I just got done reading Matt Buser's fantasy basketball post on yahoo.com (http://yhoo.it/fFCMAX). It is a lot of information, but here are my key notes:
The Good:
- The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings have the most favorable stretch run and playoff schedules. The best options to try to add or acquire via trade for the Suns are Vince Carter, Channing Frye, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley. For the Kings, you want to try to pick up Beno Udrih. With Tyreke Evans always getting banged up, it's likely that Udrih will overtake Evans in minutes at point over the final weeks of the NBA season. Francisco Garcia is also another King to consider adding for your playoff run.
- Consider picking up Arron Afflalo for Denver. If and when Carmelo leaves, it could be a good chance for young players like Afflalo to emerge more in Denver's offense. Also consider picking up J.R. Smith after the All-Star break because he could end up getting a boost in playing time and is always good for helping in the 3's category.
- Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard have some pretty easy schedules during the final weeks of the season. Look for Blake to go off during week 21 and Howard to go off during week 22.
- Oklahoma City has a lot of players sitting at the top of the free agents list. They might be good pick-ups when it comes playoff time. The Thunder have a pretty heavy schedule during the final weeks of the season, playing something like 4 games a week in 4 out of the last 5 weeks of the season. Wait until march before adding Thabo Sefolosha, James Harden and Eric Maynor until after they have the slim part of their schedule.
- Now might also be the right time to trade for all of the Utah Jazz players. Utah "has a relatively easy playoff schedule". And right now they aren't playing so hot. I would figure that Jerry Sloan will have them playing well late March and into your playoff schedule.
The Bad:
- Apparently it should be noted that the Los Angeles Lakers have 5 straight 3-game weeks during the stretch run and playoffs of most head-to-head fantasy basketball leagues. Not that having 3-games in a week is going to really hurt you, because it's LA. But you also have to believe that if the Lakers (Celtics, Spurs) have a seed in the post-season locked, they won't be pushing their veterans. The Heat might also have the East locked up with three weeks to go in the season and you might be stuck with a less than average Wade, Bosh and Bron.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves have the "worst playoff schedule". Which is awesome for the season ticket holder... and fan of getting a better draft pick, hah. The Wolves are looking at going to Utah, LA Lakers, Dallas and Oklahoma City as well as hosting Boston, Chicago and Miami.
- New Orleans has the fewest games of all NBA teams during the "fantasy playoffs" of most leagues h2h leagues, with just 9. Matt Buser suggests looking into dealing CP3 because of his recent injuries. If New Orleans doesn't need him, they will probably rest him to have Paul ready for a playoff push. Then again, they may be fighting for 8th and need him to go hard for those 2 or 3 games a week. Which would mean that he would could produce more assists and be more productive than any decent player playing 4 games a week...
- I also had notes that the Raptors might not be a team to invest in. I think that is pretty obvious, but I know there are a lot of people picking up Calderon, DeRozan, Bayless, and Ed Davis. But come playoff time, you might want to replace those guys with the bench of the Kings or Suns.
- Buser recommends dealing banged up players on losing teams. John Wall is one of those players he says might have his minutes decreased toward the end of the year because of his ankles and whatnot. I have a few other Wizards, but he doesn't say anything about Young, McGee and Blatche.
Lastly, Buser links the website www.BasketballMonster.com, which is incredible. I am going to use this site for DraftStreet and my fantasy leagues. I think you should too.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thoughts on Thursday night in the NBA (Jan. 27, 2011)
So last night Kevin Durant put up 47 and 18. Durant scored 71.5 points on DraftStreet. One of the highest outputs I have seen this season. Those who took Kevin Durant and Kevin Love probably ended up winning. I won just $22.50 off of my $30.00 worth of leagues. I had one team score more than 275 points (my personal best I think, as far as I remember), but had that team in just one league. Tonight I hope to have success across all of my leagues. Here are my thoughts:
I am taking LeBron James against New York. Not because James is scoring the most points per game amongst available players tonight (by 6 points), but because Amare decided to say this week, "No one is scared of the Miami Heat". Yikes. Good luck against James tonight, Stoudemire.
Valuable players to consider are Houston players Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes. The Rockets are playing pretty well lately, but their 3rd game in 4 days might catch up to them tonight. With that said, I'll probably favor taking Hayes over Scola as Hayes had a few games off a couple weeks ago and might be fresher (and he's priced less).
No question you have to take Tyson Chandler with one of your center positions. Chandler has the highest average FPPG over the last 15 days of all the centers available. The 4 most expensive Centers are all banged up, so this is again a place where taking the right guy is very crucial.
Another Center I'm going to consider is Miami Heat's Joel Anthony. Anthony has averaged 16 points per game over his last 15 days, which puts him up there on the list for tonight. And Zydrunas and Erika Dampier are priced higher than him.
I like Wesley Matthews at $10,632. Portland has relied heavily on Matthews since losing Roy and he has produced for them. I think he could play well tonight despite going against a strong Celtics D.
Dirk pulls the "Durant" tonight and scores 70+ points. That's what I predict. I have Dirk coming up with a huge game. No real reason in particular, other than Houston being tired and Dirk being due.
Here is a team that I am going to use for tonight:
G: Raymond Felton $14,698
G: Wesley Matthews $10,632
F: LeBron James $20,323
F: Dirk Nowitzki $15,320
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
C: Joel Anthony $5,086
U: Paul Pierce $13,911
U: Ronny Turiaf $8,291
Total Price: $99,866 - $134 left on the table
I have LeBron, Dirk, Felton and Pierce. I also have Matthews and Chandler. The two wild cards for tonight are Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf. Both of these guys have played well recently, and another reason why I took these guys is because of the lack of centers available tonight. I figure that having 3 centers will help me match other teams I'm up against. We will see.
I also have the Miami Heat beating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals this year. That is as of today. I'm going to put out a team tonight with just players from these two teams, here is what it looks like:
G: Dwyane Wade $17,433
G: Jason Terry $10,129
F: LeBron James $20,323
F: Dirk Nowitzki $15,320
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
C: Joel Anthony $5,086
U: Jason Kid $12,578
U: Eddie House $6,602
Total Price: $99,076 - $924 left on the table
I am taking LeBron James against New York. Not because James is scoring the most points per game amongst available players tonight (by 6 points), but because Amare decided to say this week, "No one is scared of the Miami Heat". Yikes. Good luck against James tonight, Stoudemire.
Valuable players to consider are Houston players Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes. The Rockets are playing pretty well lately, but their 3rd game in 4 days might catch up to them tonight. With that said, I'll probably favor taking Hayes over Scola as Hayes had a few games off a couple weeks ago and might be fresher (and he's priced less).
No question you have to take Tyson Chandler with one of your center positions. Chandler has the highest average FPPG over the last 15 days of all the centers available. The 4 most expensive Centers are all banged up, so this is again a place where taking the right guy is very crucial.
Another Center I'm going to consider is Miami Heat's Joel Anthony. Anthony has averaged 16 points per game over his last 15 days, which puts him up there on the list for tonight. And Zydrunas and Erika Dampier are priced higher than him.
I like Wesley Matthews at $10,632. Portland has relied heavily on Matthews since losing Roy and he has produced for them. I think he could play well tonight despite going against a strong Celtics D.
Dirk pulls the "Durant" tonight and scores 70+ points. That's what I predict. I have Dirk coming up with a huge game. No real reason in particular, other than Houston being tired and Dirk being due.
Here is a team that I am going to use for tonight:
G: Raymond Felton $14,698
G: Wesley Matthews $10,632
F: LeBron James $20,323
F: Dirk Nowitzki $15,320
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
C: Joel Anthony $5,086
U: Paul Pierce $13,911
U: Ronny Turiaf $8,291
Total Price: $99,866 - $134 left on the table
I have LeBron, Dirk, Felton and Pierce. I also have Matthews and Chandler. The two wild cards for tonight are Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf. Both of these guys have played well recently, and another reason why I took these guys is because of the lack of centers available tonight. I figure that having 3 centers will help me match other teams I'm up against. We will see.
I also have the Miami Heat beating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals this year. That is as of today. I'm going to put out a team tonight with just players from these two teams, here is what it looks like:
G: Dwyane Wade $17,433
G: Jason Terry $10,129
F: LeBron James $20,323
F: Dirk Nowitzki $15,320
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
C: Joel Anthony $5,086
U: Jason Kid $12,578
U: Eddie House $6,602
Total Price: $99,076 - $924 left on the table
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday Salary Cap Advice for DraftStreet.com (Jan. 26, 2011)
Wednesday night is NBA night in the world of sports. There are a total of 20 teams playing tonight and we get to see the terrible Jazz play against the leagues best Spurs on ESPN.
After watching the Lakers destroy Utah like they were Cleveland, and to see AK47 and Big Al fail to produce, I've decided I'm not taking any more Utah players. And I'm not going to take players that are playing against the Lakers in LA.
