2014 Fantasy Basketball Advice Thread

[TheAnimal_013]

Just joined my cousin's fantasy basketball league (8 teams I think). Never played or got into fantasy sports games before so I have a novice's understanding of this system works (essentially it's a game of stats from what I grasped...you want stat sheet stuffers amirite?)....wut do? Srs. Draft is in like 3 hours huehuehue.

[yuja]

Just joined my cousin's fantasy basketball league (8 teams I think). Never played or got into fantasy sports games before so I have a novice's understanding of this system works (essentially it's a game of stats from what I grasped...you want stat sheet stuffers amirite?)....wut do? Srs. Draft is in like 3 hours huehuehue.

1. don't draft injured ppl unless you're willing to wait it out (westbrook, durant, beal, oladipo, brook lopez...just to name a few)

2. figure out if you're playing h2h, roto..points/stats...etc. figure out what the scoring is, might make some players more valuable and some less valuable

3. rotoworld.com/espn/yahoo all have their own rankings

4. since we're already a week in there are already some performances that will make some players worth more, some worth less. figure it out (if you're on yahoo just click "players" and sort by ranking)

5. figure out if you want to punt a category (for example, if you want to punt ft% you'll want big guys who can't shoot FT but are solid elsewhere - AD, DMC..followed by Dwight/DeAndre/Drummond picks..etc)

[TheAnimal_013]

1. don't draft injured ppl unless you're willing to wait it out (westbrook, durant, beal, oladipo, brook lopez...just to name a few)

2. figure out if you're playing h2h, roto..points/stats...etc. figure out what the scoring is, might make some players more valuable and some less valuable

3. rotoworld.com/espn/yahoo all have their own rankings

4. since we're already a week in there are already some performances that will make some players worth more, some worth less. figure it out (if you're on yahoo just click "players" and sort by ranking)

5. figure out if you want to punt a category (for example, if you want to punt ft% you'll want big guys who can't shoot FT but are solid elsewhere - AD, DMC..followed by Dwight/DeAndre/Drummond picks..etc)

We're playing head 2 head I believe.

Just gonna copy paste the scoring details from the page I've got open here

Scoring
Stats
Points (PTS) 1 Blocks (BLK) 2
Steals (STL) 2 Assists (AST) 1
Rebounds (REB) 1 Three Pointers Made (3PM) 2


So If I go for guys like Dwight, Deandre and the like I should probably avoid stretch 4's and whatnot?

EDIT:

Idk if this is wise/if you're supposed to do this but I figured I would try desperately to get my hands on one of the following guys in that first round/for my first pick (some of these are really obvious;not sure if these guys are good picks fantasy-wise so fill me in if I'm screwing it up): Lebron (obviously), I was THINKING of KD but he's gonna be out til Xmas it looks like so idk, Carmelo, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, James Harden, John Wall, Anthony Davis. Assuming since there's 8 teams I'm gonna get one of these guys. Kinda nervous. Don't want to draft guys the first few rounds that I shouldn't. There are obvious ones to go for like Lebron, Steph Curry, Carmelo, etc. but I like guys like Klay Thompson, Blake Griffin, Batum and Lance Stephenson but idk how late I should wait for those guys. Again, I'm new at fantasy sports but it kinda seems like you kinda want scorers like Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson right? Guys that'll be go-to options.

[Squeeks]

He better bounce back. Or else i'm prob gon go on a rampage lol.

Pick him up. Who u gon drop? Jennings? I would do that. I picked up MCW in this other league of mine (10 team keeper) off waivers. The keeper aspect made it a no brainer but i would still do a Jennings drop for MCW pick up right now.

Went back and u picked up Tony Wroten? Maybe think of dropping him for MCW? IDK i'm just hoping Jennings bounces back but i think Wroten is more expendable than Jennings right now. I would give Jennings a little more time than 2 games but if ur league isn't so active on the pick ups, maybe u can pick him right back up later on while sticking with Wroten these next couple of weeks.

Dropped Rodney Stuckey for MCW. I have Wroten already so I'll prolly end up dropping him for a big man once MCW is back.

If you can pick him up NOW then do it. Dude will only be out another week or two.

Just did.

Tony Wroten is fawking frustrating. Fill the stat sheet but his percentages and TOs.... ouch.

This. Him and Cousins my god! I know it's the first few games, but Cousins might **** me out of my chances at an undefeated season.

