Photo Credit: Chris Carlson / Associated Press

The final fantasy piece for the year of 2012 and have we had one hell of an NBA year. You could write an entire article by itself on looking back at the moments that made 2012. So I’ll leave it at that. However you are here for the fantasy news and views, so let’s put my expertise back on the table to help you guys excel in your fantasy leagues!

As per usual, below will be the happenings from the USSDU’s Beginners League which includes my personal add/drops so you can see what I’ve done knowing that I’ve done the research to pick up a smart player. Trade proposals that took place so you know whether or not you can replicate the trade or have minor adjustments, and finally we’ll give you the Studs and Duds for the week and who you should be picking up from the waiver wire. Let’s get to it:

My Add/Drops

Add: Jason Thompson

Drop: Glen Davis

With Big Baby going down with injury, this wasn’t a hard decision to let him go for a while. Jason Thompson was the best option in a straight swap decision as Thompson could dominate the boards the same way Davis could. The only difference was that Davis scored the ball a little more, but I guess you have to lose something when you get an injury.

Add: Matt Barnes

Drop: Jason Thompson

So after one game, I gave Thompson back up to the waivers because I found a scorer plus a minor rebounder in Matt Barnes. Barnes was on fire this week picking up three great games. I took one of them and was thankful.

Add: Robin Lopez

Drop: Matt Barnes

Ok, so now you’re thinking that I can’t make up my mind as to who I want to keep in my team to replace Glen Davis. Well I took a great game from Barnes, and then thought well he’s played three good games now and I see Barnes as a streaky player, which means surely he’ll slow down soon. This meant I picked up Robin Lopez for another couple of games. Giving me back my rebounding presence plus a shot blocker.

Trades Proposed To Me

Give: Jose Calderon

Receive: Brandon Knight

No thanks, I love Calderon’s game right now and I gave up a lot to get him. I’m not going to throw him away for just one player in a straight swap PG for PG. Heard Brandon Knight’s name much in fantasy news this season? Precisely.

Trades I Proposed

Only one trade I proposed this week, which I guess you could say is pretty average for me, because I usually offer in bunches or I offer nothing at all.

Send: Jameer Nelson

Receive: Nene

This was after Jameer’s big game against the Wiz and so his trade value just increased. Nene had been struggling as of late so I thought his value had decreased. I look for these type of trades (i.e. The J.R. Smith for Joe Johnson kind of trade earlier this year) so I can slowly increase my team.

This was declined however as my opponent was not interested.

Studs (Stats are Last 7 Days)

Kyrie Irving: 22.3ppg, 6.7apg, 5.3rpg, 2.7 3’s.

Greivis Vasquez: 21ppg, 10apg, 6.3rpg, 1.7spg.

Matt Barnes: 15.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.3 3’s.

Anthony Davis: 15ppg, 10rpg, 2.7bpg.

Dwight Howard: 15.7ppg, 11rpg, 2bpg, 55%FG.

Duds (Stats are Last 7 Days)

Ben Gordon: 12ppg, 0.5rpg, 2apg, 39%FG.

Brad Beal: 9ppg, 3.7apg, 2.7rpg, 28%FG.

Dion Waiters: 10.7ppg, 3apg, 2.7rpg, 30%FG, lost minutes due to C.J. Miles.

Goran Dragic: 9ppg, 5.3apg, 2.3rpg, 33%FG.

Ray Allen: 6ppg, 4.7rpg, 20.8%FG.

Pick Me Ups:

Jared Dudley: Dudley shot 11-of-17FG in which he went off for a career-high 36 points to go with 5 boards, 3 dimes, one steal and five 3-pointers in 42 minutes against the Knicks on Thursday. He cooled off after that in which he failed to knock down any 3-pointers in his next two games, but had made a combined 10 triples in his three games prior to that. He has played a whopping 38.5 minutes per game over his last eight contests and should be owned (and started) in all leagues until further notice.

Hedo Turkoglu: Turkoglu returned from his hand injury on yesterday and had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in his 23 minutes of play. Turk broke his hand in the season opener and getting 23 minutes is a good start in his first game back. The Magic rank 27th in points per game this season, so they could use some extra offense out of Hedo. A solid pick up in deeper leagues.

Matt Barnes: As I said earlier, I believe Barnes is a streaky player, however I still believe that he should be included in this section just by the way he’s been playing as of late. He credits the way he’s being coached this year (by Del Negro) which is a good sign for him to continue playing at this standard. Another great pick up if he’s free.

Amir Johnson: Johnson scored 12 points off the bench on Saturday in which he hit 6-of-9FG to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, and 3 blocks in a lovely 38 minutes. Johnson has been a sneaky pick up lately and can produce numbers while Bargnani is out/on the way out.

Andre Drummond: Drummond notched a very serviceable double-doubled in 23 minutes on Saturday scoring 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting with 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Andre is a very good player who is currently just waiting to get his big minutes and produce a huge game. This won’t take long as he’s improving every game with the Pistons and will come out and go nuts. A solid fantasy pick up right now.

Tristan Thompson: Thompson is going to be a great fantasy pick as long as Anderson Varejao is still sidelined. Thompson scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a loss to Brooklyn yesterday. He has five double-doubles in the past seven games which is really encouraging signs. If he’s still available in your league you really should be considering picking him up right now. While TT has been grabbing boards, he has also been blocking shots (seven straight games with at least one block).

That’s it for another week, I hope you guys have a great New Year and obviously one of the main goals for 2013 is to win your NBA Fantasy League! Thanks for a great year, and thanks for reading once again! If you feel like you have another Stud for the week (or a dud) or another player you see who should be considered for a Pick Me Up, feel free to leave a comment below.