I will, however, take a long look at who the Jazz are playing against. And tonight I am looking right at Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Not only are they competing to prove they should be in the All-Star game, but they are also going against a tired, unmotivated Utah Jazz defense. Parker and Duncan are great values tonight, Parker at $13,128 and Duncan at $14,867. There is a red medical symbol next to Duncan's name on Draftstreet.
Yahoo's latest news update for Duncan says:
Duncan should lace up and be fine, but if you like picking sleepers you might want to select DeJuan Blair. Blair has played well recently, over 20 FPPG in the last 15 days, but at $10,157 you can definitely find a better value at that price. So, maybe consider super sleeper Antonio McDyess, who is averaging more than 15 FPPG at priced at $6,774.
I'm excited for Kevin Love vs Kevin Durant at the Target Center tonight. I am going to take Love, but avoid Durant. Over the last 15 days, despite being priced 6th most, Durant has averaged the 14th highest FPPG over that stretch. Durant's teammate, Russell Westbrook, has been the one doing the heavy lifting. Russell is the 4th highest priced player, but has the 2nd highest FPPG average over the last 15 days (behind only Blake Griffin). Why? Westbrook shoots a high percentage, scores, steals, passes and hits threes. He also has a very high Assist to Turnover ratio.
Go big or go home. I'm picking one team that contains the four monsters: Love, Griffin, Howard and Westbrook. In order to pick a team with the four best players available/highest prices, you need to find a few values. I find value in the Bobcats Shaun Livingston at %5,530 and Kwame Brown at $6,758. Kwame looked great last night putting in a lot of minutes, so tonight might be an off-night for him. The opposite is true of Livingston, he was relatively quiet last night so I expect to hear more from his game tonight. I also like Toronto guards Jerryd Bayless at $7,512 and DeMar DeRozan at %8,628. Bayless and DeRozan have played well with Raptors guards Calderon, Barbosa and Weems. I'm also going to take a look at picking Derrick Favors from New Jersey for $6,114.
Here is my "Monster 4" team:
G: Russell Westbrook $18,123
G: Jerryd Bayless $7,512
F: Kevin Love $18,884
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
C: Dwight Howard $18,376
C: Kwame Brown $6,758
U: Derrick Favors $6,114
U: Shaun Livingston $5,530
Total: $99,888 - $112 left on the table
This team gives me 4 players over $18,000 - Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard and Russell Westbrook. If I can 180 points from these four, I hope that I can get 60 from Bayless, Brown, Favors and Livingston to get to my magic number: 240.
I think that if you can score 240, you should win.
My All-Solid team consists of no player over $15k and no player under $10k:
G: Tony Parker $13,128
G: Kevin Martin $12,891
F: Josh Smith $14,906
F: Dorell Wright $13,230
C: Brook Lopez $12,709
C: Emeka Okafor $11,894
U: Ryan Anderson $10,064
U: Arron Affalo $10,612
Total: $99,524 - $476 left on the table
This team gives me really good depth. I think that I could easily get 20 points per player. I hope to average 30 so that I can reach my magic number: 240. It will be interesting to see which strategy pays off: 4 high end/4 low end vs 8 solid.
See you at the Timberwolves game tonight.
post edit:
I just made a team that makes the most of the money. Spending all but $1, here is a team I'll send out there tonight:
G: Tony Parker $13,128
G: Baron Davis $12,482
F: Rudy Gay $14,089
F: Chuck Hayes $9,659
C: Dwight Howard $18,367
C: Darko Milicic $10,011
U: Stephen Curry $15,489
U: Antonio McDyess $6,774
Total: $99,999 - $1 left on the table
After watching the Lakers destroy Utah like they were Cleveland, and to see AK47 and Big Al fail to produce, I've decided I'm not taking any more Utah players. And I'm not going to take players that are playing against the Lakers in LA.
I will, however, take a long look at who the Jazz are playing against. And tonight I am looking right at Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Not only are they competing to prove they should be in the All-Star game, but they are also going against a tired, unmotivated Utah Jazz defense. Parker and Duncan are great values tonight, Parker at $13,128 and Duncan at $14,867. There is a red medical symbol next to Duncan's name on Draftstreet.
Yahoo's latest news update for Duncan says:
Duncan went down with a left knee injury in the second quarter of Monday's game against the Warriors but returned in the third quarter, the Associated Press reports. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
Duncan should lace up and be fine, but if you like picking sleepers you might want to select DeJuan Blair. Blair has played well recently, over 20 FPPG in the last 15 days, but at $10,157 you can definitely find a better value at that price. So, maybe consider super sleeper Antonio McDyess, who is averaging more than 15 FPPG at priced at $6,774.
I'm excited for Kevin Love vs Kevin Durant at the Target Center tonight. I am going to take Love, but avoid Durant. Over the last 15 days, despite being priced 6th most, Durant has averaged the 14th highest FPPG over that stretch. Durant's teammate, Russell Westbrook, has been the one doing the heavy lifting. Russell is the 4th highest priced player, but has the 2nd highest FPPG average over the last 15 days (behind only Blake Griffin). Why? Westbrook shoots a high percentage, scores, steals, passes and hits threes. He also has a very high Assist to Turnover ratio.
Go big or go home. I'm picking one team that contains the four monsters: Love, Griffin, Howard and Westbrook. In order to pick a team with the four best players available/highest prices, you need to find a few values. I find value in the Bobcats Shaun Livingston at %5,530 and Kwame Brown at $6,758. Kwame looked great last night putting in a lot of minutes, so tonight might be an off-night for him. The opposite is true of Livingston, he was relatively quiet last night so I expect to hear more from his game tonight. I also like Toronto guards Jerryd Bayless at $7,512 and DeMar DeRozan at %8,628. Bayless and DeRozan have played well with Raptors guards Calderon, Barbosa and Weems. I'm also going to take a look at picking Derrick Favors from New Jersey for $6,114.
Here is my "Monster 4" team:
G: Russell Westbrook $18,123
G: Jerryd Bayless $7,512
F: Kevin Love $18,884
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
C: Dwight Howard $18,376
C: Kwame Brown $6,758
U: Derrick Favors $6,114
U: Shaun Livingston $5,530
Total: $99,888 - $112 left on the table
This team gives me 4 players over $18,000 - Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard and Russell Westbrook. If I can 180 points from these four, I hope that I can get 60 from Bayless, Brown, Favors and Livingston to get to my magic number: 240.
I think that if you can score 240, you should win.
My All-Solid team consists of no player over $15k and no player under $10k:
G: Tony Parker $13,128
G: Kevin Martin $12,891
F: Josh Smith $14,906
F: Dorell Wright $13,230
C: Brook Lopez $12,709
C: Emeka Okafor $11,894
U: Ryan Anderson $10,064
U: Arron Affalo $10,612
Total: $99,524 - $476 left on the table
This team gives me really good depth. I think that I could easily get 20 points per player. I hope to average 30 so that I can reach my magic number: 240. It will be interesting to see which strategy pays off: 4 high end/4 low end vs 8 solid.
See you at the Timberwolves game tonight.
post edit:
I just made a team that makes the most of the money. Spending all but $1, here is a team I'll send out there tonight:
G: Tony Parker $13,128
G: Baron Davis $12,482
F: Rudy Gay $14,089
F: Chuck Hayes $9,659
C: Dwight Howard $18,367
C: Darko Milicic $10,011
U: Stephen Curry $15,489
U: Antonio McDyess $6,774
Total: $99,999 - $1 left on the table
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday Salary Cap Advice (Jan. 25, 2011)
I didn't do awesome last night, but I did well enough to make a little bit of money. Tonight, with less teams, you have to be even better. When there are less teams playing (only 10 tonight), there are obviously less choices for players. And with everyone having the chance to take Blake Griffin and Pau Gasol, your sleepers or your "depth" better be top notch.
Here are my thoughts for Tuesday:
Guards:
There are some good guards available tonight, but they do require a hefty price tag. I might save my money on guards and take some more affordable options. The highest priced player I might take is Tyreke Evans at $14,017. I really like Charlotte guards DJ Augustin and Shaun Livingston. Livingston is a steal at $5,574, he has averaged 12 points a game (DS fantasy points, not NBA PPG) during the last 15 days. I also really like Arron Afflalo for Denver, priced at $10,770 it might be a good pick. You could spend another $400 and take Washington guard Nick Young.
Forwards:
You pretty much need to take Blake Griffin tonight, as he is one of the highest scoring players available over the last 15 days at any position. Griffin is averaging 12 points MORE than the next best Forward out there, Carmelo Anthony. I am going to look at taking Rashard Lewis if I don't grab his new teammate Nick Young. Lewis has played really well recently, has plenty of upside and is priced relatively low. Another player that is worth the money is JJ Hickson for Cleveland. Other decent values are Andrei Kirilenko and Boris Diaw.
