LeBron James and Kevin Durant are both in fantasy's top tier, although there are some striking differences between the two.

• LeBron James' numbers during the Cavs' current 12-game winning streak include the following: 30.8 points on 50-percent shooting, 2.3 threes, 6.5 boards, 9.8 assists, 3.9 turnovers, 1.8 steals, and 1 block. The one downer: while averaging 12.1 free throws per game, his conversion rate is slightly down (to 76 percent) over that stretch.

• Kevin Durant is just a shade behind James and Chris Paul in terms of per-game impact since the first of the year (and the trio is comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack). Over his past 19 games, Durant has averaged 31.9 points on 50-percent shooting, 1.7 threes, 91-percent foul shooting (11.2 FTA), 8.2 boards, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He'd have the top tier all to himself if he could improve on that assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6:3.9).

• Nicolas Batum got the start for the Blazers because of his defensive prowess, but it was offense that doomed Portland in their 89-77 loss to the Thunder. Martell Webster, Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, and Jerryd Bayless combined for 8 points on 3-of-22 shooting in 79 minutes. Batum himself turned in a useful fantasy line (36 minutes, 12 points, 1 three, 4 boards, 1 steal, 1 block) and should be on a few more fantasy radars in the event that Nate McMillan sticks with him as the starter after Brandon Roy returns.

• Jarvis Hayes had another reasonable game for the Nets (41 minutes, 19 points, 3 treys, 1 steal) and should get a look from deep-leaguers. Over the past six games, he's averaged 13 points on 53-percent shooting, 2 threes, 4.3 boards, and 1 steal in 32 minutes. Chris Douglas-Roberts has fallen far enough in the rotation that he was a DNP-CD Tuesday.

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OK, no, there aren't actually going to be pony rides. That was a lie. Apologies. (Pretty sure CBS offers 'em, if this no-pony situation is a dealbreaker for you). Let's talk about a few of the free perks we do offer when you register for Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball 2010:  

• Live scoring. Yup, that's right: It's free. $0. Live stats will appear at no cost. For whatever reason, users seem to prefer this pricing strategy over the $9.99 model. 

• Acquisition budgets. Gamers now have the option to replace the traditional waiver process with FAAB-style blind bidding, which is arguably a fairer way to distribute un-owned talent. Managing FAAB dollars is an art. You're encouraged to try it.   

• iPhone application. Honestly, this one has very little direct impact on me, since I prefer to use a man's phone. But it's nice to know that various leaguemates will have easy access to trade offers at all times, and thus no excuse for sitting on deals. 

And now for the most exciting enhancement:

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Nothing warms the heart of a fantasy player quite like the promise of a young pitching ace, and with that in mind we're here to discuss a couple of Cy Youngs in Waiting, Tommy Hanson and Yovani Gallardo. When it's time to add a Young Gun to your make-believe staff, which way are you gonna go? Brandon Funston and Scott Pianowski are here to sort through it, using around 250 words each (we had Jim Leyland do the counting).

BeFun Opens: Tommy Hanson is just 23, but don't get too comfortable using the inexperience card against him: Yovani Gallardo is the same age, and Hanson showed little of the typical concerns you'd have with a rookie. His first-pitch strike percentage, according to FanGraphs.com, ranked 10th among all starters (120 IP min.). And he clocked in at a solid 36th among starters in K/BB ratio (2.52), 14 spots ahead of Gallardo (50th).

It's Hanson's ability to locate his pitches that makes his slider and curveball so special. And they were special. Both pitches ranked among the top 22 most valuable among starters (again, we're talking about a rookie), and both were more valuable than any pitch-type offering from Gallardo last season. And while not as impactful as his breaking stuff, Hanson's fastball, at an average of 92.3 mph (same as Gallardo), is far from chump change. 

Special talent can accelerate the learning curve – Tim Lincecum and Justin Verlander are good recent examples. Hanson looks exceptional in every way. He's delivered a 3.03 ERA or less and more than a K per IP at each professional stop. He's also got the ideal physique (6-foot-6, 220) and repertoire of an ace.

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Sophomore slumps, like unicorns, El Chupacabra and PED-free late-90s sluggers, are mythical. At least, that's what fantasy MDs Brad Evans and Andy Behrens think. Evidently, neither hoarded overproduced Upper Deck rookie cards of Bob Hamelin. Separated by a mere six positions in average drafts, second-year stars Gordon Beckham and Andrew McCutchen are valued similarly by mixed leaguers. But our experts vehemently disagree.

