Archive for August, 2012

2012-2013 NBA Fantasy Basketball Rookie Draft Rankings

Aug 23, 2012 Blog

NBA Rookies are definitely the hardest group of players to rank, especially before they have even attended their first camp.  These rankings will probably change a good bit before the season starts, but there are a few good fantasy bets here.

Our 2012-2013 NBA Fantasy Basketball Rookie Draft Rankings will be updated throughout the offseason and training camp, so check back for updated rankings.

The following rankings are based on the FBD scoring system, which you can find HERE.

I also use these rankings for all of my cash game play at FANDUEL.  Daily cash games and tournaments at Fanduel are highly addictive for guys who like daily fantasy action.  Registration at Fanduel is free and you can deposit with Paypal or a credit card.

Anthony Davis (NOR) – Davis got some great exposure and experience this summer playing in the Olympics.  From what I watched, he didn’t look overmatched at all and actually held his own quite well.  The Hornets are probably going to give him some run at power forward and center to see where he fits best.  They just brought in Robin Lopez to play some center and Ryan Anderson to get some minutes at power forward.  There’s a good chance Anderson slides down to small forward, leaving the power forward minutes for Davis.  Wherever he plays, he should get 30-32 minutes a game and grab rookie of the year honors.  His scoring might take some time to develop, but he has the potential to grab 10+ rebounds a game and put up great shot blocking totals as well.

Damian Lillard (POR) – The Blazers parted ways with Raymond Felton, which leaves the starting point guard spot open for Lillard.  He had a great summer league, being voted co-MVP, and should be able to log 32-24 minutes per game this season making him the best rookie point guard on the board.   Lillard is a great pick and roll player and should have some big games with LaMarcus Aldridge.  I’m projecting him at 14 points and 6 assists per game.

Bradley Beal (WAS) – Beal will get every opportunity to earn the starting shooting guard spot and play alongside John Wall.  Beal has an excellent jumper and has been compared to Ray Allen in his effectiveness.  He’s still got to compete with Jordan Crawford for minutes, but Crawford’s horrible shooting percentage should keep Beal on the court to spread the floor for Wall.  Beal also has excellent defensive skills and could easily pick 1.5 steals per game.  If you are building around points, threes and steals, then Beal is probably the best rookie candidate for those categories.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (CHA) – The Bobcats got rid of Corey Maggette, which opens the starting small forward spot for Gilchrist.  MGK is a great defensive player and that should get him on the court for 30+ minutes a game in his rookie season.  He’s going to be a hard working energy guy for Charlotte on the defensive end, but he might have some problems developing his offensive game.  He’s not a great jumpshooter, but instead prefers to take it to the basket.  He’ll definitely need to work on his shot to open himself up some space to drive.  He should be able to put up 10 points, 5 rebounds and a couple of steals a game.

Dion Waiters (CLE) – The Cavaliers drafted Waiters to pair with Kyrie Irving in the backcourt and he could get some significant minutes this season to develop chemistry with Irving.  Waiters has a good shooting touch as evidenced by his numbers at Syracuse where he hit threes at a 36.7% rate and shot 47.6% overall.  He’s also a very active defensive player, picking up 1.8 steals per game in just 24 minutes of action at Syracuse.  He’s going to have some competition for minutes with Daniel Gibson and the newly acquired C.J. Miles, but if Miles starts getting minutes at small forward, Waiters could get the bulk of the shooting guard minutes.

Jonas Valanciunas (TOR) – Toronto drafted Valanciunas fifth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and stashed him over in Europe for some much needed development.  He’s back, and he’s developed.  There is a good chance the Raptors will insert him into the starting lineup at center this season and move Andrea Bargnani to power forward (which would be a big help to his stats as well).

Meyers Leonard (POR) – The Blazers have absolutely nobody on their roster to play center, so they used the number 11 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft on Meyers Leonard.  He’s got as much chance as anyone to grab a starting NBA job, which makes him fantasy worthy, especially at center.