Center:
I think that you either need to take Gasol and someone inexpensive, or go with both Al Jefferson and Nene together. Tonight there are a lot of cheap centers that could produce, however it makes it one of the toughest position to pick. I like Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan and even Kwame Brown. I won't take McGee tonight though, as I already want the rest of the Wizards starting 5: Wall, Blatche, Young, Lewis. I probably won't take Jordan either since I am going to take Griffin, but there are some people who did well having both of these Clippers on Saturday night. The center picks could make or break your team, choose wisely.
Here is a team I am considering for Jan. 25, 2011:
G: Rajon Rondo $15,843
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
F: Andrei Kirilenko $11,396
C: Nene Hilario $12,736
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
U: Nick Young $11,029
U: Shaun Livingston $5,574
Total Price: $99,800 - $200 left on the table
With this team I have BG and Rondo. I also have Nene, AK47, Tyreke Evans and Nick Young. My two worst players are Tyson Chandler and Shaun Livingston. Living and dieing with Livingston -- I'm kinda nervous about that.
I decided to create a second team for tonight, using the centers that I want:
Team 2:
G: Nick Young $11,029
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
F: Andrei Kirilenko $11,396
C: Nene Hilario $12,736
C: Al Jefferson $13,827
U: Antawn Jamison $12,739
U: Shaun Livingston $5,574
Total Cost: $99,918 - $82 left on the table
With this team I still get BG, AK47, Evans and Nene. I basically swapped out Rondo and Chandler for Jefferson and Jamison. Not sure if this is a wise move, considering Jamison played last night and Jefferson has had some downright bad games and might not do much better than Chandler.
We shall see. Good luck tonight. Leave a comment with your team for Tuesday.
Here are my thoughts for Tuesday:
Guards:
There are some good guards available tonight, but they do require a hefty price tag. I might save my money on guards and take some more affordable options. The highest priced player I might take is Tyreke Evans at $14,017. I really like Charlotte guards DJ Augustin and Shaun Livingston. Livingston is a steal at $5,574, he has averaged 12 points a game (DS fantasy points, not NBA PPG) during the last 15 days. I also really like Arron Afflalo for Denver, priced at $10,770 it might be a good pick. You could spend another $400 and take Washington guard Nick Young.
Forwards:
You pretty much need to take Blake Griffin tonight, as he is one of the highest scoring players available over the last 15 days at any position. Griffin is averaging 12 points MORE than the next best Forward out there, Carmelo Anthony. I am going to look at taking Rashard Lewis if I don't grab his new teammate Nick Young. Lewis has played really well recently, has plenty of upside and is priced relatively low. Another player that is worth the money is JJ Hickson for Cleveland. Other decent values are Andrei Kirilenko and Boris Diaw.
Center:
I think that you either need to take Gasol and someone inexpensive, or go with both Al Jefferson and Nene together. Tonight there are a lot of cheap centers that could produce, however it makes it one of the toughest position to pick. I like Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan and even Kwame Brown. I won't take McGee tonight though, as I already want the rest of the Wizards starting 5: Wall, Blatche, Young, Lewis. I probably won't take Jordan either since I am going to take Griffin, but there are some people who did well having both of these Clippers on Saturday night. The center picks could make or break your team, choose wisely.
Here is a team I am considering for Jan. 25, 2011:
G: Rajon Rondo $15,843
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
F: Andrei Kirilenko $11,396
C: Nene Hilario $12,736
C: Tyson Chandler $10,605
U: Nick Young $11,029
U: Shaun Livingston $5,574
Total Price: $99,800 - $200 left on the table
With this team I have BG and Rondo. I also have Nene, AK47, Tyreke Evans and Nick Young. My two worst players are Tyson Chandler and Shaun Livingston. Living and dieing with Livingston -- I'm kinda nervous about that.
I decided to create a second team for tonight, using the centers that I want:
Team 2:
G: Nick Young $11,029
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
F: Blake Griffin $18,600
F: Andrei Kirilenko $11,396
C: Nene Hilario $12,736
C: Al Jefferson $13,827
U: Antawn Jamison $12,739
U: Shaun Livingston $5,574
Total Cost: $99,918 - $82 left on the table
With this team I still get BG, AK47, Evans and Nene. I basically swapped out Rondo and Chandler for Jefferson and Jamison. Not sure if this is a wise move, considering Jamison played last night and Jefferson has had some downright bad games and might not do much better than Chandler.
We shall see. Good luck tonight. Leave a comment with your team for Tuesday.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday Money - DraftStreet Advice for Monday's NBA Games (Jan. 24, 2011)
With only two teams in action yesterday (because of the NFL playoffs), we all had a break from DraftStreet. Tonight there are 20 teams playing Monday, so it's back to "work".
Here are my thoughts on who to pick tonight:
Guards:
Tyreke Evans jumps out as someone who has been outplaying their value over the last 15 days. Evans is ranked 24th in total cost but 5th in FPPG. He might be a good pick against a banged up Trail Blazers team. You might also want to look at his back-court buddy Beno Udih. Udrih is ranked 45th in terms of cost but is scoring the 10th best FPPG over the last 15 days. I'm going to also take Nick Young, who continues to play well for the Wizards since they traded Gilbert Arenas. Young is also up against the run and gun Knicks, which could lead to a little more offense. DeMar DeRozan has impressed me over his last few games. Priced at $8,565, DeRozan might be a good look. There are plenty of quality guards going on Monday: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Monta Ellis, Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Raymond Felton.
Forwards:
Kevin Love at $18,775 should be a good pick. Love has the highest average FPPG for Forwards over the last 15 days of the players available. I also like LaMarcus Aldridge, even though I have gone to this well a lot. Aldridge is ranked 11th in price, but is scoring 38.38 FPPG over the last 15 days and 32.7 on the season. I like Greg Monroe and Chuck Hayes still, but a super saver I might try out tonight is JJ Hickson. Hickson is $8,592 and has been a go-to offensive player for the Cavs. You can't go wrong tonight at Forward with the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant, Zach Randolph, David West, Tim Duncan, David Lee.... the list goes on and on.
Center:
We have Dwight Howard again, priced at $18,412. I think there is a better value out there if you want to put your money elsewhere, like in the Kevin's, Love and Durant. Like I often do, I might go with two C's that are worth about $9-$10k each. If I didn't have Love, I would take Darko for $10,157. If I don't take Howard, I would probably take Ryan Anderson at $10,229. I like how Marcin Gortat has played lately for Phoenix, and against Philadelphia, priced at $8,343, he could be a very good value. Spencer Hawes is also a decent player priced pretty low. JaVale McGee and Emeka Okafor could be decent values for players above $10,000 and below $12,500. But I think I'll go with Gortat and maybe try to get Dwight Howard (AND Kevin Love).
Here are two teams that I am going to use tonight:
Team 1:
G: Steve Nash $16,872
G: Beno Udrih $11,800
F: Kevin Love $18,775
F: Greg Monroe $8,502
C: Dwight Howard $18,412
C: Marcin Gortat $8,343
U: JJ Hickson $8,592
U: DeMar DeRozan $8,565
Total Price: $99,861 - $139 left on the table.
I am able to get Nash, Love and Howard. I am also able to get players who have been playing at a very high level over the last 15 days that have not had their prices reflect their play.
Team 2:
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
G: Beno Udrih $11,800
F: LaMarcus Aldridge $15,676
F: Antawn Jamison $12,207
C: Dwight Howard $18,412
C: Darko Milicic $10,157
U: Chuck Hayes $8,959
U: Greg Monroe $8,502
Total Price: $99,730 - $270 left on the table.
With Team 2, I am able to get LaMarcus Aldridge and Howard. I am also able to get both Kings guards Evans and Udrih. I am going to the T'Wolves game tonight vs Houston so I wanted to get a couple players in that game, Darko and Hayes. I was able to score both James and Monroe.
Leave your picks for Monday, January 24 in the comment section...
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Here are my thoughts on who to pick tonight:
Guards:
Tyreke Evans jumps out as someone who has been outplaying their value over the last 15 days. Evans is ranked 24th in total cost but 5th in FPPG. He might be a good pick against a banged up Trail Blazers team. You might also want to look at his back-court buddy Beno Udih. Udrih is ranked 45th in terms of cost but is scoring the 10th best FPPG over the last 15 days. I'm going to also take Nick Young, who continues to play well for the Wizards since they traded Gilbert Arenas. Young is also up against the run and gun Knicks, which could lead to a little more offense. DeMar DeRozan has impressed me over his last few games. Priced at $8,565, DeRozan might be a good look. There are plenty of quality guards going on Monday: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Monta Ellis, Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Raymond Felton.