Here's my current lineup:

[superhardgainer]

So you're doing a head to head points league correct? If so, draft guys that will give you the most points lol. Definitely do not draft KD or westbrook in the first round. Steph Curry and Anthony Davis are good options because 3s and blocks give you 2 points.

As for knowing when to draft people, most drafts will rank players or show their average draft position i.e. Don't draft a guy with an ADP of 100 with the 50th pick of the draft.

[TheAnimal_013]

So you're doing a head to head points league correct? If so, draft guys that will give you the most points lol. Definitely do not draft KD or westbrook in the first round. Steph Curry and Anthony Davis are good options because 3s and blocks give you 2 points.

As for knowing when to draft people, most drafts will rank players or show their average draft position i.e. Don't draft a guy with an ADP of 100 with the 50th pick of the draft.

That's correct, just double checked and it is h2h points. So do I just want scorers at every position? According to what I posted before 3 point makes, blocks and steals are worth the most I guess right?

What's ADP?

[yuja]

We're playing head 2 head I believe.

Just gonna copy paste the scoring details from the page I've got open here

Scoring
Stats
Points (PTS) 1 Blocks (BLK) 2
Steals (STL) 2 Assists (AST) 1
Rebounds (REB) 1 Three Pointers Made (3PM) 2


So If I go for guys like Dwight, Deandre and the like I should probably avoid stretch 4's and whatnot?

EDIT:

Idk if this is wise/if you're supposed to do this but I figured I would try desperately to get my hands on one of the following guys in that first round/for my first pick (some of these are really obvious;not sure if these guys are good picks fantasy-wise so fill me in if I'm screwing it up): Lebron (obviously), I was THINKING of KD but he's gonna be out til Xmas it looks like so idk, Carmelo, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, James Harden, John Wall, Anthony Davis. Assuming since there's 8 teams I'm gonna get one of these guys. Kinda nervous. Don't want to draft guys the first few rounds that I shouldn't. There are obvious ones to go for like Lebron, Steph Curry, Carmelo, etc. but I like guys like Klay Thompson, Blake Griffin, Batum and Lance Stephenson but idk how late I should wait for those guys. Again, I'm new at fantasy sports but it kinda seems like you kinda want scorers like Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson right? Guys that'll be go-to options.

you can't really miss on your first rounder in an 8 league

joe johnson is not the answer

That's correct, just double checked and it is h2h points. So do I just want scorers at every position? According to what I posted before 3 point makes, blocks and steals are worth the most I guess right?

What's ADP?

Average Draft Position (where they're usually taken)

You'll want guys that score 3s, block shots, steal the ball..above guys that don't. pretty much lol

[TheAnimal_013]

you can't really miss on your first rounder in an 8 league

joe johnson is not the answer

I gotcha. So JJ is a no go lol. Looks like our draft got moved to tomorrow.

If it's cool I'm gonna post my "league settings" info and if there's anything as a new fantasy sports player I should really know about it'd be awesome if I could get a heads up...

---
Basic Settings
Number of Teams
8
Scoring Type Head to Head Points
Format League Manager
Make League Viewable to Public
Yes
Roster

Current Roster Size: 13

Total Starters: 10

Total On Bench: 3

Position Starters Maximum
Point Guard (PG) 1 No Limit
Shooting Guard (SG) 1 No Limit
Small Forward (SF) 1 No Limit
Power Forward (PF) 1 No Limit
Center (C) 1 4
Guard (G) 1 N/A
Forward (F) 1 N/A
Util (UTIL) 3 N/A
Bench (BE) 3 N/A
Games Played Limits (Maximums)
All Players
No Limit
Scoring
Stats
Points (PTS) 1 Blocks (BLK) 2
Steals (STL) 2 Assists (AST) 1
Rebounds (REB) 1 Three Pointers Made (3PM) 2

Player Rules
Observe ESPN's Undroppable Players List
Yes
Player Universe
All NBA Players
Acquisition and Waiver Rules
Lineup Changes
Daily - Lock Individually at Scheduled Gametime
Player Acquisition System
Waivers
Season Acquisition Limit
No Limit
Matchup Acquisition Limit
7 (for 7-day matchups)
Waiver Period
1 Day
Waiver Order
Move to Last After Claim, Never Reset Order
Trade Rules
Trade Limit
No Limit
Trade Deadline
Wednesday, February 25, 12PM ET
Trade Review Period
2 Days
Votes Required to Veto Trade
4
Keepers Rules
Use Keepers for 2015 Season
No
Use Keepers for 2016 Season
No
Regular Season Setup
Start of Regular Season
Week 1 (Start of Season)
Weeks per Matchup
1
Regular Season Matchups
19 (Playoffs start Week 20)
Matchup Tie Breaker
None
Home Field Advantage
None
Playoff Bracket Setup
Playoff Teams
4 (2 rounds)
Weeks per Playoff Matchup
2 weeks per round
Playoff Seeding Tie Breaker
Head to Head Record
Playoff Home Field Advantage
None
Draft Settings
Draft Type Snake
Draft Date
Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 7:30 PM ET
Seconds Per Pick
90
Draft Order
Randomized One Hour Prior to Draft Time
---

