In the wake of Andrei Kirilenko’s monster 5×5 game last night, I thought it might be a good idea to talk about one of the most under-appreciated breeds in fantasy basketball: the double-defensive threat. There are only twelve players in the league who are averaging both one steal and one block per game, and only six who top 1.5 of each. Those six read out like a murderer’s row of fantasy value: Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace and Gerald Wallace. All have totally different skill sets outside of the defensive numbers, but they all are major contributors to fantasy teams (as long as they’re healthy).
Still, I’m not going to write a column telling you that you should have the six guys listed above on your fantasy team. I will, however, talk a little bit about some of the guys who are hanging out under the radar who are helping on defense and could help your fantasy team. When looking at stats, the first thing that most people notice is the big three: points, boards, and assists. However, finishing first in points is no more valuable than finishing first in steals, and a guy who averages over half a steal and half a block can be just as valuable as a guy who averages 12 points and 6 boards. Here are a few guys who are lacking in the “big” stats but have sneaky fantasy value due to their defense:
Shane Battier (1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks)
Battier has been a tough fantasy call for most of his career. He’s been stuck in single-digit points for most of his career, and unless you’re Ben Wallace, you’re going to have trouble having fantasy value without scoring 10 ppg. This year, however, Battier has finally crossed the 10 point mark, is shooting over fifty percent, and is also contributing with a three pointer every night. He’s a top-50 fantasy player on just about any rater you look at. However, his big stats are still not much to talk about: 12.8/5.0/1.9 can be found on the waiver wire on a daily basis. He’ll almost certainly be on a roster, but he’s probably undervalued. He’s a good trade target.
Josh Childress (1.3 steals, 0.4 blocks)
I’ve been watching Childress on my waiver wire for about a month now, but I haven’t been able to pull the trigger. He’s around a top-100 fantasy player, and in my league, with 120 starting players, that means he shouldn’t just be on a roster, he should be starting. He was much better in December than he was in November, showing a marked improvement in FT%, FG%, and blocks, and in the last month his value has been closer to 70th than 100th. He was drafted and dropped in most leagues, but astute (and brave) fantasy players will find a spot on their roster for him.
James Jones (0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks)
We got our first glimpse of Jones last year, as the depleted Pacers were forced to play him after the brawl. Jones made a nice name for himself as a marginal points/boards/threes threat, and he was a hot name around draft day this year. However, after losing out to Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for playing time, he has become an afterthought in many leagues. Not so fast! Jones’s contributions in steals and blocks, not to mention his 2.0 threes per game, still give him plenty of fantasy value. His 10.4/3.8/0.6 looks pretty ugly, but the raters don’t lie – he’s got fantasy value.
On a side note, one of the dangerous parts of this idea is that these defensive stats can vary so much from one week to the next, and it’s very easy for a guy to fall into a couple of steals in a game by accident, which will inflate his value. Be careful to make sure that the guys you’re targeting have a history of putting up strong numbers before you consider picking them up.