Fantasy Basketball – Page 2 – The Fantasy Sports Coach

Fantasy Basketball-Injuries

As we’re headed toward the playoffs in Fantasy Basketball it’s time to really pay attention to what’s going on around the league. Injuries to some Fantasy Basketball players can go unnoticed with so much attention being split.

With March Madness taking hold and Fantasy Baseball drafts starting to consume some of your concentration it’s easy to miss some of the happenings around the NBA that can help you win a Fantasy Basketball Championship.

Point Guard-

Kyrie Irving suffered an injury to his biceps and Dion Waiters has stepped into the roll of main ball handler for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Irving sidelined for a few weeks Waiters can bring scoring to your fantasy team as well as some assists and steals, but you also have to weather his erratic shooting (42%) (66% from the line) in order to have him help your team.

Waiters last two game lines (Courtesy ESPN.com)

While Waiters may be a good source of points you may be in need of some assists. Well Ramon Sessions of the Milwaukee Bucks could be your answer. 2nd round pick Nate Wolters went down with a fractured hand and Sessions looks to be in line for an increase in minutes in the Bucks’ back court. While minutes are never guaranteed when talking about the Bucks, i would gamble on Sessions if that category could put me over the top. Just don’t expect Darren Collison level fill-in numbers.

Shooting Guard-

It took a James Anderson injury to finally see Tony Wroten back in the starting lineup, but Wroten put up very nice numbers in his last start and may be in line for some bigger minutes down the stretch as the 76ers need to evaluate their young talent to see who they want to build around for next season.

Tony Wroten’s Stats For The Last Two Contests (Courtesy ESPN.com)

Power Forward-

Drew Gooden has come out of no where to put in quality minutes for the Washington Wizards and if there is an injury to Marcin Gortat then Gooden becomes a very valuable asset. The injury to Nene initially cleared the way, but Gooden has thoroughly outplayed Trevor Booker since and can be counted on for double digit points and some rebounds with the a couple of 3-pointers to boot.

Center-

Gorgui Dieng has become somewhat of a phenomenon since getting a chance to start at Center for the Minnesota Timber Wolves while Nikola Pekovic recovers from an ankle injury. The novelty of plugging him in as low budget option at Center quickly wore off when he went for a double double in his first game starting to along with five blocks. Instead of a throw away joke on an afternoon DFS podcast he quickly became a name to know and run to the waiver wire as he has had a double double in each of his three starts including his last game where he went for 22 points and 21 rebounds. With Pek hurting I think you have to run out and grab Dieng in the short term and hope he gets some run the rest of the season.

Gorgui Dieng’s Last Three Games (Courtesy of ESPN.com)

Fantasy Sports: Trades

Being Proactive Vs. Being Annoying

I am all for trying to better your roster from the time the draft ends to the very second that you are eliminated from the playoffs. I even love making trades during a draft. That’s why I always prefer having a live in-person draft because you can use some of the best skills a poker player possesses to your advantage. You can read a person’s reaction to a pick. (bad or good.) You can use your memory of how much an owner loves a certain player to corner them into a trade. You can even use your mathematical skills to gain an advantage when trading draft picks.

The problem I have seen with online drafts full of anonymous strangers is there is little to no advantage to be culled for trade purposes during a draft. The message board is often filled with braggadocio and insults, and offers little useful information to the cunning owner. The occasional, you sniped me comment, can be used, but even then the owner knows they opened their big mouth during the draft. The trade block after a draft is filled with mistake picks that look like road side junk on the way to a theme park.

After a draft is always a delicate time for trades. It’s easy to take a player or two off an owner’s hands that had some buyer’s remorse, but trying to pry away top draft picks is often a fruitless endeavor. They were drafted high for a reason. The owner believes in their talent and opportunity. The only time I even try and go after an owner’s first few picks is when there is some post draft news that may affect how in love they really are with that player. Is the backup all of a sudden going to be handed a bigger role. Is there an injury that went unnoticed in the preseason.

Make Sure You See The Signs

If an owner tells you up front that they would prefer not to talk about trades until after the season starts, take that as a big hint. They are basically posting a huge warning sign that states CLOSED UNTIL THE SEASON. Treat these owners like they are bears in hibernation. You don’t really want to go prodding the bear and end up creating an enemy for life.

If an owner says a certain player is OFF LIMITS don’t cross that line. As the great @WHUDEY says all the time, habitual line steppers will be put in their place! No rationale or pointing out of holes in an owner’s lineup will help you pry away an untouchable. You will only make that owner dig in deeper, like a jungle warrior trying to avoid an invading army. You are only setting yourself up for disaster if you keep on with the assault.

If an owner says they have a certain need, make sure your trade offer solves that problem otherwise you are wasting people’s time. Don’t try and sell your offer as a problem solver if it only puts a band-aid on an open wound. When someone loses Reggie Wayne for the year don’t offer them Hakeem Nicks for Jimmy Graham. Not only are you insulting their intelligence, you are bringing your own into question.

If your 100 MESSAGES aren’t being returned it’s time to rethink your strategy. Trying to get a trade done is not a war of attrition. You don’t try and wear down the other owner until they finally accept an offer. You are not only alienating the owner, but you are setting yourself up for a big problem. If you continuously set your sites on one player you can make so many offers that you may make a mistake where you give away way too much for that player. It’s especially dangerous if the owner you are trying to force a trade with is a poker player. A good owner (poker player) could be just checking and checking every time they decline your trade offers without a reason, waiting to trap you into that one big hand where he empties your wallet. (roster.)

Being First To The Feeding Frenzy

When there is a major injury on a Sunday in fantasy football, the first thing I do is check the owner of that player’s roster for possible trade fits. I treat that owner as if they are a stranded swimmer out in the ocean. Life boats will be coming at them from all angles with some boats looking more inviting then others. Being first to lend a hand with a sensible offer can put you at the head of the line if there are multiple owners with similar offers. Remember that most owner’s worst traits tend to come out when they smell blood in the water. They offer their waiver wire bound wide receiver and act like it’s the golden ticket from Willy Wonka. I’m pretty sure Slugworth wouldn’t even want Miles Austin on his roster if it meant some of Wonka’s secrets.

Please use these tips as a guide of what not to do in trying to trade in fantasy sports.