Five players to avoid in NBA Fantasy this season
We have such a small window between NBA free agency and fantasy draft season that there are bound to be some players who may be incorrectly valued heading into the new NBA season.
I’m here to try and highlight five players who may be overvalued in Yahoo Fantasy Basketball drafts - select them if you dare.
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors (ADP - 4.2)
We barely saw Curry play last season, just five games, and now he comes back without his backcourt mate Klay Thompson.
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I’m not doubting Curry’s ability, he is still really good, but he is older than you think, as he turns 33 this season.
Plus, currently, Curry is getting drafted at number four in Yahoo drafts.
"He's going to have to be old Chef Steph. He's going to have to cook on a nightly basis."@ShannonSharpe shares why Stephen Curry is under immense pressure to get this team to the playoffs ⬇️pic.twitter.com/fkqI0LcWvu
— The Association on FOX (@TheAssociation) November 20, 2020
In a default points format, that is just way too high. Curry hasn’t been a top 10 player since 2015-16 in this format of fantasy basketball, and I’m not wasting pick four expecting that to change.
John Collins, Atlanta Hawks (ADP - 13.4)
The Hawks signed Danilo Gallinari, for $20m a year, to be Collins’ backup. They traded for Clint Capela to take away some of Collins’ centre minutes.
They drafted Onyeka Okongwu to take away more of Collins’ centre minutes. They drafted at number four last year, De’Andre Hunter, whose best position is probably power forward too.
Collins was ranked 21st last season and now, his ADP (average draft position) is at 14. Given that he didn’t have to deal with Capela, Gallinari, or Okongwu last season, there is zero chance I am investing in Collins if his team isn’t even investing in him.
Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks (ADP - 28.3)
Holiday played 35 minutes a game for the New Orleans Pelicans last season before being traded to the Bucks.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer, even in the playoffs, blatantly refuses to play his players this many minutes. The player he is replacing, Eric Bledsoe, played 27 minutes a night last season.
"Couple Jrue with Khris and Giannis...that's a BIG deal." pic.twitter.com/gLWJ2cBrcL
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 30, 2020
I can’t see a world in which Jrue is playing 35 minutes a night again this season under Coach Bud. And this doesn’t even take into consideration the fact that he is sharing the ball with Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo rather than Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.
Holiday, unless he falls, looks like someone I am avoiding.
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics (ADP - 26.9)
Kemba Walker looked finished in the playoffs last season.
He struggled heading into the bubble games with a knee issue, as they slowly ramped him up. Now, Brad Stevens has said he will be on the same sort of program this year, with his knee not being 100% heading into the season.
Kemba could be sitting back-to-backs, playing limited minutes, especially early, and now he has a capable backup to take the load off after the Celtics signed Jeff Teague.
Oh, and he was ranked 52nd last year and now you have to spend a top 30 pick to get him. I’ll leave that for someone else.
Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers (ADP - 47.3)
Covington blew up in Houston last season, playing a ton of minutes and playing basically as a centre, where he racked up fantasy points by blocking shots with abandon.
Now, he is in Portland. He is not the centre. That’s Jusuf Nurkić. So, Covington will see those numbers drop.
He also has to compete with Rodney Hood, Carmelo Anthony, and Derrick Jones Jr for minutes. He is the best player of that quartet, but he won’t be getting heavy minutes like he did in Houston anymore.
Throw in the fact that Covington is a much worse player in points leagues versus categories and a lot is adding up to Covington being someone to avoid.
