yet. Still, he showed in December (11.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG) that he could be a fantasy force, which makes him at least worthy of flier status in deeper leagues.

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Greg Oden’s knee injury continues to linger, keeping Joel Przybilla in the starting lineup. His work on the boards remains exemplary, though he has logged just two double-digit scoring efforts in 2009…Owners looking for a boost in the shot blocking department needn’t look any further than Denver, where Chris Andersen has marked 25 shots “return to sender” in the last six games…We talked up Roy Hibbert in this space a couple weeks back and we’re not giving up on him yet. The rookie can’t stay out of foul trouble, averaging a disturbing 4.8 fouls in just a shade over 16 minutes a night in Indiana’s last six games. He’s a flier to be sure, but those grasping for straws can think about it…Matt Bonner was a beast from beyond the arc last month, knocking down better than two treys a night and averaging 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Don’t overlook him.

Forwards

John Salmons, Chicago Bulls: Any concerns about a decreased role in the Windy City for Salmons should have been assuaged now that he has logged better than 30 minutes in each of the Bulls’ last three games. Outside of a 25-point effort his scoring hasn’t been what it was in Sacramento, but his production should increase as he becomes more comfortable in Chicago. He’s worth owning in all leagues.

Matt Barnes, Phoenix Suns: Injuries have depleted Phoenix’s frontcourt, which has helped Barnes get back into the flow of the offense. He has also benefited from the coaching change and renewed emphasis on pushing the ball. Barnes reached double figures in four of five games before lighting up the Lakers for 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes on Sunday afternoon. Don’t hesitate to pick him up in deep formats.

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Everyone’s favourite document forger, Yi Jianlian, returned to the starting lineup for the Nets on February 23, though he hasn’t found the range (12-for-31) just yet. He was scoring well before his injury, which makes him at least an interesting roll of the dice in most formats…Now that Brian Scalabrine has joined KG on the sideline, Glen Davis is getting the starting nod. In three starts, Big Baby is averaging 16.7 points per game – he may not be long for the fantasy world, but he’s worth a short-term roster spot…One of the players heading west in the Salmons trade, Andres Nocioni, seems to be enjoying his relative freedom in the offense. The fifth-year forward is a volume shooter who is too loose with the ball, but he can score, drop threes and even chip in on the glass…It didn’t take long for the Thunder to find a spot in the starting lineup for Thabo Sefolosha, who posted 15 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday. Those in deeper leagues should act now before less informed owners take notice…Who is James Singleton? Anyone that can’t answer that question should take a quick peek at his game logs – we may be on to something here…Dominic McGuire continues to get a ton of burn in DC and averaged seasonal bests in both points (6.2) and rebounds (7.0) during February. That’s not great production, but it might raise some eyebrows in deep leagues.

Guards

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz: Utah’s swingman is morphing into a legitimate fantasy force, scoring 16 or more points in all but one of the team’s 11 February tilts. His range isn’t great, but he shoots an excellent overall percentage for a guard, converting 55.7 per cent of his shots this past month. There’s no reason for him to be available in any league at this juncture.

Anthony Parker, Toronto Raptors: The 33-year-old struggled for much of February but ended the month on a high note, dropping 62 points over Toronto’s final three games. He has been very hit (13.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.6 APG in January) or miss (6.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG in December) this season so don’t mortgage your future to acquire him, but when he’s on he deserves a roster spot.

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Sebastian Telfair averaged 11.9 points per game in February though he continues to misfire with great regularity from the field. Be prepared to take a hit in field goal percentage for his modest contributions in points and assists…Even with Mickael Pietrus returning to action on Friday, Courtney Lee continues to start for Orlando, and why not? Lee has averaged 14.4 points a game in his past five starts and launched a dozen three-pointers (hitting four) his last time out. At the very least he’s worth watch list status in most formats…In two games with the Celtics, Stephon Marbury has scored eight points, all of them coming in his Boston debut. Keep a watchful eye on Starbury.

Centres

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls: The second-year Florida product has taken up a semi-permanent residence on the Wire Troll by continuing to produce solid totals both in points and rebounds. The big test will come once Drew Gooden (groin) is back in action, but at this juncture owners in all but the shallowest leagues should make room on their rosters for Noah.

