There are a lot of factors to balance in trying to determine what fantasy players to target during drafts, and it does sometimes feel like juggling cats. One of the markers that is sometimes unremarked, but that is helpful to use when studying players for drafting in fantasy is to look at what players did in the second half of the year before. This is particularly useful in predicting performance in the upcoming season for three reasons: players are likely to
I’ll do a quick hit on the latest fantasy blockbuster before talking about auction drafts today, as promised. Love the One You’re With The big news in fantasy in the last 24 hours is Kevin Love‘s injury. Kent broke down exactly what it means in this morning’s Fantasy Spin but I wanted to add a few words more of caution. A broken hand or a wrist injury can cause players mechanical problems that linger far longer than the expected time for healing.
In today’s column I am going to take a look at how some of the most interesting camp battles are turning out. It is very early but it’s worth looking at the impressions of people who are watching teams closely, in order to get a sense of who is gaining and who might be losing ground. If you have an early draft (and I’ve already had one and have another coming up on Friday) then it’s well worth passing on
Yesterday, Kent posted the results of our Elimination Roto Draft (and here is part II), a 20-team league with a wonderful quirk that Jeff, Kent and I are all members of. This is my first year in Elimination Roto for basketball but I’ve participated in a similar baseball league. The format imposes a couple of unusual constraints on drafting, but generally the lessons we can draw from this draft are similar to those for normal roto drafts. I wanted to draw three
Central Division Fantasy Preview Part I The Central is a tough division to handicap behind the overwhelming favorite, Indiana. Thankfully we as fantasy players don’t have to predict the outcomes of the games. The Central probably has less frontline fantasy talent than any other division this season. So far this week, Kent looked at the Atlantic and Southwest, Jeff raved about the the Northwest and I visited the Pacific. There is plenty to choose from in fantasy terms in the Central, where weak competition helps a lot of
Central Division Fantasy Preview Part II In Part I we had a chance to look at the Bulls and Pacers. The Bucks are a very strange team who might make a challenge for the playoffs; the Cavs and Pistons are still trying to fit some pieces together to help them compete, especially on the road. Lots of players will be good starts against them, but both have pieces worth adding to your team as well. Milwaukee Bucks I’m sorry to Bucks fans for
Pacific Division Fantasy Preview (Part I) So far this week we’ve brought you Jeff’s view on the Northwest (which I think is the division to own players in this season) and Kent’s take on the Atlantic. Today it’s the Pacific Division. This is a pretty good division fantasy-wise: there are three teams that play at a pretty good pace–Sacramento especially, who led the NBA in field goal attempts last season–plus the two Los Angeles teams who are very interesting in fantasy terms
Pacific Division Fantasy Preview (Part II) In Part I, I had a look at the division as a whole and analyzed the Clippers and Lakers. Now we turn our eye to the division’s also-rans. Golden State Warriors They went 23-43 last season but this is a pretty good team with a nice rotation and plenty of hope for the future. The Warriors have a lot of guys competing for time and space on the floor, and this means that you need to do