Kicking Off 2022 With A Bang

DeMar DeRozan does it again as he hits yet another game-winner to steal the victory for the Chicago Bulls over the Washington Wizards, 120-119. With this game winner, DeRozan became the first player in NBA history to make back-to-back game winners in back-to-back days.

This was a game that the Wizards led for 90% of the time, but Chicago clawed to within two points on multiple occasions in the final minutes of the game.

Zach LaVine finished with a game-high 35 points and knocked down 7-of-12 threes. Nikola Vucevic had a solid night with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Then there’s Coby White who stepped up big time in the absence of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso as he finished with 20 points of his own with four big threes.

This win makes seven straight wins for Chicago and propels them to the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-10.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Midweek Guidance – COVID Theatre Enters the Next Act

December 30, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball |

by: PB

The NBA claims that it consulted several medical experts when making this decision. I imagine the finance department was also involved, especially after the spate of big name absences for Christmas Day’s marquee slate. At any rate, I choose to believe that we’ve turned the corner and will start to see additional policy revisions in the near future. In the meantime, this post will continue to provide you with the best possible intel on widely available players who can help you down the stretch of a head-to-head matchup.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Midweek Guidance – Comedy and Tragedy in the COVID Theatre

December 23, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball | 11 Comments

by: PB

Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week Ten! If you’ve paid attention to my posts over the past two weeks, you know that many of my streaming suggestions were unceremoniously detonated by COVID protocols. In fact, my measure of success for this post is no longer recommending players who will help you in your category matchups. I now consider it a win if the post is simply published more than two hours before the newest inductees into COVID protocols are announced. Let me preface the following by giving the standard disclaimer: I am not a doctor or scientist. I’m just a knuckle-dragging fantasy basketball blogger trying to make sense of the world around me. That being said, am I the only one that finds this current direction of travel unsustainable for the NBA and other pro leagues?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Thursday Night Recap – Jingles Bells

December 10, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes |

by: EZ

Joe Ingles is finally kicking it into gear after a slow start to the season. Ingles is back to canning threes and dropping dimes—he amassed three of the former and seven of the latter on Thursday—and has scored in double digits in five of his last seven. Over that span, he’s averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.7 3PTM. Those numbers may seem modest, but paired with close to 60 percent shooting, it’s made him a top-100 player over the past 14 days. He’s trending in the right direction, and I would scoop him up now if you need treys and dimes (39 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues).

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Midweek Guidance – Simon Says…. Add Simons

December 2, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball |

by: PB

Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week Seven! The goal of this post is to help you identify players on the waiver wire who can help you win your weekly matchup. Keeping up with the consolidated injury report is no small task these days. The past 10 days were not kind to the league’s stars, with several going out for extended absences. If you’re in the unfortunate position of holding a top-tier player who’s dealing with injury or sickness, it’s time to figure out who will benefit from their time off. There is no shortage of talent to mine from the hardest-hit teams like Houston, Denver, and Portland.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Midweek Guidance – Black Friday Discount Edition

November 25, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball | 1 Comment

by: PB

As an American living in England, it’s heartwarming to hear about the Thanksgiving traditions that are increasingly embraced by the British public. And no, I’m not talking about enjoying the fellowship of others, eating great food, or reflecting on the many blessings that we enjoy in our affluent societies. I’m talkin’ ’bout busting down the doors of the cheap electronics store at 4 AM, crushing skulls underfoot, and stampeding toward the flat screens! USA! USA! USA! Amazingly, I’ve come across several Brits who harbor resentment toward America for exporting this time-honored tradition, but thankfully their ranks are thinning. I’m confident we’ll eventually win them all over, one special edition ‘Friends’ box set at a time…

Fortunately for us waiver wire scavengers, there are always Black Friday deals to be found in fantasy hoops if one looks hard enough (and reads this post). My goal is to highlight players who are on 50% or fewer rosters in ESPN and/or Yahoo leagues so that you can find the best fit to win your head-to-head matchup.

