Week ahead: Arenas' All-Star run

Sunday's All-Star exhibition will kick-start the second half of the NBA season in entertaining fashion. With eight-plus periods remaining, we have officially entered the stretch run of our fantasy campaigns. Week 17 is highlighted with a rematch of the Melee in Motown, an A.I./LeBron faceoff and the returns of Stephon Marbury, Gerald Wallace and Mo Williams. In this edition of The Week Ahead, we'll put each team, the schedule and the injury list under the magnifying glass to help you set your best possible lineup.

Game Totals in Week 17

Four games: ATL, BOS, CLE, DET, IND, LAL, MEM, MIL, NJ, NO, ORL, POR, SA, SEA
Three games: CHA, CHI, DAL, GS, HOU, LAC, MIN, NY, PHI, WAS
Two games: DEN, MIA, PHO, SAC, TOR, UTA

Significant Matchups:

King James averaged over 40 points a game last week and has some sexy matchups post All-Star break as well. (Joe Murphy / Getty Images)

Wednesday, Cleveland @ Philadelphia - LeBron vs. A.I. – These two will be teammates on Sunday in the All-Star Game and will then face off on Wednesday. They represent the No. 2 and No. 3 scoring leaders in the game. At the break, Iverson is getting 33.5 PPG and 7.4 APG, while James is averaging 31.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 6.6 APG.

Wednesday & Friday, Utah vs. New Orleans - After being teammates in Friday's Rookies/Sophomores contest, the No. 3 and No. 4 selections of this past year's draft will go head-to-head for the first time in their pro careers. Utah has to kicking themselves now for passing on Chris Paul in the draft as Deron Williams has slowly fallen out of coach Jerry Sloan's rotation recently. On December 1, 2004, the two faced off in college. Williams' Fighting Illini won the game 91-73. He finished with eight points, 11 assists and five boards, while Paul went for 10 points, five rebounds and six dimes.

Thursday, Indiana @ Detroit - The re-match of the Melee in Motown will be held in primetime on TNT this Thursday. We all remember what transpired last November when these teams matched up together. Well, Ron Artest is no longer with the Pacers – he will be playing against the Lakers later this night – but these teams could be on a collision course for the postseason. Detroit is the No. 1 seed in the East, while Indy is fifth.

Sunday, Houston @ Orlando - These two teams have a long history together. Steve Francis, who might not even be in Orlando by the time this game is played, was traded from Houston in a deal that sent Tracy McGrady and Juwan Howard to the Rockets. They'll face off in Orlando next Sunday. Newly acquired Keith Bogans was also formerly with the Magic.

Sunday, Cleveland @ Detroit - On Sunday at noon Eastern, LeBron James and the Cavs will take on the Eastern Conference champion Pistons on national television. The two teams represent two of the top three teams in the East and five of the 13 players selected on the Conference's All-Star squad. Michael Jordan had to take his game to the next level to take out Detroit, and the Pistons appear to be King James' major roadblock in his quest for ring as well.

Atlanta Hawks

Games - @det, SEA, @ind, MIL
Tyronn Lue (knee) – back in late March

With Lue sidelined, Joe Johnson has taken over primary point guard duties and is getting a respectable 18.0 points and 8.7 assists in the month of February. He's the best fantasy play on the squad, while Al Harrington is a little risky because of the possibility he could be traded. He'll be a free agent next year, and with Marvin Williams, Josh Childress and Josh Smith on the roster, Harrington is expendable. Smith is coming of a career-high 21-point, 15-rebound game and is a decent option. He caught fire after the break last season, and will be defending his Slam Dunk title on Saturday. Zaza Pachulia, who is getting 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 53 percent this month, is also a decent center option.

Boston Celtics

Games - @uta, @pho, @por, @lal
Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) – Return after All-Star break
Al Jefferson (ankle) – Return after All-Star break

The two big fellas are expected to return sometime during the Celtics upcoming road trip. They are each risky fantasy plays, though, because of their uncertainty. Raef LaFrentz and Ryan Gomes have been starting in their place. Paul Pierce - fresh of a 50-point game – and Delonte West are great options. Wally Szczerbiak is dealing with a swollen left knee, but should benefit from the rest he'll get during the All-Star break. With four games, he'll make a quality No. 2 guard.