Evans shouts: Whenever the name Gordon Beckham is muttered on Chicago's South Side, Sox fans immediately drop to their knees. Though he's only logged 378 big league at-bats, the 23-year-old is already considered baseball royalty.

Owners who acquire the youngster's services in the middle rounds will also worship him.

Despite a horrifically slow start last year, the former Georgia Bulldog commanded the fantasy masses' attention almost immediately. After the break he batted .269 with 11 homers, 43 RBIs, 41 runs and five steals – a line which ranked one spot behind Pablo Sandoval among third basemen. Extrapolate his full '09 contribution over 550 at-bats and his numbers were comparable to Ben Zobrist, Lance Berkman and Torii Hunter.

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To date, I have not managed to own Jose Reyes in any season in which he was helpful. When I acquire him, his hamstrings explode. When I bypass him in favor of more reliable alternatives, he scores 120 runs, steals 60 bases, hits .290, and is generally a paragon of good health and vitality. He has thus far been of no use to me; I have thus far been a plague to him.

Despite this multi-year failure to properly assess Reyes' fantasy value, I'm duty-bound to report the following: He's feeling great. Never better. According to the trainer who's directing Reyes' offseason rehab, "He's 100 percent."

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The Bracket Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the field of 65 (31 automatic and 34 at-large bids). Essentially, the Bracket Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for amateur bracketologists if they were filling out a Tourney Pick ‘Em '10 entry today. The Bracket Big Board is updated every Monday until the dance card is officially unveiled March 14.

At the beginning of the season, Wisconsin was viewed by most pundits and publications as a potential, but nowhere near a slam dunk, tournament team. Barely receiving votes in preseason polls, the Badgers, which lost several instrumental pieces - namely Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry - from last year's 20-win team were destined to burrow themselves in the Big Ten's middle ground.

However, as they do almost every season, the well-coached Cheeseheads have once again greatly exceeded expectation - a true testament to Bo Ryan's brilliance.

Although a rodent in candy-stripe doesn't necessarily conjure frightful thoughts, future tourney opponents should fear Bucky.

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Setting the stage for Week 16 of the fantasy basketball season.

Schedule Breakdown

Three-game teams: ORL

Two-game teams: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NJN, NOR, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, UTH

One-game teams: BOS, HOU, IND, MEM, NYK, OKC, PHO, TOR, WAS

Also see: Basketball Monster's ease rankings | Rotowire's value meter

Pickups/Plug-ins – Players owned in fewer than 40% of Yahoo! leagues

• George Hill – Tony Parker's return from a sprained ankle pushed Hill back to shooting guard, and he averaged 19 points on 61-percent shooting and 2.5 threes over the past two games. In his 14 starts on the season, he's averaged 16.9 points on 49-percent shooting, 1.2 threes, 3.1 assists, 1.4 turnovers, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 34 minutes. Hill is locked in the starting five and technically has upside, with Parker still dealing with plantar fasciitis and could necessitate more downtime moving forward. Week 16: @LAL, @DEN

• Ryan Gomes – Gomes has been up and down this season, but he's back in the starting five and has helped spur the T-Wolves to their current four-game winning streak. He scored 26 points and hit five threes on Saturday, and over the past six games has averaged 14.2 points on 54-percent shooting, 2.5 threes, 4 boards, 2.2 assists, 0.3 turnovers, and 1 steal in 29 minutes per game. Week 16: @PHI, CHA

• Andray Blatche/JaVale McGee – Blatche and McGee are two players to really consider rostering in advance of the NBA trade deadline, with the Wizards in tear-down mode and both Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison rumored to be on the block. Blatche's career averages as a starter (68 G) include 10.8 points, 6.7 boards, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks, while McGee's career per-26 minute averages include 10.8 points, 6.4 boards, 0.8 steals, and 2 blocks. Week 16: @CHA

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News of the day and a look at some of the most popular of the current NBA trade rumors.

• Joakim Noah has been shut down "at least" through the All-Star break in the hope that he can turn the tide in what has become a losing battle with plantar fasciitis. It's a big loss for the Bulls and fantasy owners, but he clearly was starting to feel the affects. While it's wise to take advantage of the schedule and get Noah some extended rest, having the next 11 days off provides no guarantees. Here's a quote from Vinny Del Negro:

"If you shut him down for two or three weeks, that doesn't guarantee it's going to go away. That's not how it works. It takes a while to get rid of. You just have to battle through it, get your therapy, wear your orthotics and let the trainers do their work."

