Other than LeBron James, there isn't a fantasy player I'd rather own than Chris Paul. In fact, in leagues that count both free throw percentage and turnovers, he's probably even more valuable than James. In just his third year in the Association, Paul is already the league's best point guard. He's virtually unguardable off the dribble, and if New Orleans makes the playoffs, he's the NBA's MVP this season.
Kevin Garnett is currently enjoying a rather ironic season; while most other years during KG's career consisted of wondering whether he'd shut it down before the season ended because Minnesota was so far out of the playoffs, he now finds himself playing for a team that might be TOO good, as his fantasy owners can't be happy with his decrease in minutes. By all means, he's still an elite fantasy player, but he's currently averaging the least amount of points, rebounds and assists since the 1997-98 season.
As far as I'm concerned, the biggest steals in fantasy leagues this year have to be Chris Kaman, Manu Ginobili, Andrew Bynum, Mike Dunleavy, Hedo Turkoglu and Stephen Jackson.
The most underrated fantasy player might very well be Mike Miller, who is averaging an impressive 16.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.1 3pg, all while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. Some more steals would be nice, but Miller's last two seasons have quietly justified his previous selection as the No. 5 pick in 2000's draft.
If he's not already taken (he should be), feel free to stash Randy Foye on the end of your bench. After a recent positive prognosis on his knee, he should be back on the court by the beginning of February. While his minutes may be limited initially, there's absolutely no reason for Minnesota not to hand the point guard duties over to him. A franchise playing for the future, Sebastian Telfair and Marko Jaric are unlikely to be on the next Timberwolves team that makes the playoffs. Foye has the talent to really help fantasy squads over the second half of the season.
In non-keeper leagues, I'd be shopping Dwyane Wade right now. He's a top-5 fantasy player, no doubt, but the injuries are mounting, and the closer we get to season's end, the more likely it is Wade shuts it down. The Heat are 8-26 right now; only one team in the NBA has fewer than eight wins. If you can get first round talent in return, pull the trigger.
I expected so much more from Emeka Okafor this season. He's basically become an afterthought in Charlotte's offense, typically no better than the team's third or fourth option on any given possession. It's now his fourth year in the league, and he's still yet to develop any low post moves, evidenced by his career-worst 12.8 points per game this season. It's safe to say Orlando isn't regretting making Dwight Howard the No. 1 pick during the 2004 draft.
If you want to know who the next superstar in the league is, I'll save you the suspense; his name is Rudy Gay. He's basically improved every single month he's been in the NBA, and we've yet to even approach his ceiling. Remember when he was knocked for coming off as too aloof in college? Neither do the seven GMs who passed on him during the 2006 draft.
Give a hand to Grant Hill, who has redefined his game and persevered much longer than I ever expected after so many ankle problems. After missing 275 games between 2000-2006, 35-year-old Hill is now thriving while playing nearly 34 minutes per game in a run-and-gun uptempo system.