Dwight Howard's free throw numbers will hurt you in Roto formats, but in H2H he's a Top 10 player!

Head-to-Head’s Up:

If you happened to read the SportsGrumblings.com article comparing and contrasting head-to-head and rotisserie leagues, you’ve already seen that we’ve have mapped out a number of opposing strategies for assembling a dominant team.  To boil it down for Head-to-Head’s Up, we’re essentially looking at players that contribute to counting or cumulative stats while discounting their statistical impact upon shooting percentage and free-throw percentage (ratios) as well as turnovers (where applicable).

Along similar lines, it is also of greater benefit to consider players that are one-dimensional statistical contributors.  Think of it like a potluck dinner.  You’re going to have a few people bring an entrée.  These are your elite fantasy contributors, your go-to guys.  Kobe Bryant is an entrée player—in fact, he’s a meal unto himself.  However, those savory dishes go quickly, and not everyone is quite so gourmet.  Just like you’ll need someone that brings appetizers, someone for desserts, salads, beverages (etc.), you’ll need to be able to count on someone to help pick up the slack in your counting stats (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, and 3-pointers).

This list will include elite players that will have more value in H2H formats due, in most instances, to a particular weakness or weaknesses in their fantasy game, and some lesser players that are of considerable benefit in limited capacities.  That is to say that many of these players only contribute in one or two categories, but do so in such a way that they can help make up for deficiencies you may have elsewhere.  Let’s have a look, position by position.

Point Guard:

Jason Kidd – PG – Dallas Mavericks: Here, if we’re discounting percentages (in this case FG%), we’re going to have to move Jason Kidd up our draft boards.  The league average PG shot .452 from the field in 07-08, while Ason (Kidd with no “J”) wallowed in the .380s.  That doesn’t matter here, and if that doesn’t matter, Kidd approaches elite PG territory.  Even as he’s grown, well, old, he’s still a triple-double waiting to happen and his counting stats reflect that fact.  While he’s not going to approach Chris Paul territory, feel free to move him ahead of the likes of ROTO-wonder Chauncey Billups and similarly rated players.  Other point guards who gain value in H2H formats are Barron Davis (Clippers), Tony Parker (Spurs), Raymond Felton (Bobcats), Rajon Rondo (Celtics), and Rafer Alston (Rockets).

Shooting Guard:

Jason Richardson – Charlotte Bobcats: Of the shooting guards that best fit this H2H model for success, Richardson tops the list.  Neither is .441 FG% nor his .752 FT% of a season ago were of much help to ROTO owners, but his otherwise well-rounded game is perfectly suited for teams that are counting on, well, counting.  Richardson led the NBA in 3-pointers made (243), while averaging 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a useful 1.4 steals per game.  Those are the kinds of counting stats (3-pointers in particular) that vault him ahead of 2-guards like Kevin Martin (Kings), and even Paul Pierce (Celtics), although both players are welcome additions in any format.  Other shooting guards you can move up your H2H draft boards include: Andre Iguodala (76ers), Stephen Jackson (Warriors), Tracy McGrady (Rockets), Jamal Crawford (Knicks), and DeShawn Stevenson (Wizards).

Small Forward:

LeBron James – SF – Cleveland Cavaliers: King James?  Here?  Yes, yes, and YES!  Let me explain…there were only 12 players that totaled 500 or more assists last year, and of those 12, only TWO also had 500+ rebounds.  He also scored the second most points in the league, all while kicking in a useful number of 3-pointers, steals, and blocks.  He would have battled Kobe Bryant for the top overall ranking on the year if not for his 71.2% mark from the charity stripe, while being second in the league in free throw attempts per game.  Alas, LBJ didn’t crack the top five.  I know, it’s a little surprising.  Here again, we’re not going to sweat the details (or the percentages)—LeBron James is one of the first two players taken in a head-to-head formats. Other small forwards who have additional H2H value: Josh Smith (Hawks), Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets), Gerald Wallace (Bobcats), Ron Artest (Rockets), and Ricky Davis (Clippers).

Power Forward:

Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs: Sure, “Timmy” qualifies at C too, but last year he started the majority of his games at power forward, so he’s as good a candidate as any to illustrate the potential success of our H2H strategy.  The 73% he shot from the free-throw line in 07-08 was the best he’d done in half a decade, and by a wide margin.  As reliable a 20/10 PF as you’ll find, the San Antonio offense AND defense run through him, accounting for a fair number of assists (for a big man) and his ever-present 2+ blocks per game.  You’ll want to find a healthy dose of scoring, rebounds, and even blocks from your power forward(s), and Duncan certainly fits this model.  Additional names to consider at PF are: Lamar Odom (Lakers), Zach Randolph (Knicks), Charlie Villanueva (Bucks), and Hakim Warrick (Grizzlies). 

Center:

Dwight Howard – C – Orlando Magic: Barring some unforeseen injury, Dwight Howard will be drafted in 100% of fantasy basketball leagues, and with good reason.  On a good day, he is capable of single-handedly dominating a game like no other center in the NBA today.  He’s arguably one of the top 5 talents in the game, but that talent doesn’t always translate from the NBA’s hardwood to the game of fantasy basketball.  The one glaring hole in Howard’s game is his free throw shooting.  He gets to the line a lot, and while that might seem like a good thing, in Howard’s case it’s far from it.  The free throw line is this Superman’s kryptonite.  Last year Howard shot .599 from the line, and, with the vast number of attempts (and misses) Howard accumulates, that .599 can drag an entire fantasy team down—in ROTO.  As such, he finished last season outside of the overall top 50 by almost any rotisserie measurement.  In this crazy, mixed-up H2H world where percentages don’t matter (or, matter less), Dwight Howard is a top 10 player—that’s right TOP TEN PLAYER.  Feel free to draft him as such.  Other centers to keep an eye on: Emeka Okafor (Bobcats), Tyson Chandler (Hornets), Andrew Bogut (Bucks), Ben Wallace (Cavaliers), Darko Milicic (Grizzlies), and Shaquile O’Neal (Suns).