[yuja]

when is your draft again?

and looks like you might be playing in a keeper league?

[TheAnimal_013]

when is your draft again?

and looks like you might be playing in a keeper league?

Draft was supposed to be in like an hour but looks like it got moved to tomorrow night. Don't know what a keeper league means actually lol.

EDIT:

Looks like our LM is making rule changes right now. Went from an 8 to a 10 team league just now and instead of no limit we're restricted to picking a standard starting 5, an additional center and guard, and 3 utility players and 3 for the bench...

[yuja]

Draft was supposed to be in like an hour but looks like it got moved to tomorrow night. Don't know what a keeper league means actually lol.

means you keep your players after the season ends..for the following season

since you have a lot of time between now and your draft, you should do some research and move some players up/down in the rankings based on their expected stat outputs (don't base them too much on their 1-2 games played so far..but keep it in consideration). For example, Reggie Jackson is expected to shoulder a lot of OKC's offense for the next month or two while Westy and Durant are out..so I'd move him up the rankings.

[TheAnimal_013]

means you keep your players after the season ends..for the following season

since you have a lot of time between now and your draft, you should do some research and move some players up/down in the rankings based on their expected stat outputs (don't base them too much on their 1-2 games played so far..but keep it in consideration). For example, Reggie Jackson is expected to shoulder a lot of OKC's offense for the next month or two while Westy and Durant are out..so I'd move him up the rankings.

So for example/just for discussion's sake if I were to decide to take Reggie Jackson I'd take him/he'd probably be available later in the draft right? I'm just thinking Reggie Jackson's gonna get a lot of playing time and responsibility with Westgod out but when he comes back in several weeks wouldn't his regular production make up for not having him for the first few weeks (and by extension Reggie's numbers would go down significantly)?

[yuja]

So for example/just for discussion's sake if I were to decide to take Reggie Jackson I'd take him/he'd probably be available later in the draft right? I'm just thinking Reggie Jackson's gonna get a lot of playing time and responsibility with Westgod out but when he comes back in several weeks wouldn't his regular production make up for not having him for the first few weeks (and by extension Reggie's numbers would go down significantly)?

Yes, but if you want him badly you might have to take him a little earlier than he usually goes

Even when Durant/Westgoat come back, I expect Reggie to still have a nice role on the team. (Ideally you'd trade him away before this happens while his value is still at it's peak)

if you're not penalized for fg/ft% guys like josh smith become more valuable (can't think of anymore off the top of my head atm lol)

[TheAnimal_013]

Yes, but if you want him badly you might have to take him a little earlier than he usually goes

Even when Durant/Westgoat come back, I expect Reggie to still have a nice role on the team. (Ideally you'd trade him away before this happens while his value is still at it's peak)

if you're not penalized for fg/ft% guys like josh smith become more valuable (can't think of anymore off the top of my head atm lol)

By the looks of it I don't think field goal or free throw percentage gets totaled in (I'll double check with the LM). So would Dwight and Josh Smith go a lot higher in the draft?

[yuja]

By the looks of it I don't think field goal or free throw percentage gets totaled in (I'll double check with the LM). So would Dwight and Josh Smith go a lot higher in the draft?

yep

and any other player who puts up solid across the board numbers (draymond green is another one)

seems like i remember another player each time i post lol

Brandon Knight is another guy with nice numbers

[TheAnimal_013]

Ok so now the draft starts in 30 minutes (LM can't make up his mind)? I've got the 8th pick out of 10 teams but in a snake draft thankfully. Welp. Guess I'm not getting Lelbron.

EDIT:

In a league where 3PM, Blocks and Steals count the most/2 points would the following be a good starting lineup to aim for?

