Fantasy Basketball Dynasty – Gold vs. Fools Gold

Updated: Dec 19, 2019

How much stock can we actually put into the preseason? We’ve see a lot of known and unknown players BALL OUT in Fantasy Basketball Dynasty, but can they sustain their success? There’s a lot of players getting the opportunity to shine this preseason, but who can we trust to parlay this level of production into the regular season?

In this article, we will cover 10 players that have BALLED OUT this preseason. We give our opinion on which players are GOLD and which players are FOOLS GOLD.

*NOTE: All-Stars and All-Pro players will be left off OF this list because we already know they are GOLD.

Let’s Begin!

Gold

Taurean Prince – 22 points on 8/10 FG, 6 3PM, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal

Prince was recently traded to the Nets, and he finds himself headed for big minutes this season with KD on the shelf for the year. He received 23 minutes tonight, but I expect him to get somewhere between 25-30 minutes a night.

Fools Gold

Bryn Forbes – 14.5 ppg on 5.5/10 FG, 3 3PM, 2rpg, and 1spg

Bryn Forbes is a Popovich guy. He hustles and makes 3’s consistently. Unfortunately, there are two guards ahead of him in the pecking order in Murray and White. Forbes will most likely get minutes between 15-20 minutes. He has the ability to put up efficient stats, but unless there is an injury to one of the aforementioned guards, I’m staying away from him. Put him on your watch list.

Gold

Christian Wood – 12 ppg on 3.5/5.5 FG, 1 3PM, 5.5/6.5 FT, 7.5 rpg, 1spg and 1 block

Wood lit the world on fire at the end of last year with the Pelicans. Unfortunately, the Pelicans loaded up over the offseason, which left Wood out in the cold and he was released. He landed in a favorable spot where he could receive backup minutes to Griffin and Drummond if he keeps producing in the little time he’s receiving. Over the first two preseason games, Wood has averaged only 14 minutes YET he’s putting up monster stats in those limited minutes. I’m paying attention to him in DEEP and Dynasty leagues. If Griffin or Drummond were to get hurt, Wood’s value would skyrocket. Pick him up in deep leagues and put him on your watch list in shallow redraft leagues.

Fools Gold

Chris Clemons – 14.7 ppg on 5/13.7 FG, 3.3 3PM, 2.7 rpg, 3.3 assists, and 0.7 spg, and 0.3 bpg

Through the first 3 games of the preseason, Clemons has been posting Top-75 numbers. He’s also averaging over 20mpg and has looked great this preseason! Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room for Clemons to play more than 5-10 minutes once the regular season begins. He is definitely a DEEP dynasty add in hopes they trade him to a better situation. He can be safely ignored in all redraft leagues.

Gold

Brandon Ingram – 14 ppg, on 4.5/10.5 FG, 2 3PM, 5/6 FT, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg, and 1 block

Ingram’s been dealing with blood clot issues, which has left many to wonder if he can stay healthy throughout the season. We all know what happened to Chris Bosh, so we need to tread carefully when his name pops up in your draft. Now that he’s out of the LA spotlight, I think he can deliver Top-100 numbers given the minutes and opportunity. Even though there are a lot of mouths to feed in NO, I think Ingram is efficient enough in his scoring and rebounding that he merits consideration in the mid-rounds in points leagues and mid-late rounds in category leagues. I’d consider him fools gold in a 9-cat league since he only scores and rebounds while offering VERY little stock stats.

Fools Gold

David Nwaba – 18 points on 7/8 FG, 2 3PM, 3 rebounds, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals

Despite receiving 23 minutes in his first action of the preaseason, Nwaba isn’t someone you should be excited about. There is a serious log-jam at the guard and forward osition in Brooklyn, and I don’t see him getting more than 10-15 minutes a game. He could return value as an end-of-your-bench stash in 16+ team redraft leagues.

Gold

RJ Barrett – 17 points on 6/13 FG, 2 3PM, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists

BARRETT PLAYED 39 MINUTES!!! The Knicks prized prospect and 3rd overall draft pick is going to get a ton of run this year. He was efficient in this game, which may not be the case on most nights BUT as long as he is getting minutes and opportunities to score, rebound, and get those lucky stats, he is worth grabbing in the middle rounds of any redraft scoring format.

Fools Gold

Jordan Poole – 17 points on 5/11 FG, 4 3PM, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal

Don’t get me wrong, Poole is a solid player to keep an eye on in dynasty formats. He received 23 minutes and delivered solid stats, but his role is unclear at the beginning of the year. He could potentially play a limited role due to the Klay Thompson injury, but I’m not looking his way in redraft leagues outside the DEEPEST of leagues. Keep him on your watch list.

Gold

Steven Adams – 17 points on 5/8 FG, 1 3PM, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists

I’m expecting a HUGE jump from Adams this year following the departure of Russell Westbrook. All of the rebounds that Westbrook stole from Adams will be given back to him. I can see him having a huge season, especially in points leagues. He won’t make many 3’s, but I expect him to continue being a double-double machine with blocks.

Fools Gold

Kevin Porter Jr. – 16 points on 7/9 FG, 1 3PM, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist

Before his college career began, Kevin Porter Jr. was a potential Top-10 pick. Due to attitude and work ethic concerns, his stock dropped considerably. He fell to the late 1st round. He landed in a great spot in Cleveland where he can thrive, if given the opportunity. He’s a great dynasty stash. As far as redraft leagues go, he won’t be worth your attention unless the Cavaliers ship Kevin Love out of town. I would keep him on my watch list just in case the Cavs give him run early or if they begin their youth movement and ship out all of their veterans.

