Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounds and is no where to be found on the 2010 All-Star ballot.His teammate Brad Miller is on the ballot considering he is averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds.

Noah leads the league with 12.6 rebounds and second with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. He is tied for seventh in blocks per game (2.0) and is averaging a career high 12.1 points per game The third year player has posted eight double-doubles and five straight while shooting 55% from the field.

Noah is up against Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, Andrea Bargnani and Al Horford in the East but his scrappy play should keep him in the mix. Noah attributes his improvement to bulking up and league experience. On November 7th and 10th he recorded career highs in points (21) and rebounds (21).

1. Brandon Jennings is the real deal: In two games last week Jennings has scored 87 points with 14 assists. So far this season he is averaging 25 points (8th in the NBA), 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. He also is shooting 49% from the field, 83% from the foul line and has 17 three-pointers. In a 8-cat league his fantasy value equals the 10th overall player.

2. Marc Gasol has been playing like his brother: Gasol  pulled down 16 rebounds last Saturday for the second time this season. He is averaging 14.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Also he is shooting 56% from the field and 78% from the line. He is looking like one of the biggest steals in the draft.

3. Danny Granger is showing why he was a top 4th pick: The Pacers upset the Celtics last Friday and Granger was a big part of that with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 6 three-pointers. His rebounding has increase with Troy Murphy sidelined.

4. Chris Bosh is outscoring Lebron James and Dirk Nowitzki and out rebounding Dwight Howard:  Bosh is 4th in the NBA with 27.7 points per game. He is third in the NBA with 11.8 rebounds per game.

5 .Charlie Villanueva is heating up: Charlie V has has scored 25 or more points in three of his past five games.  It looks like his hamstring injury is over with and he should increase his 17 points per game.

Honorable mention: Chris Paul out with injury, Byron Scott fired, Knicks 1-8, Nets winless, Joakim Noah leads in the NBA with 12.2 rebounds per game, Kobe Bryant leads the NBA with 30.1 points per game.

Week 4 (Nov. 16-22)

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, Toronto
Teams playing three games: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Utah, Washington
Teams playing two games: Minnesota

Darren Collison (Hornets)- With the injury to Chris Paul, Collison started at point guard and had 10 points, 4 steals and 2 steals in 25 minutes last Saturday. Paul could be out for about a month which increases the value of the rookie.

Marcus Thorton (Hornets)- Thorton should  receive extended minutes off the bench with the injury to Paul. Thorton has scored 32 points over in last two games including a career high 20 last Friday.

C.J. Watson (Warriors)- Watson scored a season high 19 points vs. the Knicks last Friday. He is shooting 51% from the field and averaging a steal per game.

Wes Matthews (Jazz)- Matthews has scored in double-figures in four of his past six games. Deron Williams has missed the past two games which is why he has been starting. The undrafted rookie has played well enough to receive extended minutes in the future.

Jamaal Tinsley (Grizzles)- Tinsley signed a one-year deal with the Grizzles on Saturday.  In his eight seasons in the NBA he has averaged 7 assists per game.

Honorable mention: Jordan Hill (Knicks), Earl Boykins (Wizards), Amir Johnson (Raptors)

Guards

Toney Douglas (Knicks)- Douglas scored a career high 23 points in 36 minutes vs. the Hawks on Wedesnday. He scored 16 and 21 points in his previous two games and has made nine three-pointers on the season.

Rudy Fernandez (Trailblazers)- Fernandez has played inconsistent minutes all season but has 13 three-pointers and is averaging 1.78  steals per game.

Kyle Lowry (Rockets)- Lowry is averaging 8 points, 5.12 assists and 1 steal off the bench. He has played in at least 24 minutes in every game but two this season and has three games of at least eight assists.

Honorable mention: Devin Brown (Hornets)

Forwards

Jared Dudley (Suns)- Dudley has scored in double figures in five of his past six games. He has 18 three-pointers on the season and is averaging 1.30 steals per game.

