Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Considering all the injured players that are starting to pile up around the fantasy basketball world, it is nice to have one player finally coming back from injury. This past weekend PF Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans returned to the lineup, and despite having to come off the bench, the veteran has been putting up huge fantasy numbers.
Anderson has only played in three games this season, but he has wasted little time getting comfortable in New Orleans. In his season debut, Anderson finished with 26 points and dropped an astonishing six three-pointers against the Philadelphia 76ers. He played just 27 minutes in his first game of the season, but his hot hand allowed him to get plenty of minutes.
He is averaging 19.3 points per contest, to go along with an incredible 4.3 three-pointers, and he has scored double-digit points in each game. Anderson is also adding three boards per game, but his true value comes from his ability to score and hit shots from beyond the arc.
Not many backcourt players around fantasy have the skill to put up over 18 points per game, let alone hit multiple three-pointers. Most big men have trouble hitting an open jump shot outside of 15-feet and are even worse from the free throw line. Anderson, on the other hand, is one of the best all-around shooting big men in fantasy and veteran earns his money from the charity stripe (85% career FT) as well.
Anderson is an extremely valuable big man to own in fantasy, simply because he has the ability to score 20 points a game and add a couple three-pointers from someone that is center-eligible. He will instantly help roto-league owners in these categories and will be a great spot starter for the remainder of the fantasy season.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