Charlotte Bobcats

Games - @den, @por, @pho
Gerald Wallace (knee) – Return after All-Star break
Emeka Okafor (ankle) – Return in March
Primoz Brezec (Achilles') – day-to-day
Sean May (knee surgery) – Out indefinitely

Wallace and Brezec have each vowed to return in Charlotte's next game on Tuesday against Denver. Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight will use the next week to heal their ailing wounds, but are still both decent plays. Felton is getting 16.1 points, 6.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds this month and has emerged into one of the top rookies in the league. With three games, Jumaine Jones, Melvin Ely, Wallace and Brezec all have value in larger leagues.

Chicago Bulls

Games - MIL, DET, @phi

The Bulls have three games this week, so roll the dice on Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Tyson Chandler, while Darius Songaila and Luol Deng have value in larger leagues. Chandler has 11 straight double-digit rebounding performances, while Gordon is averaging 23.3 points this month.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Games - ORL, @phi, WAS, @det
Ira Newble (face) – day-to-day
Larry Hughes (finger) – Out for regular season

LeBron James is scoring 43.5 PPG his past two contests, including a triple-double. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is also a must-start, while Drew Gooden is a fine play as well. Sasha Pavlovic is getting 9.2 PPG while starting with Hughes out.

Dallas Mavericks

Games - LAC, MEM, TOR

Dirk Nowitzki, who will be playing in his fifth straight All-Star Game this weekend, is an obvious must-play, while Josh Howard and Jason Terry are also strong plays. Keep an eye on Marquis Daniels, though, who's finally starting to get back into game shape after dealing with a neck injury for a while.

Denver Nuggets

Games - CHA, @min
Eduardo Najera (knee) – Out until late February

Only two games for Denver this upcoming week, but Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Andre Miller are still worth using in deeper leagues. Melo is getting 30.7 PPG over the past six games since his All-Star snub. You might want to avoid Kenyon Martin this week. He left Wednesday's game because his lingering knee injury was causing him constant pain.

Detroit Pistons

Games - ATL, IND, @chi, CLE

The major reason behind the Darko Milicic deal was to free up cap space to keep Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace in town next season. Both players become free agents, but definitely plan on staying in Detroit's dynasty if the Pistons can show them the money. As always, all five of the Pistons starters are decent fantasy options with a four-game slate.

Golden St. Warriors

Games - @sac, @hou, @sa
Baron Davis (ankle) - Return after All-Star break
Troy Murphy (ankle) – Return after All-Star break

Davis and Murphy are expected to rejoin the Warriors lineup immediately following the All-Star break. Monitor their status before your lineup deadline, but both players should be good plays. Derek Fisher filled in admirably for Davis, getting 21 points and nine assists in each of the past two games. He'll likely join Mike Dunleavy on the bench again. Jason Richardson is the best option for Golden State, but all five of these guys do have some value.

Houston Rockets

Games - LAC, GS, @orl

With three and four-game weeks the rest of the way, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming shouldn't leave your starting lineups – barring injury of course. Rafer Alston has picked up his game up lately, getting 15.0 PPG, 9.9 APG and 2.4 SPG while shooting 15-for-27 from 3-point range in his past five games. With those kinds of numbers, he's a great play in Houston's upcoming period.

Indiana Pacers

Games - NO, @det, ATL, @nj
Austin Croshere (concussion) - Return after All-Star break
Jamaal Tinsley (elbow) – Out until late February
Jermaine O'Neal (groin) – Out until mid-March
Stephen Jackson (eye) – day-to-day

Jackson had a night to forgot Thursday against Milwaukee. He briefly left the contest after getting poked in the eye, but was able to return later. However, he finished with his worst stat line of the season, registering just three points on 1-for-6 shooting with five turnovers and four fouls. The week off should allow him to regain his full vision, so feel free to roll the dice on him. Peja Stojakovic is a must-start, while Anthony Johnson and Jeff Foster have value in larger leagues. Foster, who had 18 boards in his last game, is averaging 10.8 RPG in February.