Perhaps it's because he's getting so much attention for being a reality TV star nowadays, or the fact that Pau Gasol's season is bordering on legendary, but Lamar Odom is quietly having a terrific statistical season. He had 22 points, 11 rebounds, a steal and a block in Sunday's loss to the Suns, bringing his season averages to 15.1 points on 58.6 percent shooting with 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 3-pointers, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. He's been a consistent source of boards for years, although his average is up from 9.7 last season, and his scoring is up from 10.8 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting last season, as Odom's efficient play has landed him at No. 41 on the Player Rater. It's hard to find a player who provides double-digit boards as well as 3s and assists, but Odom can do it, with improved scoring to boot. He's set to undergo an MRI on his sore foot, however, so Odom's productiveness might be coming to a halt, and even if he doesn't miss games his minutes will likely become limited. Look for his stats to take a hit in the upcoming weeks, and even though the talent is real, Odom makes a good sell-high candidate with the injury and unrealistic shooting percentage factored in.
Looking Back
Michael Beasley had another fantastic night Sunday, scoring 25 points with one steal, one 3-pointer and one block. He's averaging 26.8 points in his past five contests, and even though he's not dominant in any other category, he gives you a little bit of 3s, steals and blocks, and is a born scorer. He could average 20 per game for the season, so expect plenty more big scoring nights. … Al Horford is one of the fantasy stories of the season, and after 28 points (9-14 FG, 10-10 FT), 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal Sunday, he's averaging 17.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.8 blocks while shooting an insane 64.2 percent from the floor. This puts him at No. 6 on the Player Rater, and even though his shooting percentage will come down a bit, he should hover around 60 percent. He was one of my players to target going into drafts, and is paying huge dividends to fantasy owners who didn't buy into the notion that he didn't have room to improve due to his average athleticism. … Carl Landry had his second consecutive productive outing Sunday, with 19 points and 8 rebounds after dropping 20 and 11 on Friday. He's had a rough shooting season so far, at just 46.2 percent from the floor, but he's a career 55.2 percent field goal shooter and should start trending closer to that number, and the rest of his numbers should follow. … James Harden has had a rough season thus far, and his play has rendered him useless and not worth owning in the fantasy realm. But Sunday he put up 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 3s, and most importantly played 37 minutes. The Thunder roll with Thabo Sefolosha as the starting shooting guard for his defense, although he's providing zero offense, and Harden has skills, so keep an eye on him, and if his minutes increase he has the ability to provide an excellent 3s/steals combo. … DeJuan Blair snared 11 rebounds Sunday and 12 on Saturday, and is averaging 9.0 points, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in his past five games. He's a solid option for fantasy owners in search of defensive stats. … Kyle Lowry seems to have worked through his back issues and regained some conditioning, as he played 36 minutes against the Knicks Sunday night. He scored only seven points, but also had seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, and with Aaron Brooks sidelined for several weeks, is an excellent short-term addition to any fantasy team.
Looking Ahead
Be sure to start all your Charlotte Bobcats, as the Minnesota Timberwolves are allowing a league-high 109.2 points per game for the season. … The Los Angeles Clippers are allowing opponents to shoot 41.9 percent from behind the arc, so fringe fantasy players Anthony Morrow and Travis Outlaw are both solid plays for the New Jersey Nets on Monday against the porous L.A. 3-point defense.
Josh Whitling is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
