Drafting is on the minds of most fantasy hoops fanatics this week. You may be busy with NFL leagues and haven’t had time to prepare for the NBA, but there are many resources here to help.
We keep you current on breaking news every morning in the Fantasy Spin. Our Division Previews looked at every player on every team. The Depth Chart is updated every week. Our single best feature may be the Fantasy Basketball Primer.
If you’re new to the game, it’s an absolute must-read. The surprise is, how much a so-called expert can learn. I’ve won more than my share of baseball leagues for 20 years, and have had even more success in basketball. Jeff is one of the best players I’ve encountered, and he shares his secrets with you. Before you even start ranking players, take the time to read the entire six-part series. If you don’t, someone else in your league will.
The Introduction kicked things off more than a month ago. Part 2 examines the differences between leagues (Roto, Head-to-Head, Keeper) and the different strategies for each. Part 3 takes us much deeper into Custom League Settings and how to exploit them.
Really, even if you think you know all about that stuff, I guarantee you’ll learn something from Jeff’s approach. In Part 4, he explains how to identify sleepers, the key to winning many a league. Part 5 introduces a winning Draft Plan and discusses Auction Strategies. The finale on Saturday shows you how to use the entire Primer in one specific league.
Thanks to Jeff, I’m now more aware of some bad habits and better prepared than ever. Can’t wait to draft later this week. I’m also excited about daily leagues on FanDuel, especially the Sheridan Hoops Tournament. More about that after our daily trip around the league.
October 21 Games
PHI @ BOS: Without Thaddeus Young, arguably their best player in the preseason, and with rookie Arnett Moultrie in his place, the Sixers were at a disadvantage. No matter, as the second team took over this game. Dorell Wright (20), Nick Young (15) and Spencer Hawes (12) were brilliant, outscoring the five Philly starters 47-32. Temporary starting C Lavoy Allen, who will give way to Andrew Bynum soon enough, fouled out in just 16:30 and Moultrie was scoreless in 19 minutes. Evan Turner left early with an ankle sprain that didn’t look too serious. Of interest to deep leaguers, rookie Maalik Wayans is confirmed as the backup PG.
Brandon Bass started at PF for the Celtics, with red-hot rookie Jared Sullinger coming off the bench. In a possibly more significant shuffle, Jeff Green started at a wing spot with Paul Pierce, bumping Courtney Lee to the bench. Green has been a wonderful story, completely recovered from heart surgery. I’m taking him at the end of standard drafts. Leandro Barbosa has joined the Celtics, though he wasn’t there — he has a visa problem. For November, he might be useful in deep H2H leagues, but who knows how minutes will be divided when Avery Bradley returns?