Updated: Dec 13, 2019
*Sniff Sniff* You guys smell that DELICIOUS turkey baking in the oven? How about that stuffing, sweet potatoes, and corn?! That smell only means one thing: THANKSGIVING! Thanksgiving is the time of year where we sit back and reflect on all of the things we are thankful for in our lives, including: God, Family, Friends, and Fantasy Basketball. Fantasy Basketball has provided us with A LOT to be thankful for so far this season. It’s EASY to harp on all of the things going wrong with our fantasy basketball teams BUT I urge you to focus on the bright side and what is going RIGHT!
A few weeks back, we asked all of our followers on Twitter and our listeners on Take A Ride podcast to provide us with players that YOU were thankful for this season. We wanted players who have either EXCEEDED their draft day expectations, were picked up as a FA on the waiver wire, or early round draft picks that have been CARRYING your team! We received GREAT responses from you and we will touch up on ALL those players and why we should be thankful for them.
Luka Dončić – 30.6 PTS on 49%, 3.3 3PM, 10.1 REB, 9.8 AST, 1.4 STL, and 0.2 BLK
The #3 ranked fantasy player in BOTH 9-Cat & Points leagues, Doncic has been a REVELATION this year. At the beginning of the year, his average ADP was at 18. He has EASILY surpassed that AND THEN SOME. Not only has he surpassed his ADP, but he is currently WRECKING the league, and it seems no one can figure out how to defend him. He is a joy to watch, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that he will be doing this for a LONG time. Thank you, Luka!
Kendrick Nunn – 16.9 PTS on 49%, 2.3 3PM, 2.5 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.3 STL, and 0.3 BLK
Kendrick WHO?! I guarantee you 80% of Fantasy Basketball players had NEVER heard of Kendrick Nunn before the season started. Nunn went UNDRAFTED in just about EVERY redraft league beyond those who are in 20+ team leagues. He is NOW owned in over 70% of Yahoo leagues, 50% of ESPN leagues, and 83% of Fantrax leagues. Not bad for a player who was virtually UNOWNED in EVERY league to begin the season. He’s providing solid across-the-board stats, and he has the starting job LOCKED up for the foreseeable future. Thank you, Kendrick!
Andrew Wiggins – 25.2 PTS on 42%, 2.3 3PM, 5.2 REB, 3.4 AST, 0.7 STL, and 1.1 BLK
For a player that most of us had written off prior to this season, Wiggins has proved to be more than just a one-trick pony. Before this year, Wiggins was strictly known for JUST his scoring and low FG%. THIS YEAR, Wiggins is providing stats ACROSS THE BOARD. At the beginning of the year, his average ADP was around #88. He is currently ranked #37 in Points Leagues & #72 in 9-Cat Leagues. Whether he can sustain this hot start or not, let’s thank Andrew for providing us with these GAUDY across-the-board numbers!
Devonte’ Graham – 18.1 PTS on 41%, 3.3 3PM, 3.4 REB, 7.1 AST, 0.7 STL, and 0.2 BLK
Here’s another player that went UNDRAFTED in a majority of fantasy leagues. With Terry Rozier signing a 3-year $58 million contract over the offseason, it seemed as though Rozier would be carrying the wasteland that is the Charlotte Hornets this year leaving the rest of the Hornets roster to watch and learn. Needless to say, Graham has been LIGHTS OUT this year and giving fantasy owners a HUGE BOOST in almost every category. ALL of the fantasy owners that picked him up off of waivers should be thanking Devonte’ for his incredible production!
PJ Washington – 11 PTS on 49%, 1.4 3PM, 5.2 REB, 1.5 AST, 1.2 STL, and 0.8 BLK
I LOVED seeing ROOKIE PJ Washington mentioned as a player to be thankful for this year. Before the season started, the only people who knew about PJ Washington were Dynasty owners, DEEP league owners, Kentucky Wildcat fans, and Mama Washington. PJ BURSTED onto the scene in his very first game of his career to the tune of: 9/17 for 27 PTS, 7 3PM, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, and 1 BLK. SHEESH! He has STARTED every game this year and he has played VERY WELL. For a player that MOST of us picked up off the waiver wire, we need to give thanks to the talented forward from Kentucky. Thank you, PJ!
Nassir Little – 5.3 PTS on 40%, 0.5 3PM, 4.5 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.5 STL, and 0.4 BLK
The listener who mentioned Nassir Little as a player to be thankful for owns him in a 24-Team 15 Man league where players on the waiver wire are SCARCE. Before Carmelo Anthony joined the Blazers, Little was STARTING and PRODUCING solid 3’s, points, rebounds, and low-end hustle stats. Unfortunately, his minutes and stats have dipped with Carmelo in town BUT we should be thankful for the GLIMPSE of fantasy potential we saw in Little during his short stay as the starting forward for the Blazers. Dynasty and Deep League owners should take note and keep Little on their watch list in case there is an injury to a player ahead of him OR he becomes the starter, again. Thank you, Nassir!
Staff’s Picks
Jacob AKA “White Knight”: Andre Drummond
As the Points League specialist for NewLifeFantasy, I was tasked with doing the rankings for Points Leagues. After a TON of research, I decided to make the BOLD choice and put Drummond as my #5 ranked player on my rankings behind Anthony Davis and in front of Nikola Jokic. I caught a lot of FLACK from listeners and friends alike for putting Drummond so high on my list, but I stuck to my guns. After the first 17 games of the season, Drummond is proving me right by averaging 17.8 PTS on 54%, 16.8 REB, 2.9 AST, 1.6 STL, and 1.8 BLK + 68% FT%.
Here’s Drummond’s current rankings:
- Points Leagues: #6
- 9-Cat Leagues: #7
On behalf of ALL OF US that drafted Drummond this year – THANK YOU!!!
Starks: Kevin Love and Kendrick Nunn
Kevin Love had bounce back potential coming into the season. Last year, he fell short due to injuries and massive load management. Most GM’s avoided drafting him because he only played 22 games last year. He provides Points, Rebounds, 3PM, and FT%.
Kendrick Nunn is an undrafted NBA player that I thought GMs needed to pay attention to over the summer. I’m not surprised that he needs to be universally owned in all leagues. There will be nights that he fades away due to the rotation in Miami. As time progresses on he could disappear. Let’s hope not.
LT da Sage: Giannis Antetokounmpo
This year, I’m thankful for Alphabet Soup himself in our NewLifeFantasy Points League. Not only is he a dominant force every time he graces the floor, but he has backpacked both his NBA team and my fantasy team to a 4-1 start. I’m grinning from “Ear 2 Ear” this thanksgiving with Giannis running my fantasy show.
We Are Thankful for YOU!
One of our loyal listeners and supporters was kind enough to respond to my thanksgiving tweet by saying, “I am thankful for @SageNetworkX @starks_industry @AintDunneYet for keeping me competitive.” Those are the kind of comments that keep us going and make all of this hard work worth it. We are here to serve God by serving you and helping you however we can!
Lastly, I couldn’t end my Thanksgiving article without giving thanks to YOU. We appreciate every single one of you and are beyond BLESSED to have you read this article and support our site, podcast, and Youtube channel. We wouldn’t be able to live out our dream of helping you with fantasy sports if it wasn’t for your support. You guys are the REAL MVP, and we thank God everyday for you!
Follow us on twitter: @AintDunneYet & @starks_industry
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God bless you and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jacob W. Dunne
