NBL Fantasy | That Didi's on fire
This weekly column is produced by Dean Zardo and Steve Chalmers
What is it with NBL Fantasy and Didi Louzada being so aligned this season? There isn't a week without the fantasy fraternity speaking about the highs and lows of the Portuguese pin-point shooter!
There was an injury cloud above Didi heading into this week with owners having to make the decision to keep him or trade him.
There was a clear winner to that debate.
Air Adelaide
If you didn't do so in rounds three and four, this could be the first time this season you begin to board Air Adelaide. The Sixers are the only squad who face back-to-back double headers for the upcoming fortnight (and 6 in the next 8) and therefore prove vital to your short term NBL Fantasy success.
But who to target you ask?
Daniel Johnson currently tops the charts for most points in the side, however surprisingly it's Anthony Drmic who slots in next. Drmic is a valuable asset to any line-up as he holds dual positions (SG/SF) and can be quite handy when required to shuffle your deck.
Jack McVeigh was seen to be the value play of the lot, however his price rise has already come and gone, and, if you decide to take him now, you may be taking him at his ceiling.
As Joey Wright starts to tighten his rotations, look for Eric Griffin and Jerome Randle to see a small boost in their points going forward. These guys could see their price soar back up after losses last week.
The Rice is nice
He was another risk to take immediately and was even doubtful to suit up on Thursday night right up until tip-off due to registration and clearance complications, however Glenn Rice Jr's introduction into the NBL was excellent from an NBL Fantasy perspective.
Breakers part-owner Matt Walsh declared Rice the best player in the competition before he even stepped foot onto the Australian (and New Zealand) hardwood and his case was backed up to a point when Rice notched 74 fpoints over two games.
The only problem now is, New Zealand don't play twice in a round again until round 10.
The Stars
LaMelo Ball - Illawarra Hawks
Arguably the toughest week of the lot thus far to pick a star, however LaMelo had the ball on a string in his only contest in round six. His 70 fpoints against Cairns was his season high and he's going to continue to be a fantasy favourite (potentially) until Illawarra make their import replacement announcement.
https://twitter.com/OlgunUluc/status/1193119004639952896
https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz/status/1193185085698146304
The Value
Mirko Djeric - Cairns Taipans
He's no Shaun Bruce (who was here last week), however Djeric balled out for the second time this season on the weekend.
Don't expect this to happen too often as he can be very hit and miss, however if Djeric is firing then Cairns become a much better side. The 39 fpoints on the weekend was many thanks to his 19 points and three triples, however when he can grab a number of rebounds (five on the weekend, including two offensive) this is where his fantasy stock rises.
https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1193476497429762049
Pressure Cooker
Harry Froling - Adelaide 36ers
It's arguably the right time to throw Froling into the cooker as the Sixers are entering a favourable stage of their schedule for many owners to start looking their way. Only just removed from attending NBA training camps and the like, Froling hasn't quite hit his straps this season with an average of 17.5 fpoints. He's only hit 20 twice playing 15 minutes per game (average).
Never Again
Dan Trist - South East Melbourne Phoenix
Have been tracking this one for a while. Remember when he looked to be the value pick of the year at the beginning of season 2018/19? Didn't that dissolve quickly. Three fair outings in rounds one, two and three this year before now falling off the face of the earth in preference for other bigs. Wouldn't see him being a fantasy pick ever again.
Injury List
IllawarraAaron BrooksAchilles - SeasonNew ZealandFinn DelanyFoot - 1 weekRob LoeSkull - IndefiniteScotty HopsonKnee - IndefiniteJarrad WeeksTestPerthWani Swaka Lo BulukAnkle - 2 monthsSouth East MelbourneTai WesleyHamstring - 3 weeksSydneyKevin LischAnkle - 4 weeks (~R10)
The Tweets
We see you! Anything that catches our eye, we'll attempt to share with all of our readers.
https://twitter.com/Sam_Scarman/status/1192362749415673857
https://twitter.com/Julian_OBrien/status/1193429310440239104
The Summary
So, you've come here for a reason haven't you? Who do you bring in for the next round? Let's make it simple, below are a few names (at different levels) who you can target:
Doubles in Round 7: ADL, PER, SEM
PG: Jerome Randle (Adelaide) $1.22m
PG: John Roberson (South East Melbourne) $1.49m
SG: Bryce Cotton (Perth) $1.56m
SG/SF: Anthony Drmic (Adelaide) $1.25m
SG/SF: Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne) $1.75m
PF: Nick Kay (Perth) $1.76m
PF/C: Eric Griffin (Adelaide) $1.14m
PF/C: Daniel Johnson (Adelaide) $1.64
Now for those you should be keen to oppose:
Andrew Bogut frees up cash, as does someone like Shawn Long if you're not holding him for a fortnight. Guards such as Corey Webster, Chris Goulding and Mitch McCarron can also be replaced with a guard that will have more games. Those that own Melo Trimble and Casper Ware can also push on to a new starting point guard.
Questions
Over the course of the week, we'll do our best to answer a number of questions on here each week. Throw up your question using #NBLFantasy or by tweeting one of us @cp_chalmers and @dean_zardo.
https://twitter.com/run2dmax/status/1194027081593548800
Like this one a lot because I had it pencilled in for one of the sub-topics earlier in the piece but decided to wait until here after this popped up on Twitter. Flash in the pan moment for Dech provided with opportunity and a green light to succeed and made the most of it on a night that went right for Illawarra. Don't see this being a common occurrence, certainly not to this level anyway. Hopefully for the Hawks' sake he can put together 10/5/5 and that's a win.
https://twitter.com/rdaffy_17/status/1194033637160710144
You've done well to have the twin towers of Long and Bogut punch down some points for you along the way! Removing JLA I think is your best option and therefore to get to Randle you're having to free up some cash elsewhere. I like the set-up!
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