CBS and Yahoo are two of the three largest Fantasy Basketball sites, along with ESPN, which I analyzed earlier this week. I grouped them here because these two sites are more similar than different in terms of point formats, and vastly different from ESPN’s game. The default points league games on these sites happen weekly, not daily. So let’s take a look at some Bargains and Busts (CBS & Yahoo Weekly Format).
Experienced players often mock weekly points formats as “easy games.” Wait a second: not so fast. Weekly games grind less, but employ a more chess-like strategy where positioning is more crucial. They have challenges that daily games do not.
On Yahoo, their High Score default setting takes a single high score from each starting player per week. On CBS, they calculate scores as a weekly average of starting players. Default settings on CBS and Yahoo both ignore or downplay certain categories.
On a High Score or weekly average format, you have to consider the week’s matchups. It matters if your current players play the Grizzlies or the Magic this week. Stats like Pace Factor and Defensive Rating matter. You also have to reconsider back-to-backs. Back-to-backs are sought for midweek additions in daily formats because extra games mean extra stats. But they become a potential negative in a High Score or weekly average format because player performance drops!
Some of the players I consider bargains on these lists will surprise you if you play a daily game, but bear with me, mad scientist at work. I’ll also throw in a couple of players I think will bust.
Players Better on CBS Weekly Avg Scoring
CBS rewards consistent players, even if they play a lot of games. If you are scoring by weekly average, knowing that the players’ average is reliable helps you plan out your week.
CBS gives multiple points for only one category, assists. Players get just one point for steals and blocks and -1 for turnovers, and no three-point bonuses. With that in mind, there are a few players who clearly stand out for me as better on CBS.
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PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Rank 5, ADP 3.83)
Giannis is already points league royalty, but I think CBS’s format makes him or Luka the #2 pick. I prefer Giannis for this because it’s easier to get guards later in points leagues. Based on his last six seasons, the center is a near lock to average at least 30 PPG with double-digit rebounds and 6 assists per game. Furthermore, he’s a consistent player who will do this night in and night out, and while he doesn’t play all 82, he doesn’t have to in weekly formats. He’s clearly behind Jokic, but CBS takes away Giannis’ weakness in three-pointers and FT% by not counting either one. It also hurts Wemby by making his four blocks a game equal to two buckets.
PG Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers (Rank 55, ADP 59.00)
Garland has the odd spike game and the odd dud, but for the most part, he’s a consistent player. He had a very strong January last year, but most months were between 17.8 and 21.7 PPG with correlated consistency in assists. You can count on Garland to do what you drafted him to do. He’s a reliable player in the middle rounds of your drafts, especially in points formats.
SF Cam Whitmore, Washington Wizards (Rank 115, ADP 113.40)
Whitmore is one of my favorite speculative ads this season; he’s good for the CBS format. The forward had 23 games of double-digit points out of 53 appearances last year, many of which happened in less than ten minutes of court time. He has a career scoring average of 10.8 PPG despite a career average of 17.8 minutes per game. If the Wiz trust Whitmore to score for them, he’s going to put up some kind of numbers just about every night. If it’s not happening early in the season, keep him on your watchlist.
Players Better on Yahoo High Score
Players on Yahoo have what we stat people call a big beta. A beta is how much volatility a player has. If a player has huge, big swings between his good and bad games, he’s a better Yahoo player because his high scores will be really high. Since that’s how you get points on Yahoo, that’s Yahoo Yahtzee.
Yahoo’s format rewards centers more than point guards, and defense more than CBS. They give 1.2 points per rebound and just 1.5 points for assists, which is very close. They also give three points for each steal or block, and, like CBS, do not count missed shots or three pointers at all. This format makes it interesting at the top for me.
C Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (Rank 2, ADP 3.6)
I think that CBS’s format really hurts Wembanyama, but he gets helped by Yahoo’s emphasis on defensive stats. Since Wembanyama gets over a dozen points per game for his blocks and steals, he is a clear #2 pick for me on Yahoo. Wembanyama also gets a lot of his points from three-point shots, so his scoring outputs will be more unpredictable. This should lead to some juicy High Scores.
I also think he is the only player other than Jokic justifiable at #1. He may finish the year there, especially if Jokic starts resting more with the Nuggets’ deeper bench. The rest of the top five’s upside is mostly baked in.
SG Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks (Rank 42, ADP 37.3):
Yahoo drafters are already onto this (ADP lower than rank), but let me pile on. Daniels’ spike games are kind of sneaky to figure out. That is, until you remember his steals. He had eight games last year of at least six steals last season. Six steals on Yahoo is eighteen points before you count other contributions!
He also had a lot of inconsistent scoring efforts last year, regularly bracketing 20-point games with single-digit outputs. Inconsistency in High Score is good! He also gets a lot of rebounds for a guard. There is very little competition for his minutes, especially since he is a lockdown defensive player. Daniels is appropriately ranked 60th on CBS, but he’s got tons of Yahoo upside.
SF Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks (Rank 53, ADP 43.8)
I’m not sure that Yahoo drafters are as in on this one as they seem: his might just be hype. At last, I found a format where I really like Flagg. He’s a rookie, so his numbers are going to be inconsistent, especially shooting the ball and probably turnovers. Yahoo doesn’t count missed shots and doesn’t penalize turnovers enough to make this problematic. Flagg puts up defensive stats and gets a broad enough stat base that I think he’s very underrated in a spike game format. He’ll have a few games this year where he shows off his potential. Let him have them for you.
C Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers (Rank 87, ADP 87)
Clingan’s claim to this is due to two things: blocks and boards. Yahoo loves rebounds, and Clingan should be in the top fifteen in rebounds per game this year. Plus, how about this line from November: 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist, and ZERO points – a robust 36 points without a single bucket!
The Blazers’ center averaged 2 stocks and 8 rebounds per game last year, which should scale somewhat with additional playing time. He’ll get some spike games like the one above, maybe even with a point or two. Think of him as a Walker Kessler who might finish the year on the floor.
Equally Good for CBS and Yahoo
You might notice a trend in my selections below. Many players on my bargain list are notably injury-prone. This sounds totally bananas to a person who plays a daily format and cuts directly against my advice on the ESPN article. In a weekly format, you don’t have to win the “games played lottery” to get tons of value out of star-quality, injury-prone players. In weekly leagues, a player who plays one game in a week counts the same as someone who plays four. Work smart, not hard.
What’s really nice about these selections is that the injury is already factored into their draft rank. The bargain is baked into their price. Some of these players will lack availability in some weeks. However, many of them are on load management and will be around most of the year in a diminished capacity. Their diminished capacity is your draft-day steal.
PF Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets (Rank 23 on CBS, 14 on Yahoo)
KD is slipping in Yahoo drafts (ADP 19.0) and ranked lower than 20 in CBS drafts, and I’d reverse that. Durant is very unlikely to play in many back-to-backs this year on the contending Houston. However, their occasional loss is your gain. As long as KD plays at all, that ball is going into the basket. I would put Durant comfortably into my top 16 in either format. He gets more stocks than you think, and his consistent output is most people’s spike week.
PG LaMelo Ball, PG Ja Morant, PF Zion Williamson, C Joel Embiid
(All players ranked 47 or better on both platforms)
Call this the “load management All-Stars”. Not one of these guys would be attractive to me in daily formats, but in a weekly format, they shine. The aim here is to draft them at their rank, because their injury issues are considered for their rank. I think they will return much more than their draft position in weekly formats.
Morant is a walking spike game and a walking injury, and will turn losses into wins – and the occasional win into a loss. Ball is like Durant, because his normal games are like other people’s spike games. Ball is also a stud in steals, and you get zero negatives for his awful FG%. Williamson and Embiid fill up a box score nicely, and while Williamson’s a little better on CBS and Embiid is better on Yahoo, they should play either place.
I would, however, stay away from Anthony Davis even here – first-round picks shouldn’t be gimmicky. Also, don’t draft Paul George’s low ceiling or Mark Williams‘ 35 games per season.
SF Michael Porter, Jr., Brooklyn Nets (Rank 69 CBS, 76 Yahoo)
Yahoo drafters have already fastened on Porter (ADP 66.3). Porter should have some really nice spike weeks as a focal offensive engine on the Nets. He’s also a better rebounder than you think, which does help him more on Yahoo than CBS. However, his consistency makes him a good pick on CBS, too. I’d put him closer to around pick 60 on both formats.
A Few Non-Bargains on Both CBS and Yahoo
C Myles Turner, Milwaukee Bucks (Rank 47 on Yahoo, Rank 77 on CBS)
His blocked shots do help him on Yahoo, but his out-of-position three-pointers don’t. Turner’s scoring has declined every year, and his career scoring average is 14.1, which is somewhat poor for a top 50 player. He’s also unlikely to have any spike games. I’d take him closer to 65th in a High Score format.
That said, I’m okay with Turner on CBS, though I think he could finish even lower than that. CBS drafters agree (79.17 ADP). He’s just average at scoring and rebounding, and captures none of the CBS assist bonus.
PG Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics (Rank 65 on Yahoo, Rank 87 on CBS)
Yahoo drafters are all over this one, too (ADP 72.1). I like Pritchard in daily points formats and especially in category formats. However, Pritchard’s three-point shots don’t count in either weekly format, taking away his primary weapon. There are enough playmakers in Boston that Pritchard’s assists might not improve very much. He might have a few spike games this year to help out your High Score team, but I’d just stay away.
SF Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls (Rank 88 on Yahoo, Rank 92 on CBS)
Buzelis is a great sleeper pick, but he should not have made his way into the top 100 this early. Furthermore, he’s a much better category league player than points league player unless the Bulls make a deal or two and let the Baltic Baller (Buzelis is Lithuanian-American) cook this year. Don’t draft people hoping the team will make a trade.
SG Anfernee Simons (Rank 87 on Yahoo, Rank 39!! on CBS and falling)
Simons is a backup. He’s probably better on CBS, but not thirty-ninth! Wow. Simons coming close to the top 50 this year would surprise me.
Weekly Formats are Fun!
Remember, fantasy basketball is supposed to be fun! While weekly games do not require the constant attention that daily games do, they’re a fun, different challenge for experienced players. And remember, while you’re agonizing on a late Saturday night over whether to drop Ace Bailey to pick up four more assists, weekly players are already sipping martinis in the clubhouse. You could be that person! Try weekly games if you haven’t yet.
