With the full 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball Rankings now complete, let’s take a look at the double digit rounds. The debate over Scrub A or Scrub B. We don’t want no scrubs! Well, play in a shallower league then! People say you win your leagues in the later rounds. I don’t know who these people are, but they’re probably jaded after drafting Derrick Rose in the 2nd round last year. Where’s the violins?! What I would say, is if you hit on one guy in the late rounds with 30th or 40th overall value, you’re set. 75% of your last picks are probably going to be drops. So 75% of your late picks will be passes to Brandon LaFell. Wrong sport! Still bitter about how bad he was… Go Kelvin Benjamin! Aka my favorite Panther. Stay focused! Here’s my top 150 for the 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball Season (based on 9-cat H2H):
101. John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks – Larry Drew shall haunt us no more! Early, early reports are saying he’ll start, which would make me happier than a Brewers NL Central title (I jinxed it – especially with how they’re doing lately)! As a starter last year, 13.3/8.5/2/0.5/2. Dem fighting numbers! Given that was in only 23 games, since Larry Drew has less of a Clue than Professor Plum… If the news holds up he starts, he moves into the early 90s at the least.
102. Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors – It’s always surprising when you look up and see Bogut finished as high as he does. 58th in total value and 51st in per game last year. Big boards given his smallish minutes, nice blocks, and elite – albeit low-volume – FG% make him a solid later round roster comp pick. Be sure to not have your hopes and dreams crushed when he gets eaten by a dingo though…
103. J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers – It was an injury-riddled season for Dr. Backne, but he was actually 67th in per game last year and was an amazing fit for the Clips’ O. Despite small sample, actually had a career-best in points and dimes (2.2), along with nearly a steal and two treys giving him sneaky value. And will be sneaky value again…
104. Spencer Hawes, Los Angeles Clippers – After muddling on the Sixers, it’s easy to see why he took a bench role on a better team! Hawes was fantastic last year – surprisingly just as useful on the Cavs after the trade – and I see him getting pretty good minutes at PF/C off the bench. If he indeed gets high-20 minutes, it’ll be a value.
105. Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets – I’ve never been a huge JJ fan, but he had a good bounce back in FG% and a good spike when Deron Williams was hurt. Who I think will get hurt again…
106. Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks – Injuries took their toll on minutes and output in his final NYK stint, but he was still an effective bottom-end big. The return to Dallas with glowing quotes from GM Donnie Nelson are only good signs. Nice Reb/Blk pick late.
107. Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons – Probably means Jennings won’t be on any of my teams; last year’s debacle has no signs of improving in Stan Van’s defensive/rotations-based scheme. Still some upside since he’s a good player, but I’m not reaching.
108. Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics – An under-the-radar breakout when he got run. Jake Sully was a 13.9/9/1.8/0.5/0.8 guy with 0.8 treys in 44 starts. Jake Soooooooly! And in only 29:33 a game! Give him 34 minutes and he’s pretty close to what I see from sleeper favorite Markieff Morris. A good bit of upside if he can carve out a consistent role.
109. DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks – Don’t let this rank fool you into thinking I don’t like Carroll! I know he was an under-the-radar beast last year with a 48th overall finish, but his pre/post Al Horford injury splits were appalling. 9/5.5/1.6/1.3/0.3 43% FG and a trey in 30 games to 12.6/5.5/2/1.6/0.3 49% FG and 1.5 treys. OK, so maybe appalling was an overreaction, but so much better afterwards! Still well be a quality multi-cat guy late.
110. Tobias Harris, Orlando Magic – Oh how the times be changin’! Harris was my best call in 12-13 when I took over mid-season, and led a ton of my teams into deep playoff runs. Then, the high ankle sprain happened. Missed a ton of time last year, and with Channing Frye brought in along with the draft pick of Aaron Gordon, the Magic don’t seem committed to -T (Tobias). Even in per game, was only 91st overall, but his game is well-suited for fantasy if he gets the run and enough rock.
111. Paul Pierce, Washington Wizards – Despite some peaks and valleys, finished 63rd overall last year. “THEN WHY DO YOU HATE HIM?!” Chill out, all caps troll! Obviously is old, Washington is loaded at SF, I think he’ll have some nice games but some disappearing acts as well.
112. Rodney Stuckey, Indiana Pacers – Reach alert! Reacharound alert! I guess a reacharound would warrant an alert… Anyway, George Hill isn’t exactly Chris Paul out there and there’s a huge gaping void of points for the Pacers. His lack of the 3 ball hurts, but this is probably the best team he’s been on since getting starting minutes, even with it so depleted.
113. Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets – It’s been so long, I had to double-check I spelled his name! Well-distanced from the ACL tear, still offers big treys, great FT%, a few boards and over 2 dimes and maybe a steal a game. That’s when I like to scream, “Mama Mia!”
114. Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors – He’s a good player, but plethora of PF options (like bringing back James Johnson) hurt upside. 69th in overall value in only 29 MPG shows he could be a beast in a big role, but still has a lingering ankle issue and I’m afraid to reach any higher.
115. Jameer Nelson, Dallas Mavericks – This is just a gut feeling. But Jameer fits the Mavericks PG needs better than Raymond Felton and Devin Harris, who are both equally if not more injury-prone than Nelson. He’s the only perimeter threat of the three, so could settle into the Jose Calderon role nicely. It’s a boring sleeper pick because he’s old, but I see the minutes and output surprising a lot of people this year.
116. Josh McRoberts, Miami Heat – I’ve never been the biggest Charlie Day fan, but should carve out a similar role to repeat 13-14 minutes on the Heat. Which ended up as the 65th overall finish last year – a lot of that weight coming from low TOs. Solid cat-filler across the board late.
117. Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers – Bryan Scott has said Hill will get good minutes, but we’ll see what “good” means. As a starter last year in 32 games, 13/8.9/0.8/0.5/1.1 – which while not the most enticing, was still in under 25 minutes a game. CURSE D’ANTONI!!!!!
118. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers – It won’t be me reaching for him, as last year’s highly-publicized, catastrophic falloff cost a lot of people fantasy glory. Might offer some bounce back in the blocks which were elite early on in 13-14.
119. Danny Green, San Antonio Spurs – Vastly improved after the All-Star Break, shooting 6% better from the field, improving from 1.5 treys to 2.6 and ended up close to a 1+ 5-cat line. Ups and downs in Pop’s rotation will be annoying, but if you can bear it will be a value when it’s all done.
120. Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers – Finished 78th in total value last year, but all sorts of lingering injuries late last year horrifies me. While he averaged 3.2 dimes last year, he had a big spike in January at 4.6 when Chris Paul was hurt. Dimes, points, and minutes all to go down.
121. Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors – Even with the metric-boost of only 1.6 TOs a game, Iggy finished 110 in overall value last year. One of my sleeper favorites Draymond Green I see starting, with Iggy leading the second unit. But he still has Harrison Barnes to fend off for minutes as well. A pass for me.
122. Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat – Slim and I fought for him as a waiver add for commenters throughout much of last year, and ended up a sneaky 88th overall in total value. That said, not too enthusiastic even though he has a little more upside with LeBron moving on.
123. Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets – Making splashes for the USA team (even if there are some conspiracy theories), and if he gets a big role will be a huge sleeper. Yahoo has him 187 right now, which will surely shoot up if he has a big preseason. Great shot to be a monster multi-cat guy, as his per-36 last year was 14.7/8.7/1.7/1.4/1.6 shooting 66%.
124. Jeff Green, Boston Celtics – Yikes! Green was one of the ultimate busts last year, teeming with potential that just never translated into production. Somehow managed to squeeze in a 99th overall finish even though his only special asset was 16.9 PPG. I think those even come down a bit in a another season of Stevens rebuild.
125. Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers – We all know about what to expect from Sideshow Bob, under 30 minutes with huge rebounds and not too much else. He’s been well over 2 dimes a game the past two seasons – which I see tapering off with BronBron back – but even though he’s not a blocker, will sneak in over a steal per.
126. Nene Hilario, Washington Wizards – His game translates horribly into the metrics, since his horrific FT shooting and high-TOs sink the overall value. But if you’re punting either one of those – which are the most popular punt cats – he might be worth even a higher reach for his near 1+ 5-cat line and nice dimes from a big. Would be higher for me, especially since these are H2H ranks, if he wasn’t in the twilight of his career with so many injury issues.
127. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs – Finished 98th in overall value last year, but the minutes and role are receding just like his bald spot! Somehow got that finish despite playing under 23 minutes a game and should come somewhere close to a similar finish in 14-15. Pop’s headaches will make him feel less valuable though…
128. P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns – Huge breakout from pajamas, finishing 62nd in overall value. Given he played 81 games which helped, but his lines were consistent even if he didn’t do anything extremely well in any one cat. Built in regression and I’m not sure he plays 31 minutes again, plus missing 3 games due to the “super extreme” DUI suspension makes me think he’s not the most super extreme nice guy.
129. Trey Burke, Utah Jazz – The good: 90.3% FT (in very small volume though), only 1.9 TO. The bad: 5.7 assists from a 32 minute starting role, 0.6 steals. The ugly: 38% FG percentage and Dante Exum is gonna push for minutes. Burke’s probably the last big-minute PG on the board, so if you need some late assists upside you can grab him, but I’m likely avoiding for other upside plays.
