We kicked off NBA Battle Royale and Snake Draft SZN with quite a bit of success on Tuesday & Wednesday, and we just need to avoid the landmines of Al Horford (Tuesday) and Domantas Sabonis (Wednesday) to really crush. Let’s see if we can find it today.
First, don’t forget to check out our FREE Rankings for NBA Battle Royale and Snake draft tournaments every day. These rankings are where a lot of the analysis here gets derived from, and they’re based off both median and ceiling projections to put the most accurate rankings together for your chance to win these tournaments.
Let’s dive in.
NBA Battle Royale & Snake Draft Strategy for October 21st, 2022
Overall Strategy
Similar to Wednesday, with the size of the slate and the particular mixture of teams we have tonight, once you get beyond the top tier (or maybe top 2 tiers) of players, it is WIDE open. For instance, the Hornets, and particularly Terry Rozier were WAY undervalued on Wednesday, and we saw Rozier crush his price and be the key to the slate if not for the blowout of the Spurs. He was a last-ish round pick, but he was basically in the same tier as top 10 players.
Keeping in mind these massive tiers is important because most of our competitors are just sticking to ADP as they draft, but our rankings don’t necessarily align with that. You can find mixtures of players that absolutely no one else is getting in drafts, which is critical to providing leverage on the field.
Top Options
I’d say tonight there’s a big 3 – Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and DeMar Derozan. It’s funny that Derozan is in this top tier, but his role without Zach Lavine (and Lonzo Ball) is as good as just about anyone in fantasy right now. We know how good Jokic is, and Ja Morant had a 40% usage rate night one and is going to have a monster year.
As mentioned above, I think the second tier of players is massive after these 3. This is a MUCH tougher spot for the Hornets, so you don’t see Rozier ranked quite as highly, and I’d treat lightly in what could very easily be a huge blowout here.
With Chris Paul seemingly in a decline, and the Suns bench lacking any real punch, Devin Booker looks like an incredible option tonight at his cost in a pristine matchup with the Blazers. Tyrese Haliburton is another top option for us given that he is essentially the Rozier of this slate. He’s the lead dog on an undermanned Pacers squad and he draws that same Spurs matchup that Rozier just put up 40+ fantasy points in the 3 quarters.
Undervalued and Overvalued Players
Rudy Gobert – All of Minnesota is undervalued at their current ADP, but both Gobert and KAT lead the list. The two bigs are consuming all of the rebounds, and the firepower they have on offense led to a ton of easy buckets for Gobert on opening night. We know about his steal and block upside, so when you combine the fact he can go for 20 & 20 on any night with a little bit of revenge against a terrible Jazz defense, Gobert looks great tonight.
Julius Randle – He had a strong night one, but Randle is not going to be quite the fantasy asset this season as he has been the last two in New York. He shot the ball well, but he’s going to have additional usage siphoned off by Jalen Brunson this year, and the Knicks bench is MUCH stronger so we won’t be seeing the 40+ minute games much, if at all.
Injuries and Situations to Monitor
LaMelo Ball and Zach Lavine are both out again, and the Warriors are likely to keep their minutes in check for their veterans. Steph Curry is still a very strong option as his minutes are strong enough to provide the upside we need, but Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are undraftable.
Dillion Brooks is doubtful again, which means Ja and Desmond Bane are going to have crazy usage, but be on the lookout for status on Bane. He got banged up last game, and while he came back, he hobbled off in overtime with the injury.
Jamal Murray is also questionable, which could put Michael Porter Jr. and maybe even Bones Hyland in play late in drafts.
Good luck!