Forwards:
Kevin Love at $18,775 should be a good pick. Love has the highest average FPPG for Forwards over the last 15 days of the players available. I also like LaMarcus Aldridge, even though I have gone to this well a lot. Aldridge is ranked 11th in price, but is scoring 38.38 FPPG over the last 15 days and 32.7 on the season. I like Greg Monroe and Chuck Hayes still, but a super saver I might try out tonight is JJ Hickson. Hickson is $8,592 and has been a go-to offensive player for the Cavs. You can't go wrong tonight at Forward with the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant, Zach Randolph, David West, Tim Duncan, David Lee.... the list goes on and on.
Center:
We have Dwight Howard again, priced at $18,412. I think there is a better value out there if you want to put your money elsewhere, like in the Kevin's, Love and Durant. Like I often do, I might go with two C's that are worth about $9-$10k each. If I didn't have Love, I would take Darko for $10,157. If I don't take Howard, I would probably take Ryan Anderson at $10,229. I like how Marcin Gortat has played lately for Phoenix, and against Philadelphia, priced at $8,343, he could be a very good value. Spencer Hawes is also a decent player priced pretty low. JaVale McGee and Emeka Okafor could be decent values for players above $10,000 and below $12,500. But I think I'll go with Gortat and maybe try to get Dwight Howard (AND Kevin Love).
Here are two teams that I am going to use tonight:
Team 1:
G: Steve Nash $16,872
G: Beno Udrih $11,800
F: Kevin Love $18,775
F: Greg Monroe $8,502
C: Dwight Howard $18,412
C: Marcin Gortat $8,343
U: JJ Hickson $8,592
U: DeMar DeRozan $8,565
Total Price: $99,861 - $139 left on the table.
I am able to get Nash, Love and Howard. I am also able to get players who have been playing at a very high level over the last 15 days that have not had their prices reflect their play.
Team 2:
G: Tyreke Evans $14,017
G: Beno Udrih $11,800
F: LaMarcus Aldridge $15,676
F: Antawn Jamison $12,207
C: Dwight Howard $18,412
C: Darko Milicic $10,157
U: Chuck Hayes $8,959
U: Greg Monroe $8,502
Total Price: $99,730 - $270 left on the table.
With Team 2, I am able to get LaMarcus Aldridge and Howard. I am also able to get both Kings guards Evans and Udrih. I am going to the T'Wolves game tonight vs Houston so I wanted to get a couple players in that game, Darko and Hayes. I was able to score both James and Monroe.
Leave your picks for Monday, January 24 in the comment section...
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Sunday, January 23, 2011
5 years later and Kobe's 81 points still makes me SMH.
Kobe Bryant's 81 points was magnificent. Last night was the 5 year anniversary of the feat. And in the NBA, 4 teams were held under 81.
Also, out of the 26 teams playing Saturday 6 more were held under 90. Dallas scored 87, NJ had 86, Utah and Wash had 85, Bos had 83, and Milwaukee had 81. I wanted to post the picture of the t-shirt I bought right after the 81 point game went down. Here is what is in my closet:
I would also like to say for the record that when I was in 8th grade I had to do a speech in front of the entire school as part of a class. And what did I give my speech on? That's right, the geatness of the 2nd year player Kobe Bryant. Kobe is the true King -- I knew it in '98.
Also, out of the 26 teams playing Saturday 6 more were held under 90. Dallas scored 87, NJ had 86, Utah and Wash had 85, Bos had 83, and Milwaukee had 81. I wanted to post the picture of the t-shirt I bought right after the 81 point game went down. Here is what is in my closet:
I would also like to say for the record that when I was in 8th grade I had to do a speech in front of the entire school as part of a class. And what did I give my speech on? That's right, the geatness of the 2nd year player Kobe Bryant. Kobe is the true King -- I knew it in '98.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
I lost by 2 vs my picks...
So I picked a team, and I posted it. But like I often do, I changed my mind and picked a different team in one of my leagues. Check out my game vs this random user on DraftStreet named mnikolov who used my picks from the article I wrote earlier on Saturday:
When I logged into the scoreboard for this game, I had to rub my eyes... am I up against what I thought would be a winning team. SHIT!!! Since you don't know what users you are playing against in a league before the picks are set, it's doubtful this guy was looking for a tie by picking my team. Maybe he saw my picks from Friday and wanted to win tonight... hah! JK. I love how other people have more faith in my picks than I do. Good stuff, mnikolov... Enjoy that $13.50 off of your $5.00. I gotta remember not to second guess myself.
When I logged into the scoreboard for this game, I had to rub my eyes... am I up against what I thought would be a winning team. SHIT!!! Since you don't know what users you are playing against in a league before the picks are set, it's doubtful this guy was looking for a tie by picking my team. Maybe he saw my picks from Friday and wanted to win tonight... hah! JK. I love how other people have more faith in my picks than I do. Good stuff, mnikolov... Enjoy that $13.50 off of your $5.00. I gotta remember not to second guess myself.
Saturday Night Draftstreet Picks (Jan. 22, 2011)
Saturday night should be another busy night in the NBA on Draftstreet with 26 teams in action. Here are some of my thoughts on who to take.
- First off, there is no way I'm not taking either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has averaged nearly 50 points per game over the last 15 days. And OKC is playing against New York, who is coming off a disappointing loss last night to San Antonio. Plus, OKC is one of nine teams playing tonight who were resting last night.
- Greg Monroe has been one of the better values on DS over the last 15 days. Yet, he was not outstanding last night only scoring 14.5 points. I think he should be a good pick tonight to redeem himself against Phoenix. On top of it Charlie V left last nights game with an ankle injury, which could open the door for Monroe to go off.
- I am tempted to take the entire Dallas Mavericks team. I will for sure take a look at DeShawn Stevenson and possibly Shawn Marion who have both played well with Caron Butler out. And Dallas was chilling at home last night while New Jersey was giving the Pistons all they had.
- A low value player I am going to consider is Heat guard Mario Chalmers. Chalmers has been one of the better producing fantasy players for Miami (besides the big 3).
- The Blazers were also a team that had the night off last night, so I'm going to closely consider picking LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews. Aldridge has produced like an MVP candidate and he should have more than enough room to keep producing with Marcus Camby sidelined for three weeks. Matthews has filled in well for Brandon Roy and has good value it his price.
- You can never go wrong picking LBJ, Wade, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard.
Here is a lineup I might be using tonight:
G: Russell Westbrook - $18,264
G: Mario Chalmers - $7,477
F: LaMarcus Aldridge - $15,596
F: Greg Monroe - $8,708
C: Tyson Chandler - $9,888
C: Dwight Howard - $18,016
U: DeShawn Stevenson - $5,309
U: Steve Nash - $16,692
Team Total: $99,950 - $50 left on the table
I also like the idea of changing Stevenson, Nash and Howard for DeAndre Jordan, Jrue Holiday and Derrick Rose.
Sign up for DraftStreet with my recruiting code: CHESPN.
- First off, there is no way I'm not taking either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has averaged nearly 50 points per game over the last 15 days. And OKC is playing against New York, who is coming off a disappointing loss last night to San Antonio. Plus, OKC is one of nine teams playing tonight who were resting last night.
- Greg Monroe has been one of the better values on DS over the last 15 days. Yet, he was not outstanding last night only scoring 14.5 points. I think he should be a good pick tonight to redeem himself against Phoenix. On top of it Charlie V left last nights game with an ankle injury, which could open the door for Monroe to go off.
- I am tempted to take the entire Dallas Mavericks team. I will for sure take a look at DeShawn Stevenson and possibly Shawn Marion who have both played well with Caron Butler out. And Dallas was chilling at home last night while New Jersey was giving the Pistons all they had.
- A low value player I am going to consider is Heat guard Mario Chalmers. Chalmers has been one of the better producing fantasy players for Miami (besides the big 3).
- The Blazers were also a team that had the night off last night, so I'm going to closely consider picking LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews. Aldridge has produced like an MVP candidate and he should have more than enough room to keep producing with Marcus Camby sidelined for three weeks. Matthews has filled in well for Brandon Roy and has good value it his price.
- You can never go wrong picking LBJ, Wade, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard.
Here is a lineup I might be using tonight:
G: Russell Westbrook - $18,264
G: Mario Chalmers - $7,477
F: LaMarcus Aldridge - $15,596
F: Greg Monroe - $8,708
C: Tyson Chandler - $9,888
C: Dwight Howard - $18,016
U: DeShawn Stevenson - $5,309
U: Steve Nash - $16,692
Team Total: $99,950 - $50 left on the table
I also like the idea of changing Stevenson, Nash and Howard for DeAndre Jordan, Jrue Holiday and Derrick Rose.
Sign up for DraftStreet with my recruiting code: CHESPN.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Friday Night in Fantasyland - Draftstreet.com NBA Advice (Jan. 20, 2011)
There are 20 NBA teams in action on Friday night, so it makes it a great night to play salary cap games on DraftStreet.com.