Darko Milicic, Memphis Grizzlies: Everyone’s favorite bust returned to action on Wednesday after missing 18 games with a broken knuckle. He has produced modestly in his first two games back, but prior to getting injured he had reached double figures in scoring in five of seven games. Owners that find their roster depleted by the recent rash of injuries in the NBA can consider rolling the dice on Milicic.

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Injuries continue to mount for the Bucks, who will now be without Andrew Bogut for the next two-plus months. That’s a bitter pill for fantasy owners to swallow as Bogut (11.7 points, 10.2 rebounds per game) was a rock solid contributor when healthy. Francisco Elson should see most of the minutes in Bogut’s stead – he’s not much of a scorer, but he can contribute on the glass…Other options for Bogut owners are Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison and Nenad Krstic. Collison is the starter and the better choice at this point, though Krstic figures to continue cutting into his minutes as he rounds into shape. Neither man is an ideal selection, though at this point beggars, can’t be choosers…An abdominal strain will keep Brad Miller out until at least the All-Star break, giving Spencer Hawes a chance to start some games. In three starts since Miller’s injury, Hawes is averaging 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Forwards

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers: Well, well, well…it looks as though Andrew Bynum’s pesky labia injury has flared up again, sidelining the 7-foot pink taco for 2-to-3 months. That should be great news for Odom, whose minutes have been way down this year with Bynum and Pau Gasol holding down the five and four positions, respectively. Odom is no star, but most of his shortcomings (clutch play, toughness) don’t affect the way he fills up a box score. He’s an immediate must own.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: Much like Noah, Love has earned a recurring role on “As the Troll Turns,” though his value is already much higher than that of Noah. Love has reached double digits in rebounds in five of his last seven games, which includes four double-doubles. After such a long run on here there’s not much more to say about Love, whose stellar play dictates he should be owned in all leagues, but especially now with Craig Smith — his main competition — out for the next couple of weeks.

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Anyone in the market for rebounds? If so, check out what’s going on in Motown where Antonio McDyess has averaged better than 10 boards per game in 2009…Ryan Anderson has scored 17 or more points in three of his last four games (while hauling in a tidy 7.5 rebounds a night). He has done a nice job in the absence of Yi Jianlian, who is fairly close to returning. Yi’s return could severely undermine Anderson’s value, so be aware of that when considering a move…Andrei Kirilenko appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery and may return shortly after the All-Star break. If someone else cut him free you should consider stashing him on your bench.

Guards

Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks: What the hell is going on in Milwaukee? With Luke Ridnour joining Michael Redd and Bogut on the injured list, Sessions becomes a focal point of the Buck offense — so much so that he dropped 44 points and 12 assists on the Pistons on Saturday. Fantasy owners will be quick to remember the huge numbers he put up on a depleted Bucks team late last season so don’t delay another minute in adding him to your roster.

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings: The return of Kevin Martin was supposed to spell the end of Garcia’s fantasy usefulness, but more than a month later Garcia is still racking up the points. He hit a little dry spell in late January – scoring 19 points over the month’s final three games combined – though for the most part he has continued to produce respectable totals. Still, at a deep position like shooting guard he’s more suited to larger leagues.

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The loss of Jameer Nelson down in Orlando should create fantasy value for some combination of Courtney Lee, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue – Lee is the best option for points, but don’t overlook Lue, who averaged double figures in scoring in four of his last five seasons…Owners on the prowl for cheap assists should check out Earl Watson, who is dropping nearly six dimes per game this season…Our third visit to Brew City reveals Charlie Bell and newly acquired Keith Bogans as options in deep leagues – Bell has scored 46 points in his last four games and Bogans logged 26 minutes (scoring eight points) in his Milwaukee debut…D.J. Augustin returned on Friday after missing roughly three weeks of action. He was up and down before getting hurt, making him more of a watch list candidate for now…Another rookie to keep an eye on is Mario Chalmers, who has scored 10 or more points in seven of his last nine games…Mike Miller has made 20 of his last 28 shots – we’re just saying.