The Fantasy Spin is delighted to be partnered with FanDuel this season. Daily fantasy games are challenging, exciting and can be lucrative. Compared to 20 years of Roto and a dozen or more Head-to-Head seasons, I’m a novice at this. The FanDuel hoops game is beautifully simple: pick nine players — 2PG, 2 SG, 2 SF, 2 PF, 1 C — and whoever scores the most points wins. The scoring system is also uncomplicated: 3-pt FG = 3pts; 2-pt FG = 2pts; FT =
Elimination Roto Draft Results, Part I Last night was the first “big” draft of the fantasy hoops season for all three of us on the Sheridan Hoops team. On Monday, I went into considerable depth about the rules and strategy of this unique format, but what you can learn from these draft results applies to any type of league. Usually, “Round 1” refers to a 12-team league, and there are 13 rounds in standard-sized leagues. That means anyone who made it past
Elimination Roto Draft Results, Part II In Part I, we looked at the first eight rounds of this 20-team draft. That should cover all the NBA players you need to know if you play in standard-sized or shallower leagues. These are selections # 161-320, of more interest if you play in a 16- or 20-team league. The unusual settings for this league encourage speculation and my picks reflect that. My two worst picks will be dropped for better players on Dec. 1,
Unique Leagues Before the Internet, there were fantasy leagues, believe it or not. You needed a hard-working Commish who compiled stats manually. That kind of dedication and creativity among commissioners still exists, though record-keeping is much easier; I’ve played in many leagues that go far beyond the “standard” rules to offer greater complexity and challenge. Jeff and I are former champions of a baseball league with 60 teams. It’s been run on Yahoo for more than a decade, featuring three 20-team leagues.
At least until there are games to discuss, Sunday is when we reflect on the previous week in fantasy hoops. It’s a blend of news, opinion and self-promotion called Seven Topics or Less. John Wall’s Injury How far do you drop John Wall on cheat sheets for what looks like a month of missed games? (If he returns by December 4 there will be 68 games remaining.) I had him as a Tier 3 PG but have moved him down into the
Southwest Division Fantasy Preview Part I The difference between an NBA team’s real ability and its importance in fantasy leagues can be enormous. In the Southwest, there’s one truly great team that actually frustrates fantasy owners. Two other teams with virtually no chance to be contenders on the court are potential sources of fantasy bargains. This is the fourth installment of our week-long series. I examined the low-scoring Atlantic on Monday, Jeff looked at the high-powered Northwest on Tuesday and Bruce visited
Southwest Division Fantasy Preview Part II For the introduction to this article and our comments on the Mavericks and Grizzlies, see Part I. Houston Rockets Who are these guys? After juggling their roster and contracts in a fruitless bid to make room for Dwight Howard, the Rockets must regroup. They have a completely new look and a wide-open battle for jobs. Fantasy owners who buy low on the right players will be rewarded. Best to Own Kevin Martin would like to forget last season. A combination
Atlantic Division Fantasy Preview (Part I) While we follow the NBA closely and have opinions about the best teams in each division, fantasy owners shouldn’t care about the standings. Starting today, we’ll look at each team’s fantasy strengths and weaknesses: coaching, probable rotation, expected pace and other characteristics. Plus you’ll get our tips on which players to target, or avoid. This week-long series is a team effort. Jeff Nichols examines the Northwest tomorrow, Bruce Wrigley looks at the Pacific on Wednesday and I’ll