JJ Hickson (Cavs)- Hickson scored a season high 18 points in 31 minutes vs. the Heat yesterday. He is starting over Anderson Varejo which means he could provide a decent amount of points and rebounds.

Taj Gibson (Bulls)- Gibson has scored in double figures in three of his past four games. The rookie scored a career high 18 vs. the Raptors on Wednesday with 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. His playing time has increased because ofthe injury to Tyrus Thomas.

Honorable mention: Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks)

Centers

Chuck Hayes (Rockets)- Hayes has been productive  as a starter averaging 7 rebounds, 2.12 steals , .75 blocks and shooting 60.5% from the field.

Nazr Mohammed (Bobcats)- Mohammed has 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots over his past two games. His minutes will be inconsistent but is a cheap source for bounds and blocks.

Josh Powell (Lakers)- Powel has played in at least 20 minutes over his past three games. He has played well with 29 points and 14 rebounds in that span. With the injury to Pau Gasol he has received extended dplaying time.

Honorable mention: Shelden Williams (Celtics)

1. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni has assembled four different starting lineups in nine games.

2. Their opponents have scored over 100+ points in every game but one (Jazz)

3. Opponents are shooting 49% from the field and averaging 109 points per game  (2nd and 3rd worst in NBA)

4. NY is shooting 29% from three (27th in NBA)

5. Starting PG Chris Duhon is shooting 26% from the field and needs to be benched

6. Four of their eight eight losses have been by 12 points or more.

What i would like to see the Knicks do:

1) Start Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, David Lee, Jordan Hill…Al Harrington has been effective off the bench

2) Play better defense

3) Buy out Jared Jeffries

Teams playing four games: Dallas, Golden State, Houston, L.A. Clippers, Minnesota, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Toronto, Utah
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Bobcats, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, San Antonio
Teams playing two games: Indiana, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Washington

Guards

Ronald “Flip” Murray (Bobcats)- Murray made his season debut scoring 15 points and pulling down six rebounds last Friday. With the Bobcats struggling on offense Murray should receive consistent playing time and is a good source for threes.

Jose Juan Barea (Mavs)- Barea recorded a season high 12 assists against the Raptors last Saturday. He is averaging nine points in the season and has played in at least 23 minutes in four of the team’s six games.

Will Bynum (Pistons)- Bynum continues his strong play off the bench as he filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and two steals on Sunday. He has played at least 28 minutes over his last four games because of an injury to Richard Hamilton.

Honorable mention: Thabo Sefolosha (Thunder)

Forwards

Josh Boone (Nets)- Boone started his first game of the  season last Saturday and played well with 8 points and 12 rebounds. He will continue to receive minutes in the rotation with Yi sidelined due to knee injury.

Louis Amundson (Suns)- If you are looking for some cheap rebounds and blocks then put this big on the watch list. Before yesterday’s game he was averaging 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in just 18 minutes per game. So far this season he has two games of at least 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

Chase Budinger (Rockets)- The rookie is averaging 10.6 points in five games and has made eight three-pointers. He has played at least 21 minutes over  his past two games and is shooting 52% from the field in the season.

Honorable mention: Taj Gibson (Bulls)

Centers

Marcin Gortat (Magic)- Whenever the Magic blow someone out then expect Gortat to see at least 20 minutes of action. He has at least five rebounds in four games and is averaging near a block per game.

Ben Wallace (Pistons)- Wallace is playing like his old self with at least 9 rebounds in six games to start the season. He pulled down a season high 16 yesterday vs. the 76ers. He also provides steals and blocks but the ft% does not help.

DJ Mbenga (Lakers)-Mbenga has been a serviceable starter with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum out. Over his past two games he is averaging 12.5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in 29 minutes per game.

Honorable mention: Zaza Pachulia (Hawks)

1. Joakim Noah and Roy Hibbert are fantasy forces: Noah is seventh in the league in rebounding with 11 per game. He is also sixth in blocks with 2.3 per game and is shooting 60% from the field. He is coming off a season high 21 points and enjoying a breakout season in his third year.

