by Ray Lin

This past offseason was dominated by big-name free agency thanks to the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Andre Drummond, Al Horford and Mike Conley just to name a few. These guys obviously impact only the early rounds of fantasy drafts.

For those of us who play in deeper leagues, though, it’s some of the lesser-owned free agents who have our attention. These are players who are end-game options in drafts or even waiver-wire watch list material (depending on the size of the league). Below, I look at interesting sleepers who switched teams over the offseason and are owned in 15% of Yahoo leagues or less.

Matthew Dellavedova, PG/SG – Milwaukee (14% owned)
Last season as a starter (with CLE): 14 games, 29 mpg, 45.2 FG%, 92.9 FT%
9.4 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.7 rpg, 0.5 spg, 1.7 3PM Read more

by Ray Lin

One of the most underrated harbingers of success in fantasy is volume, and in fantasy hoops that means minutes played. We don’t trust that coaches will always be able to identify their most efficient and productive players and give them the most playing time. However, we can to a certain extent project whose underlying numbers show they make the most of their playing time and could take a leap in overall fantasy projection the next year.

The stat I want to zero in on today is True Shooting Percentage. The stat (aka TS%) is an APBRmetrics (Association for Professional Basketball Research Metrics) number that measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the ball. The goal is really to have a shooting percentage that takes into account all the different types of shots a player can take and make — 2-pt field goals, free throws and 3-pointers. Here’s how it is calculated:

TS%: Total Points / (2 x (Field Goal Attempts + 0.44 * Free Throw Attempts) Read more

by Will Overton

This offseason was loaded with drama with free agency frenzy at a pitch I have never seen before and trades flying in here and there. This offseason featured a ton of player movement and significant player movement that is going to impact fantasy basketball in a really big way.

As we dive into our preseason basketball coverage we will discuss a lot of this movement and the impact it’s going to have on the fantasy world. We’re going to start today though by looking at one of the more under the radar signing of the offseason that might have one of the biggest fantasy impacts of all. We are going to breakdown Jeremy Lin signing with the Brooklyn Nets and why I think this has such a large impact on the fantasy basketball world.

The Brooklyn Nets made several valiant efforts to add players, but seemed to be foiled at every turn by teams matching their offers or players electing to go elsewhere. One move they did manage to pull off was signing Jeremy Lin to come and be their starting point guard. A move that has the potential upside to create a new top 15 point guard. Read more

by Ray Kuhn

Fourteen minutes. That is all Julius Randle has to show for his rookie season. Well at least his first rookie season.

While fantasy owners go off chasing this season’s shiny new rookies, I rather focus my attention on Randle. After breaking his leg 14 minutes into his debut season, Randle had what essentially amounted to a red-shirt season. After having limits imposed on him during Summer League play, Randle entered the pre-season without any restrictions.

Read more

by Will Overton

We all know who the major rookies are for fantasy this season and it could be a very good year for the rookie class in fantasy with a handful of guys expected to step right in and start and play at a high level. But you don’t need me to tell you that guys like Karl-Anthony Towns are worth a draft pick, that’s a no-brainer.

What I am going to be focusing on in this article is a handful of rookies who aren’t getting the buzz that Towns or Jahlil Okafor are getting. There are always rookies who fly under the radar, but end up making an impact. Last year it was Jordan Clarkson and Jusuf Nurkic who top this list, but there was also the likes of Jerami Grant and Rodney Hood who weren’t great, but had their moments of fantasy success.

The 2015 draft class was heralded for its potential star power at the top, but it’s also a deep class with some potential fantasy contributing role players and even future stars in the middle and end of the first round and throughout the second. Read more

by Will Overton

There are certain categories that can at times get overlooked, especially late in drafts. Two of the most overlooked stats are blocks and steals. I think at times there is a general assumption that all big men block shots and all guards and wingmen get steals. This is an assumption that’ll get you in trouble.

All categories in rotisserie and head to head are equal in the way they count in the standings. So overlooking a guy who can block shots or get steals in the middle rounds for someone flashier or more name recognizable because they score points is a mistake fantasy owners too often make.

The other mistake is too assume you need to reach for someone like Serge Ibaka and then not worry about shot blocking anymore. If you do grab Ibaka your off to a great start, but you still can’t ignore the category. You also don’t need to feel pressured to reach for him because there are shot blockers in the mid and late rounds who can anchor your team.

I have highlighted a few shot blockers, a few steals guys and a few guys who do a little of both that you can get in the middle or late rounds of your drafts this weekend: Read more