BBL Starting Five – Week 5

David Watts (Manchester Giants) – He drained four of his five attempts from downtown on his way to 18 points and pulled down six rebounds. His long strides allow him to get out on the break so quickly that he’s always a threat to throw down a highlight worthy dunk in transition. On nights like this he’s a handful for any defender in the league.

Editor’s fantasy update: What goes up must come down like Mr Watts’ bombs from twenty feet, but there’s no sign of DW’s fantasy value coming down anytime soon. Watts is a top nine player and a top five forward for the competition so far with 79 points. Tin-Tin and his colleagues sit out the week six Championship fixtures, but sit tight as he’s off to Newton Aycliffe in week 7 with every chance to fill his sneakers.

Rob – Cheshire Jets beat writer

Colin O’Reilly (Plymouth Raiders) – A tough choice with Michael Ojo putting in a stellar performance as well, but an all-round performance as shown by the consistent stats on the night from all over the court proves still that the Irishman plays a key role no matter what colours he wears. Has he found his true calling playing in green again? We shall see in the coming months.

Editor’s fantasy update: He can’t, he won’t and he don’t stop! Sure shot Colin has surged his way in to the top three forward rankings in only two appearances, and with Ojo and Bell dishing it out he’s almost a no-brainer. However, the forward will cost you a cool £10 million for the privilege. That said, so will Charles Smith and if you’ve found room to slot him in to your lineup, keep an eye on how O’Reilly matches up game for game. Smith currently leads by 35 points but he has also played two games more than the Plymouth big. There’s no doubting Charles’ quality but I pick O’Reilly to have a better fantasy points per game average when all is said and done. Charles won’t mind though as he’ll probably have at least one big game MVP award and a few more trophies.

Keith – Leicester Riders beat writer

Pavol Losonsky (Leicester Riders) – Losonsky was the player whose star shone the brightest during the 79-61 win over the Worcester Wolves. His 22 points led all scorers in the game and were scored on a variety of moves at the top of the key where he was able to use his quickness against bigger defenders before using his 6’8 frame to muscle his way to the basket.

Editor’s fantasy update: Losonsky’s not on the fantasy radar as far as the top 20 and sits just outside after three qualifying games. With the £6 million price tag there’s a lot better value right now including the aforementioned Watts.

Darrin – Newcastle Eagles beat writer

Orlan Jackman (London Lions) – British wingman Orlan Jackman claimed an impressive 28-13 double double in one of the best performances by a visiting player at Sport Central for some time. The Eagles struggled to cope with Jackman throughout the night and the young guard could count himself unfortunate to end on the losing side.

Editor’s fantasy update: A big performance by Jackman has made him very fantasy relevant. Again in that £6 million forward bracket it’s hard not to have a twitchy finger if you started the campaign with the likes of Cricelli, Ogedengbe or Tuck, all of who are priced higher than the Lions forward. A Tuck for Jackman swap would save you £4 million to strengthen your roster elsewhere.

Dave – Sheffield Sharks beat writer

Micah Williams (Sheffield Sharks) – Again a good night of team ball for the Sharks but a particularly good night for the Manchester, Tennessee born shooting guard. Nine out of sixteen field goals allied with three out of seven maximums and seven boards produced the defensive masterclass demanded of the Sharks of ’12-13 by Coach Lyons as well as the necessary points contributed on offence. The game may have been done and dusted but the half-court interception by wily old fox Andrew Bridge that was slammed home by the ever-involved Williams in the 4th was symptomatic of a side that has a lot more to give for the remainder of this BBL Championship season.

Editor’s fantasy update: Micah is bubbling under nicely with 35 points from two games, but he may be worth keeping an eye at Worcester this weekend as what follows is a bye week and an opportunity to bring him in against Mersey in week 8 if he looks a fit for your lineup.