My invitation to the Yahoo Friends & Family fantasy basketball league

Andy Behrens DM'd me on Twitter to invite me to play in this year's Yahoo Friends & Family league. It's a league full of Fantasy Basketball experts who are just waiting for the opportunity to kick my ass. The best of the best from Yahoo Sports, Rotoworld, RotoWire, Razzball, etc

http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/friendsandfamily (public link to follow our progress)

Well, I'll gladly take any opportunity to get my ass kicked. (That didn't sound right.)

I've never done an experts league before - and certainly not with the calibre of these guys - but I've got a whole electronic case full o' trophies.

I'm not too worried about my performance, but knowing that any mistake made could end up on one of Yahoo!'s widely read articles is a little daunting...

With that said, here is my draft strategy. (Transparent, but still a little vague -- can't give everything away to my opponents!)

Ordinarily I adopt a punt strategy. Makes targets more focused, throws the other managers off.

In this case though, SOME OF THESE GUYS INVENTED FANTASY BASKETBALL STRATEGY. So this is clearly not going to work. Can't outmaster the masters.

So I'm going with a RISK-AVERSE strategy. Basically, I'm gonna stay away from guys with clear NEGATIVES: Drummond's FT%, Jennings' FG%, etc. While I hate playing roto, this strategy is the one you want to use for roto leagues (where all the stats are weighted evenly).

I want guys who fit into ANY strategy - as I may have to change things up once or twice in-season. I'm playing with the best, so I have to be ready for anything.

There is nothing wrong with changing a strategy. But the absence of a strategy is a larger problem.

In some competitive leagues, sometimes it takes awhile to figure out how managers are trying to beat you. Hell, even in established dynasty leagues, a major trade can shake up the entire landscape. Managers who have chased PGs for YEARS, suddenly start targeting bigs.

Have a clear plan, but be ready to improvise. Evolve or die.

One of the most interesting things about this particular F & F setup is that there are only 2 MOVES PER WEEK allowed. The cats are the standard 9, but this draft is more important than typical 1-year drafts. Yes, my competition are among the most knowledgeable in the world, but so few moves really places an emphasis on obtaining long-term assets. (In some leagues, you can get away with a series of short-term adds. Not in this one...)

We're also playing with FIVE utility slots, and 3 bench slots. That means position scarcity is basically out the window. Guys are gonna be out for blood, and I expect many punting strategies to emerge. In this type of setting, you basically just need a team of stat-getters - irrespective of position. So I'm expecting militaristic Fantasy B-ball. With positions out the window, ANY STRATEGY IS IN PLAY. (Hell, I once had to punt THREE cats in the most competitive league I ever played in. Made the playoffs with that one...)

Anyway, I'm doing this draft in just under 2 hours. I will be waving the Fake Teams flag proudly. This one's for Ray...

Bobman