Things can change quickly in the fantasy world, and even just one week of action can force quite a bit of reshuffling in the top-130 rankings. This is particularly true when we get down to some of the players ranked after the top 100. Players ranked that low are typically inconsistent, streaky or unproven. That is why you'll see a lot of fluctuation from week to week near the bottom of the rankings. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the big movers in this week's rankings update.
The Top 130
Note: Brian McKitish's top 130 players are ranked for their fantasy value from this point forward in the 2012-13 NBA season. Previous rank is indicated in parentheses.
1. Kevin Durant, OKC (1)
2. LeBron James, MIA (2)
3. Kevin Love, MIN (14)
4. Chris Paul, LAC (3)
5. Russell Westbrook, OKC (4)
6. James Harden, HOU (6)
7. Deron Williams, BKN (5)
8. Serge Ibaka, OKC (9)
9. Kobe Bryant, LAL (10)
10. Nicolas Batum, POR (11)
11. Dwyane Wade, MIA (8)
12. Josh Smith, ATL (12)
13. Carmelo Anthony, NY (17)
14. Kyle Lowry, TOR (39)
15. Al Jefferson, UTAH (13)
16. LaMarcus Aldridge, POR (15)
17. Marc Gasol, MEM (16)
18. Jrue Holiday, PHI (18)
19. Rajon Rondo, BOS (21)
20. Damian Lillard, POR (31)
21. Brandon Jennings, MIL (22)
22. Goran Dragic, PHO (23)
23. Dwight Howard, LAL (20)
24. Rudy Gay, MEM (28)
25. Stephen Curry, GS (25)
26. Greg Monroe, DET (30)
27. Ty Lawson, DEN (26)
28. Al Horford, ATL (29)
29. DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (19)
30. Monta Ellis, MIL (32)
31. Zach Randolph, MEM (33)
32. Paul Pierce, BOS (36)
33. Anthony Davis, NO (24)
34. Joakim Noah, CHI (40)
35. Pau Gasol, LAL (27)
36. Mike Conley, MEM (43)
37. Kenneth Faried, DEN (37)
38. Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (38)
39. Brook Lopez, BKN (47)
40. Paul George, IND (42)
41. Kemba Walker, CHA (46)
42. Chris Bosh, MIA (49)
43. Paul Millsap, UTAH (34)
44. Andre Iguodala, DEN (41)
45. Blake Griffin, LAC (44)
46. Steve Nash, LAL (45)
47. David Lee, GS (48)
48. Wesley Matthews, POR (50)
49. Roy Hibbert, IND (51)
50. Ryan Anderson, NO (53)
51. O.J. Mayo, DAL (54)
52. Marcin Gortat, PHO (35)
53. Kyrie Irving, CLE (7)
54. Raymond Felton, NY (61)
55. Joe Johnson, BKN (52)
56. J.R. Smith, NY (55)
57. Andrei Kirilenko, MIN (56)
58. Anderson Varejao, CLE (60)
59. Tim Duncan, SA (66)
60. Tony Parker, SA (62)
61. Luol Deng, CHI (57)
62. Kevin Garnett, BOS (58)
63. John Wall, WSH (63)
64. Kevin Martin, OKC (64)
65. Danilo Gallinari, DEN (71)
66. Omer Asik, HOU (67)
67. Andrea Bargnani, TOR (68)
68. Klay Thompson, GS (65)
69. Jeff Teague, ATL (72)
70. Marcus Thornton, SAC (73)
71. Nikola Pekovic, MIN (74)
72. Jeremy Lin, HOU (59)
73. Dion Waiters, CLE (79)
74. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, CHA (81)
75. Carlos Boozer, CHI (85)
76. DeAndre Jordan, LAC (77)
77. Mo Williams, UTAH (70)
78. JaVale McGee, DEN (78)
79. Tyreke Evans, SAC (86)
80. Arron Afflalo, ORL (80)
81. Tyson Chandler, NY (76)
82. Jamal Crawford, LAC (91)
83. Brandon Knight, DET (83)
84. Jameer Nelson, ORL (99)
85. Nene Hilario, WSH (NR)
86. Manu Ginobili, SA (93)
87. Jason Richardson, PHI (104)
88. George Hill, IND (84)
89. Gerald Wallace, BKN (69)
90. Glen Davis, ORL (92)
91. Byron Mullens, CHA (103)
92. Amare Stoudemire, NY (94)
93. Lou Williams, ATL (88)
94. Derrick Favors, UTAH (90)
95. Thaddeus Young, PHI (96)
96. Greivis Vasquez, NO (98)
97. Darren Collison, DAL (87)
98. J.J. Hickson, POR (100)
99. Ricky Rubio, MIN (123)
100. Evan Turner, PHI (107)
101. Andrew Bynum, PHI (75)
102. DeMar DeRozan, TOR (95)
103. David West, IND (111)
104. Chris Kaman, DAL (106)
105. Ersan Ilyasova, MIL (82)
106. Kris Humphries, BKN (89)
107. Ramon Sessions, CHA (120)
108. Gordon Hayward, UTAH (97)
109. Jason Terry, BOS (110)
110. Chandler Parsons, HOU (130)
111. Ray Allen, MIA (105)
112. Kawhi Leonard, SA (109)
113. Rodney Stuckey, DET (108)
114. Luis Scola, PHO (101)
115. Daniel Green, SA (102)
116. J.J. Redick, ORL (112)
117. Kyle Korver, ATL (119)
118. Al-Farouq Aminu, NO (113)
119. Nikola Vucevic, ORL (116)
120. Luke Ridnour, MIN (115)
121. Harrison Barnes, GS (122)
122. Markieff Morris, PHO (NR)
123. Jose Calderon, TOR (118)
124. Mario Chalmers, MIA (126)
125. Jonas Valanciunas, TOR (NR)
126. Derrick Rose, CHI (127)
127. Metta World Peace, LAL (NR)
128. Patrick Patterson, HOU (NR)
129. Jason Kidd, NY (NR)
130. Tristan Thompson, CLE (124)
Moving Up
Blazers rookie Damian Lillard continues to rocket up the rankings, posting 19.6 points, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.5 3-pointers per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 82.4 percent from the line in his first 13 games as a pro. I loved Lillard coming into the season, but even I didn't think he'd be this dominant (and efficient) so early as an NBA player. I know it's a small sample size, but it's already quite obvious that Lillard is a special player, particularly on the offensive end. Let's go ahead and add him to the growing list of elite fantasy point guards.