Brad Miller will get the starts for the next four games, and what makes him particularly interesting these days is that he's suddenly shooting more threes. Over the past six games, he's made eight of 19 attempts from long range (42%) and averaged 12.3 points, 1.3 threes, 4 boards, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 26 minutes. Another reason to consider Miller as a roster add - the Bulls' first three games after the break involve a back-to-back with New York and a visit to Minnesota [ease rankings].

Tyrus Thomas should also see more opportunities in the games to come - in 20 games since returning from injury, he's averaged 8.8 points on 46-percent shooting, 6.6 boards, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 24 minutes per game. You'd hope for more offense at this point, but those defensive numbers are big-time, and he'll either be playing for a bigger rotation spot moving forward or auditioning for another team. Taj Gibson (16 minutes, 0 points Wednesday) is also dealing with plantar fasciitis, but he's not (yet) at a point where they've discussed shutting him down.

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Nate Robinson appears to have come full circle for Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks, and fantasy owners. 

• What a difference a month can make. Nate Robinson was a DNP-CD for all but one of the Knicks' games in December, and now he's been named the team's starting point guard. Robinson played the entire second half at point for the Knicks Wednesday, finishing with 23 points, eight assists, and two steals in 35 minutes, and the Knicks outscored the Wizards 66-40 after halftime. Chris Duhon was just 1-of-6 on the night and has averaged 3.8 points on 23-percent shooting over his past 13 games. Mike D'Antoni said he likes the energy that Robinson can bring to the starting five, and added that he'll be okay with Robinson making mistakes "as long as he is aggressive." After having totaled 15 minutes of playing time in January, Larry Hughes has also been added back into the rotation (18 minutes, 11 points Wednesday), so Duhon could now be the one who is saddled with numerous DNP-CDs. How long this arrangement lasts remains to be seen, but Robinson absolutely deserves universal ownership consideration as a starter in New York. 

• His grand total of one assist aside, Randy Foye was okay against the Knicks (31 minutes, 15 points, 1 three, 2 steals) in the follow-up to his stinker against the Celtics (18 minutes, 2 points). He was pulled against Boston because, according to Flip Saunders, he was struggling to defend Rajon Rondo, but it remains in the Wizards' best interests to continue to give Foye the lion's share of the run at point guard, and it's highly unlikely that the trade deadline does anything but provide him with more usage opportunities ... Caron Butler sat out Wednesday with a left knee injury, but it's not considered serious and he's expected to at least attempt to play on Firday.  

• A question for you, the commenter: who has been the more disappointing Hawk this season, Mike Bibby or Marvin Williams? Bibby was serviceable at the start of the season but has lost minutes and usage to Jamal Crawford, and his current season averages include 8.9 points on 41-percent shooting, 1.5 threes, 4.3 assists, 1.1 turnovers, and 0.9 steals in 27 minutes. The 23-year-old Williams has largely been a non-factor for the Hawks, and has regressed overall and on a per-minute basis. His season averages include 10.2 points on 44-percent shooting, 0.7 threes, 5.1 boards, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 30 minutes. Bibby was drafted earlier (ADPs of 69.4 and 101.1), but Williams was thought to be an eighth-round bargain because of his "upside", and that certainly hasn't turned out to be the case.

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Riviera Country Club is a gem of a course and I'll always make time for the PGA Tour stop in Los Angeles. I know it's Super Bowl week and all that, but let's not forget our Fantasy Golf interests as the Northern Trust Open settles in for the next four days.

Everyone can figure out the favorites; my job is to get some sleepers on your plate. Last week we got Michael Sim out to the masses (T2), and the prior week Bill Haas was one of our selections (winner). We also suggested Ben Crane in the middle of January, a prediction that was just a little ahead of its time. Enough of the scoreboard watching, we've got picks to make.

Fred Couples: I don't care how old he is, I don't care how infrequently he plays on the PGA Tour these days, when you see Riviera on the menu, you get Couples onto your roster, somehow, someway. He's made 25-of-27 cuts here, including two wins and three seconds, and there's been plenty of success in recent years as well (third last season, fourth in 2007). It's a track that suits Fred's eye and his game, and I fully expect the likable vet to stick around for another strong check this week.

Aaron Baddeley: He's got a solid if unspectacular record at Riviera, with seven straight cuts made including a T7 check back in 2005. He's got that angelic putting stroke which sings like a siren, makes you think "this is the week, this is the week." I don't know why Baddeley continues to be one of the worst returns in Fantasy Golf, but he'll make the cut this week and if he can get a little momentum going early, maybe a Top 20 check will result.

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