With 20 teams in action, your roster combinations are nearly endless. The NBA DraftStreet salary cap roster consists of: 2 G's, 2 F's, 2 C's and 2 Utility spots (any position). You must fill all spots and you cannot spend more than $100,000.
Here is a look at the top 10 players tomorrow based on price:
1. Dwight Howard, $18,430
2. Amar'e Stoudemire, $17,949
3. Deron Williams, $17,904
4. Pau Gasol, $17,479
5. Monta Ellis, $17,022
6. Steve Nash, $16,754
7. Chris Paul, $16,636
8. Zach Randolph, $16,621
9. Kobe Bryant, $16,256
10. Rajon Rondo, $16,048
Here are the top 10 players based on points per game:
1. Amar'e Stoudemire, 38.4 FPPG
2. Dwight Howard, 38.14
3. Pau Gasol, 37.14
4. Chris Paul, 35.96
5. Deron Williams, 35.83
6. Rajon Rondo, 34.85
7. Monta Ellis, 34.23
8. Zach Randolph, 34.00
9. Steve Nash, 32.98
10. Al Horford, 32.98
I think that fantasy points per game is a good statistic for choosing your player, but you want to consider how players are playing in the most recent games, as well as other things such as injuries and match-ups. I typically look up players in my fantasy leagues who are playing well over the last 7, 14 or 30 days on average. I will pick NBA bench players that are priced low if the starter ahead of them is not expected to play. I like when teams play against the Timberwolves, Nets, Warriors, Cavs, Suns, Knicks and Raptors (as they give up the most points per game). The Knicks and Suns are also two of the top scoring teams in the league. I usually spend all $100,000, but there are times when I leave up to $1,200 on the table. If I can get a player to score over 30 points I am pretty happy.
Looking at Friday, January 21, here are the best values I see on DraftStreet at each position:
Guards:
The highest priced guards are usually an automatic 25 points. John Wall at $14,232 playing against Phoenix is a must take. Wall does everything and on DS steals are a good way to add points quickly. I also like the value of Tony Parker. I don't know why DS has Parker so low ($12,934), but that seems like a great pick with the Spurs playing against the Knicks. Quality low end guard picks could be Nick Young $10,653, Ramon Sessions $8,639, or Jarrett Jack $6,979.
Forwards:
Everyone usually picks Amar'e when he is playing, so if you take him you are usually canceling out his stats against you -- which is not a bad strategy. If you like to risk it and take players that you think no one has, take Rudy Gay, Paul Milsap or Luis Scola. Some of the best values at forward this year have been Paul Pierce $13,992, Dorell Wright $12,810 and Lamar Odom $14,351. Keep in mind that the prices are adjusted by DS as players play better (or worse). Good values under $10,000 are Shane Battier $9,437, Ryan Anderson $9,955, Greg Monroe $8,628, Chuck Hayes $8,631 and Glen Davis $8,927. I am tempted to go with Greg Monroe since the Pistons are playing against the Nets and Monroe is a good low end value which will allow me to get a couple higher priced players. I also like Hayes, who has played well in his last four games and is priced the same as Monroe.
Centers:
I like to try to fill my center spots first, since there are usually fewer centers to choose from compared to the other positions. Some nights there aren't that many choices and you end up playing against the same centers -- which makes finding the sleeper at this position a key to winning. The best three centers so far this year are all playing tomorrow night: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Al Horford. It would be nice to get 2/3 of these guys, but since Al Horford is day-to-day with a foot injury, I'm going to take Howard and then someone cheaper. I really like JaVale McGee because he is priced at $10,712 and playing against Phoenix. I also like what I have seen from Andrew Bynum so far, and at $11,997, he might be a better value than Gasol at $17,479. I think I'll go with Howard and Bynum, and if I can't afford it, I'll switch Bynum for McGee and save $1,000.
Here is my potential team for Friday Night:
G: John Wall - $14,232
G: Tony Parker - $12,934
F: Chuck Hayes - $8,631
F: Dorell Wright - $12,810
C: JaVale McGee - $10,712
C: Dwight Howard - $18,430
U: Ryan Anderson - $9,955
U: Beno Udrih - $11,710
Total: $99,414 - leaving $586 on the table.
My Team:
I like how Wright has played recently. In the last 30 days in the Yahoo fantasy game Wright is ranked 4th overall, good enough to be the highest rated player playing Friday night. I am able to get the highest priced player in Howard and a good combo at guard in Wall and Parker.
My biggest concerns are Beno Udrih, Chuck Hayes and Ryan Anderson. Udrih is the 8th best fantasy player in the yahoo game over his last 8 games and Anderson is ranked 18th over the same time, so I hope they continue to have good games. And since returning from injury, Chuck Hayes has been a top 20 fantasy player, shooting a high percentage, getting a lot of rebounds and blocks.
I feel pretty confident about my picks. But then again, I like too many players to play in just one league. I'll probably join three more leagues and make three totally new teams! That's the beauty of DraftStreet!
Good luck!
With 20 teams in action, your roster combinations are nearly endless. The NBA DraftStreet salary cap roster consists of: 2 G's, 2 F's, 2 C's and 2 Utility spots (any position). You must fill all spots and you cannot spend more than $100,000.
Here is a look at the top 10 players tomorrow based on price:
1. Dwight Howard, $18,430
2. Amar'e Stoudemire, $17,949
3. Deron Williams, $17,904
4. Pau Gasol, $17,479
5. Monta Ellis, $17,022
6. Steve Nash, $16,754
7. Chris Paul, $16,636
8. Zach Randolph, $16,621
9. Kobe Bryant, $16,256
10. Rajon Rondo, $16,048
Here are the top 10 players based on points per game:
1. Amar'e Stoudemire, 38.4 FPPG
2. Dwight Howard, 38.14
3. Pau Gasol, 37.14
4. Chris Paul, 35.96
5. Deron Williams, 35.83
6. Rajon Rondo, 34.85
7. Monta Ellis, 34.23
8. Zach Randolph, 34.00
9. Steve Nash, 32.98
10. Al Horford, 32.98
I think that fantasy points per game is a good statistic for choosing your player, but you want to consider how players are playing in the most recent games, as well as other things such as injuries and match-ups. I typically look up players in my fantasy leagues who are playing well over the last 7, 14 or 30 days on average. I will pick NBA bench players that are priced low if the starter ahead of them is not expected to play. I like when teams play against the Timberwolves, Nets, Warriors, Cavs, Suns, Knicks and Raptors (as they give up the most points per game). The Knicks and Suns are also two of the top scoring teams in the league. I usually spend all $100,000, but there are times when I leave up to $1,200 on the table. If I can get a player to score over 30 points I am pretty happy.
Looking at Friday, January 21, here are the best values I see on DraftStreet at each position:
Guards:
The highest priced guards are usually an automatic 25 points. John Wall at $14,232 playing against Phoenix is a must take. Wall does everything and on DS steals are a good way to add points quickly. I also like the value of Tony Parker. I don't know why DS has Parker so low ($12,934), but that seems like a great pick with the Spurs playing against the Knicks. Quality low end guard picks could be Nick Young $10,653, Ramon Sessions $8,639, or Jarrett Jack $6,979.
Forwards:
Everyone usually picks Amar'e when he is playing, so if you take him you are usually canceling out his stats against you -- which is not a bad strategy. If you like to risk it and take players that you think no one has, take Rudy Gay, Paul Milsap or Luis Scola. Some of the best values at forward this year have been Paul Pierce $13,992, Dorell Wright $12,810 and Lamar Odom $14,351. Keep in mind that the prices are adjusted by DS as players play better (or worse). Good values under $10,000 are Shane Battier $9,437, Ryan Anderson $9,955, Greg Monroe $8,628, Chuck Hayes $8,631 and Glen Davis $8,927. I am tempted to go with Greg Monroe since the Pistons are playing against the Nets and Monroe is a good low end value which will allow me to get a couple higher priced players. I also like Hayes, who has played well in his last four games and is priced the same as Monroe.
Centers:
I like to try to fill my center spots first, since there are usually fewer centers to choose from compared to the other positions. Some nights there aren't that many choices and you end up playing against the same centers -- which makes finding the sleeper at this position a key to winning. The best three centers so far this year are all playing tomorrow night: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Al Horford. It would be nice to get 2/3 of these guys, but since Al Horford is day-to-day with a foot injury, I'm going to take Howard and then someone cheaper. I really like JaVale McGee because he is priced at $10,712 and playing against Phoenix. I also like what I have seen from Andrew Bynum so far, and at $11,997, he might be a better value than Gasol at $17,479. I think I'll go with Howard and Bynum, and if I can't afford it, I'll switch Bynum for McGee and save $1,000.