Gold

Tristan Thompson – 14 points on 7/12 FG, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal

Old reliable Tristan Thompson has always been a rebounding machine. On a Cavs team with few veteran weapons, I can see his averaging 24-28 minutes this year. The stat-line above is what you can expect on a consistent basis. He can also provide a few blocks for you, making him valuable in points league. There’s a chance the Cavs ship him out, but until then I’m targeting him in the middle-late rounds.

Fools Gold

Jeff Green – 16 points on 6/8 FG, 2 3PM, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals

Journeyman Jeff Green is past his prime. He still has the talent to contribute in the second unit for the Jazz, but don’t expect to see this level of production once the season is underway. I would keep him on your watch list and pounce on him in case Ingles or Mitchell goes down with an injury.

Gold

Cedi Osman – 12 points on 4/10 FG, 1 3PM, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block

The Last Cedi.. What an incredible nickname! Cedi was the heir apparent to LeBron James in Cleveland, and for the most part, he didn’t disappoint! He was given a long leash last year and a ton of opportunity following the Kevin Love injury. At age 24, I expect him to take another leap this year. I think he can crack the Top-100 in all formats.

Fools Gold

Taj Gibson – 16 points on 5/9 FG, 2 3PM, 4/5 FT, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists

Entering his 11th season at age 34, I don’t see Gibson making much of an impact this year or any year thereafter. He received 19 minutes tonight, which is the amount I can see him averaging during the season. The Knicks signed a million Power Forwards over the offseason, and I see Taj Gibson as more of a trade chip than a building block. He will be efficient in limited minutes, but he won’t offer much value outside of DEEP leagues.

Gold

Thomas Bryant – 14 points on 5/10 FG, 4/4 FT, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks

Bryant received 27 minutes in his first preseason action, and I think he has a chance to hover around 27-32 minutes on a nightly basis. Look at those stats! That is eye-popping! He deserves to be taken in drafts around the 6th-7th round with a chance to return 3rd, 4th, or 5th round value. In a dynasty league, I’m not going to overreact to this stat line and draft him too early because I’m not sure if he is apart of the future plans in Washington. For this year, he is going to BALL out!

Fools Gold

Troy Daniels – 14 points on 6/11 FG, 2 3PM, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals

Do I need to explain myself on why Troy Daniels is fools gold? With the Lakers resting all of their starters and veterans in the second half, Troy Daniels was able to get 2nd half garbage points. He doesn’t hold any value in any type of scoring format, redraft, or dynasty leagues. Move along.

Gold

Moe Wagner – 16 points on 5/14 FG, 1 3PM, 5/7 FT, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist

Wagner finds himself in a promising situation this year after being shipped to Washington from LA. He showed promise in little time with the Lakers, and now he has the opportunity to play 17-23 minutes a game. In this game, he shot 7 3-pointers! Even though he only made one of those attempts, it’s clear that Washington is comfortable with him firing away from 3-point land. I’m targeting him late in my drafts as a stash with a chance to return Top-150 value if everything breaks right.

Fools Gold

Tony Bradley – 18 points on 7/9 FG, 4/5 FT, 10 rebounds, and 1 block

Bradley only gets the “fools gold” label because he’s not expected to make much of an impact this year in redraft leagues. In a dynasty format, I am taking notice and adding him where I can. He is the direct backup to Rudy Gobert, so he should be looked at as his direct handcuff. That being said, you don’t want to invest draft capital on a handcuff in redraft leagues. Keep him on your watch list.

Gold

Domantas Sabonis – 15.5 ppg, 6.5/12 FG, 9 rpg, 3 apg, 1 spg, and 0.5 bpg

Through two games, Sabonis is looking like a Points-league monster. In only 25 minutes per game, he is returning Top-50 value for points league. He is doing enough to justify taking and early-mid-round pick in all league formats. I have him ranked as a Top-50 player in both my points redraft and dynasty rankings. I believe he and Myles Turner can co-exist and be successful together.

Fools Gold

DeAndre’ Bembry – 11.5 p on 4/8.5 FG, 1 3PM, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg, and 1.5 bpg

Wow, what a stat line! If I thought he had a path to minutes, I would jump all over him as a late round flier in both category and points leagues. Unfortunately, there is WAY too much talent on this young Hawks team to rely on Bembry as a fantasy contributor. Keep an eye on him just in case an injury occurs and he is forced into heavy minutes.

BONUS FOOLS GOLD

Boban Marjanović – Hit a 3-pointer.

That will never happen, again. Carry on.

When it comes to the preseason, we urge you not to overreact to the success of unknown players and PLEASE don’t overreact to the failure of known fantasy commodities. The preseason is mostly a test run to see what teams have in their bench players and to get their rotation player’s feet wet.

Of course, there’s always an outside shot that a few of these Fools Gold players make their way into the rotation due to injuries or trades. IF that happens, make sure to add them or put them on your watchlist to see if their preseason success can translate into the regular season.

Do you agree with my list? What players do you see as Gold and Fools Gold? Let us know! Comment below or Tweet at me!