LOGIN

The Writer’s League is supposed to be for the Razzball writers. With Son being a dummy and not password protecting the league, we were infiltrated by a fan. But with that mishap, sweet lemonade was squeezed from the lemons because Kelder23 has graciously written about his experience. Enjoy!

Brian Kelder here, been playing fantasy hoops since the 90s when I would compile the stats by hand. I
had a league fold and decided, regardless of my talent level and prognosticating ability, to join a
writers’ league. I have no idea what I’m doing, but here are my basic rules:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Newsletter

I don't have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

That girl you have a crush on. That job you’ve been dreaming about. That glory you receive from hitting the game-winner. None can become reality until you shoot your shot. Well, I decided to shoot my shot by entering the NFBKC Main Event for the first time. It’s a 12-team, 8-cat league with an overall component. Entry fee is $1,000 with the top three getting paid and a $10,000 overall prize with the glory that comes with it. Here’s a look at Son taking his shot.

I did the research and labored over making projections in the offseason. I feel like I’m at a certain level so I need to see where I’m at. Will I be paying tuition to get educated or will I have a chance at glory? Time will tell but even if I bomb, the experience and knowledge will be beneficial going forward. You cannot learn without failing. So, here’s a recap of the draft and my thoughts behind each pick. The draft room was filled with sharks like Hall of Famer Eric Wong, Curtis Gazdewich, who has won everything that NFBKC has had to offer, and Dalton Del Don, who writes for Yahoo and is a high-stakes player. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Helloooooo Razzballers!  My name is Jonny, but most refer to me in the fantasy realm as Da Fantasy Guru (DFG).  I’d like to start off by giving thanks to Son and Grey for bringing me on the team.  I really look forward to contributing what I can, working with such great people, and sneaking in some 80’s movies references!  A little bit about me – I’m proud to say I just hit middle age and as I think about it, I have now been doing fantasy for over half of my life (25 years), you try to do the math.  Come to think of it I’d like to say I started fantasy right around when something amazing was created called Fantasy Football, at least when it became more mainstream. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I’ve been running the same fantasy basketball league with roughly the same players for nearly a decade now and a while back we converted it into a keeper league. This past Tuesday we had our fantasy draft. We are like most leagues in that there are a few players nearly always on the top and the rest of the league is a mixture of people who don’t care nearly as much or are just novices trying to learn. If you’re in a casual league, it probably looks a lot like this.

One important thing to keep in mind is that this is a KEEPER league, and as such 41 of Yahoo!’s top 50 players were kept and unavailable to be drafted. You’ll see them pop up in rounds much later, in most scenarios, as they were kept on the cheap. It’s a 9-cat H2H league as well with nothing to play for but a trophy we have engraved every season. We added two more teams this season that did not play at all last season and held an expansion draft before the actual draft, and we replaced one manager who decided to focus on his life instead (which is totally okay and encouraged, btw.)

Please, blog, may I have some more?

For most of the offseason, I’ve been drafting over at the NFBKC, which are 8-cat, roto format drafts. So, being at one with the universe and maintaining balance is key. Punting is not a viable strategy. Yesterday, I participated in my first Yahoo draft, which was 16 teams deep, head-to-head format, and 9 categories. I ended up punting assists, which I didn’t plan to, but I was happy with how it turned out. Here’s the play by play:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The 2020 NBA Draft and six-month wait is finally over. According to the ESPN broadcast, every pick was great and no team made a bad pick. Let’s get back to the days when a pick was made, Jalen Rose gave a bad comp for the pick, and then Bill Simmons and Jay Bilas would actually argue and debate the picks. Give real opinions without fear that someone’s feelings would get hurt. Today, I will do that for the first 10 picks. Feel free to hop in the comment section and debate with me. That’s what makes the draft fun.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war”

The NBA draft season is upon us and it’s good to see you once again, metaphorically speaking, Razzballers. It’s been a while.

As we all eagerly await the draft, and the Wild West front office action of the NBA that will follow, in traditional Dynasty Deep Dive fashion, I thought I would highlight some of the guys heading into the draft that I am sticking my dick on the table for (to coin a phrase from a good friend of mine). Industry consensus thinking be damned.

It’s important to remember that progression isn’t linear, and landing spot will be huge in the development of these unfinished products. Maybe even more so in a projected weak class such as this, but I invite you to sit back, enjoy the ride, and enjoy a typical Dynasty Deep Dive dig into what I believe are some of the undervalued rookies heading into the draft.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

We officially survived The Bubble. We adjusted, adapted, and social-distantly cried or cheered depending on the fate of our teams. Bron Bron is yet again a champ of the known carbon-based universe. The Brow is newly minted and giddy in his child-like man hoodness. Horton-Tucker tipped the scales and made the Larry O’ come back to the smoggy post apocalypse that is 2020 Los Angeles.

Let’s pause a moment to think back on all that has happened in hoops over the last decade.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

With the NBA Draft on the horizon, November 18th to be exact, it’s time for us to dive in on the potential lottery picks, potential sleepers, and see if this draft class has a superstar in it. I am sure many of you are already set for who you want on your teams and who will be a hit and who will be a bust, so I’m here to either reinforce those opinions or change them. Let’s get right into it. 

Now, as many of us have realized, there is no consensus number 1 overall pick. There is no Zion Williamson this year or even a Cade Cunningham coming up next year. Some have Anthony Edwards, others have James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball. Heck, even Onyeka Okongwu’s name has been a fast riser lately. So there is no real safe prediction. In the end, it could all come down to preference and team need. But, for now at least, I don’t have to worry about controlling an organization so I can make my board based on what players I like the most. So here are my first half picks of the 2020 NBA lottery: 

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Like most of you fantasy nuts, I am starved for basketball this time of year and can’t wait to get started. I decided to take matters into my own hands and started a league. I wanted it to be realistic and meaningful, so I set the buy-in at $200. Thankfully, I was able to gather 11 knowledgeable players and we drafted last week. Most of these guys are sharp, so there weren’t many bargains. Here is a recap of how it went down.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I’m such a degen that I signed up for the first NFBKC Draft Champions league as soon as it came out back in late July. What can I say? I’m a pookie for the drafts. Anyways, it’s a 12- team, 8-cat league with a $150 buy-in and implements KDS and TRR. KDS stands for Kentucky Derby Style, which allows owners to rank their draft order preference. TRR is Third Round Reversal, so during the draft, the first two rounds proceed as a normal snake draft, but in the third round, the 12th team picks first. The starting lineup consists of 4 guards, 4 forwards, 2 centers, and 2 flex spots. There are no trades or waiver pickups, so what you draft is what you roll with for the entire season.

For this piece, I’ll provide the draft board and give you my thoughts on why I chose the player I did in each round. During the draft, I utilized a spreadsheet that tracked everyone’s picks and showed I how fared in each category based on my projections, which I will post in the middle. Finally, I recommend that you look at teams 2, 3, 5, 7, and 12, as all have won at least 3 contests in the past at the NFBKC.

Please, blog, may I have some more?