X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Three Overvalued Forwards for Fantasy Basketball Drafts

By Keith Allison [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Brad Leibfried looks at three overvalued NBA forwards to avoid as potential draft busts in 2016-17 fantasy basketball leagues. Think twice before drafting them.

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome back to another edition of our overvalued players, or guys that you may want to take a longer look at on draft day. Today I will take a look at overvalued forwards for 2016-17 fantasy basketball drafts. Hopefully my analysis helps you make better decisions for your drafts, and pick some winning squads.

You can read about more overvalued players and guys to avoid, if that's your thing. And don't forget to check out our famous fantasy basketball draft sleepers and values list, which is updated daily with all our draft recommendations. Good luck RotoBallers!

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NBA Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, Sleepers List, Late-Round Fliers, Early-Round Avoids, DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

 

Forwards Who May Not Return Their Draft Day Cost

LeBron James - SF, CLE

Current ADP: 5.5

James may still be the greatest basketball player on the planet, however his average draft position (ADP) of 5.5 is simply too high for what he brings to a fantasy basketball team.  James will turn 32 this season - and last season we saw his minutes, scoring, 3-point shooting, blocks, steals and assists all drop from the previous year.

He still put up spectacular numbers with 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists last year - but he does not offer the same numbers he did as a younger player.  Also of note, coach Ty Lue has said he will sit James and others to rest for the playoffs, which does not bode well for James who played 76 games last year.

In roto leagues, James will still be well worth a first round pick. However in head-to-head leagues, his occasional rest day is likely to cost you a few wins throughout the year. Look towards a more consistent option such as Kawhi Leonard early in drafts.

 

Kevin Love - PF, CLE

Current ADP: 35

Like his teammate, Kevin Love continues to be overvalued in fantasy circles.  Gone are the days in which Love scored 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds per game.

In two seasons with Cleveland, Love has averaged 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. Along with good shooting numbers, and 3-pointers, these are solid stats from a power forward. However, given that he is a complete non-contributor in steals, blocks, and assists, Love loses much of his fantasy appeal for a player being picked at the end of round three in average leagues.

If you are searching for a big man who can contribute in these areas you should look to a player such as Ryan Anderson, going 47 picks after Love on average, who can bring a few elite stats at the forward position.

 

Harrison Barnes - SF, DAL

Current ADP: 77.6

Barnes was one of the pieces that was discarded from Golden State to make room for Kevin Durant, as he signed a max deal in Dallas.  His ADP of 77.6 shows that many are believers in Barnes getting a much bigger role of the offense with the Mavericks.

It is certainly logical that he will see a boost in production, as he has increased his scoring in each of his first four seasons. But it is important to remember that although he was not getting many shot attempts per game, those attempts were generally wide open.  Also important to note, Barnes has never been an all-around good fantasy player having never averaged over 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, or 1.8 assists in his career.

Another stat to monitor would be his shooting percentage, which has been at 48.2% and 46.6% over the past two years respectively.  Through two preseason games, Barnes is just 4-for-18 from the field. And although it is just two preseason games, that will be worth noting throughout the season.

 


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Malik Nabers

Expected to be Full-Go for Week 1
Freddie Freeman

Out Wednesday With Neck Stinger
Alejandro Kirk

Avoids Major Injury, Remains Out on Wednesday
Travis Hunter

Back at Practice, Will be Ready for Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Could Miss the Rest of the Season
De'Von Achane

Not Practicing on Wednesday
Trevor Megill

Brewers Place Trevor Megill on Injured List With Flexor Strain
Luis Robert Jr.

Placed on Injured List With Hamstring Strain
Rashee Rice

Accepting Six-Game Suspension to Begin the Year
Kyle Hamilton

Ravens, Kyle Hamilton Finalizing Four-Year Extension
Rashee Rice

NFL Aiming to Place Six-Game Suspension on Rashee Rice
De'Von Achane

Dolphins GM Says De'Von Achane Will be Ready for Week 1
Joe Mixon

Texans GM: "We'll See" if Joe Mixon Plays in 2025
Adam Thielen

Traded to the Vikings
Nick Lodolo

Expected to Return Wednesday Against the Dodgers
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery
Blake Snell

Activated From Paternity List Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Still Expect Micah Parsons to Play in Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Exits Early With Hamstring Soreness
Chris Godwin

Passes Physical, Will be Activated From PUP List
Willson Contreras

Issued Six-Game Suspension
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Placed on Injured List
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Officially Place Brandon Aiyuk on PUP List
Nathan Eovaldi

Likely Done for the Season
Tyreek Hill

Remains Out of Practice
Najee Harris

Moved to Active Roster
Yordan Alvarez

Activated and Starting on Tuesday
Oneil Cruz

Back From Injured List
New York Mets

Jonah Tong Promoted to Major Leagues
Spencer Rattler

Saints Name Spencer Rattler as Starting QB
MarShawn Lloyd

Packers Leaning Toward Placing MarShawn Lloyd on Injured Reserve
Tyjae Spears

to Begin the Season on Injured Reserve
Nikola Jović

Heat Have High Hopes for Nikola Jovic
Golden State Warriors

Cody Martin Drawing Interest From Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves Interested in Reunion With Bones Hyland
Kylor Kelley

Joins Lakers
Colin Castleton

Links Up With Magic
Brock Bowers

Pete Carroll Classifies Brock Bowers Among His Best Players Ever
De'Von Achane

Lingering Calf Injury Poses Concerns for De'Von Achane
Adam Thielen

Vikings and Panthers Struggling to Finalize Adam Thielen Trade
Malik Monk

Kings "Not Actively Engaged" in Trade Discussions Involving Malik Monk
P.J. Washington

Mavs Likely to Offer P.J. Washington a Contract Extension
Kenny Pickett

Raiders Acquire Kenny Pickett From Browns
NHL

Jan Rutta Lands in Switzerland
Kirby Dach

Skates on Monday
COL

Tyson Barrie Retires From NHL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Battling Arm Soreness
Marcus Semien

Out 4-6 Weeks, Could Miss Rest of Season
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Strikes Out 11 in Win
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
CAR

Luke Kunin Joins Panthers on One-Year Deal
Auston Matthews

Says His Health is "Good" Before Start of Season
Roope Hintz

"Feeling Good" Ahead of New Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Recovering From Surgery
Marco Rossi

Wild Re-Sign Marco Rossi to Three-Year Deal
NBA

Malik Beasley Now Drawing Interest from Teams
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Shanghai Main Event
Johnny Walker

In Dire Need Of Victory
Brian Ortega

An Underdog At UFC Shanghai
Aljamain Sterling

Set For UFC Shanghai Co-Main Event
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Set for UFC Shanghai Main-Card Bout
Sumudaerji

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Set To Open Up UFC Shanghai Main Card
Taiyilake Nueraji

Set For His UFC Debut