The NBA Lockout is over and I'm able to take up my fantasy addiction again. I'll be following the same format I did last season, with the addition of being in Winners Leagues after long last...here's to actually winning them :)
These are some of the things I've learned from playing fantasy basketball for the past six years (based on Yahoo leagues).
1. Balance your player positions. Draft so that you can play all players of a given position on a given night. There's no pain like the pain of seeing an empty space on your active list and seeing an active player sitting on the bench because you can't find a slot for his position. You shouldn't have more than 4 PGs/SGs/SFs/PFs/Cs, more than 5 combo forwards or guards (SF-PF, PG-SG) and you shouldn't have more than 6 swingmen or PF/Cs.
2. High draft picks are overrated. Yay, you got Kevin Durant or Lebron James! Wooo! Now you have 14 turns to wait and while you got the best player, you're also stuck with less options for complementary players. So far this season, the highest I've drafted was 3rd and those high picks don't really offer a lot of strategy drafting. I basically had to decide if I was going to go with Chris Paul or Kevin Love, and let that choice dictate the rest of the draft. I think the best place is mid-pick, anywhere between position 6-9 and you might be a little better off drafting last than first. It's definitely less pressure...but the psychological benefit of saying "I got KD, bitch!" is still strong. Resist it!
3. Point Guards and Centers determine your fate. I don't know if I can prove it conclusively, but I strongly feel that those are the most important positions that you need to fill in the draft. Quality PGs and Centers are not plentiful, and since Yahoo uses two center positions, you need to really fill it up. It's best to get a center who also has PF eligibility, but don't let that stop you from getting Dwight Howard or Andrew Bogut. You can't compete with less than three PG-eligible players, and I recommend getting four. Whenever I draft, I tend to try and get the top-tier PGs and/or PF/Cs. I generally avoid most of the star SF/PF/SG types unless they are unquestionably the best players left on the board, and even then...For example, Paul Pierce is definitely a great player, but I didn't draft him on any of my teams last year because he's a swingman (SG-SF position). I was able to pick up Nick Young and various other streaking players last season off the waiver wire, because those SG/SF positions are the most common ones where unknown players get a chance to break out. It's rare that you find a PG or center on the wire that breaks out. Kyle Lowry was the great exception to that rule but generally speaking if you rely on the waiver wire for PGs/PF-Cs, you are toast. Anchor your point-guard and your centers quickly in the draft, and then fill in the rest later on. Swingmen and shooting guards are a dime a dozen and combo forwards are flashy but not necessarily more important than the PF/Cs. I pretty much never draft Rudy Gay or Gerald Wallace or those type of guys if there's a top level PG or C on the board.
3. Work the wire! Some guys take pride in drafting their team and riding it all the way to the end without changing any players. They got skills if they can predict all that. I don't claim to do that, I'm not afraid to cut my losses and give a hot player a chance. You have to develop a sense of knowing whether that guy at the top of the waiver list is sizzle or steak. If you move too quickly, you may have dropped a good guy from your team for some flash-in-the-pan who had a hot night but flops overall; if you move too slowly, someone else will snatch your opportunity away. My strategy is to watch a guy's average performance over at least four games, and if it's good all around for the past four games and I have a need for his position, I'll pull the trigger. Last year, I was able to snatch Nick Young and Kyle Lowry in nearly all of my leagues, the only places where I didn't pick them up was because the person I had to drop was definitely better than either one of them. Additionally, I picked up Marcus Thornton everywhere I could in the latter part of last year and I know that helped me make the playoffs in all my leagues and helped me win too. Be alert and follow the stats daily. Caveat: don't make a move just for making a move's sake! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
4. Don't get hung up on trades. I don't know what it is with me and trades, but I've never had anyone accept any of the trades I've sent, and I send fair and equitable trades. Maybe that's why; some guys don't think it's a good trade if they aren't ripping off someone else. Anyways, make them if you need to, send requests if you want to, but I'm not counting on them to improve more than the waiver wire.
The above strategies work best for H2H. Roto is a different kettle of fish that I'm still trying to figure out how to win. I won my first roto league last year and it was completely by accident. Will try to repeat the feat this year on purpose :)
These are some of the things I've learned from playing fantasy basketball for the past six years (based on Yahoo leagues).
