Day 49: Joe Johnson hates you and everything you stand for

(Illustration courtesy of Terry Fan)

Ah, December. A month of... stuff. Man, my intros have been really awful lately. Eh, whatever.

Before I get to the blurbs, I just want to remind any lurkers who may have stumbled onto the site -- perhaps by accident -- that you are welcome to ask me any of your fantasy-related questions in the comments section. I'm also on Twitter, but I'd rather you not ask me stuff there -- just because I don't actually get anything from extra eyeballs being pointed there, whereas on here, it increases traffic and stuff. Also, I kind of hate Twitter. By the way, did I mention I'm on Twitter? Oh, right, I just did. Well, whatever again! I'm at @brokenleagues (where I post site updates, links) and my personal Twitter account is @reetae_ (please don't send fantasy q's there). So go there, and be generally unimpressed at my inability to post things of redeeming value!

Transition:

• Of course you don't own Joe Johnson. Why would you? Well, the joke was on you if you went up against him yesterday, because holy crap was he amazing: 37 points on 13-20 shooting with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a block, a steal and 10 three's. Johnson has had an up-and-down season, but you can only do good when you're going up against a Sixers team without Michael Carter-Williams. Philadelphia has now allowed an almost inconceivable 269 points in their last two games, and if there's any takeaway from Johnson's line, it's that you'd be an imbecile not to start your players against this mind-blowingly bad Sixers defense.
• Jordan Farmar is apparently way ahead of schedule in his rehab. Farmar has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring tear, but he's said recently that he might actually be able to get in a game as early as Friday. The Lakers have absolutely zero other options at point guard (who are healthy, anyway), which makes Farmar a fantastic stash if you need assists. He's available in 95% of Yahoo! leagues.
• Bradley Beal returned to the court yesterday, scoring 21 points on 3 three's and adding 7 rebounds. Beal was leading the NBA in minutes prior to his injury and is one of the most proficient three-point shooters in the league. Kudos to you if you didn't bail on him.
• As a sort of parting gift to his fantasy owners, Martell Webster scored 30 points and hit 6 three's in 36 minutes off the bench. Webster has been awesome this season, but with Beal and Ariza back and Nene soon to gobble up minutes again, Webster is merely a boom-or-bust bench scrub now. He could still have the occasional good game, but he's by no means a dependable fantasy option at this point. (I know. I'm so negative after he just scored 30 points.)
• Tyson Chandler could return to the Knicks lineup on Wednesday, which may or may not push Andrea Bargnani out of the starting lineup. Yeah, we've probably seen the best of Bargs at this point. But considering how horrible he was coming off the bench at the beginning of the year, I don't think it's inconceivable he'll get to stay in the starting lineup as a power forward -- although Supreme Emperor Carmelo Anthony might not approve of such a move. For now, hold on to Bargs.
• J.R. Smith came back to life on Monday, producing 18 points, 5 three's, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Smith is having a miserable year and is feuding with head coach Mike Woodson, who could be fired as soon as I finish writing this sentence for all I know. Smith is wildly inconsistent, but there's so much to like about him when he's on his game that he's still worth owning.
• With Kirk Hinrich out and Marquis Teague being a lousy player, the Bulls turned to D.J. Augustin yesterday, who scored 14 points and added 8 assists in 37 minutes. Augustin was a reliable fantasy option in Charlotte, but he's bounced around the league the past few years and has struggled to catch on anywhere. He's an excellent shooter and could be a nice low-end rent for anyone needing assists this week, though it's unlikely he'll hold much value when Hinrich returns.
• Alec Burks had a sweet night for the Jazz, posting 31 points, 7 assists and 4 steals in 31 minutes off the bench. Burks wasn't exactly setting the world on fire as a starter, but he's managed to be relatively effective as a sixth man. No, you don't need to run out and get him, nor am I advising you to. However, there are much worse options if you're looking for a point guard/shooting guard hybrid.
• Andris Biedrins played 2 minutes last night for the Jazz, finishing with 0 points and 1 rebound. Biedrins is averaging a less-than-desirable a 0.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. And while that gives him a per-36 minutes average of 13.6 rebounds a night, call me crazy, but I don't think you should own him in fantasy basketball.