Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
What’s old is new again?
Maybe not quite, but don’t tell that to Amar’e Stoudemire. It’s no secret that the once perennial All-Star isn’t the dominant presence he once was, and as a result, his fantasy value has tremendously taken a downward dip. Injuries have certainly derailed his career, as the big man has missed 88 games over the last two years. This surely isn’t the same Amar’e we were accustomed to seeing receive lobs from Steve Nash in Phoenix. The once top-tier fantasy draft pick wasn’t even drafted in many fantasy hoops leagues this year, but could there be a comebacks?
Could Stoudemire return to his STAT days?
Probably not, but it’s good to see him on the court, that’s for sure. For the first time this season, Stoudemire not only played in back-to-back games, but he played a career-high 30 minutes in each contest. Then, the next day, he was active and logged a healthy 19 minutes. Not only is he getting healthier and more used to consistently being on the court, but Amar’e is beginning to warm up. Over his last five games, Stoudemire is averaging a solid 14.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and a block per game. As long as his body can last, which still remains to be seen, he should continue to see a strong helping of minutes. The Knicks are terrible, sitting with a record of 7-16, and with injuries all over the place (particularly Tyson Chandler), if Amar’e is healthy, he’ll be out there. If your fantasy team is hurting at the power forward position, Stoudemire may be worth a look, at least for the short term. The Atlantic Division is full of weak defensive units, including the king of weak defensive efficiency in the 76ers. Strong matchups will be evident over the course of the year, especially during Week 8 of the season.
Next week, Stoudemire plays in three games, none of which are back-to-back. That gives him a terrific opportunity to not only play in all three contests, but to log plenty of minutes. He faces the Bucks and Wizards, both of which rank inside the top-five in rebounds allowed to opponents. Also, with the way the Knicks are playing, they won’t be blowing many teams out too often, which means Amar’e likely won’t get yanked to preserve him. He is only owned in 23.2 percent of ESPN leagues, so he is widely available for those who want to give him a shot.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