Hibbert is also averaging a double-double with 11 points and 10.4 rebounds. He is blocking 2.8 shots (second in the league) per game and is shooting 52% from the field.

Also Brendan Haywood: 11.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

2. Tim Duncan is what we expected: Duncan has scored more than 20 points in just one game so far. While he has strong rebounding and blocks numbers he has played 30 or fewer minutes in three games. He is shooting 56% from the line and is not living up to his second round selection.

3. Chris Kaman is excelling: Kaman has scored at least 20 points in six straight games and  averaging 23 in the season. To go along with his scoring he is averaging 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks 0.9 steals and shooting 58% from the field and 80% from the foul line. More importantly he is playing in a career high 39 minutes per game.

4. Tyreke Evans is the front runner for ROY: With the injury to Kevin Martin this allows Evans to play a bigger role in the offense. He scored a season high 32 points on Friday and 23 points yesterday. So far  he is averaging 16 points and 4 assists.

5. Gerald Wallace is having a strange fantasy season: Wallace leads the NBA in rebounding with 13.8 per game but is shooting 32% from the field. He also has just three assists in five games and has scored under 12 points in four games.

Other headlines: Rajon Rondo leading the NBA with over 3 steals per game Josh Smith leading the league in blocks, Marc Gasol second in rebounding, Suns 6-1, Heat 5-1, Nets 0-7

Here are five things worth noting in week one

1) Carmelo Anthony is playing like the MVP: Melo leads the NBA in scoring with 37.7 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in two straight games. He also has attempted 41 free throws and averaging 7 rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 3-0 including wins over Utah and Portland. If he continues this all season he moves into the first round next season.

2) Gilbert Arenas is back: Arenas had a season high 31 points vs. the Nets on Halloween. He also shot 69% from the field and attempted 12 free throws. In three games this season he is averaging 28 points, 6.7 threes, 2.3 threes and 1 steal per game. He was drafted in the late second-early third in most drafts which looks like a steal now.

3) Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks are fantasy gold: Ariza scored a season high 33 points last Saturday and has made 11 three-pointers in three games. He is averaging 23.3 points, 1.7 steals in 38 minutes per game. Brooks is averaging 21.7 points, 8.3 assists, 2.3 threes and 1.3 steals per game over 39 minutes. Both these players should see big minutes all season which will only help there stats. More importantly both players are shooting well from the field so far.

4) Brandon Jennings is already becoming an elite fantasy PG: Based on his first two games it’s seem hard to believe the Knicks drafted Jordan Hill over him. Jennings first game almost resulted in a triple double with 19 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. He followed that game with 24 points, 3 three-pointers and 3 steals.

5) Chris Paul is making the case again why he goes before Lebron James: James is having a strong start to the season but Paul has stepped up his game. Cp3 is averaging 26 points and 1.7 threes per game which would be career highs. His assists and steals are down but he is shooting 65% from the field.

Other stories: Devin Harris already out at least a week, Pau Gasol has missed three games already, Chris Bosh is second in scoring and rebounding, Steve Nash is leading the NBA with 14 assists per game, Channing Frye is averaging 19.7 points per game, Greg Oden leads the league with 2.75 blocks per game, Boston and Miami a combined 7-0, Nets, Clippers, Clippers and Kings all did not have a win.

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Utah, Washington
Teams playing three games: Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto
Teams playing two games: San Antonio

Guards

Rafer Alston (Nets): Harris is expected to miss a week with a groin injury. Alston started at point guard and had 20 points, eight assists, three 3 pointers and one steal in 31 minutes on Saturday. Even though he will be a starter temporarily he is a solid short-term point guard to own.

Juan Jose Barea (Mavs): Barera is averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shooting 93% from the foul line in three games. In his last two games he has played at least 23 minutes and will continue to get time with Josh Howard sidelined.

Larry Hughes (Knicks): Hughes did not play in the first two games but received extended minutes in the home opener with an injury to Nate Robinson. Robinson could miss up to two weeks with an ankle injury which bodes well for Hughes who provided a solid stat line of 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in 39 minutes. The numbers are a bit inflated because the game went into double OT but any player in the Knicks rotation holds value.

