While there’s a ton of attention paid to starters this early in the year, the odds are that the majority of the moves that you make will be affecting your bench more than anything else. Most waiver wire pickups involve bench players, so I thought it would be worth discussing how you should look at organizing your bench.
Most leagues have a varying amount of bench spots, but regardless of how many spots you have there are 2 roles that should be filled on any bench:
Role #1 - The fill-in starter. This is a guy who generally isn’t worth starting but can be used in a pinch. They may be unreliable but they’ll have their share of decent games. Good examples in a 12×13 league like ours are guys like Matt Harpring, Mark Blount, even a guy like Darko Milicic. It’s also important that this guy fits with your roster so that if anyone goes down he or one of your utility guys can fill in at their position.
Role #2 - The garbage spot. No, this isn’t reserved for Jorge Garbajosa, but he’s exactly the kind of player this spot should be used on. This spot is absolutely integral to fantasy success because without it, you’ve got the potential to miss out on the next big pick-up. We get a ton of comments that say something along the lines of, “I really want to pick up player X, but I can’t drop players Y or Z to get him!” This is why you have a garbage spot. If the 12th and 13th players on your roster are too valuable to drop, than you need to package them in a deal to upgrade a spot on your starting roster. This spot is why you wake up every morning and check the box scores and find out who’s been hurt and who’s filling in for him. Without this spot you’re going to miss out on guys like Monta Ellis, Tyronne Lue, even someone like David Lee, who can provide some serious short-term help to your squad and even have a chance to be mainstays on your roster throughout the season. These guys can make your fantasy season - if your roster has room for them.
The rest of your bench can be used a couple of different ways. Obviously, injured guys who are normally sure-thing starters are going to need a spot on your bench. But i want to talk about a pitfall that a number of teams fall into. They end up with a couple of different guys that all could fill that “Role #1,” all who aren’t really starters but could conceivably fill in for a game or two. However, unless you’ve got a bunch of injury risks on your team, having more than one of those guys is a total waste of a roster spot. Instead, you shuld focus on guys who have a good chance of being start-able in the NEAR FUTURE. Let’s discuss the three other categories of bench candidates and give examples of good ones and bad ones:
The Injured Marginal Starter: Some guys are not valuable to warrant a bench spot if they’re going to be out for, say, two months. But as those two months wear down, their value slowly improves and eventually it’s worth picking them up before they’re back on the court. So while Pau Gasol isn’t going to be found on any waiver wires simply because he’s too good when healthy, utility-type guys can and will be dropped when hurt, and possibly picked up before their return.
A good example is a move that DM made yesterday (and which I’m sure he’ll discuss more in his next Transaction Reaction), dropping the injured Joel Przybilla, who’s out for the forseeable future, and picking up the injured Marvin Williams, who’s expected to be back in a couple of weeks and will have better value than The Prz when healthy.
Good example: Bobby Simmons
Bad Example: Shaquille O’Neal
The Rookie: Let’s face it. Rookies are going to have their ups and downs. Managing them correctly, you’re going to have a valuable piece to your puzzle, but they’re so tough to predict on a nightly basis that a lot of times they’re more trouble than they’re worth (Rudy Gay, I’m looking at you). Still, bench spots are often used for rookies and I say why the heck not. THey’re an unknown commodity and often they can come out of nowhere to be really useful players. Again, though, they need to be able to contribute in the NEAR FUTURE to be worth that bench spot, meaning if they’re stuck behind a couple of vets on a depth chart they’re just not worth your time.
Good Example: Paul Millsap
Bad Example: Randy Foye
The Slumper: You know the type. Hell, you probably even drafted one. Everyone does. These guys are the hardest to let go because you know that once you do, they’re going to turn right around and be a decent fantasy player down the line. Guys like this will generate a good number of comments on FBB and for good reason. Are they hurt? Is playing time an issue? Will they pick up the pieces? Ultimately, no one knows. But if you guess right on your slumper, good for you.
Good example: Boris Diaw
Bad Example: Speedy Claxton
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.