Are you freaking out because you are struggling out of the gate and cannot find a way to win? STOP! It is the first few weeks of the season and like NBA teams, fantasy teams need time to find that balance. A balanced lineup is one in which every standard category has its supporters. People who play other fantasy sports often choose to “punt” certain positions in order to gain more depth at others. Do not punt a category in fantasy basketball. In fantasy baseball there is no guarantee that your closer will pitch whenever their MLB team plays. Punting is acceptable. In fantasy basketball, each time a player steps on the floor they have the ability to score, steal, block, rebound and yes, turn the ball over. Basketball players have a lot of control over their stats. There are players who are on your waiver wire that can essentially stop the early bleeding and balance out your lineup.

Finding help in scoring and rebounding is a lot easier than finding support in steals, blocks and even assists. When looking to grab a player, look at what else that player can bring to your team. Philadelphia 76ers Guard-Forward K.J. McDaniels is an example of a player who can help in more categories than just blocks. McDaniels has been playing 23.5 minutes per game has not only blocked 1.7 shots per game, but he also scores 9.3 points per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The 23.5 minutes per game is a key indicator that he is involved in the 76ers offense and can help in multiple categories without hurting others. New York Knicks Center Samuel Dalembert is an NBA veteran with a reputation of being a major help in blocks. He, like McDaniels, is swatting 1.7 shots per game, but what else does he bring? Not much. He plays 17.1 minutes and grabs 5 rebounds per game. Dalembert seems like the safer player to add because of his reputation of being veteran blocker, but, with the playing time differential between the two and the lack of help in other categories from Dalembert, he does not seem as sexy of a pick anymore. McDaniels is lesser known around the league, but helps out in more categories and has more of a rotation commitment from his team. Separate the name from the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.

Do not get fooled by the numbers and psych yourself out. Do not necessarily add the player who grabs 1.1 steals per game as opposed to the player who is averaging 0.9 steals per game. The statistics are very close and the player who is averaging 0.9 steals per game can be more beneficial to your team because they help in other categories. Phoenix Suns Forward-Center Miles Plumlee averages one block and 0.9 steals per game. His teammate Guard-Forward Gerald Green is averaging 1.1 steals per game and plays a bit less than Plumlee. Green even scores 15 points per game. Who would you pick up between the two? All signs point to Green because he scores more and wins the steals battle against Plumlee. The problem with adding Green over Plumlee is that you could still be exposed in blocks, rebounds and steals. If you need the scoring, go Green obviously. Plumlee is the more versatile fantasy option because he helps in those categories that are harder to find support in. Go to your expanded standings on your league homepage and find out what exactly your “needs” are and where you are struggling most. If you are killing it in scoring, but struggling in the other categories, Green is not as smart of a pick up in that case.

When looking at picking up a player playing time is crucial. Denver Nuggets Center JaVale McGee has the leaping ability to secure a lot of blocks, but his 12 minutes of playing time per game does not give him much of a chance to reach his full potential. It does not matter that he is blocking 1.7 shots per game. Without that playing time commitment, he is a risky add, especially if you play in leagues in which you can only set your lineups weekly. Los Angeles Lakers Forward-Center Ed Davis plays in 23.4 minutes per game and scores, rebounds and plays more than McGee and despite averaging fewer blocks than McGee. Davis is the smarter pick up.

When it comes to blocks and steals, do not be dissuaded picking up a player who averages less than one steal and block per game. As long as that player is averaging over 0.5 blocks and/or steals per game, he is a safe player to add. If players are producing blocks and steals in the majority of games they play, that benefits your team at the end of the day. It becomes safe to assume that the player will produce on that front in the majority of games you start them in. Remember, the numbers don’t lie. Always be looking at the bigger picture and where else a player you are considering picking up can help your team out. Do not focus on just the one category of need. Find that balance and you will see good results.