Before we get back to the waiver wire, I just want to alert you to the return of Rick’s Rant on NBA.com. I’m back with a vengeance, as I rant about the Timberwolves’ decision to extend Kevin Love for four years when he wanted five.

Rodrigue Beaubois

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen. Here’s the Roddy Buckets we’ve been waiting to see ever since he piqued our interest with that playoff performance against the Spurs. Finally healthy, Beaubois is showing us that he’s ready for prime time—and a major role with the Mavericks going forward.

Over the past two games, Roddy averaged 18 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3.5 blocks, and 1.5 threes in 36 minutes per game. His spike in minutes has been necessary due to the injuries plaguing Jason Kidd, Delonte West, and Vince Carter, and with Kidd possibly missing a chunk of games with that pesky calf injury, the minutes should be there for at least another week or two.

And as Dennis Scott and I discussed on this week’s Fantasy Insider, we expect Beaubois to remain in Rick Carlisle’s rotation for the rest of the season.

Jerryd Bayless

Coming into the season it looked like a time share between Jose Calderon and Bayless at the one in Toronto, and I considered it a position to avoid in fantasy basketball. Bayless missed the first month of the season with a nasty ankle injury, allowing Calderon to rank among the league leaders in assists. Then Bayless got healthy and I feared the dreaded time share, but Dwane Casey made the decision to start Calderon AND Bayless, and the Raptors demolished the Nets on Sunday.

One of the major trends in the NBA these days is a double-point-guard look, and it seems the Raptors may be onto something with both PGs getting their numbers in Sunday’s win: Calderon (10-5-9), Bayless (17-6-3).

I have two more reasons to be excited about Bayless. One, we all hate that Andrea Bargnani is on the shelf with that re-injured calf, but with Toronto’s leading scorer out of the lineup, others—like Bayless—have to pick up the scoring slack. Two, in 14 starts last season, Bayless averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists in 35.5 minutes, while shooting 47-33-81 from the field, three, and line, respectively.

Jared Dudley

Dudley is back in the starting lineup and back in the good graces of the fantasy world. In Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies (one of the—if not THE—biggest win of the year for the Suns),Dudley had 20-6-4 with three steals and 2 threes in 42 minutes.

In 15 starts last season, Dudley averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.7 threes in 34.1 minutes. That’s some serious fantasy gold, so run…don’t walk to your favorite gadget to pick him up.

Ronnie Brewer

With Luol Deng out of the lineup thanks to a left wrist injury and Rip Hamilton in and out of the lineup with a groin pull, Brewer is getting all the minutes he can handle at the 2 and 3 positions in Chicago.

Over the past three games, Brewer is averaging 13-7-4 with two steals because he’s played at least 42 minutes in each. As long as Deng is out, Brewer is a startable fantasy player in a four-game week.

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