If you entered the Metuverse like I did last week, you hopefully benefitted from the threes, rebounds, steals, and blocks that Chimezie Metu provided in the Kings’ final two games of your matchup. However, our journey ended abruptly with the firing of Luke Walton and the installment of Alvin Gentry, which has resulted in back-to-back DNP-CDs for Metu thus far. It’s time to snap back to the real world and find some alternatives.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Sunday Recap- Roads Not Taken

November 15, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes |

by: Jalen Eutsey

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 114-116 on Sunday night, making them 3-3 since LeBron James has been sidelined due to an abdominal injury. None of the victories have been particularly impressive, but they’re doing what they need to do—staying afloat until they get healthy. After a lackluster performance that led to a 24-point loss to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves in their previous contest, Anthony Davis set the tone early for the purple and gold in this game. Davis had 19 points (8-10 FG) in the first quarter and finished the game with 32 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block. It was the kind of dominating performance the Lakers will need in James’ absence as well as when he returns if the Lakers have any hope of achieving their championship goals. This game also saw Talen Horton-Tucker return from injury, pushing Kent Bazemore all the way out of the starting lineup and into a DNP (Coach’s Decision). Horton-Tucker had a solid game with 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Carmelo Anthony continues to shoot the ball well at home and he received a surprise start in this game. He finished the contest with 15 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT) and five rebounds. He’s still shooting a ridiculous 47.3% from three on the season and an even more ridiculous 56% from three at home. Finally, Russell Westbrook had a quiet, efficient night for the Lakers. I might contend that quiet and efficient should be the goal for most of Westbrook’s contest given his rocky start to the season, but that’s a conversation for another day. Westbrook finished the game with 14 points (5-11 FG, 3-5 3PT), 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and seven turnovers.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2021-22 Denver Nuggets Preview

October 17, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball, Denver Nuggets |

by: Mr. Hooper

After some significant in-season shuffling, the Nuggets came into this offseason having more or less locked themselves into a core of Murray/Joker/AG and then threw Michael Porter Jr. into the nucleus as well with a five-year, $172M max deal. As such, they didn’t have much of a hand to play in this summer’s free agency and the roster changes here are minimal. Jeff Green inked a two-year deal worth $9M and is tasked with picking up the big man minutes left behind by Paul Millsap, now in Brooklyn, and three-time NBA Champion JaVale McGee, who is wearing a shirt that says ‘Phoenix’ on it this year. Nah’shon “Bones” Hyland was Denver’s selection at pick 26 in this summer’s draft, and he showed out in their first preseason game. As long as Jamal Murray is on the shelf, there is definitely a need for good guard play, cracking open the door for Bones.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Flowers Still Bloom

September 9, 2021 | 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball | 1 Comment

by: Mr. Hooper

When we moved from California to Wisconsin last October, we knew it would be hard. Catching the tail end of fall was the final gasp of good air before the dual jaws of winter and the pandemic clamped down on us. From there, we just had to ride it out. Hiding indoors, online, and in the NBA calendar was all there was to do. As the days got darker — in every sense — we were subjected, over and over again, to the Milwaukee mantra: Summers make winters worth it. Having no experience to draw on, we had to take these hearty midwesterners at their word.

They were right.

Ice thawed and snow melted. Patches of terra firma sprouted and then turned green. The Bucks exercised Miami demons in Game 1 of the Playoffs and squeaked past the Nets by the margin of a single shoe size. The Hawks were feisty but underseasoned, and then there was the block and the steal and the alley-oop over Phoenix. “Bucks in six” was the song of the summer. Flowers for The Good Land.