1. Balance your player positions. Draft so that you can play all players of a given position on a given night. There's no pain like the pain of seeing an empty space on your active list and seeing an active player sitting on the bench because you can't find a slot for his position. You shouldn't have more than 4 PGs/SGs/SFs/PFs/Cs, more than 5 combo forwards or guards (SF-PF, PG-SG) and you shouldn't have more than 6 swingmen or PF/Cs.
2. High draft picks are overrated. Yay, you got Kevin Durant or Lebron James! Wooo! Now you have 14 turns to wait and while you got the best player, you're also stuck with less options for complementary players. So far this season, the highest I've drafted was 3rd and those high picks don't really offer a lot of strategy drafting. I basically had to decide if I was going to go with Chris Paul or Kevin Love, and let that choice dictate the rest of the draft. I think the best place is mid-pick, anywhere between position 6-9 and you might be a little better off drafting last than first. It's definitely less pressure...but the psychological benefit of saying "I got KD, bitch!" is still strong. Resist it!
3. Point Guards and Centers determine your fate. I don't know if I can prove it conclusively, but I strongly feel that those are the most important positions that you need to fill in the draft. Quality PGs and Centers are not plentiful, and since Yahoo uses two center positions, you need to really fill it up. It's best to get a center who also has PF eligibility, but don't let that stop you from getting Dwight Howard or Andrew Bogut. You can't compete with less than three PG-eligible players, and I recommend getting four. Whenever I draft, I tend to try and get the top-tier PGs and/or PF/Cs. I generally avoid most of the star SF/PF/SG types unless they are unquestionably the best players left on the board, and even then...For example, Paul Pierce is definitely a great player, but I didn't draft him on any of my teams last year because he's a swingman (SG-SF position). I was able to pick up Nick Young and various other streaking players last season off the waiver wire, because those SG/SF positions are the most common ones where unknown players get a chance to break out. It's rare that you find a PG or center on the wire that breaks out. Kyle Lowry was the great exception to that rule but generally speaking if you rely on the waiver wire for PGs/PF-Cs, you are toast. Anchor your point-guard and your centers quickly in the draft, and then fill in the rest later on. Swingmen and shooting guards are a dime a dozen and combo forwards are flashy but not necessarily more important than the PF/Cs. I pretty much never draft Rudy Gay or Gerald Wallace or those type of guys if there's a top level PG or C on the board.
3. Work the wire! Some guys take pride in drafting their team and riding it all the way to the end without changing any players. They got skills if they can predict all that. I don't claim to do that, I'm not afraid to cut my losses and give a hot player a chance. You have to develop a sense of knowing whether that guy at the top of the waiver list is sizzle or steak. If you move too quickly, you may have dropped a good guy from your team for some flash-in-the-pan who had a hot night but flops overall; if you move too slowly, someone else will snatch your opportunity away. My strategy is to watch a guy's average performance over at least four games, and if it's good all around for the past four games and I have a need for his position, I'll pull the trigger. Last year, I was able to snatch Nick Young and Kyle Lowry in nearly all of my leagues, the only places where I didn't pick them up was because the person I had to drop was definitely better than either one of them. Additionally, I picked up Marcus Thornton everywhere I could in the latter part of last year and I know that helped me make the playoffs in all my leagues and helped me win too. Be alert and follow the stats daily. Caveat: don't make a move just for making a move's sake! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
4. Don't get hung up on trades. I don't know what it is with me and trades, but I've never had anyone accept any of the trades I've sent, and I send fair and equitable trades. Maybe that's why; some guys don't think it's a good trade if they aren't ripping off someone else. Anyways, make them if you need to, send requests if you want to, but I'm not counting on them to improve more than the waiver wire.
The above strategies work best for H2H. Roto is a different kettle of fish that I'm still trying to figure out how to win. I won my first roto league last year and it was completely by accident. Will try to repeat the feat this year on purpose :)
2 comments:
I haven't played fantasy basketball in a few years (and I was terrible when playing). I am thinking about playing again this year and your blog post had some good advice for me. Thanks.
You're welcome. Good luck!
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