130. J.R. Smith, New York Knicks – Tats McGoo had a surprising 92nd overall finish last year, but it was fueled by dimebags! Which he has experience with… I keed of course, he never had a 10 dime game last year! But did average a career-best 3 assists a game in 13-14, which is certainly not happening again in the Triangle O and with Calderon a much better PG than fatty Felton. Career high 2.6 treys seems unlikely to repeat as well. I can’t remember the last time I had J.R. Smith on my team, and it won’t be this year either.
131. Omer Asik, New Orleans Pelicans – I’ve seen Asik getting drafted crazy high, and I just don’t see it. I think people are forgetting that Ryan Anderson is there, and while Anderson is healthy, he and the Brow are going to play in crunch time. Asik should carve out a decent role with a ton of boards and a block a game, but past that isn’t much of a contributor while an awful FT shooter.
132. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons – Let’s try this again! KCP is a big sleeper for me… If at first you don’t succeed… I’m probably going to reference this game a million times through pre-season, but in the season finale last year against the Thunder (who were playing for a higher seeding), 30/6/0/2/1 with 5 treys shooting 11-19 from the field. Dem fighting numbers! Stan Van has raved about KCP after Summer League – which he absolutely tore up for 24/7.4/1.6/1.8/0.2 with 2.4 treys – and while the struggle for minutes vs. Meeks is a challenge, if KCP plays his butt off, he’ll find minutes. He’s a defensive standout for the bossman who loves his D, and doesn’t turn the ball over. He had 28 TOs TOTAL last season! In 1,583 minutes. And in that monster 30 point finale? No TOs. A last pick flyer if there ever was one.
133. Gerald Green, Phoenix Suns – My Gerald Green hate knows no bounds! But let’s be real – pre-ranks having him top 100 make no sense. IT2 to match with Dragic and Bledsoe lock up the G rotation, and T.J. Warren and P.J. Tucker clog up SF. I just don’t see the minutes even after his big breakout. Plus efficiency regression is surely going to hit a guy who shot 36% in 12-13 to 44% last year. I guess if you’re desperate for treys with your final pick or two I can buy it, but Yahoo’s pre-rank of 83 means you’re passing on a bevy of better options.
134. Andrea Bargnani, New York Knicks – Il Diva! Yeah, I’m already feeling a little nauseous having him this high… Bargs was actually close to must-own for a stretch, before believing he could fly on this dunk attempt and jacking up his elbow. 13.7/5.3/1.1/0.3/1.3 with 0.7 treys and only 1.3 TOs in 23 starts last year. Dem marginal numbers! Phil J has said he’s a good fit for the Triangle O, and if the Knicks struggle, they’ll feature him for a trade. I think he can surprise, as long as he doesn’t have any delusions of grandeur driving to the rim…
135. Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers – Tattoo McGoo Number Two had some sneaky value last year particularly in the second half, going 13.4/5.3/2.4/1.1/0.6 in his final 27 games, but he’s still more of a plug-and-play for me than a potential sleeper. I see some pretty good value from J.J. Redick, so Barnes has limited upside, albeit he’s useful. Like McBob, a stat stuffer late across the board.
136. Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns – Even with a big start, Plumlee finished out of the top 150 in total value despite playing 80 games. Tale of two calendar years! 10/9.1/0.6/0.6/1.8 in 2013, 6.9/7/0.5/0.6/0.7 in 2014. 2014, the year of the dried up plums! The Suns dealing Frye helps free up some C minutes – especially since Prof. Plum only logged 22.6 MPG in 2014 – but the upside is a little limited. Nice last round pick if you’re a little light in swats.
137. Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers – Murder, She Wroten! T Dubs flashed some surprising upside last year, with a sizzling 16 games in which he started for 17.8/4.4/5.2/1.2/0.4. Given Michael Carter-Williams was hurt in most of those, but there’s some murmurs Wroten could fill the wide open SG spot in Philly. Even if he starts, let’s not go crazy – 3.2 TO when he started and he’s probably the worst FT shooting guard in the NBA at 64.1% last year – in fairly high volume at that. Plus the Sixers could mix-and-match all year and make Wroten a nightmare to own. The smidge of upside gets him in the top 150 though.
