FantasySP Blog – Page 21

Amar’e Returns Again

Amar’e Stoudemire will return to action Saturday against the Bucks. He sat out just one game which was on Wednesday for rest.

Analysis: At least the brief absence was for rest and not injury related. Regardless, Amar’e is on fire right now. His line in the month of March looks like this- 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and he’s shooting 64% from the field. Who knows how long this will last but Amar’e is just one of those guys you have to ride until he breaks down.

Amar’e is averaging 27 minutes per game this month through six games compared to 20 minutes per game this season. If he can stay healthy the minutes and fantasy production will be there for you. Keep in mind that the Knicks are actually the 9th seed in the East at the moment behind a slumping Atlanta squad. I’m not saying they will make the playoffs but the Knicks are riding a five game win streak and will not go quietly.

Currently, Amar’e Stoudemire is available in 40-50% of fantasy leagues. He has the Bucks, Pacers, Sixers, Cavs, Lakers and Kings coming up in the next eleven days.

Free & Customizable Average Draft Positions

During fantasy drafts many of us base our picks on average draft position, sometimes referred to as ADP. Today is the official announcement of our average draft position tool, which is available for the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA. The key difference with our tool is that it’s completely free, offers historical ADP numbers, and is customizable to closely match your league.

One of the biggest drawbacks to some of the Average Draft Position tools is that it is impossible to see how a specific player’s ADP changes throughout the course of draft season. We wanted to change that and show historical charts for the top 250+ players.

Here is what Jean Segura’s ADP chart looks like so far:

Thus far Segura is very up and down with his highest ADP to be at around 23. Knowing where a guy is trending could very well change your draft day strategy.

Our ADP tool can be particularly useful when customizing it for auction drafts and looking how prices change for each player. Yahoo’s ADP tool shows average cost for Trout and Cabrera to be at around $60 and doesn’t offer any customization. As it turns out, the average cost changes drastically depending on how many teams are involved. When comparing auction leagues with 12 teams vs 10 teams, the average cost of the most expensive player increases by around $15.00 – $20.00.

Full list of customizations include Draft Type: (snake or auction), League Type: (h2h or roto), and Number of Teams: (6 – 20). The NFL ADP tool will have slightly different options than those listed here, with the support of PPR leagues. Our ADP tool is also optimized for mobile phones or desktop users.

The data that populates our ADP tool comes from fellow FantasySP users who synced their leagues. Because this tool was created during draft season, you’ll notice that some stats are a bit light at the moment. As draft season continues, it should populate with hundreds more leagues by the time draft season ends.

Go ahead and give it a try.

Stock Rising- Anderson

The Sixers may be on an eighteen game losing streak but James Anderson has been playing very well. Anderson hit 5 of 9 threes and scored 17 points in a loss to the Kings on Wednesday night.

Analysis: Anderson is averaging 17.5 points per game, 4.0 threes made and 3.0 rebounds over his last four games. He’s clocking over 30 minutes per game and shooting more than 11 shots per game in the month of March. His biggest asset is obviously the three ball. He’s averaging 1.3 threes made per game this year and once again a ridiculous 4.0 threes made per game in his last four contests.

The twenty-four year old shooting guard is finally starting to get some love in the fantasy world. Thirty-plus minutes per night and a hot hand can only go unnoticed for so long. Anderson’s numbers will come back down but we don’t know where considering he seems to be Philly’s second best offensive weapon at the moment behind Thaddeus Young.

Currently, James Anderson is available in 70-97% of fantasy leagues. Keep in mind his next four games are against the league’s best defenses- Indiana twice, Chicago and Memphis.

Ersan Ilyasova Heating Up

There are few players as frustrating as Ersan Ilyasova. His shot selection this year has been awful but somehow he manages to fill the stat sheet.

Analysis: Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 16.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.8 threes and 0.8 steals in the month of March. Over the last two weeks of the season Ilyasova rates as the 24th best fantasy power forward and the 21st fantasy small forward. His field goal percentage has picked up over the last month and he’s averaging 29 minutes per game since the beginning of February.

Ilyasova certainly has a unique dual position skill set. As a small forward he is 10th in rebounds per game and 8th in free throw percentage. As a power forward he is 16th in threes made and 9th in steals per game. He isn’t going to save your fantasy season but he is productive and has not been weak in any area for some time now.

Currently, Ersan Ilyasova is available in 20% of fantasy leagues. He has four games this week- Magic, Wolves, Hawks, Knicks.

Terrence Jones On Fire

Terrence Jones is on fire… again. He’s reeled off three consecutive double-doubles after an inconsistent February.

Analysis: Terrence Jones is having a solid year. He’s shooting 54% from the field and he’s averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 11.9 points. He is currently the 32nd best fantasy power forward this season. He was hovering around the top twenty mark but the month of February did him in- 5.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 10.0 points.

Through three games in March Jones is averaging 35 minutes per contest and a healthy 28 minutes per game this season. He does contribute a bit in other fantasy categories for a power forward. He’s hit 23 threes this season which is 22nd among power forwards and he’s averaging 0.6 steals per game.

The former 18th overall pick of the 2012 draft is going to cool off at some point, but he’s worth the risk considering the healthy amount of minutes he continues to receive. Currently, Terrence Jones is available in 10-35% of fantasy leagues. He has a ton of tough games coming up- the Pacers on Friday night, the Blazers on Sunday, the Thunder next Tuesday, the Bulls next Thursday and the Heat two Sundays from now.