Honorable mention: Delonte West (Cavs)

Fowards

Matt Barnes (Magic): Barnes posted a solid line starting at small forward today with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists.With Vince Carter (ankley injury), Mickael Pietrus (flu) and Rashard Lewis (supsension)  all missing time, Barnes should receive extended minutes.

Rasual Butler (Clippers): Butler has played at least 26 minutes in three of his four games so far this season. Last Friday he scored a season high 19 points in 32 minutes.

Udonis Haslem (Heat): Haslem has at least 10 rebounds in two of his three games. While he does not block that many shots he posts solid %’s in about 30 minutes per game.

Honorable mention: Yi Jianlian (Nets)

Centers

Solomon Jones (Pacers)-  Jones is averaging 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and shooting 55% from the field in two games. He is a good source for blocks and will play solid minutes whenever starting center Roy Hibbert gets in foul trouble.

David Anderson (Rockets): The 7-footer had his best game of the season yesterday with 11 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. He also hit his first three-pointer of his career and the rookie should be worked more in the rotation with more game experience.

Channing Frye (Suns): A popular sleeper going into the season because of his strong preseason did not disappoint in his first game. He scored 22 points knocking down six three-pointers and pulling down 8 rebounds with three steals. Frye  scored a season high 25 points (six three-pointers) and pulled down five rebounds today.

Honorable mention: Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzles)

Week 1 (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)

Teams playing four games: Boston, Cleveland, L.A. Clippers, Portland
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington
Teams playing two games: Golden State, Indiana, Milwaukee, Utah

Guards

Chris Douglas-Roberts (Nets- owned 3% in ESPN leagues): CDR had a big preseason averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 steals in 34 minutes over seven games. With the Nets trading G Vince Carter away in the off-season Roberts should play a big role on the offense.

Brandon Rush (Pacers-0wned 9.2%): Rush is entering the season as the Pacers starting shooting guard. He averaged 12.4 points, 1.3 blocks and 1 steal over seven preseason games. However, his value is his range as he knocked down 14 three pointers.

Anthony Morrow (Warriors-owned 11.7%): Morrow finished second in the preseason with 22 points per game. He also shot an excellent 52% from three and attempted 6.5 per game. If he starts the season at shooting guard he posts solid %’s and can light it up.

Honorable mention: Brandon Jennings (Bucks)

Forwards

DeJuan Blair (Spurs-owned 5.9%): Blair averaged 7.9 rebounds in just 17.7 minutes per game during the preseason. If injuries occur in the front court the rookie is worth picking up because of his double-double potential.

Andray Blatche (Wizards-owned 3.9%)-: Blatche started 36 games last season averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. F Antawn Jamison is expected to miss the next three to five weeks with a right shoulder injury.

Ryan Anderson (Magic-owned 2.2%): Anderson is expected to start at power forward for the Magic on opening night. It is unclear how he will split time with F Brandon Bass but he could have some short term fantasy value with F Rashard Lewis out. In his final three preseason games Anderson knocked down nine three-pointers.

Honorable mention: Corey Brewer (Timberwolves)

Centers

Joel Przybilla (Trailblazers-owned 2.4%)-: Even though C Greg Oden was named the starter Przybilla still has value. Oden has been injury prone in his young NBA career and also will battle early foul trouble. “Przy” is a good source for field goal %, blocks and rebounds.

Carl Landry (Rockets-owned 7.6%)-: Landry is expected to start at center for the Rockets. Last season he averaged 9.3 rebounds, 5 rebounds, and shot 57% from the field in 21 minutes per game. With more minutes this season his points, rebounds and blocks should all increase.

DeAndre Jordan (Clippers-owned 0.4%)-:F Blake Griffin is expected to miss the next six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. This injury could impact other players minutes but with the injury risks to C Marcus Camby and C Chris Kaman makes Jordan an intriguing player. We saw his potential last year as he started 13 games averaging 7.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and shot 67% from the field.

Honorable Mention: Darko Milicic (Knicks)