Here is my potential team for Friday Night:
G: John Wall - $14,232
G: Tony Parker - $12,934
F: Chuck Hayes - $8,631
F: Dorell Wright - $12,810
C: JaVale McGee - $10,712
C: Dwight Howard - $18,430
U: Ryan Anderson - $9,955
U: Beno Udrih - $11,710
Total: $99,414 - leaving $586 on the table.
My Team:
I like how Wright has played recently. In the last 30 days in the Yahoo fantasy game Wright is ranked 4th overall, good enough to be the highest rated player playing Friday night. I am able to get the highest priced player in Howard and a good combo at guard in Wall and Parker.
My biggest concerns are Beno Udrih, Chuck Hayes and Ryan Anderson. Udrih is the 8th best fantasy player in the yahoo game over his last 8 games and Anderson is ranked 18th over the same time, so I hope they continue to have good games. And since returning from injury, Chuck Hayes has been a top 20 fantasy player, shooting a high percentage, getting a lot of rebounds and blocks.
I feel pretty confident about my picks. But then again, I like too many players to play in just one league. I'll probably join three more leagues and make three totally new teams! That's the beauty of DraftStreet!
Good luck!
Monday, January 17, 2011
NFL Conference Championship Games
Packers at Bears --
Analysis: I have the Packers winning. When it came down to it, I think that Aaron Rodgers will be able to play better against Chicago's defense than Jay Cutler will play against the Packers D. It's crazy to imagine what the Packers would have done with Ryan Grant and JerMichael Finley playing a full season (or what my fantasy teams would have done). Grant has missed the entire season and Finley over half, yet the Packers are still able to move the ball. The Packers offense is one of the best in the NFL. The Bears offense, on the other hand, is not so great. They don't have the go-to receiver that the Packers do (Jennings) nor the veteran that the packers do (Driver). Although the Bears do have Matt Forte to carry the ball, yet they don't seem to be using him as much as they should. I haven't looked at the weather forecast, but that seems to be the only thing that could help the Bears win this game.
I have Green Bay 31, Chicago 23
Jets at Steelers --
In a drunken haze while I was vacationing in Naples, Florida in October (right about when the Vikings traded for Moss) I apparently was recorded on video predicting the Jets to lose to the Steelers in this game. I guess I should stand by my prediction. I like Ben Roethlisberger. The guy finds a way to win and rarely makes the mistake that costs his team the game. Like the Packers O over the Bears O, I will take the Quarterbacks as the deciding factor in this game. Mark Sanchez seems to have pretty decent poise when it comes to big games, playing well in his first two playoff runs. But I think the Steelers shut down defense will rattle Sanchez. Age before beauty. The Steelers will be back in the Super, again. Oh, what it would be like to be a native of Pittsburgh, Pa.
I have the score as Pittsburgh 24, New York 19
CHECK OUT MY VIDEO BLOG ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:
Analysis: I have the Packers winning. When it came down to it, I think that Aaron Rodgers will be able to play better against Chicago's defense than Jay Cutler will play against the Packers D. It's crazy to imagine what the Packers would have done with Ryan Grant and JerMichael Finley playing a full season (or what my fantasy teams would have done). Grant has missed the entire season and Finley over half, yet the Packers are still able to move the ball. The Packers offense is one of the best in the NFL. The Bears offense, on the other hand, is not so great. They don't have the go-to receiver that the Packers do (Jennings) nor the veteran that the packers do (Driver). Although the Bears do have Matt Forte to carry the ball, yet they don't seem to be using him as much as they should. I haven't looked at the weather forecast, but that seems to be the only thing that could help the Bears win this game. I have Green Bay 31, Chicago 23
Jets at Steelers --
In a drunken haze while I was vacationing in Naples, Florida in October (right about when the Vikings traded for Moss) I apparently was recorded on video predicting the Jets to lose to the Steelers in this game. I guess I should stand by my prediction. I like Ben Roethlisberger. The guy finds a way to win and rarely makes the mistake that costs his team the game. Like the Packers O over the Bears O, I will take the Quarterbacks as the deciding factor in this game. Mark Sanchez seems to have pretty decent poise when it comes to big games, playing well in his first two playoff runs. But I think the Steelers shut down defense will rattle Sanchez. Age before beauty. The Steelers will be back in the Super, again. Oh, what it would be like to be a native of Pittsburgh, Pa.
I have the score as Pittsburgh 24, New York 19
CHECK OUT MY VIDEO BLOG ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:
Friday, January 14, 2011
NFL Divisional Playoff Predictions & Draftstreet Picks
Baltimore at Pitt -
Analysis: Today I was listening to "The Herd" on AM 1500 this morning driving to work and Colin was talking about how Big Ben has statistics that compare to Tom Brady when it comes to big games. The argument was also made that Big Ben would be picked ahead of Peyton Manning if you needed a quarterback to get you one win. There was even an argument that statistically Ben Roethlisberger would be a better pick than any quarterback for that matter in a must-win situation. The stats he read off prove it.. playing against rivals, playing outdoors, playing Monday night, etc. It was pretty eye-opening. Slim Roethlisberger. But I can really see it. Big Ben is 8-2 in the post-season and has won two Super Bowls with two different coaching staffs. And then you have the Ravens, puffing up their chest with t-shirts that show cartoon birds flipping the bird. Like that purple logo you have screen printed on a black XL is going to scare Mendenhall. Please. The Ravens are overrated. Look for Pittsburgh to win by 9-14 points. I have the score as Steelers 23, Baltimore 13 (O/U in Vegas is 37, spread is PIT -3).
Draftstreet: Your best values with Pittsburgh are Hines Ward, Heath Miller and maybe Big Ben. Although Ben is priced at $17,150, it's possible he will go off and be the highest scoring QB -- then again, its the Ravens D. The reason why I have Ward and not Mike Wallace is because there is a $4,000 difference if you take Ward over Wallace. It looks like all of the Ravens players are priced right, no standout picks or locks on the Baltimore side, maybe TJ Houshmandzadeh. Another player I might have to consider is Ray Rice. Rice is $14,306 and could be one of the best fantasy RB's left. Rice has averaged 15.3 ppg this season, which ranks as No. 1 amongst remaining running backs left in the playoffs.
Green Bay at Atlanta -
Analysis: I like Atlanta, but I'm nervous to pick them considering how well Green Bay has played in recent weeks. Rodgers is just nasty. Atlanta's home field advantage might actually be the only reason I take the Falcons. Perhaps Green Bay is a little burnt out after having to beat the Bears to make the playoffs in week 17 and then having to outlast Michael Vick last weekend. I could see the Falcons winning big if the Packers get behind early. But I'll predict the score to be Atlanta 30, Green Bay 24 (GB is -3, O/U is 44).
Draftstreet: Aaron Rodgers is the highest priced QB at $20,838 and has the highest PPG average at 21.1, but I don't see the value in taking Rodgers. Matt Ryan, however, priced at $14,808 might be a steal. Roddy White ranks as the highest priced WR, $1,500 more than the 2nd highest priced guy (Rodgers's main target, Greg Jennings). So, I might take Matt Ryan and Greg Jennings as a way to maximize my money and get value at both positions and hedge my bets with each team. Another player that I would really like to pick is Packers RB James Starks, but it appears that Draftstreet has figured him out, and has priced him accordingly, $9,634 -- so maybe I'll avoid him. Maybe I'll go with the ATL RB Jason Snelling for a cheap price of $5,177 (or maybe go with John Kuhn at $5,862).
Seattle at Chicago -
Analysis: I was listening to KFAN last night and I heard them talking about the impact that Devin Hester has on the Bears record and success. It never really hit me until I realized that the Bears really don't have any stars: Cutler, eh. Forte, eh. Knox, eh. O-line, eh. One of the main reasons (other than the linebackers) they ended up with a good record is because they are always starting with amazing field position. What Barrario was saying was either Hester has returned the ball to the other teams side of the field, or he has scored. Or what happens is that the other team is so scared to punt to Hester that they punt it weirdly out of bounds just over the 50 yard line. Cutler is rarely in a position where he has to drive 95 yards or where Chicago has a quick 3 and out because the play calling needed to be so conservative to avoid a turnover or safety, etc. Hester had a punt return against Seattle in week 6, maybe he will have two this week. We knew that Hester was going to be sweet when he was ripping it up at Miami (pictured), but I never thought that he would be this good. The Bears are going to beat Seattle, no question, I have the score as Bears 27, Seattle 13. (CHI is -10, O/U is 41)
Draftstreet: Hester doesn't get the love on Draftstreet since he doesn't make that much of an impact receiving, but he still might be worth a look at $6,551. And just look at his whip. What the hell, that shits serious. Anyone who picked Hasselbeck last week probably did pretty well, if not won, he was valued so low since it was uncertain that he would start. This week, Hasselbeck is priced at $13,337, which is a little more realistic. I wouldn't put that much money into Hasselbeck, but I might throw $7,736 at Brandon Stokley or maybe $6,879 at Ben Obomanu. One thing is for sure, I'm taking the Bears D.
