Insider Special: Fantasy Watch

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Insider Fantasy File: Jan. 14

Chad Ford

ESPN Insider

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

I have a certain affinity for the underdog. The underrated, late bloomers who defy the odds. The ugly ducklings that turn into the swan.

Why? I was one (though some claim I never got out of my ugly duckling stage).

In fourth grade, kickball ruled and I had to be one of the most underrated kick ball players in the state. My legs may have looked like walking sticks and you could count my ribs from the outfield. But I had a leg. Trust me on this.

Before the game started, there was always the humiliating ritual of the draft. You know you've been there. It's the two popular kids (think the Gamer Brandon Funston) picking the teams.

My hair was a mess, my Chuck Taylors were falling apart, and you can see every bone in my stick legs.

My daily pleadings of, "Pick me! Pick me!" didn't help my situation.

I'd wait. And wait. And wait. In the end, when all that were left were the girls and the special ed kids, someone would pick me. Ashamed I'd walk into the huddle with a plan. I would prove the critics wrong. I would kick the ball from Missouri to Kansas. I would run like the wind. I would save the day.

In reality, I would sit on the gravel, drawing pictures in the dust. But that's another story for another time.

See, while you and everyone else was fawning over the Shaqs, Vince Carters and Andre Millers of the world, I was pulling for Doug Christie, Juwan Howard and Shawn Bradley, the freaks of the NBA, to do well. Two and a half months into the season, I'm getting my wish.

Jason Williams, PG, Grizzlies (average draft pos. 80.32)

Still don't believe Jerry West is a genius? West found the one coach from this universe who could get through Williams' incredibly thick skull. The result over the past 30 days? Williams has been a top 10 point guard in fantasy. He's put up better numbers that Steve Nash, Andre Miller and John Stockton over the last month. His field goal percentage, his assists and his steals are all up. How long will it last? As long as Hubie Brown's ticker keeps ticking.

OVERRATED: Andre Miller, PG, Clippers (average draft pos. 17.87)

Ooops. Miller isn't having a bad year statistically, but his fantasy numbers have taken a big hit. His field goal percentage, assists, steals and rebounds are all at three-year lows. He isn't playing poorly, but the Clippers' plethora of ball handlers are stealing his thunder. In Cleveland, Miller was the team. In L.A., we're still not sure if he's even one of the pieces.

Doug Christie, SG, Kings (average draft pos. 65.15)

He's weird. He makes secret signals to his wife. And he was supposed to be regulated to bench duty thanks to the improved play of Hidayet Turkoglu. Christie is proving once again that you should never count out the freaky bald guy. Christie is ranked in the top five in the player rater again this year. With Chris Webber, Predrag Stojakovic and Mike Bibby hobbling around, he's been the glue that holds this team together. Now that they're all healthy, will his role start to diminish? We hear his wife is working up some sort of voodoo potion as we speak.

OVERRATED: Vince Carter, SG, Raptors (average draft pos. 13.86)

He was damaged goods and you knew. But you got greedy. Flashy dunks and Gatorade commercials don't count for jack squat in fantasy. Forget about the chronic jumper's knee problem for a minute. What Carter needs is a heart transplant.

Andrei Kirilenko, SF, Jazz (average draft pos. 64.27)

He's not flashy, which is just the way Jerry Sloan likes it. Those 13 ppg and 5.4 rpg are going to get you the ladies. But the AK-47 is a silent assassin. Kirilenko's fantasy value is measured by his versatility. He gets points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Never enough to get noticed. But just enough to have him ranked fifth among all small forwards in the league.

OVERRATED: Peja Stojakovic, SF, Kings (average draft pos. 25.2)

You had to see this coming. The ankle was hurting. Peja was exhausted. The World Championships drained him to the point of collapse. Early injuries to Bibby and Webber put an undo load on his shoulders. Now that everyone is healthy, Peja can take a deep sigh of relief. He still shoots a little, but with Bibby, Webber and Christie all clicking, Peja has been reduced to target practice.

Juwan Howard, PF, Nuggets (average draft pos. 53.42)

For years he's been the fantasy whipping boy. A classic underachiever that has ruined more than one fantasy team. Not this year. Especially after the Nuggets nuked their roster of any recognizable basketball talent. Over the last 30 days, Howard has been a paragon of consistency. He's rated No. 4 among power forwards, ahead of Karl Malone, Rasheed Wallace and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Luckily, the small number of w's in the win column doesn't hurt his stock.

OVERRATED: Kenyon Martin, PF, Nets (average draft pos. 50)

Big things were expected, but early on, Martin has struggled to match last year's sophomore season. His 14.2 ppg and 8 rpg are OK. But he's a poor man's Juwan Howard right now. And despite his presence on this list, that ain't saying much.

Shawn Bradley, C, Mavs (average draft pos. Not drafted)

Laugh all you want. Call him names. Point your fingers. Waive your broomsticks. Shawn Bradley has arrived. It may have taken 10 years, but Bradley is finally a force -- at least in the fantasy game. Only Shaquille O'Neal and Ben Wallace are ranked above him in the player rater. Bradley leads the league in blocks, is holding his own on the boards, and even chips in a few points now and then. Live in denial all you want (he's still available in 10 percent of leagues), but the ugly duckling is now a swan. An ugly swan, but he's still a swan.

OVERRATED: Antonio Davis, C, Raptors (average draft pos. 40.8)

Stick a fork in him fantasy owners. He's done.

Chad Ford is the NBA Insider for ESPN.com. Check out his frequent work on ESPN Insider .