Scanning the Sixers’ Fantasy Values

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

If you’ve watched any amount of NFL football this season, you might have caught one (or one thousand) of the commercials advertising for fantasy sports. What you may not know is that fantasy sports actually extend beyond the world of football; I’m here today to talk about the the fantasy value in NBA leagues for those members of the Sixers (and no, I don’t mean the fantasy of Joel Embiid playing a full 82-game season on the way to a Sixers championship). While I’m focusing more so on traditional, season-long leagues, you can certainly use the advice here in constructing line-ups in those daily leagues you have been beat over the head with this past month.

Must-Owns (10-to-12-team leagues)

• Nerlens Noel – In just one year, the Flattop went from an unknown commodity to a fantasy stud. Noel averaged 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks last season, the only player in the the NBA to put up at least those numbers in each category last season. He also steadily improved in his one area of weakness, free throw shooting, finishing 2014-15 at 60.9% from the line. Unlike noted bricklayers DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond, Noel won’t force you to punt free throws, and he should only improve as he continues to work on his shot. Noel is an extremely worthwhile pick somewhere around the 3rd round or for anywhere between $20-$30 in auction leagues.
• Robert Covington – The only other Sixer who I consider must-own is Sam Hinkie’s greatest D-league find, Big Shot Bob. Covington was top-10 in the league last year in three pointers made per game, knocking down 2.4 triples per contest at a respectable 37.4% clip. He also provides good rebounding from the wing position, while also contributing a very useful 1.4 steals per contest. Locked in as the starting small forward for the Sixers, those numbers should see a small uptick if anything. The only thing keeping Covington from fantasy stardom is a field goal percentage that should be in the low-40’s. Think about grabbing him starting in around the 8th round ($8-10 in auction), but if you’re punting field goal percentage, consider Covington as high as the 5th.

Deep League Adds (14-to-16-team leagues)

• Jahlil Okafor – You might be surprised to find Big Jah omitted from the first group, since he’s the favorite to lead the Sixers in points this season. However, he’s largely struggled thus far against NBA-level competition and will certainly have terrible turnover numbers and, at best, an average FG% for a big man. His free throw concerns are also well-documented after he shot 51% during his freshman season at Duke. If you are punting free throws or play in an 8-category league (which omits turnovers), feel free to move Okafor up your draft board, as he’ll certainly be a great source of points and rebounds. In standard leagues though, I’d probably stay away.
• Isaiah Canaan – Canaan is a guy who can be a fantasy superstar on a given night (making him a terrific cheap flyer in DFS leagues, for those so inclined). Last season, he had 8 games of at least 4 made threes, including fantastic 8-13 and 6-10 nights from downtown. With Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall both injured at the moment, Canaan is currently the Sixers starting point guard and will be a great source of those threes, as well as assists in the early going. However, one thing to keep in mind for those with weekly lineup changes is that the Sixers only play 2 games in the first week, so you’d be at a disadvantage from a volume standpoint in the opening week. Once Wroten and Marshall return, Canaan will likely return to limited minutes and lose most, if not all, of his fantasy value.
• Hollis Thompson – Just like in real life, Holliswood is a guy who flies almost entirely under the radar in fantasy circles. He’s shot 40.1% from three in each of his first two seasons, and last year, upped his volume to 1.6 made threes per game. With Nik Stauskas dealing with a number of injuries this offseason and still yet to don a Sixers uniform in an official game capacity, Thompson projects as the starting 2-guard on opening night. As long as he’s in there, he could useful for those owners in search of threes in very deep leagues.
• Nik Stauskas – Staukas and Thompson go hand in hand in that I think whoever ends up with the lion’s share of the minutes will be the one receiving all the juicy three-point attempts and the fantasy appeal that comes with them. Currently dealing with a stress reaction to his right tibia, Stauskas has ceded the upper hand to Thompson at least initially, but he certainly has the higher pedigree as a recent lottery pick and many folks who follow the team expect the former Wolverine to eventually claim the starting shoot guard position. It’s a bit of a flyer, but you may want to grab Sauce Castillo in deeper leagues in anticipating of his heating up in Philadelphia.

Keep an Eye On

• Kendall Marshall – Marshall is still recovering from an ACL injury suffered earlier this year, but he is expected back in early November. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Sixers point guard position, Marshall projects as the best fit among their limited options for what the team wants to do offensively; the popular opinion is he’ll be the starter the rest of the way once he’s healthy. Shooting over 39% from three each of the last two seasons, Marshall should prove a great source of threes and assists from a fantasy perspective. Once it’s rumored he’s gearing up for his return to the court, pick him up.
• Tony Wroten – Wroten is kind of the guard version of what I expect Jahlil Okafor to be this season, great counting stats with poor efficiency numbers. Wreckin’ Ball Wroten led the Sixers in scoring last season at 16.9 ppg, while also contributing 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. On the other hand, he turned it over 3.8 times per contest, and shot the ball poorly both from the field (40.3%) and the free throw line (66.7%). Coming off the torn ACL, it’s unknown whether he’ll have the same burst right away that served as his entire effectiveness on the offensive end. I’d wait to see a healthy Tony Wroten before even considering an add.
• Jerami Grant – Son of Harvey has solidified his role as the back-up power forward and would move into the starting line-up if either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor are injured (with Noel sliding to center in the wake of an Okafor injury). During his rookie campaign, Grant averaged 0.8 threes and 1.0 blocks per game, a combination of skills hard to come by in the fantasy game. Those numbers should only nudge up with the former Syracuse forward gaining more confidence in his second season. As of now, there is no need to draft Grant; if something happens to either of the Sixers big men, though, make the add.