PG: Chris Paul
SG:Klay Thompson or James Harden
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF:Anthony Davis
Cwight/Serge Ibaka

I mean clearly I probably won't get all of these guys but as far as priority is concerned.
The guy who has the first pick is definetely gonna pick Steph Curry who I otherwise would've been trying to get my hands on.

[TheAnimal_013]

We're in round 3 and I went with K Love and Dwight. Thinking either KD (despite him being injured...gonna bank on him coming back strong) or Klay Thompson/Lance Stephenson/Eric Bledsoe...

[roc430]

do you guys think it would be a good idea to try and trade westbrook for olidipo?

[yuja]

We're in round 3 and I went with K Love and Dwight. Thinking either KD (despite him being injured...gonna bank on him coming back strong) or Klay Thompson/Lance Stephenson/Eric Bledsoe...

sorry brah, had some rl stuff to do

what'd you end up with?

do you guys think it would be a good idea to try and trade westbrook for olidipo?

if you have westbrook.....son

you realize they're out about the same amount of time but westbrook is way better right?

[weightsloveme]

The guy who drafted ahead of me took Westbrook & I was super joyous because I then took Paul (I much prefer Paul over RW). Now I bet that guy is crapping his pants!

Still up 7-1 despite the fact my entire team sucked tonight (Parsons wasn't bad).

[roc430]

sorry brah, had some rl stuff to do

what'd you end up with?



if you have westbrook.....son

you realize they're out about the same amount of time but westbrook is way better right?

the only reason i was going to offer the trade was because i thought olidipo came back earlier, however i guess they will both be out the same amount of time

[Blacryan]

who do I drop to pick up Kidd-Gilchrist or Norris Cole?

This is in a head to head points league.

[Squeeks]

who do I drop to pick up Kidd-Gilchrist or Norris Cole?

This is in a head to head points league.

wiggins or chalmers.

[E-Tank]

worth dropping aaron gordon for calderon, or exum? league is 16 team 9 cat

[PjzBoozer]

worth dropping aaron gordon for calderon, or exum? league is 16 team 9 cat

Who else is available? From the options u gave, Calderon. He's out for 2 more weeks i think but he'll be starting and he has yet to have a year where he blows it stats wise.

[4567081110]

worth dropping aaron gordon for calderon, or exum? league is 16 team 9 cat

Pick up Calderon. Exum will be straight garbage and Gordon probably won't get enough minutes plus he'll be inconsistent as fuk. Calderon is usually good for a three, eight points, and a few assists every game. Nothing spectacular, but at least he won't hurt your team.

[PjzBoozer]

the only reason i was going to offer the trade was because i thought olidipo came back earlier, however i guess they will both be out the same amount of time

Yea man, just keep Westbrook. Everyone is banking on Oladipo breaking out but this month long injury, followed by some rusty games (could be a week or two), who knows how he turns out. He may turn out better numbers than last season, but how better? U know Westbrook will give u numbers when he returns, even with a returning Durant as well. Go with the sure thing.

Hopefully Oladipo does break out though, i have him in one of my leagues

[yuja]

Yea man, just keep Westbrook. Everyone is banking on Oladipo breaking out but this month long injury, followed by some rusty games (could be a week or two), who knows how he turns out. He may turn out better numbers than last season, but how better? U know Westbrook will give u numbers when he returns, even with a returning Durant as well. Go with the sure thing.

Hopefully Oladipo does break out though, i have him in one of my leagues

let's make a trade

in either cuny or ceo

[PsykoMerc]

K boys, my team didn't do spectacular this week, I won 5-2. 9 cat, 12 team, h2h. I feel like my team is pretty solid, but a little weak towards the top. Been playing 4 years, and I may have 1 successful trade a year lol. I always fall in love with my players or I don't know how to trade well. Any suggestions welcome.

Stephen curry, mike Conley, Reggie Jackson
Nicolas Batum, Gordon Hayward
Terrence jones, David lee, jordan hill
Robin Lopez, Roy hibbert, Channing frye
Looking at this, I don't have much waiver flexibility now besides dropping frye, I dropped cald day of injury news, but I kind of want him back. Might be pg heavy with 4

[E-Tank]

Who else is available? From the options u gave, Calderon. He's out for 2 more weeks i think but he'll be starting and he has yet to have a year where he blows it stats wise.

got beat on waivers for calderon. Im looking for 3's and assists mostly so now im looking at:

garrett temple

Kostas Papanikolaou

hollis thompson

solomon hill

Not related but worth taking a flyer on garnett? Or wait until he shows flashes of life for a few more games