Brook Lopez still can't rebound, but how many of his owners are complaining about that when he's averaging 19.0 points, 6.2 boards and 2.5 blocks per game? The Nets might be 8-4 on the season, but they are still in the process of finding their identity offensively. Up until now, it has been the Deron Williams and Brook Lopez show in the scoring department. I'm expecting Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace to get more involved offensively, but Lopez should settle in as a 17-18 points-per-game scorer with plenty of blocks, which makes him a borderline top-40 play despite the poor rebounding efforts.
Raymond Felton isn't quite as valuable as he was during his stint under Mike D'Antoni, but it's close enough. With 15.7 points, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.0 3-pointers per game after 13 contests, it looks like Felton has put his disastrous 2011-12 season completely behind him. He'll remain a top-60 fantasy player thanks to his ability to contribute across the board in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers.
Good players on bad teams typically pile up stats, and now that Jameer Nelson is back from a groin injury, I fully expect him to do plenty of work for the offensively challenged Magic. Nelson has averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.2 3-pointers over his past five games despite being limited by the flu bug, so don't be surprised if he continues to produce at a high level for the foreseeable future.
What a difference a week makes for Wizards big man Nene, who went from "out indefinitely" to posting 19 points with 5 boards and 2 steals in 29 minutes against the Bobcats on Saturday. Nene, like Jameer Nelson, is in the fortunate position of being an accomplished player on a team that is void of offensive options. He should put up some nice numbers in points, boards and steals as long as he can stay healthy.
A few minor ankle injuries haven't stopped Jason Richardson from emerging as the top shooting guard option in Philadelphia. Averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and a ridiculous 3.2 3-pointers per game over his past five contests, J-Rich is a must-own player at the moment. I don't think he'll continue this torrid pace, but he'll certainly be valuable as a scorer, 3-point shooter and steal artist.
Despite some inconsistent shooting, Byron Mullens has posted 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 3-pointers over his past five contests. We've seen some promising play from Mullens during stretches last season, so his play to date is certainly promising. That said, I'm still not entirely sold he'll be able to keep up this pace all season long, especially when his offensive repertoire consists mostly of jump shots from long range. Let's put it this way: He's going to be incredibly fun to own when he's on, but extremely frustrating when he's cold.
Moving Down
Sacramento has been a wasteland for fantasy value, and although DeMarcus Cousins hasn't been a complete disaster, he certainly hasn't lived up to his lofty billing so far this season. Averaging 16.1 points, 9.6 boards, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the line, Cousins simply hasn't progressed or matured the way we hoped he would after a brilliant finish to last season. Don't get me wrong, Cousins still has plenty of value and upside; he's just not the top-20 player I thought he would be coming into the season.
It is officially time to start worrying about Pau Gasol in Los Angeles. I know they're still without Steve Nash, and they're still adjusting to Mike D'Antoni's system, but Gasol is averaging just 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.8 blocks over his past five games, and now we find out that he's been dealing with knee tendinitis since the preseason. He almost has to get better from here, but let's keep a close eye on both his health and role under Mike D'Antoni over the next few weeks.
After a strong start to the season, Marcin Gortat has struggled mightily, with just 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks over his past five contests. Although Gortat has been losing minutes and voicing his frustrations over his role in the Suns' frontcourt, I'm still recommending him as a solid buy-low candidate. He's far and away the Suns' best option in the paint, so I expect his lack of minutes to be temporary. As you can tell from his rank (52nd overall), I still consider him a top 60 option despite the poor play of late.
Jeremy Lin might be averaging a solid 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, but he's also shooting just 34.8 percent from the floor and 24.3 percent from downtown on the year. Lin's shooting slump is particularly concerning to those who questioned his efficiency and scoring ability prior to the season. With little depth behind him at the point, Lin should be able to shoot his way out of this slump at some point, but his owners should be prepared to deal with a field-goal percentage in the 39-41 percent range for much of the season.
As mentioned earlier, the Nets are still in the process of finding their way on the offensive end despite their solid record. Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries have been major disappointments to date, and I expect this trend to continue for at least a few more weeks as the team begins to gel offensively. Of the trio, I'm most concerned about Humphries, given the Nets' depth and his relatively light workload to date.