@dballbball Hmm so then I am left to question, in your experience, should I further increase my stengths at the expense of my swing categories or keep the players that can help me with my swing categories in order to contend in those weaker spots (such as Murray and Barrett)? I’m conflicted on that one.
I’ve also entertained the idea of moving off Bron or AD. Both have incredibly high ceilings but both are high risks for me and I am not sure how I feel about my top two guys potentially missing a good chunk of the season. Should I try to move off one? If so who should I target? And which one do I move between the two? Or does moving them hurt my team overall?
Thanks again! This will probably be my last question as it seems I’ve bombarded this forum enough lol. I’m a highly analytical person lol
@brandonbourassa Murray is a good fantasy player. I'd only trade him if I got a really good player in return. Right now, I don't think you'll get a winning deal for him. On the other hand, I might even consider trading Barrett in a losing deal. His on-court value has far exceeded his fantasy value so far, and Barrett only helps you in one category you need (PTS), while hurting all of your efficiency stats. I believe you'll still be comfortable in points without him. Find a manager that believes in his upside and try to make a deal, because a 20 PPG scorer should never hit the waiver wire. Remember from one of my earlier posts that I think you'll probably want an extra center if you have to start two every night. That's a good place to start.
We can't predict injuries, no matter how much we might want to with certain players. Your team is built in Davis and James' image, so what is gained by trading them? There are only a handful of players in the league worth considering in a trade for either player. If you can get one of the best players in fantasy basketball in exchange, then go ahead. However, it will invalidate every previous move you have made to become competitive unless you remain consistent with their categorical strengths. You already got a perfect partner for them in Butler, so unless somebody is offering you Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid, for example, it's probably best to hold.
It's better to insulate yourself against the risk of injuries on your team by maintaining a roster of efficient supporting players. You will not win PTS if your stars get injured and neither will any other team. However, you can collect a group of players that are effective in high-impact categories like BLK and STL, or a group of players that have strong FG% and FT%. Outside of the high-usage players, who are all probably rostered, the players that fit the above criteria are also likely to have lower TO. That way, if Davis, James and Murray all get injured in the same week, you can still find ways to compete without completely changing strategy. In fact, Davis and James getting injured will automatically boost your FT% chances, as long as you don't have guys like Barrett dragging you down. The same is true of players like Adams, Giddey and Poeltl, but they are valuable enough in other categories that they're worth tolerating.
There's no shame in asking questions! It's what we're here for. I'll keep answering if you keep asking.
So here is my ROTO 12-team league roster:
Giannis
Donovan
Vanvleet
Middleton
Porzinguis
Cole Anthony
Jaren Jackson Jr. (in the IL)
Conley
Poole
Bojan Bogdanovic
Hayward
Brook
Monte Morris
added Bagley III after putting JJR in the IL & before Bogdanovic trade
What do you think? I feel short in assist and rebounds and a lot of scoring and threes. Also, should I change Bagley now with the Bogdanovic trade? Should I also seek trade for Bogdanovic?
thanks in advance!
Hi guys,
So this is my team. It's an espn 12 team default pts league with DD+5 TD+10.
What are your thoughts? Pros/cons
12 team h2h 9 cat - pick 2
Jokic
Dejounte
Anthony Edwards
Jarrett Allen
Rozier
OG
Brandon Clarke
PJ Washington
Al Horford
Mike Conley
Zubac
isaiah Jackson
Caruso
10 team snake draft H2H points league
Pts = 1 / Rbds =1.2 / Asts = 1.5 / Stls = 3 / Blks = 3 /TOs = -1
You can keep one player on your roster from the end of previous season in the round they were taken the previous year
Drafted 8th
(8) LaMelo Ball
(13) Devin Booker
(28) Demar DeRozan
(33) Julius Randle
(48) Pascal Siakam *Keeper
(53) CJ McColllum
(68) John Collins
(73) Kevin Porter Jr
(88) Tyler Herro
(93) Brandon Clarke
(108) Spencer Dinwiddie
(113) Gordon Hayward
(128) Robert Williams
(133) Caris LeVert
(148) Ivica Zubac
Post draft immediately put Williams on IL and picked up Tari Eason
8 man Points League - ESPN scoring system + 3 for DD and 7 for TD
Fist time playing points. I was luckly enough to be a sort of substitute so the man I am replacing had a pick traded from the past year so I got to pick at 9 instread of 14
@kennycruz6-kc That's a pretty impressive squad.