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In Praise of the Industrious Ant

May 6, 2021 | Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes |

by: Mr. Hooper

As of April 28, LaMelo Ball remains Vegas’ heavy favorite (-350) to take home Rookie of the Year honors. I don’t really have much quarrel with that, especially since the rookie of consequence I drafted this season wasn’t Ball or Anthony Edwards but James Wiseman. Whoops! Who’s the wise man? Not me. Despite missing some time, Ball will be a deserving winner if the oddsmakers in the desert prove to be correct. Of the top three picks, I feel like Edwards is the one who gets the least amount of shine despite being the no. 1 selection. Flying under the radar makes sense, especially when considering that he doesn’t hail from a(n) (in)famous family, his team has been in the postseason one time since 2005 and has been out of contention since November, and he’s not trying to integrate his game into the dying dreams of decaying dynasty. If you didn’t go looking for it (or if you didn’t draft him), Edwards’ fine first year could pass by more or less unremarked on.

Or dude could throw out a 40-burger and make himself the lede of my final Wednesday recap of the season like freakin’ boss.

Anthony Edwards

PTS REB AST STL BLK 3PM FG FT TO
42 6 7 1 1 8 17/22 0/1 3

On the year, Ant is a top-100-ish player, a ranking that is weighed down by the 41% shooting from the floor. There have definitely been some clunkers over the course of the season and I generally have not been very quiet about them. That said, he’s been a top-50 guy over the final month, a top-35 player over the last two weeks, and a top-25 player the last week. The FG% has ticked up over that same span too, from 46% to 49% to 58%! Too late to put a dent in LaMelo’s case for the hardware, but definitely the kind of growth you love to see out of a young player. Keep eating, Ant! We’ll see you next year.

Here’s what else I saw on the penultimate Wednesday of the regular season…

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The Cork Report: Category-Specific Players

May 3, 2021 | Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes |

by: Keith

Now that it’s looking like I’ll likely lose in my championship matchup this week (boooooooooooo!), I guess it’s time to turn to helping you all out in your championship runs this week. By the way, please move your playoffs up to avoid all the silliness. It happened earlier this year, but I’m a strong proponent of just absolutely skipping the last month of the season as teams randomly sit people and rest up for their playoff pushes.

Anyways, do yourself a favor and take a look at the opponent you are up against. Identify the categories where you guys are close (so if you are both bad at winning a category or if you both are middling at a category or both good at winning a category) and stock up on guys to win those categories. Most leagues are nine category leagues, so remember you only need to win five of them.

That said, here are the guys coming up with a boatload of games, all under 50% owned on Yahoo! that can help you win specific categories.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Balling Out

April 29, 2021 | Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes |

by: Mr. Hooper

During draft season, I joked with the other Razz writers that, according to my extremely unscientific research, 100% of LA guys were in on LaMelo Ball. The echo chamber and hype bubble were too well-constructed for this not to be the case (also I didn’t really do much research and threw out evidence that didn’t support my theory. I’m Mister Hooper, not Doctor.) LaVar’s greatest creation was not the trio of ballers he sired (or those ugly shoes), but the machine he constructed to discuss them ad infinitum. Put off the Ball family brashness, I was lukewarm on LaMelo when drafting and missed out on an extremely fun and productive rookie year. The hype will be hot again next season, I assume, especially if the Hornets show some fight against one of the beasts of the East, so I’ll probably miss him next year too. But perhaps there’s a backdoor to one of these Balls. While little bro is taking up all the shine, Lonzo Ball has taken another step forward, especially as a shot maker. The vision and passing has always been legit (even my hater-ass was quick to concede that after watching him at Summer League) but the stroke has been sanded down and his 3-point percentage now creeps towards 40%. Still shy of 24-years-old, he’s putting it together.

Last night, playing in the aptly named Ball Arena in Denver, Lonzo consistently got where he wanted to go on the floor and then dimed up his teammates once he cracked the Denver defense open. The highlight package below isn’t spectacular, but if you want to watch a dude move to the exact spots where he’s most dangerous, then I have the clip for you.

Lonzo Ball

PTS REB AST STL BLK 3PM FG FT TO
16 12 12 4 2 4 6/14 0/0 4

It was another busy Wednesday in professional hoops. Here’s what else stood out:

Please, blog, may I have some more?