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How to win at all costs – Pt. 1

Author Icon for Nels

Categorized as: Author: Nels, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Basketball Strategy
Posted on: September 10th, 2008

I’ve had this post sitting in draft mode since last season, and I’m not even sure if there’s a Part 2. But I’ve been trying to decide the right time to provide this sort of information. I think now is that time. It’s early enough that the non-hardcore fantasy basketball owners will have forgotten, and only those who truly deserve to win by any means necessary will have this advice pop into their head when the time is right.

Something to think about when you’re nearing the trade deadline, and you’ve fought your way, tooth and nail, for every point, every block, every hundredth of a percent of free throw shooting. You’ve tried every trade you can think of along the way to make your team better, but there’s still one thing that perhaps you hadn’t thought of. If you’re truly going for the Renegade Points Achievement, instead of just dropping players into the Free Agent pool for other eagle-eyed managers to pick up (trust me, the only ones who are still competing with you are the eagle-eyed ones), try trading them to someone at the bottom of your league for a player who you can drop into the pool without helping someone you might be playing later on in the playoffs, or who might be fighting you for those last few roto points.

I’m sure you’re astute enough to understand, but let me provide an example. Say you have a comfortable lead in three-pointers in your roto league (now, there really shouldn’t be such a thing as a comfortable lead, but mathematics can tell you otherwise). So, you decide you want to get rid of Brent Barry for some guy in the Free Agent pool who can help you get more rebounds. But! the guy in second place is close enough to someone else in threes that he might gain a point on you if let him get Barry off the Waiver Wire (we’re assuming that Brent is still making 1.5+ threes per game).

So, instead of dropping Barry, look to trade him to a team that is way behind in threes, and take a spare part off of that guys hands. You can then drop spare part into the Free Agent pool without worrying that Mr. Second Place is going to gain on you. Even better, if you can trade Barry to the manager who is currently just ahead of your arch-nemesis – the 2nd Place owner – in threes, thereby effectively sealing off any chance the latter has of catching up to you using that category.

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  • @HW: Yes, indeed. We are hoping to become the next FreeDarko here.
  • Hawthorne Wingo
    This was a chapter in Macchiavelli's THE PRINCE, wasn't it?
  • @NBNF: Yeah, Felton is one of those guys where I just let someone else draft him.

    @PITP: Crap! I'm such a derivative counterfeit! Or, as I've often called myself: The Original, Still Undefeated, World's Greatest Copycheater (it's even the tagline for one of my other blogs!)
  • Great point Nels! It made me dig up an old post on PitP re: Trading.

    "In rotisserie, if you’re leading the league in blocks and have extra shot blockers, it would be a safer move to trade your extra man to the guy last in blocks than to your closest competitor in that category. - No brainer there! But I feel it had to be said. You’ll be surprised at the number of rookie trade mistakes some people make."

    http://pointsinthepaint.wordpress.com/2008/01/1...
  • Felton is a tough fantasy pick. I grabbed him last year because I also expected him to blow up. It happened to Williams and CP3, right? Anyways, I don't think he's going to do much this season under Brown except get his head caved in. LB is going to tear him down before he builds him back up...
  • terrance
    ive done this, i did it last season with rashad mccants who is little more than a one trick pony. I didnt need him and hes killer in some cats. I paird him with felton and got something in return. wasnt anything great, but i needed FG% points and taking those two off helped.

    Obviously i wouldnt just drop felton, as he has some value. But i couldve dropped mccants, but wouldve given his threes to someone competitive instead of a bottom feeder. good post.

    p.s. Im never drafting felton again, i expected a breakout year but his FG % is killer. When youve been burned by a player in fantasy, you tend to stay away from him for the rest of his career. Unless theres some dramatic turnaround, something amare like.
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