Strengths: AST, PTS (*), STL, 3PT
Weaknesses: FG%, REB, TO
Mid: BLK, FT%
Players that are good at your strengths: Antetokounmpo, Anthony, Conley, Hayward, Middleton, Mitchell, Poole and VanVleet
Players that are bad at your strengths: Bagley and Lopez
Players that are good at your weaknesses: Antetokounmpo, Bagley, Lopez, Morris and Porzingis
I really like how this team is assembled because your roster's strengths and weaknesses have a good balance. You're a classic "guard stats" team that is predictably weaker in "big man stats," and there isn't much of a gray area between the two sides. With some exceptions, nobody is really dragging you down where you can't afford to feel that impact. I suppose that's obvious when I list 8-of-12 players as "good at your strengths." My advice for your team is simple: trim the fat.
Bagley is only good at three things, based on last year's results: FG%, REB, TO. On the other hand, he is a major negative in other areas: AST, BLK, FT%, STL, 3PT. My opinion? Put him back where you got him. I know he's a lottery-level talent on an exciting up-and-coming team with two dynamic playmaking guards, but the stats have always told a different story with Bagley in fantasy ball.
With 6-of-12 players eligible at point guard and 5-of-12 eligible at center, it seems like you could use some help at small forward. If you take my advice with moving on from Bagley, I’d definitely recommend looking for a guard-forward that can help you stay competitive where it helps most. I’d be looking at players like Cam Johnson, Dillon Brooks, Evan Fournier, Lu Dort, Matisse Thybulle and Will Barton. One of these guys (Thybulle) will help compensate for Jackson’s absence, while the others will simply keep your existing balance.
Despite having some of my preferred FG% options in Antetokounmpo and Morris, I believe you will struggle in that area. There are more high-volume, low-percentage shooters on your team than even Giannis can compensate for. The Greek Freak is also a high-volume FT% shooter with low percentages, but he’s the only bad shooter on your team (not counting Bagley), so I believe you can stay competitive in that area.
You may have noted that I rated you as mid in blocks. This is, in part, because you will be dealing with the Jackson injury. Between Antetokounmpo, Jackson, Lopez and Porzingis, I believe you have assembled a strong collection of shot blockers. The remainder of your roster is awful at best in that category, so it's something you could try to address with initial roster moves. I'm sorry to say that VanVleet should never be in any team's top five in BPG if they hope to win that category.
I’m still a believer in Bagley’s long-term potential and I’d be a lot more optimistic about his value to your team if you weren’t already so strong at center. With Jackson out, I understand the impulse to keep him for now. However, there may even be better center options on the wire if you don’t want to diversify with another swingman. Assuming that the best candidates aren’t available, players like Robert Covington or Marcus Morris may be better options.
You've done well with this roster and I think you're already competitive in roto. With some luck and a few tweaks, I have faith in this team.
14-Team H2H, 14th Pick, 3rd Round Reversal
Kyrie (14)
AD (15)
Siakam (29)
Jrue (43)
Vassell (70)
Jamal Murray (71)
Jabari Smith II (98)
Jalen Smith (99)
Cam Johnson (126)
Cole Anthony (127)
Dorian Finney-Smith (154)
Hartenstein (155)
Grant Williams (182)
Kept getting sniped 1-2 picks prior so scrambled in my last few picks. Have yet to settle on a punt lol
Always appreciate the advise. Thanks!
@roggas Thanks for including the DD+5 and TD+10. It improves my valuation of your team.
Strengths: AST, DD, REB, STL
Weaknesses: BLK, PTS (*)
Mid: FG%, FT%, TO, 3PT
Players that are good at your strengths: Ball, Barnes, Haliburton, Sabonis
Players that are bad at your strengths: Markkanen, Morris, Vassell, Wagner, Washington
Players that are good at your weaknesses: Barnes, Carter and Cunningham
While it’s tempting, I won’t go so far as to predict how you’ll do in TD, but you’ve got a solid collection of multi-tool players that are already comfortable DD threats. Between Ball, Carter, Haliburton and Sabonis, I am sure you will be cashing in regularly in that area. Occasional games from Barnes, Cunningham, Jones and Wagner could also boost you there, but I’m not confident that any of those players will put you over the edge regularly.
You probably won’t compete in BLK or PTS this season, although there are probably six players on your team that I think we can comfortably expect to increase their scoring outputs. There is no reason for that optimism in BLK, which is already a very top-heavy category, so I think you can consider that category a punt.
AST, REB and STL all seem like very strong categories for you, with some of the league leaders in each category rostered and several players that could show growth in one or more of these categories which are already strengths. I fully expect you to be among the leaders of your league in those areas, which must also make you one of the best contenders in DD and TD.
