Unc's Fantasy Fastbreak: Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Week 1 (oct. 21-27)

The Week in 9-Cat

Welcome to Week 1 of Unc's Fantasy Fastbreak. A couple things before we get started:

• I'm a writer and have never won a league title. So take my advice with a grain of salt.

• This is written for those who play the PREMIUM form of fantasy hoops: 9-Category Head-to-Head Yahoo Fantasy Basketball. Those categories are:

  • Points Scored (PTS)

  • Total Rebounds (REB)

  • Assists (AST)

  • Steals (ST)

  • Turnovers (TO)

  • Blocked Shots (BLK)

  • 3-point Shots Made (3PTM)

  • Field Goal Percentage (FG%)

  • Free Throw Percentage (FT%)

My goal is to offer up a couple quick tips, some fun features, and a touch of humor. Without further adieu, let's run!

Games Overview

4 or more games

• None, but Clippers and Rockets have B2Bs

2 or fewer games

• Dallas Mavericks

• Denver Nuggets

• Miami Heat

• New York Knicks

• Sacramento Kings

• San Antonio Spurs

• Utah Jazz

• Washington Wizards

Stream Options for Yahoo Fantasy Basketball

• You gotta grab someone for those Tuesday night openers. I like:

  • Payton Pritchard (Celtics)

  • Miles McBride (Knicks)

  • Dalton Knecht (Lakers)

  • Joe Ingles (Wolves)
    

• Thursday only has four games and Sunday only five. There is no one team who plays both of those days, so I'm gonna go ahead and throw out a couple streamers for each day:

• Thursday: Doug McDermott (Kings) and Naji Marshall (Dallas). McDermott should get minutes right out of the gate and give a bump in 3PM. Marshall is a sneaky contributor on the defensive end and can help with STOCKS.

• Sunday: Toumani Camara (Blazers) and Bones Hyland (Clippers). Camara may end up with the starting nod and can contribute modest numbers across the board. The Clippers are a mess and Hyland can heat up quick. He's a risky add but if he detonates he could wrap up your PTS cat for the week.

Trade Target

Going into Week 1, I've got nothing. Watch this space for a weekly trade target going forward.

Game of the Week

The NBA isn't messing around this year. That Knicks-Celtics game right out of the gate is must-see-TV. I'm most looking forward to how KAT adjusts to Thibs running him out there for 44 minutes a game. This one actually may come down to a couple pint-sized backups—will Payton Pritchard for the Celtics or Miles McBride from the Knicks provide a bigger lift?

Player of the Week

Gimme Anthony Edwards. He has three games, one of them high profile on opening night and all of them winnable. He has a shot to win the scoring title this year and I expect he will light it up right out of the gate.

Pick of the Day

I will keep track of my record each week in picking one game a night. I'll pick the winner of the 1st game on the schedule Monday, 2nd on Tuesday, 3rd on Wednesday, etc. In the case of a Friday with fewer than five games or a Sunday with fewer than seven, I'll count back through until I hit the number. Just trying to add a little randomness.

• Tuesday: Wolves over Lakers

• Wednesday: Heat over Magic

• Thursday: Wolves over Kings

• Friday: Knicks over Pacers

• Saturday: Wolves over Raptors

• Sunday: Bucks over Nets

Don't agree? See something I missed? Hit me up in the comments below!

Have a great week. And remember to SET YOUR LINEUPS.