New York Jets at New England -
Analysis: I am excited to see how Tom Brady responds to the trash talk by the Jets. I wouldn't be surprised if he torches Cromartie all day. It's hard to believe that the Jets thought it was a good idea to call out the NFL MVP. Or to even engage in that degree of trash talk. What happened to being focused? Rex Ryan is a clown with little control on the choas, it's over after this week. And I bet his philosophy changes next year, he start acting more like William Belichick, you wait and see. It's also hard for me to believe that New York really thinks they can beat New England, wouldn't you play up the underdog angle? Wasn't it like less than 2 months ago that the Patriots de-pants the Jets with a 45-3 win? Well, I don't see it going any differently Sunday afternoon. I have the score as New England 37, New York Jets 17 (NE -9, O/U 44).
Draftstreet: Who isn't taking Tom Brady? Even if he was priced at $25,000 I would probably spend 25% of my total salary on Brady. I also like seeing Deion Branch at $9,113. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, aka the law firm, is also looking nice to me at $11,767 -- he seems to have the most value for RB's considering LT is just below him at $11,530. Wait, LT at $11,530 and Shonn Greene at $8,275? I'll add Greene to my team. I'm going to look to this match-up for my TE position as well. The Jets have Dustin Keller and the Patriots have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but also have Alge Crumpler for half the price of Gronkowski. I'm going to go with Crumpler.
I think my Draftstreet team for this weekend will be:
QB: Tom Brady - $17,852
QB: Matt Ryan - $14,808
RB: BenJarvus Green-Ellis - $11,767
RB: Ray Rice - $14,303
WR: Greg Jennings - $12,616
WR: T.J Houshmandzadeh - $4,918
Flex: John Kuhn - $5,862
Flex: Brandon Stokley - $7,736
TE: Alge Crumpler - $5,477
D: Bears - $4,548
Total: $99,890.
Good luck this weekend!!! And remember to sign up for Draftstreet.com using my recruiting code: CHESPN .
or click here: http://www.draftstreet.com/register.aspx?r=CHESPN
Analysis: Today I was listening to "The Herd" on AM 1500 this morning driving to work and Colin was talking about how Big Ben has statistics that compare to Tom Brady when it comes to big games. The argument was also made that Big Ben would be picked ahead of Peyton Manning if you needed a quarterback to get you one win. There was even an argument that statistically Ben Roethlisberger would be a better pick than any quarterback for that matter in a must-win situation. The stats he read off prove it.. playing against rivals, playing outdoors, playing Monday night, etc. It was pretty eye-opening. Slim Roethlisberger. But I can really see it. Big Ben is 8-2 in the post-season and has won two Super Bowls with two different coaching staffs. And then you have the Ravens, puffing up their chest with t-shirts that show cartoon birds flipping the bird. Like that purple logo you have screen printed on a black XL is going to scare Mendenhall. Please. The Ravens are overrated. Look for Pittsburgh to win by 9-14 points. I have the score as Steelers 23, Baltimore 13 (O/U in Vegas is 37, spread is PIT -3). Draftstreet: Your best values with Pittsburgh are Hines Ward, Heath Miller and maybe Big Ben. Although Ben is priced at $17,150, it's possible he will go off and be the highest scoring QB -- then again, its the Ravens D. The reason why I have Ward and not Mike Wallace is because there is a $4,000 difference if you take Ward over Wallace. It looks like all of the Ravens players are priced right, no standout picks or locks on the Baltimore side, maybe TJ Houshmandzadeh. Another player I might have to consider is Ray Rice. Rice is $14,306 and could be one of the best fantasy RB's left. Rice has averaged 15.3 ppg this season, which ranks as No. 1 amongst remaining running backs left in the playoffs.
Green Bay at Atlanta -
Analysis: I like Atlanta, but I'm nervous to pick them considering how well Green Bay has played in recent weeks. Rodgers is just nasty. Atlanta's home field advantage might actually be the only reason I take the Falcons. Perhaps Green Bay is a little burnt out after having to beat the Bears to make the playoffs in week 17 and then having to outlast Michael Vick last weekend. I could see the Falcons winning big if the Packers get behind early. But I'll predict the score to be Atlanta 30, Green Bay 24 (GB is -3, O/U is 44).Draftstreet: Aaron Rodgers is the highest priced QB at $20,838 and has the highest PPG average at 21.1, but I don't see the value in taking Rodgers. Matt Ryan, however, priced at $14,808 might be a steal. Roddy White ranks as the highest priced WR, $1,500 more than the 2nd highest priced guy (Rodgers's main target, Greg Jennings). So, I might take Matt Ryan and Greg Jennings as a way to maximize my money and get value at both positions and hedge my bets with each team. Another player that I would really like to pick is Packers RB James Starks, but it appears that Draftstreet has figured him out, and has priced him accordingly, $9,634 -- so maybe I'll avoid him. Maybe I'll go with the ATL RB Jason Snelling for a cheap price of $5,177 (or maybe go with John Kuhn at $5,862).
Seattle at Chicago -
Analysis: I was listening to KFAN last night and I heard them talking about the impact that Devin Hester has on the Bears record and success. It never really hit me until I realized that the Bears really don't have any stars: Cutler, eh. Forte, eh. Knox, eh. O-line, eh. One of the main reasons (other than the linebackers) they ended up with a good record is because they are always starting with amazing field position. What Barrario was saying was either Hester has returned the ball to the other teams side of the field, or he has scored. Or what happens is that the other team is so scared to punt to Hester that they punt it weirdly out of bounds just over the 50 yard line. Cutler is rarely in a position where he has to drive 95 yards or where Chicago has a quick 3 and out because the play calling needed to be so conservative to avoid a turnover or safety, etc. Hester had a punt return against Seattle in week 6, maybe he will have two this week. We knew that Hester was going to be sweet when he was ripping it up at Miami (pictured), but I never thought that he would be this good. The Bears are going to beat Seattle, no question, I have the score as Bears 27, Seattle 13. (CHI is -10, O/U is 41)
Draftstreet: Hester doesn't get the love on Draftstreet since he doesn't make that much of an impact receiving, but he still might be worth a look at $6,551. And just look at his whip. What the hell, that shits serious. Anyone who picked Hasselbeck last week probably did pretty well, if not won, he was valued so low since it was uncertain that he would start. This week, Hasselbeck is priced at $13,337, which is a little more realistic. I wouldn't put that much money into Hasselbeck, but I might throw $7,736 at Brandon Stokley or maybe $6,879 at Ben Obomanu. One thing is for sure, I'm taking the Bears D.New York Jets at New England -
Analysis: I am excited to see how Tom Brady responds to the trash talk by the Jets. I wouldn't be surprised if he torches Cromartie all day. It's hard to believe that the Jets thought it was a good idea to call out the NFL MVP. Or to even engage in that degree of trash talk. What happened to being focused? Rex Ryan is a clown with little control on the choas, it's over after this week. And I bet his philosophy changes next year, he start acting more like William Belichick, you wait and see. It's also hard for me to believe that New York really thinks they can beat New England, wouldn't you play up the underdog angle? Wasn't it like less than 2 months ago that the Patriots de-pants the Jets with a 45-3 win? Well, I don't see it going any differently Sunday afternoon. I have the score as New England 37, New York Jets 17 (NE -9, O/U 44).Draftstreet: Who isn't taking Tom Brady? Even if he was priced at $25,000 I would probably spend 25% of my total salary on Brady. I also like seeing Deion Branch at $9,113. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, aka the law firm, is also looking nice to me at $11,767 -- he seems to have the most value for RB's considering LT is just below him at $11,530. Wait, LT at $11,530 and Shonn Greene at $8,275? I'll add Greene to my team. I'm going to look to this match-up for my TE position as well. The Jets have Dustin Keller and the Patriots have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, but also have Alge Crumpler for half the price of Gronkowski. I'm going to go with Crumpler.
I think my Draftstreet team for this weekend will be:
QB: Tom Brady - $17,852
QB: Matt Ryan - $14,808
RB: BenJarvus Green-Ellis - $11,767
RB: Ray Rice - $14,303
WR: Greg Jennings - $12,616
WR: T.J Houshmandzadeh - $4,918
Flex: John Kuhn - $5,862
Flex: Brandon Stokley - $7,736
TE: Alge Crumpler - $5,477
D: Bears - $4,548
Total: $99,890.
Good luck this weekend!!! And remember to sign up for Draftstreet.com using my recruiting code: CHESPN .
or click here: http://www.draftstreet.com/register.aspx?r=CHESPN
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Glimpse of the Future...
I know I'm not that old. But damn. There are a lot of great NBA players that are younger than me. It's crazy.
Tonight the Washington Wizards are in town to play the T'Wolves. The Wizards have a lot of talented young players with a lot of potential. I am excited to see John Wall live, but also excited to watch Nick Young, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee.
