There are a lot of wrong things in this world and fantasy basketball leagues aren’t one of them.
Yes, the last week of September and the first two weeks of October are my favourite time of the year because I get to own millionaires that could squander their life earnings in a job that could presumably end before they reach 40. The NBA Fantasy Draft is such a unique experience and winning it makes months of preparation, actual application, and the anticipation of getting other people’s money all worth it.
So I have won a couple of tourneys. I lost most of my tourneys… but you get the point. So I am going to share to you the worst head-to-head format – and that’s H2H – Every Category.
It’s not the worst in terms of gameplay. It’s the hardest. Unlike H2H – Most Categories, you need to win more than five categories (assuming you’re playing 9-cat) to gain advantage. And like most fantasy drafts, a player dominates via the snake draft (assuming you’re not using auction).
First of all, you really, really need extensive research. Looking at a typical Yahoo or ESPN ranking won’t cut it. You can use the rankings as basis on whether or not you need to delay drafting the player of your choosing. Most online rankings are vague because the person that creates these lists are also fantasy players. A magician won’t tell all of his secrets and neither does the said fantasy blogger… and perhaps this article as well.
Haha.
Screw you.
Do your own research.
I made my own in which I scoured Basketball Reference. I listed down the Top 175 players of the 2016-17 NBA season and collected their statistical data.
However, this article can you tips.
Top Picks Aren’t All That
Rudy Gobert ranks in the Top 10 in rebounds and blocks. In 81 games last season, he had five rebounds in all of his games and he had a block in 95 percent of his games. However, there is a 14 percent chance he would give three or more assists, a 38 percent chance of shooting 50 percent from the field, and a 0 percent chance of hitting a trey. If Gobert is Top 10 in rebounds and blocks, Top 75 in points, and Top 150 in everything else, then is he a good investment?
Hassan Whiteside is even worse. Sure, he’s also in the Top 10 in rebounds and blocks. He is also Top 75 in points and Top 100 in turnovers. Whiteside though is Top 200 in assists and field goals. For a center, he only had nine games in which he recorded a 50 percent clip. Nevermind if he can’t hit from outside.
Meanwhile, Marvin Williams is an incredible case. In one game, there is an 82 percent chance he would drill a triple, a 72 percent chance of grabbing five rebounds, a 59 percent chance of scoring ten or more points, and an 86 percent chance of having less than two turnovers.
I am not saying that people should just select Williams for either Whiteside or Gobert but you need to have the right NBA knowledge to get the optimal fantasy experience.
Set A Bar
So let’s agree to disagree. I believe that a good NBA player scores at least ten points, haul at least five rebounds, dimes around three assists, has a swipe, a swat, and a triple, with a maximum of one turnover, and a percentage clip of 50 for field goals and 75 for free throws.
Setting the bar is vital because it gives you a pronounced battle plan.
Joel Embiid played in just 31 games. The Process is injury prone and could be a liability if he can’t play at least 70 games. With that said, Embiid scored 10 points and one block or more in 30 of his 31 games. Moreover, Embiid managed to grab five rebounds in 28 of his 31 games. Sure he’s a health risk but if he can produce the same numbers and play more games, then he’s going to be awesome.
Know Your Current Events
Russell Westbrook is the top fantasy player last season but that’s because he didn’t have Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Dennis Schroder is expected to lead Atlanta with Paul Millsap moving to Denver. Oh and about that Denver move, will his arrival hinder the development of Nikola Jokic?
Predicting the rise and fall of a new arrival is hard. It’s even harder if you don’t know anything about the NBA. There are even instances wherein a player option, a contract year, injuries, the chase for the top pick, a rebuilding phase, or a simple behind-the-scenes spat could make or break a fantasy season. I know most of the scenarios I mentioned would happen in the middle of the season but when these causes present before your fantasy draft, then you have the power to play it safe or double down on a risky reward.
Every Category versus Most Category
And here’s the most important factor I am going to share to you. Unlike in the Most Categories format, a 5-4 win is almost the same as a 4-5 loss in the H2H – Every Category format. You “win” a week when you’re able to score six wins and up. I call H2H – Every Category a glorified roto league because teams are eliminated as early as the sixth week.
The big man stats comprise of rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, and turnovers. Small ball stats consist of assists, steals, free throw percentage, and 3-points made. Last season, there are only THREE players that hit 8-of-9 on my “bar” equation.
PLAYER |
CATEGORIES |
||
KEVIN DURANT, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (62 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 61/62 | 53/62 | 52/62 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 42/62 | 49/62 | 52/62 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 41/62 | 47/62 | 23/62 | |
KAWHI LEONARD, SAN ANTONIO SPURS (74 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 74/74 | 50/74 | 50/74 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 63/74 | 38/74 | 64/74 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 39/74 | 67/74 | 27/74 | |
LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (74 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 74/74 | 70/74 | 73/74 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 55/74 | 32/74 | 57/74 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 54/74 | 66/74 | 5/74 | |
It’s easy to pad turnovers. Non-starters usually produce the least turnovers. With that said, Otto Porter, Marvin Williams, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can also provide near-turnover-free numbers. With that said, I like James, Leonard, and Durant because they are pretty much the border line between small ball and big ball. The only problem I have with these players aside from their turnovers are their games played. Durant should bounce from his 20-game absence but Lebron and Kawhi are notorious for missing games due to rest.
Here are another set of superstar fantasy ballers.
