Fantasy Basketball: Is Danny Granger Fantasy-Relevant Again?

Danny Granger's comeback to the NBA is one of my favorite stories of the season so far. After nagging knee injuries wiped Granger's season out last year and a calf injury derailed his 2013-14 debut, he's finally back on the court. 

In a season marred with big-name injuries to Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, it's hard not to feel good for Granger. 

However, how good should you feel about Granger when it comes to your fantasy team? 

When first looking at the possibility of acquiring Granger's services (owned in 56 percent of Yahoo! leagues), owners must first eradicate expectations that Granger will return to his days of scoring 20-plus points per game. He's no longer that player.

Secondly, whenever you're dealing with a player that's had significant lower-body injuries, there is some risk involved in making the move.

After you've lowered expectations and gauged the risk of adding Granger to your squad, you'll have to see if his production is fantasy-relevant to your league.

Granger started off slowly when he made his season debut on Dec. 20, but has picked up his play as of late. In five games after the turn of the new year, Granger has averaged 12.2 points on 45 percent shooting to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 three-pointers made. 

In what seemed like some sort of glitch in the Matrix, Pacers guard Lance Stephenson missed Wednesday's game with a knee injury. Granger started in his place, scoring 14 points while logging 32 minutes. 

Granger's immediate value lies in his ability to score and net three-pointers. He's attempted at least three shots from beyond the arc in eight of the 10 games he's appeared in this season. 

Fantasy owners will have to pay attention to Granger's health, but must also pay close attention to the trends he's starting to set. He's scored double-digit points in five straight games, his minutes are trending upwards and, possibly most importantly, he's healthy. 

Now that's something real and fantasy fans of basketball can feel good about. 

You can follow John Otano on Twitter @MisterOtano.