Since the trade of Gilbert Arenas, Young has been the Wizards scoring threat. Although Blatche and McGee have both been a bit inconsistent, when they get going, they play at a very high level. John Wall has had to take a few games off, but his talents are easy to see when he blazes past people on the court.
The Wolves have Love, Beasley and other young up-and-coming players, so it should be fun to see these two young teams compete.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen a lot of talented, young faces playing well in the NBA. We know about Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, and the rest of the big name young guys who have played well since the moment they took the court. Here is list of some new, young players that have been playing well recently, perhaps showing a glimpse of what they are capable of for years to come:
1. Kevin Love (23 years old) - I can't say enough about Kevin Love. He is making being a season ticket holder for the Wolves something to be proud of. Love doing 20-15 and 80+% FT has never been done before in NBA history. Get him a PG and a couple years of experience and he's an MVP candidate.
2. Monta Ellis (25 years old) - Ellis is going to be an NBA leading scorer before his career is over. The Warriors make a very offensively dangerous big three with Ellis, Dorel Wright and Stephen Curry. Ellis is the leader for GS, and one of the purest scorers in the league. Ellis has put up 25 ppg on the season. However, over the last 30 days he has an average of 28.2 ppg, good enough for 3rd best during that stretch (behind Durant and Wade).
3. LeMarcus Aldridge (26 years old) - Greg Oden? F--- him. LeMarcus Aldridge went No. 2 overall for a reason. And he is showing it this year. Over the last 14 games, Aldridge is putting up 25 and 10 per night - 25.2 ppg is good enough for 5th best during that stretch (behind Durant, Wade, Ellis, and LeBron).
4. Rudy Gay (24 years old) - Rudy has been playing out of his mind lately, playing so well he is in the top 5 for fantasy players on yahoo in the last 30 days. What makes Rudy such a fantasy stud is that he does a little of everything. In his last 12 games he is averaging 21.5 ppg, 5.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.6 spg, 1.0 bpg and has shot 50% from the floor and 79% from the line. With OJ Mayo struggling, Gay has completely solidified himself as the Star in Memphis.
5. Blake Griffin (22 years old) - Blake is a dream for Sports Center, his dunks are so serious and intimidating but at the same time so Vince-Carter like. I can't wait until he wins the Dunk Contest. Blake will be R.O.Y. this year, he's putting up 21.8 ppg and 12.7 rpg. He is also posting 3.4 apg, which is 3rd highest amongst centers this season (behind Pau Gasol and David Lee).
Honorable Mention:
Dorell Wright (25 years old), Wilson Chandler (22), James Harden (21), Eric Gordon (23), Andrea Bargnani (25), Arron Afflalo (25), Jrue Holiday (20).... Just to name a few.
I don't have time to look up all the sick players who are younger than me because there are way too many. With that said, it is safe to say the future is bright for the David Stern and the NBA.
I'm off the the game...
Tonight the Washington Wizards are in town to play the T'Wolves. The Wizards have a lot of talented young players with a lot of potential. I am excited to see John Wall live, but also excited to watch Nick Young, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee.
Since the trade of Gilbert Arenas, Young has been the Wizards scoring threat. Although Blatche and McGee have both been a bit inconsistent, when they get going, they play at a very high level. John Wall has had to take a few games off, but his talents are easy to see when he blazes past people on the court. The Wolves have Love, Beasley and other young up-and-coming players, so it should be fun to see these two young teams compete.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen a lot of talented, young faces playing well in the NBA. We know about Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, and the rest of the big name young guys who have played well since the moment they took the court. Here is list of some new, young players that have been playing well recently, perhaps showing a glimpse of what they are capable of for years to come:1. Kevin Love (23 years old) - I can't say enough about Kevin Love. He is making being a season ticket holder for the Wolves something to be proud of. Love doing 20-15 and 80+% FT has never been done before in NBA history. Get him a PG and a couple years of experience and he's an MVP candidate.
2. Monta Ellis (25 years old) - Ellis is going to be an NBA leading scorer before his career is over. The Warriors make a very offensively dangerous big three with Ellis, Dorel Wright and Stephen Curry. Ellis is the leader for GS, and one of the purest scorers in the league. Ellis has put up 25 ppg on the season. However, over the last 30 days he has an average of 28.2 ppg, good enough for 3rd best during that stretch (behind Durant and Wade).
3. LeMarcus Aldridge (26 years old) - Greg Oden? F--- him. LeMarcus Aldridge went No. 2 overall for a reason. And he is showing it this year. Over the last 14 games, Aldridge is putting up 25 and 10 per night - 25.2 ppg is good enough for 5th best during that stretch (behind Durant, Wade, Ellis, and LeBron).
4. Rudy Gay (24 years old) - Rudy has been playing out of his mind lately, playing so well he is in the top 5 for fantasy players on yahoo in the last 30 days. What makes Rudy such a fantasy stud is that he does a little of everything. In his last 12 games he is averaging 21.5 ppg, 5.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.6 spg, 1.0 bpg and has shot 50% from the floor and 79% from the line. With OJ Mayo struggling, Gay has completely solidified himself as the Star in Memphis.
5. Blake Griffin (22 years old) - Blake is a dream for Sports Center, his dunks are so serious and intimidating but at the same time so Vince-Carter like. I can't wait until he wins the Dunk Contest. Blake will be R.O.Y. this year, he's putting up 21.8 ppg and 12.7 rpg. He is also posting 3.4 apg, which is 3rd highest amongst centers this season (behind Pau Gasol and David Lee).
Honorable Mention:
Dorell Wright (25 years old), Wilson Chandler (22), James Harden (21), Eric Gordon (23), Andrea Bargnani (25), Arron Afflalo (25), Jrue Holiday (20).... Just to name a few.
I don't have time to look up all the sick players who are younger than me because there are way too many. With that said, it is safe to say the future is bright for the David Stern and the NBA.
I'm off the the game...
Monday, January 3, 2011
DraftStreet.com - Sign Up!
"DraftStreet provides an opportunity to compete in a variety of fantasy games against other users for real money. Over a full season, one injury or one unlucky break can cost you the entire year. On DraftStreet you can assemble multiple fantasy teams in multiple leagues every night. With different league sizes, durations, draft-styles, and entry fees you are sure to find the perfect league for you. " - Draftstreet.com
Draftstreet is a website that allows you to play fantasy sports just the way that you normally have in the past. However, this time you are able to pick teams for a daily or a weekly basis. You can also pick teams in a salary cap format for a daily or weekly basis. All of the league types have different entry fees and number of players -- its up to you if you want to compete one-on-one or in a group of 10 strangers. It's up to you if you want to wager $5.00 or $350.00 to play.
The rules, scoring and roster sizes are pretty similar to regular fantasy sports leagues.
The site has two types of leagues: Snake and Salary.
Snake league is for a snake draft format, meaning the 1st pick in the first round gets the last pick in the second round. This is standard in most fantasy leagues. Each team drafts a specific roster and no one can draft the same person as another owner in the league.
Salary Cap leagues are different than standard draft leagues because you are given a dollar amount ($100,000) and every player is valued with a certain amount and you must fill in a roster under the amount. Anyone in the league you join can pick the same players as you.
Here is draftstreet's page on how to play:
http://www.draftstreet.com/rules.aspx
Draftstreet.com is a fun way to gamble and test your fantasy sports knowledge. I suggest you try it out, I have found it to be a good use of my time and money.
Sign up and use my recruiting code: CHESPN
or sign up by clicking here: http://www.draftstreet.com/register.aspx?r=CHESPN
Draftstreet is a website that allows you to play fantasy sports just the way that you normally have in the past. However, this time you are able to pick teams for a daily or a weekly basis. You can also pick teams in a salary cap format for a daily or weekly basis. All of the league types have different entry fees and number of players -- its up to you if you want to compete one-on-one or in a group of 10 strangers. It's up to you if you want to wager $5.00 or $350.00 to play.
The rules, scoring and roster sizes are pretty similar to regular fantasy sports leagues.
The site has two types of leagues: Snake and Salary.
Snake league is for a snake draft format, meaning the 1st pick in the first round gets the last pick in the second round. This is standard in most fantasy leagues. Each team drafts a specific roster and no one can draft the same person as another owner in the league.
Salary Cap leagues are different than standard draft leagues because you are given a dollar amount ($100,000) and every player is valued with a certain amount and you must fill in a roster under the amount. Anyone in the league you join can pick the same players as you.
Here is draftstreet's page on how to play:
http://www.draftstreet.com/rules.aspx
Draftstreet.com is a fun way to gamble and test your fantasy sports knowledge. I suggest you try it out, I have found it to be a good use of my time and money.
Sign up and use my recruiting code: CHESPN
or sign up by clicking here: http://www.draftstreet.com/register.aspx?r=CHESPN
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