Austin Rivers (NOR) – The Hornets grabbed Rivers with the tenth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and will try to plug him in at point guard.  They recently traded away Jarrett Jack, which leaves only Greivis Vasquez at point guard.  Rivers isn’t a natural point guard and would be better suited at shooting guard, but the Hornets already have that spot covered with Eric Gordon.  There’s a good chance that they work Rivers in slowly at point guard and also give him minutes backing up Gordon at shooting guard.  New Orleans really has no shot at the playoffs this season and they might as well develop some chemistry between Anthony Davis and Rivers if they have any hope of competing in the future.  If Rivers grabs the starting point guard spot, his ranking will rise sharply.

Donatas Motiejunas (HOU) – The Rockets let Luis Scola walk and now have an opening at power forward.  Motiejunas should battle it out with Patrick Patterson for the starting spot, and could easily win that battle.  Motiejunas is a 21 year old seven-footer who was drafted with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  He’s got excellent offensive potential and a nice shooting touch.  He’s a little thin, which could give him some problems on defense, but he’s a great fantasy asset for points, rebounds and blocks.  There’s also a chance that he could pickup some minutes at center if newly acquired Omer Asik doesn’t perform well or gets hurt.  His final ranking will depend a lot on how his camp goes, with a starting spot he’s a top five rookie.

Harrison Barnes (GSW) – The Warriors got rid of Dorell Wright and only Richard Jefferson remains between Barnes and a starting job.  I expect that Jefferson will get first shot at the starting small forward spot, but Barnes could easily take that job by Christmas.  Even if Jefferson grabs the starting spot, look for Barnes to pick up 25 minutes a game as the primary sixth man offensive option off the bench. His final ranking will depend greatly on his battle with Jefferson and how quickly the Warriors want to develop him.

Tomas Robinson (SAC) – Sacramento currently has Jason Thompson at power forward, but they desperately need to improve their team rebounding, which is exactly why they drafted Robinson.  Although he probably won’t score much, he should pile up huge rebound numbers that could really help your fantasy team.  Keep an eye on how many minutes he’s getting in camp and adjust his ranking accordingly.

Jeremy Lamb (HOU) – Lamb is just one Kevin Martin injury away from being a huge fantasy asset, and you know that Martin injury is inevitable, right?  Lamb is a pure scorer and averaged 17.7 points per game for Connecticut on 47.8% shooting.  When Houston finally realizes they have no shot at the playoffs, look for Martin to be shopped and the starting shooting guard spot handed to Lamb.

Moe Harkless (ORL) – Harkless was drafted by Philadelphia but was recently traded to Orlando as part of the Dwight Howard deal.  The Magic are definitely in rebuilding mode and currenly have Hedo Turkoglu manning the small forward spot.  Turkoglu could be a trade candidate, which would leave a starting job for Harkless.  If the trade doesn’t happen, then Harkless probably isn’t draftable.

 

Guys who need some luck to become fantasy relevant:

Terrence Ross (TOR) – Ross is an excellent offensive player, but right now he’s solidly behind DeMar DeRozan.  He’s going to need a DeRozan trade to have enough value to draft him in one year fantasy leagues.  If DeRozan doesn’t get traded, Ross will be lucky to get 20 minutes a night.

Alexy Shved (MIN) – Shved is a Russian combo guard that really got some attention during this year’s Olympics.  The Timberwolves have him slotted at shooting guard, but he’s also going to get some time at point guard while Ricky Rubio continues to rehab.  He’s got a pretty good jumpshot and can hit the corner three when needed.  The danger with drafting Shved is that the Wolves also have Brandon Roy.  Roy will probably get most of the minutes, so Shved will likely start off as the backup.

Royce White (HOU) – White is a ‘point forward’ type of player who will competing with Patrick Patterson, Donatas Motiejunas and maybe some of the small forward candidates for minutes.  If the Rockets choose to go with his skillset at power forward, he could gain fantasy value.

