Last week on their SiriusXM fantasy show, Jeff Mans and Ted Schuster discussed the most overrated players of all time. I immediately thought of Emmitt Smith, though Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte belong in the discussion as well. I can’t say I agreed when Jeff called Larry Bird overrated, but I did think Andy Roddick was a great call.
If we expand the discussion from overrated players to just anything in sports that is overrated, trade deadlines would have to be near the top of the list. Fans and media members spend a ton of time speculating on who will be traded where, and in the end there is never enough action to justify the hype.
That was not the case today when there was a flurry of activity at the deadline. For the most part, I didn’t think any of the trades had a ton of fantasy impact. Reggie Jackson should be an absolute monster starting in Detroit for Stan Van Gundy, and Goran Dragic should handle the ball more in Miami than he did in Phoenix, but for the most part everyone involved was a bench player or just a solid starter. Not a whole lot of difference-makers were traded.
I didn’t want to publish this article before the trade deadline for fear of a trade that would make some of my analysis irrelevant. That didn’t happen. The Kings will probably be better now that George Karl has his boy Andre Miller, but I still believe they will be a good fantasy matchup. The 76ers look drastically different but should still be terrible. JaVale McGee is very intriguing in Philly, as are Tim Frazier and Isaiah Canaan, but the 76ers are still a great fantasy matchup.
As most fantasy players focus on familiar faces in new places, savvy fantasy players will focus on the schedule. There are a lot of decent players who could take advantage of the schedule to put together a big week. This is an especially good week if you need 3-point shooting, though there is something for everyone is this week’s schedule breakdown.
Marco Belinelli, San Antonio Spurs (Road vs. Jazz, Road vs. Trail Blazers, Road vs. Kings, Road vs. Suns) Belinelli has scored in double-digits in four of his five games since returning from a groin injury. No team has allowed a higher shooting percentage from beyond the arc over the last 15 games than the Jazz; the Trail Blazers are third and the Suns are sixth. The Jazz and Kings have the fourth and fifth-worst defensive ratings in the NBA while the Suns and Kings have allowed the third and fourth-most points to opposing teams.
Channing Frye, Orlando Magic (Home vs. Heat, Road vs. Hawks, Home vs. Hornets) Frye has scored 76.6 percent of his points on 3-pointers, a higher percentage than even Kyle Korver. The Hornets and Heat are in the bottom half of the league in opponent’s 3-point percentage while the Heat and Hawks are in the top-10 for most 3-pointers allowed to opponents. So long as he is recovered from his dislocated left index finger, Frye should be pretty good this week. Evan Fournier and Willie Green could probably take advantage of this schedule as well, especially if Frye is out.
Courtney Lee, Memphis Grizzlies (Road vs. Clippers, Road vs. Kings, Home vs. Clippers, Road vs. Timberwolves) This is apparently a good week if you need threes. Lee is averaging 1.3 per game for the season and the only team to allow more than the Kings over their last 15 games is the Clippers. Lee is also averaging a steal per game, and the Kings and Timberwolves are in the top five in opponent’s steals this season.
James Johnson, Toronto Raptors (Road vs. Pelicans, Road vs. Mavericks, Home vs. Warriors, Road vs. Knicks, Road vs. 76ers) There are a handful of Toronto rotation players who are worth playing this week, especially against the Knicks and 76ers. I chose to focus on James Johnson because he averaged 14 points over three games since returning from a hamstring injury. Johnson is averaging a block per game this season, and no team has been blocked more than the Pelicans.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets (Road vs. Nuggets, Road vs. Pelicans, Road vs. Rockets, Road vs. Mavericks, Home vs. Warriors) The Pelicans, Nuggets and Rockets are in the top five in opponent’s blocks while the Mavericks and Warriors are second and third in opponent’s rebounds. Plumlee can do both of those things well, and he should play a bit more with Kevin Garnett gone.
This season the trade deadline was not overrated, and neither is looking at the upcoming NBA schedule to get a fantasy edge. Knowing how to exploit favorable matchups is crucial, especially if you are trying to pick up ground in a specific category.