Underrated Fantasy Starting 5

[Curtis Lemansky]

I was just randomly checking some stats and I realized that some players are criminally undervalued in fantasy leagues despite having stellar seasons so I wanted to mention them as possible trade targets as the fantasy trade deadline approaches.

This is not a thread for players whose rise to the elite level in fantasy basketball have been well publicized and well known (like Nene Hilario or Devin Harris) but for other players who did not see such a noticable spike in their stats but who subtly improved their stats and whose trade value has been significantly lower than their production due to not having a noticable jump in stats or not being a star.

PF- Troy Murphy-Not a sexy name by any means and the lack of blocks from a PF/C is scary for gm's but this veteran has been 14th ranked player so far in fantasy basketball.Brings top value in rebounds(11,8 )/3's (2,1) with acceptable fg% for a three point shooter(46,1%) and very good ft% for a big man(81%).Low turnovers are another bonus for Murphy. Generally perceived as a top 80-ish player,Murphy is a stellar performer and could probably be had for far less than he is producing at standard 9 category leagues.

C-Mehmet Okur-The same player as Murphy with similar strentgths(3's from center position) and weaknesses(lack of blocks).He has been 22nd ranked player until now.He brings more points (18,1 ppg) but less rebounds(8,1)/3's (1,3) than Murphy but he has terrific percentages for someone who brings you 1.3 3's. Okur has 50.2% fg% and 83.6% ft on 5 free throw attempts. His blocks are still mediocre(but slightly better than last year) at 0.7 but he chips in with steals(0.8) hence his blocks+steals combination is at a slightly below average value of 1.5.
Generally perceived as someone between top-50 to 60 range,he offers top-25 production.

PG-Jason Terry- Another player who doesnt provide you the production in the most expected category(assists at 3.6) from his position(pg/sg),Terry brings top value in 3's/ft%/points and very solid valuefor his position in two other categories( fg%/turnovers) and decent amount of steals (1.4). Terry has been ranked 20th best player so far despite being mostly regarded as a 4th round pick in 16 team leagues.His production far outweighes his trade value and makes him a decent trade target.

SG-Delonte West- Get this: On a nightly basis Delonte is the second best fantasy player in Cavs roster.The jack of all -master of none combo guard provides non-flashy stats but he simply transformed himself into a Jason Terry-lite in Cavs. Currently ranked as 46th in overall rankings,the combo guard offers a similar stat sheet to JET( top value 3's/ft% and very solid value for his position in two other categories( fg%/turnovers) and decent amount of steals/points (1.4/12,5).Mostly perceived as a borderline top-100 player in these days,he offers a much better production than his current trade value.

SF-Kelenna Azubuike-Throughout all the madness in GSW,Azu has been a very dependable performer.He brings very good percentages,decent points/threes/rebounds and low turnover so despite the lack of defensive stats(1.4 steals+block combo),he has been 81st ranked player so far and could be acquired fairly cheap compared to his production.


Honorable mention:

Nate Robinson(35th ranked)-He has been great but he is not under the radar anymore with his most recent explosion hence I didnt think he was anymore underrated.You can probably get him for a little less that what he is actually worth though.

David Lee-(38th ranked)-Ditto

Jamario Moon & Matt Bonner- Two players who are somehow rated very highly on BBM(72nd and 75th respectively). Even though I like them and think that both are very much underrated(most gm's think that Bonner is barely a top-200 player whereas Moon is mostly ranked in 140's),I cannot figure out why both are ranked so highly in BBM.Both bring very low turnovers with good fg% and solid value in one other category(Bonner in three's and Moon in steals).I'd say both players are more valuable in roto formats though as they dont have any negative impact nevertheless ranking them around 70's is too much for either player.I'd say 110/120 is a more fair ranking for both players and you can still acquire them for a much lesser price.