John Henson (MIL) – Henson has size and offensive ability, unfortunately he’s buried on the depth chart behind Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert and Ersan Ilyasova.  He’s going to need a few injuries to the guys in front of him to become fantasy relevant.

Perry Jones, III (OKC) – Jones has offensive skills, but he’s stuck behind Kevin Durant.  He could get some run with the second team.

Terrence Jones (HOU) – Jones has the ability to play either small forward or power forward for the Rockets, but his best bet is probably at small forward.  He’s got too much competition for minutes right now to be draftable.

John Jenkins (ATL) – Jenkins is a sharpshooter who is currently stuck behind Jeff Teague, Devin Harris and Lou Williams.   He’s primarily a jumpshooter and will likely come off the bench, but not really have enough value to be draftable.

Andrew Nicholson (ORL) – Nicholson was hoping to grab a backup spot behind Glen Davis, but the Magic recently brought in Al Harrington, which could kill Nicholson’s chance at fantasy relevancy.

Kendall Marshall (PHO) – Marshall had a shot at the starting point guard spot when Steve Nash left, but the Suns brought in Goran Dragic.  Marshall averaged nearly 10 assists per game for North Carolina and could pickup some backup minutes.  He’s going to have to improve his shot though.

Jared Sullinger (BOS) – He’s behind some guy named Kevin Garnett.  Enough said.

Tyler Zeller (CLE) – Zeller should pickup some backup minutes, but the Cavs are likely going all-in with Tristan Thompson at power forward and Anderson Varejao at center.

Andre Drummond (DET) – I’ve seen several sites hyping Drummond, but don’t fall for the hype.  He’s definitely a project and has no offensive game at all.  His only contributions would be rebounding and maybe some blocks, that’s if he can get with the system and keep his fouls under control.

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$500,000 Fanduel Fantasy Football Championship

Aug 22, 2012 Blog

Football season is back and Fanduel is once again offering  The $500,000 Fanduel Fantasy Football Championship!

The $500,000 FFFC is the biggest fantasy football tournament in the world – and you can be part of it! Here’s how it works:

  • During each of the first 12 Sundays of the NFL season FanDuel is running two FFFC qualifying tournaments.
  • Qualifying tournaments run at $10 and $270. All players can enter an unlimited amount of teams in both tournaments.
  • The player who scores the most points in each qualifying tournament will win an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas and a seat in the FFFC finals. We’ll also be awarding $6,250 in runner up prizes in every qualifier.

The 24 finalists will be on their way to Vegas for the fantasy football event of a lifetime. Here’s what each of them will receive:

  • One round-trip ticket to Las Vegas.
  • One chauffeur ride from the airport to the luxurious Palazzo Hotel and Casino.
  • Two nights in a suite at the Palazzo.
  • A night of dinner and partying with all the other winners on Saturday, December 8th
  • An amazing day of drinking, eating, and watching football on December 9th in private boxes at Lagasse’s Stadium in Las Vegas, the premier sports bar and casino in the world. FanDuel will pick up the tab for every finalist for celebrations on Saturday and Sunday.
  • A share of the $350,000 we will award in the final – including $150,000 to the winner.

Register for FREE at Fanduel and Enter the FFFC!

Prizes for the live final in Vegas:

1st: $150,000. 2nd: $50,000. 3rd: $25,000. 4th: $20,000. 5th: $15,000. 6th: $10,000. 7th: $8,500. 8th: $7,500. 9th: $6,500. 10th: $6,000. 11th: $5,500. 12th: $5,000. 13th: $4,700. 14th: $4,400. 15th: $4,100. 16th: $3,800. 17th: $3,600. 18th: $3,400. 19th: $3,200. 20th: $3,100. 21st: $2,900. 22nd: $2,700. 23rd: $2,600. 24th: $2,500.