I am very excited to see that all of the efficiency categories are winnable for this team. You may have noticed from my previous replies that I really value those areas. Ball, Cunningham and Vassell may be problematic for your FG%, but you have several players to counteract them there. It’s a similar story with your FT%, where you’re impacted by the Carter-Sabonis duo, but also have some players to help keep the ship afloat. Both shooting percentages should be thoroughly average, which is both a blessing and a curse. The category which I think is most likely to become a strength for this team is 3PT, where I believe you can compete if players like Smith, Vassell and Wagner progress as expected.
It’s hard for me to recommend initial roster moves. There isn’t a player on your team that I don’t like, which leaves out my preferred option of streaming one spot on principle. Aside from banking on internal development or having unfortunate injuries force a roster move, the only way I can see this team improving is by trade. Given that there is a lack of clarity for how your young players will progress, I would recommend taking a very passive approach to the start of the season. Acting too soon by making moves to address areas of weakness on this roster could come back to haunt you, as I believe many players on this list could raise their value this season. Without knowing who that is or what the changes will be, I’m as likely to misguide you as help by recommending changes.
12T H2H 8-CAT
Jokic (1)
Sabonis (24)
Dejounte Murray (25)
Khris Middleton (48)
De'aaron Fox (49)
Jabari Smith Jr (72)
Paolo Banchero (73)
Tre Jones (96)
Jalen Smith (97)
Kelly Olynik (120)
Kelly Oubre Jr. (121)
Brook Lopez (144)
Tari Eason (145)
Young Team! Tried to Punt 3s and Blocks. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks !
Any chance you could rate my team? Had a few guys get taken a pick or two before I could grab em (sengun, Markannen, Murray etc.) Not sure where I'm punting yet- potential I could trade sga and motley for kd if I wanted otherwise dropping a player.
Cheers
@hbronco3 You seem like the type of person that might like the phrase, “Defense wins championships.”
Strengths: FG%, REB, STL (*)
Weaknesses: AST, FT% (*), PTS, 3PT
Mid: BLK, TO
Players that are good at your strengths: Adebayo, Barnes, Bridges, Fox, Gobert and Sengun
Players that are bad at your strengths: Melton
Players that are good at your weaknesses: Ball and Fox
This team is defense first, offense optional. I have absolutely no doubt that you will be one of the steals leaders in your league, and I’m sure you know that you’ve got some great rebounders. The odds of you having the Defensive Player of the Year and/or half of the All-Defensive Team members at season’s end are fairly strong.
Here’s where I’m stuck: you used your first pick on Ball and every other pick (minus Fox) on his weaknesses. This is in no way a criticism of Ball or of what seems to be your overall strategy, because he is still technically going to help you in REB and STL. You’re not going to be very competitive in AST or PTS, which are shared strengths of both Ball and Fox. They’re both extremely valuable players whose stocks seem to be trending up, so I understand the instinct to draft them. I wonder if another team might give you a player of comparable rank with better categories in exchange for him? If they’re desperate for Ball, you might even be able to squeeze extra value out of them. Removing his FG% impact could also help your team. I’m not concerned with Fox there.
With only three players above average, FT% is a wash for you. Despite being twice as effective, Ball got to the line about half as often as Adebayo and Gobert last season. Bridges and Jones don’t get to the line nearly enough for their impact to save your team, while every player I haven’t named yet can also be added to the negatives list. This is a punt category unless something major changes.
I don’t know how Murray will turn out yet but I am far from unfamiliar with his game, so I hope I rated him fairly here. Admittedly, he can push several categories in either direction, but I hope to see him register a PJ Washington-esque first season with less BLK. From my perspective, that’s a successful rookie season and a worthwhile roster spot in a smaller league. However, I don’t think you should hesitate to move on if he struggles out of the gate and there is a clear upgrade on the waiver wire.
It felt weird giving a “mid” rating to your defense-oriented squad starring Gobert, but last year’s numbers indicate your team is exactly average there. Shot blockers at any position should have extra value on your team, so consider players like Bruce Brown, Daniel Gafford, Derrick White, Isaiah Jackson, Jarred Vanderbilt, Matisse Thybulle, Patrick Beverley, Patrick Williams and Robert Covington.
Continuing to invest in your defense should also continue to raise your potential in TO, as defenders tend to be less involved on the other end. Becoming average in 3PT feels realistic for your team if Adebayo starts cashing treys like he did in the Heat’s preseason opener, along with hope for volume increases from Barnes, Jones and Sengun. I could have underestimated Murray at around 1.2 3PT/G, or overestimated him, in which case you could use his roster spot to actually address that category. Your easiest categories to influence using waiver wire options are typically STL, TO and 3PT, so finding some combination of those categories in a player that addresses your strength seems like a realistic path forward.
