With increased COVID-19 testing after Thanksgiving, the NBA has clearly run into a problem. The Bulls have had two games postponed, and more teams are dealing with the virus running rampant through the locker room. On Tuesday, the Nets got hit with late news of James Harden and Bruce Brown entering protocols, leaving them with just eight players hours before tipoff. It's beginning to feel a lot like last year.
But last year was new territory for fantasy managers. Dealing with protocols and seemingly random absences was a shock. Making adjustments to account for coronavirus felt like an unwinnable battle, and good strategies were far from tested.
Now, this season, we have experience. We are still at the mercy of the NBA's rules, but there are proven ways you can prepare for the worst and adjust on the fly. You'll probably have to be more aggressive than usual, but, as Tony Soprano once said, "More is lost by indecision than wrong decision." More than ever, it's just about winning the week.
Waivers
It's more important than ever to know who's in and out for each squad, especially if your waivers run once per week. If your league's claims go through Sunday night, you need to keep a close eye on COVID-related news all day to make sure you aren't missing what could be the best pickup of the week. You may have to make an educated guess on who benefits from a starter's absence with little-to-no sample size, but that's
With increased COVID-19 testing after Thanksgiving, the NBA has clearly run into a problem. The Bulls have had two games postponed, and more teams are dealing with the virus running rampant through the locker room. On Tuesday, the Nets got hit with late news of James Harden and Bruce Brown entering protocols, leaving them with just eight players hours before tipoff. It's beginning to feel a lot like last year.
But last year was new territory for fantasy managers. Dealing with protocols and seemingly random absences was a shock. Making adjustments to account for coronavirus felt like an unwinnable battle, and good strategies were far from tested.
Now, this season, we have experience. We are still at the mercy of the NBA's rules, but there are proven ways you can prepare for the worst and adjust on the fly. You'll probably have to be more aggressive than usual, but, as Tony Soprano once said, "More is lost by indecision than wrong decision." More than ever, it's just about winning the week.
Waivers
It's more important than ever to know who's in and out for each squad, especially if your waivers run once per week. If your league's claims go through Sunday night, you need to keep a close eye on COVID-related news all day to make sure you aren't missing what could be the best pickup of the week. You may have to make an educated guess on who benefits from a starter's absence with little-to-no sample size, but that's just part of the game.
In addition, be extra wary about weekly game count. By targeting players on four- or five-game weeks, you insulate yourself against extremely damaging absences. Using a personal example, I aggressively targeted Doug McDermott with the Spurs playing five games last week, and he was the perfect last-minute replacement for when DeMar DeRozan landed in protocols Monday. Even fringe fantasy options become usable with high enough game counts. Remember, it's about total accumulated stats.
Finally, if you have enough bench spots, don't be afraid to make some long-term gambles. There are plenty of guys sitting on the waiver wire that would turn into great options if only one of their teammates landed in protocols. Typically, that takes the form of backup centers like Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside, but it extends to guards and wings like Davion Mitchell, Eric Bledsoe, Cedi Osman and others that have shown fantasy upside in the past and have the confidence of the coaching staff.
Trades
If you're desperate, you could try to trade out COVID-positive players for 75 cents on the dollar in exchange for an available player. Of course, you run the risk of your acquired player then testing positive, but that's why I prefaced this with if you're desperate. I can't say I've personally done this, but if you're near the bottom of the standings and just need to field a full starting lineup, I think the strategy has legs. Of course, you'll need to find a willing trade partner – a struggle in many leagues to begin with – that is at the top of the standings and isn't dealing with tons of COVID absences themselves. High-risk, high-reward moves are necessary when you're in last at this point in the season.
A more viable strategy relevant to anyone would be trading top talent for depth. Especially in salary cap drafts, if you've built a top-heavy, stars-and-scrubs team, it may be time to re-examine that approach. If more than one of your stars is out at any given time, your team will probably be truly awful. Trading one star for two depth options, or two stars for three or four depth pieces probably makes more sense in the current COVID environment. The absences won't be as dramatic, and you'll probably have a functional bench instead of scrambling on waivers every week.
The last trick you may need to pull is working out an even trade simply based on position eligibility. Hopefully, you've stacked your roster with multi-position players, but that's not always the case. If you find yourself without an eligible center come lineup lock, float out a trade to a rival manager for one, even if you marginally lose the deal. Hopefully, you can work something out relatively benign like sending out Marcus Smart and getting back Wendell Carter.
Injured Reserve
Condolences to anyone whose league isn't implementing an IR spot this season. And this is still a rough time for leagues with one IR spot. Obviously, fill the IR spot with a COVID-absent player if it's otherwise empty. But, more challenging decisions come into play if you're a manager that's been stashing someone. Popular stashes this season include Zion Williamson, Klay Thompson, Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, Jonathan Isaac, Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray.
Ideally, these would be examined on a case-by-case basis regarding how many IR spots you have and where you are in the standings, etc. The only player who is a must-drop to me is Leonard. It sounds like he'll be returning in March or April, which is when most fantasy leagues end. As far as the other players go, if you need to climb the standings, explore a trade before simply dropping them. You never know who in your league may think Irving will come back soon or think Thompson will return to past form extremely quickly. Just make sure to get a consistent fantasy starter back in return.
If no one bites, you might have to cut bait and absorb the sunk cost. Hopefully, you got your stashed player at a discount on draft day anyway, so it won't sting too much. But, if you're in second-to-last place, Zion coming back in late January (or later) isn't going to save your season if you can't field a real team in between now and then.