Weekly prizes: Each qualifying tournament will have $6,250 in runner up prizes. The distribution is as follows:

$10 qualifier: 1st place: Seat in final and trip to Las Vegas. 2nd place: $800. 3rd place: $500. 4th place: $350. 5th place: $250. 6th and 7th place: $175. 8th and 9th place: $150. 10th and 11th place: $125. 12th and 13th place: $100. 14th through 18th place: $75. 19th through 25th place: $50. 26th through 40th place: $40. 41st through 65th place: $35. 66th through 100th : $30.

$270 qualifier: 1st place: Seat in final and trip to Las Vegas. 2nd place: $2,750. 3rd place: $1,750. 4th place: $1,000. 5th place: $750

ENTER NOW!

 

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$500,000 Fanduel Fantasy Football Championship!

Aug 22, 2012 Blog

I know we talk basketball here, but fantasy football season is quickly approaching and what better way to kick off the season than by taking a look at the largest daily fantasy football contest on the ‘net:  The $500,000 Fanduel Fantasy Football Championship!

The $500,000 FFFC is the biggest fantasy football tournament in the world – and you can be part of it! Here’s how it works:

  • During each of the first 12 Sundays of the NFL season FanDuel is running two FFFC qualifying tournaments.
  • Qualifying tournaments run at $10 and $270. All players can enter an unlimited amount of teams in both tournaments.
  • The player who scores the most points in each qualifying tournament will win an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas and a seat in the FFFC finals. We’ll also be awarding $6,250 in runner up prizes in every qualifier.

The 24 finalists will be on their way to Vegas for the fantasy football event of a lifetime. Here’s what each of them will receive:

  • One round-trip ticket to Las Vegas.
  • One chauffeur ride from the airport to the luxurious Palazzo Hotel and Casino.
  • Two nights in a suite at the Palazzo.
  • A night of dinner and partying with all the other winners on Saturday, December 8th
  • An amazing day of drinking, eating, and watching football on December 9th in private boxes at Lagasse’s Stadium in Las Vegas, the premier sports bar and casino in the world. FanDuel will pick up the tab for every finalist for celebrations on Saturday and Sunday.
  • A share of the $350,000 we will award in the final – including $150,000 to the winner.

Register for FREE at Fanduel and Enter the FFFC!

Prizes for the live final in Vegas:

1st: $150,000. 2nd: $50,000. 3rd: $25,000. 4th: $20,000. 5th: $15,000. 6th: $10,000. 7th: $8,500. 8th: $7,500. 9th: $6,500. 10th: $6,000. 11th: $5,500. 12th: $5,000. 13th: $4,700. 14th: $4,400. 15th: $4,100. 16th: $3,800. 17th: $3,600. 18th: $3,400. 19th: $3,200. 20th: $3,100. 21st: $2,900. 22nd: $2,700. 23rd: $2,600. 24th: $2,500.

Weekly prizes: Each qualifying tournament will have $6,250 in runner up prizes. The distribution is as follows:

$10 qualifier: 1st place: Seat in final and trip to Las Vegas. 2nd place: $800. 3rd place: $500. 4th place: $350. 5th place: $250. 6th and 7th place: $175. 8th and 9th place: $150. 10th and 11th place: $125. 12th and 13th place: $100. 14th through 18th place: $75. 19th through 25th place: $50. 26th through 40th place: $40. 41st through 65th place: $35. 66th through 100th : $30.

$270 qualifier: 1st place: Seat in final and trip to Las Vegas. 2nd place: $2,750. 3rd place: $1,750. 4th place: $1,000. 5th place: $750

ENTER NOW! 

 

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Trade Analysis and Fantasy Value Implications: Dwight Howard to the Lakers

Aug 10, 2012 Blog

Dwight Howard won big and the Orlando Magic were the big losers.  Reports this morning have Howard going to the Los Angeles Lakers to join Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  That should put the Lakers in a good spot to take the title in the West.  The only concern is Howard’s health.  Back injuries can be tricky, but Howard is supposed to return for camp 100%.  We’ll see.