PLAYER |
CATEGORIES |
||
RUSSELL WESTBROOK, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (81 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 80/81 | 78/81 | 80/81 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 68/81 | 25/81 | 70/81 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 24/81 | 67/81 | 2/81 | |
JAMES HARDEN, HOUSTON ROCKETS (81 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 81/81 | 74/81 | 81/81 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 64/81 | 29/81 | 77/81 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 27/81 | 67/81 | 3/81 | |
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, MILWAUKEE BUCKS (80 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 75/80 | 75/80 | 70/80 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 60/80 | 70/80 | 38/80 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 49/80 | 48/80 | 20/80 | |
STEPHEN CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (79 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 78/79 | 33/79 | 77/79 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 65/79 | 14/79 | 76/79 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 30/79 | 63/79 | 15/79 | |
These scoring guards are noteworthy acquisitions as well. With that said, a fantasy team needs to find a way to counter their blocks, turnovers, and field goal percentage.
Finally, here are another set of fantasy ballers.
PLAYER |
CATEGORIES |
||
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (82 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 81/82 | 80/82 | 39/82 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 46/82 | 62/82 | 61/82 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 57/82 | 59/82 | 21/82 | |
ANTHONY DAVIS, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (74 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 73/75 | 71/75 | 26/75 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 52/75 | 64/75 | 28/75 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 46/75 | 52/75 | 27/75 | |
DEMARCUS COUSINS, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (72 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 72/72 | 67/72 | 58/72 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 51/72 | 54/72 | 57/72 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 29/72 | 42/72 | 8/72 | |
NIKOLA JOKIC, DENVER NUGGETS (73 games) |
10+ POINTS | 5+ REBOUNDS | 3+ ASSISTS |
| 56/73 | 65/73 | 57/73 | |
| 1+ STEAL | 1+ BLOCK | 1+ 3-POINTS MADE | |
| 57/73 | 39/73 | 35/73 | |
| 50% FG | 75% FT | 0-1 TURNOVERS | |
| 58/73 | 39/73 | 26/73 | |
Last October 8, I ended up with these players in my 16-team H2H – Every Category League. I held the sixth pick on the odd rounds and the eleventh pick during the even rounds.
| ROUND | PLAYER | TOP 50 | TOP 100 | TOP 200 |
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard, SA | PTS, STL, FT, BLK, FG, 3PM | REB, AST | TO |
| 2 | Kyle Lowry, TOR | 3PM, PTS, AST, STL, FT | REB, FG | BLK, TO |
| 3 | Al Horford, BOS | REB, AST, BLK | PTS, FG, 3PM | STL, FT, TO |
| 4 | Tobias Harris, DET | FG, FT, TO | PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM | AST, STL |
| 5 | Jae Crowder, CLE | STL, 3PM, TO | PTS, REB, AST, FG, FT | BLK |
| 6 | Nicolas Batum, CHA | AST, FT | PTS, REB, STL, BLK, 3PM | FG, TO |
| 7 | JJ Redick, PHI | 3PM, FT, TO | PTS | REB, AST, STL, BLK, FG |
| 8 | Dewayne Dedmon, ATL | Didn’t List | Didn’t List | Didn’t List |
| 9 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, CHA | TO, REB, BLK, FG | STL, FT | PTS, AST, 3PM |
| 10 | Tyler Johnson, MIA | STL, TO | PTS, AST, BLK, FT, 3PM | REB, FG |
| 11 | Justin Holiday, CHI | Didn’t List | Didn’t List | Didn’t List |
| 12 | Jon Leuer, DET | Didn’t List | Didn’t List | Didn’t List |
| 13 | Norman Powell, TOR | Didn’t List | Didn’t List | Didn’t List |
Looking at my roster, I’ll probably look for these factors if I want to start or drop my players.
CATEGORY |
MAIN |
SUPPORT |
POINTS |
Kawhi Leonard
Kyle Lowry |
Al Horford
Tobias Harris Jae Crowder Nicolas Batum JJ Redick Tyler Johnson |
REBOUNDS |
Al Horford
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
Kawhi Leonard
Kyle Lowry Tobias Harris Jae Crowder Nicolas Batum |
ASSISTS |
Kyle Lowry
Al Horford Nicolas Batum |
Kawhi Leonard
Jae Crowder Tyler Johnson |
STEALS |
Kawhi Leonard
Kyle Lowry Jae Crowder Tyler Johnson |
Nicolas Batum
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
BLOCKS |
Kawhi Leonard
Al Horford Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
Tobias Harris
Nicolas Batum Tyler Johnson |
3-POINTS MADE |
Kawhi Leonard
Kyle Lowry Jae Crowder JJ Redick |
Al Horford
Tobias Harris Nicolas Batum Tyler Johnson |
FIELD GOALS |
Kawhi Leonard
Tobias Harris Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
Kyle Lowry
Al Horford Jae Crowder |
FREE THROWS |
Kawhi Leonard
Kyle Lowry Tobias Harris Nicolas Batum JJ Redick |
Jae Crowder
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Tyler Johnson |
TURNOVERS |
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Tobias Harris Jae Crowder JJ Redick Tyler Johnson |
Now that I assessed my players, I think I need another name to help me in the small ball stats (I also need said additional wing to support my team as we wait for the return of Nicolas Batum from injury). I am contented with the big men I have although I am invested with the development of Holiday and Dedmon. Maybe I’m going to go for someone like Thon Maker or John Henson.
So yeah.
Haha.
So hopefully I made some sense. I’m pretty sure this isn’t a foolproof way but drafting players is half the battle.
PROJECT SYDRIFIED WP 