Staff Fantasy Basketball Draft Recap: Analysis of Our 12-Team Head-to-Head League
Round 5
| Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49 | DeMar DeRozan | SG/SF | Mike Hurley |
| 2 | 50 | Kenneth Faried | PF | Shae Cronin |
| 3 | 51 | Kyle Korver | SG/SF | Brett Weisband |
| 4 | 52 | Derrick Favors | PF/C | Bryan Mears |
| 5 | 53 | Deron Williams | PG | Kyle Stanzel |
| 6 | 54 | Dwyane Wade | PG/SG | Russell Peddle |
| 7 | 55 | Rudy Gay | SF/PF | Mike Comerford |
| 8 | 56 | Monta Ellis | PG/SG | Daniel Lindsey |
| 9 | 57 | Nerlens Noel | PF/C | Brett Oswalt |
| 10 | 58 | Andrew Wiggins | SF | Galin Dragiev |
| 11 | 59 | Ricky Rubio | PG | Brandon Gdula |
| 12 | 60 | Kevin Martin | SG/SF | Sam Hauss |
Kenneth Faried and Derrick Favors are two of my favorite big-man targets in this range this year, so props to Shae Cronin and Bryan Mears respectively for sniping them from me before my pick (which I ended up making in a panic when the two were snatched up - more on that in a moment). Faried is likely in for a breakout season after a stellar showing at the FIBA World Cup, while Favors has improved in each of his four NBA seasons and is on the verge of becoming a fantasy stud at only 23 years old.
Even I think Mike Comerford getting Rudy Gay at pick 55 is an absolute steal and I'm one of Gay's biggest detractors. In 55 games with the Sacramento Kings last year (after the trade from Toronto), Gay averaged 20.1 points per contest, while shooting 48.2% from the floor and 83.6% from the line. Throw in the fact that he's always a threat to give you at least one each of a three, steal, and block on any given night and he's always going to flirt with top-30 value when he's on (we have him projected at 31 this year).
The first two rookies went off the board here in Round 5, with Nerlens Noel going to Brett Oswalt at 57, followed immediately by Galin Dragiev taking Andrew Wiggins at 58. You'll generally find that anecdotal rankings are not afraid to put rookies in this range, but our algorithms are not kind to first-year players, as they rarely match their ADP in fantasy. We have Nerlens at 87 and Wiggins all the way down at 141, so draft with caution. Perhaps they become exceptions to the rule, but don't forget that even a fantasy god like Kevin Durant was only the 84th-ranked fantasy player by the end of his rookie campaign.
My pick: Dwyane Wade, PG/SG - As mentioned above, this was a bit of a panic pick on my part after my primary targets got snatched up. I believe Wade will surprise us this year, playing with a huge chip on his shoulder after LeBron's departure caused everyone to count the Heat out entirely. That said, Wade and his balky knees become my second risk/reward pick in a row after Derrick Rose. I'm already starting to worry a little bit too much about the health of my team and the season hasn't even started. In the meantime, we've got Wade projected at 39 here at numberFire, so at least that eases my mind a little.