Here’s the players on the move in this big one:  LA gets Howard, Philadelphia gets Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, Orlando gets Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless.

Dwight Howard’s fantasy ranking and projection doesn’t change much, he’s still the number one center on the board and a first round pick.  The only effect that I can see in LA is on Pau Gasol and his rebound numbers.  When LA puts Howard in the middle, then Pau should shift out more to the perimeter, which could help his offensive game, but hurt his rebounding and shot blocking.  Steve Nash should have a field day feeding Howard.  It could also be a big help to Kobe if opponents try to double up on Howard and leave the perimeter open.

Andrew Bynum will now be the starting center in Philadelphia and the focal point of that offense.  I have Bynum as my number two center in the rankings, but this move really closes the gap between Howard and Bynum.  The Sixers will ask Bynum to be everything and I expect that his stat projections will rise sharply since he doesn’t have to compete with the likes of Kobe, Nash and Gasol in the offense.  Now he only has to compete with Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes.  Big difference.

The two guys hurt in Philly are Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown.  There’s really no reason to keep both guys on the roster now, so maybe there’s another trade brewing.  I’ve seen some talk of the Sixers moving Hawes to PF, but I just don’t see that working.

A couple  of guys who could benefit are Dorell Wright and Thaddeus Young.  With Iguodala now out of the picture, the Sixers have to fill the starting SF spot and I’d expect that Young gets first shot, unless they decide to go with a starting five of Holiday, Turner, Wright, Young and Bynum, while using Jason Richardson, Lavoy Allen, Hawes and Brown as a second unit.  Either way, Dorell Wright is definitely helped since he only has Young, but not Iguodala, to compete with for minutes.

Jason Richardson has a chance to work his way back into some decent minutes if he can beat out Evan Turner for the starting SG spot.  Even if he becomes a source of scoring off the bench with the second unit, he will still be a valuable source of threes in fantasy leagues.

Andre Iguodala finally gets out of Philadelphia and fantasy owners should be thrilled about the change of scenery.  For the last couple of seasons it’s seemed like his talents were being used incorrectly and pretty much wasted by the coaching staff in Philly.   He’s now in Denver and should step into either the starting SG or SF spot, depending on how George Karl wants to play it.  The Nuggets currently have Danilo Gallinari at small forward and Wilson Chandler at shooting guard after trading away Arron Afflalo.  I’m guessing that he starts at shooting guard since Wilson Chandler can pretty much go at either SG or SF.

Orlando really didn’t get much in this trade and it seems like the previous Brook Lopez discussion would have been a much better return for Howard.   Arron Afflalo is probably the best player that they got in this deal, but from a fantasy perspective he’s still going to be competing for minutes with J.J. Redick, so his fantasy value is a bit cloudy until roles are defined in camp.

Al Harrington could be a big winner if the Magic decide to plug him in at center.  He’s got a great scoring touch and can shoot the three, which is a bonus from the center position.  The other option here is to use Harrington to basically act as a replacement for Ryan Anderson at PF since both guys play the same kind of perimeter game.  If they go  this route, Glen Davis will lose some minutes at the PF spot.

If the Magic decide not to go with Harrington at center, they could instead turn to the other guy acquired in this deal, Nikola Vucevic.  Vucevic was the odd man out in Philly with Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown already on the roster, so this move definitely gives him a shot at being fantasy relevant.  Vucevic has some size at 7’0, 240 pounds, but he’s still pretty raw at just 21 years old.  He got about 16 minutes a game in his rookie season and his per/36 numbers were pretty decent at 12.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

Moe Harkless has to like getting out of the crowded SF competition in Philadelphia.  The Magic currently have Hedo Turkoglu at small forward, but I really think that he might also be on his way out of Orlando with the Magic clearly in rebuilding mode.  If Turkoglu gets shipped out, then Harkless could get a chance at decent minutes.

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