138. Nik Stauskas, Sacremento Kings – This’ll turn some heads! After slamming him as a ThrAGNOF on draft day in a roster competition with Ben McLemore, I’m starting to really like Stauskas’ prospects as a sleeper. First there’s the fact McLemore is terrible. Go back to Ryan Lewis! Then it’s been floated out there he’s going to be a key in the offensive distribution, which makes a lot of sense with Darren Collison not a heavy dimer. In a whopping 35.6 MPG in his final year at Michigan, Stauskas only had 1.9 TO a game. I see him being a surprise with obviously nice treys, sneaky dimes, and low TOs. And of course I think he’s taking the starting 2 role.
139. Kendall Marshall, Milwaukee Bucks – So many assists yet can’t find a home! Dropped by the Lakers, the Bucks scooped him up and he has a really easy shot at becoming their starting PG. At Chapel Hill he reminded me of Jason Kidd so I guess it’s appropriate he ended up with Milwaukee, and while any upside is limited to dimes, at least he offers a possible huge spike in a tough to find cat late in drafts.
140. Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors – Roller coaster season! Even with that ridiculous 51-point outburst that I’m sure will stump everyone on the Sporcle “2010s 50-point scorers” quiz, only averaged 10.9 points a game last year. Anemic dimes and meh in pretty much all cats except Pts/3s, Ross is only worth this rank because of the upside. Didn’t bode well he faltered in the playoffs, but he’s still young and could put it all together.
141. Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans – I’m seeing him ranked top 100 some places. You kiddin’ me?! Bad %s, doesn’t really do much besides score, and has played in a whopping 115 games in the last three years. So that’s 115/246. To top that off, he had YET ANOTHER arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason. I guess if he was around this late in my draft, I’d grab him if I needed points.
142. Brandan Wright, Dallas Mavericks – Even though per-36 for a guy off the bench isn’t directly translatable, last year was 17.5/8.2/1/1.1/1.8 shooting 7.5-11.1 (67.7%). The blocks were an eensy bit down, but Tyson Chandler had injury issues last year, and there’s no one exciting at 4/5 behind Tyson and Dirk. Should get surprising run with the upside at big minutes with both starters so old.
143. Dante Exum, Utah Jazz – So young, so raw, but the Jazz are an open canvas for anything exciting and his second half could be worth the pick in deeper leagues. It helps Trey Burke isn’t very good and Utah has no shot at the playoffs. Might move down if he plays awful in preseason after looking overwhelmed in Summer League.
144. Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics – A little underrated for the boarding he brings you as a guard, but he conversely brings you no dimes. Chips in a little here and a little there with at least 15 PPG, but not much of a ceiling.
145. Marco Belinelli, San Antonio Spurs – Here’s where I should’ve used “Mama Mia!” Spurs announcers always yelling that for Bel… He became a perfect fit for the Spurs, and turned in a 123 overall finish only playing 25.2 minutes a game last year. It was a metrics-friendly 123 with low TOs and more than a trey, but still. A great deeper league roster filler.
146. Marcus Morris, Phoenix Suns – Usage was up and down last year, but marginally improved FG% and AST:TO in the second half while offering an underrated line. With Frye gone, minutes are there for the taking for a solid contribution in treys from an out-of-position PF.
147. C.J. Miles, Indiana Pacers – Possibly looking at a starting role at the 3 in a position battle against Solomon Hill – Indiana giving Miles 4 years at $18 million shows a little bit of a commitment. He hits a ton of treys and with the minutes should be over a steal a game, making him a poor man’s Jodie Meeks.
148. Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee Bucks – I guess there’s some bounce back upside from this 6-foot-turkey, but it DOES sound scary! The Bucks are vehemently trying to dump him and he looked downright awful last year. He looked like a clown with huge flat clown shoes on defense. Still, he was a top-50 player in both per-game and total value in 12-13, and went into last year with a bad ankle sprain. Maybe there’s something left in the tank, but he isn’t going to be on my roster while we figure that out.
149. Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz – Back-to-back Turks! Don’t get me wrong, Kanter is not a very good player… But the Jazz have nothing on their front line, and even though he was a much better player off the bench to feast off second units, he’s going to get decent minutes. Trouble is, he’s a big who doesn’t block or shoot a great FG% since his game is mid-range. This late, guaranteed minutes for a young guy could turn into something…
150. K.J. McDaniels, Philadelphia 76ers – A lot will depend on news through pre-season, but even if Wroten locks up SG there’s a hole at SF as well. I think the 3 is a perfect spot for the versatile wing, who was a 1+ 5-catter in college averaging over a trey per as well, with 2.8 blocks. If he’s looking at a 25-30 minute role, pencil in a block a game from your wing to flank your bigs if you’re light there.
There it is folks! I’m sure a dozen of these guys I could write a whole sleeper article on, but it’s to the final 151-200 of the ranks! Shoot your thoughts below and happy sleeper-reaching!
