X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Forwards to Avoid in Fantasy Basketball Drafts

By Mwinog2777 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Jake Finnen looks at three overvalued NBA forwards to avoid as potential draft busts in 2016-17 fantasy basketball leagues. Think twice before drafting them.

Much like the rest of my avoid/busts articles, these are players that lack one or both of the main factors you need from a solid fantasy option, production and consistency. If you have both, good chances your team will do well.

Just because these players may not be as consistent as you would have hoped, DFS relies heavily on finding the right matchups. So by all means, do not feel obligated to avoid these players in DFS and daily games. Just don't waste a draft pick on these guys in seasonal leagues. Let's get rolling.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NBA Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, Sleepers List, Late-Round Fliers, Early-Round Avoids, DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

 

Forwards to Leave Alone on Draft Day

Jared Dudley, SG/SF, Washington Wizards

This one shouldn't come as shock but if I had to describe Dudley fantasy relevance in one sentence: he's a veteran that is used more for his experience than his skill. He makes smart decisions with or without the ball, plays great defense but unfortunately, he won't score enough to make it worthwhile.

He has seen an increase in minutes the past three years and the Suns seem to have committed to him as starting power forward in the short term as he helps mentor the team's young, talented lottery picks, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss.

Owners are flirting with him late in drafts, thinking someone is going to have to get minutes and production in the Suns front court. But until one of his production categories climbs toward double digit range, I wouldn't bother picking up Dudley. His floor is pedestrian and his ceiling is low.

 

Andre Roberson, SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder

Honestly, I'm glad that everyone is buying high on this Thunder roster. The amount of times I've heard Roberson is the next up and comer is downright scary. Proves Mississippi is clearly a football state. Roberson was not productive in the playoffs. That doesn't help his confidence any.

Now that KD is gone, Andre just unwillingly moved up in the list of players to guard on Oklahoma City’s roster. Roberson is a good rebounder for his position and can provide steals.  However, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter dominating touches down low, and Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo will dominating touches in the backcourt. Roberson will still have to pick up the scraps, but without Kevin Durant there to help leave him quite as wide open as he always was last season.

Fantasy doesn't like bottom feeders. We want the best of the best, and when that's not possible, we settle for the best of the rest. Roberson will not be in that category by the midpoint of the season. There is simply too many mouths ready to feed in Oklahoma City that Andre is not in a position to significantly break out into fantasy relevance.

 

P.J. Tucker, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns

The tough thing about trying to predict how players will play is trying to predict how their teams will fare throughout the season. In this situation P.J. is 30, and the Suns are among the youngest teams in the association. Thicker may take on a nice role as a defensive anchor but that's not what you want to see when looking for fantasy prospects.

While Tucker has seen an increase in minutes and assists since last year, his points and shooting percentages have taken a dip since his entrance into the league. Tucker is similar to Dudley to the point where daily plays are a possibility, but he doesn't have the consistency worth a consideration on draft day.

Couple his historical production with an injury that's caused him to miss the preseason, the continued improvement of fellow wing T.J. Warren, and the chance of a trade deadline deal sending him to a contender as a role player, and that spells all downside for Tucker.  Selecting him late in drafts is just a waste of a pick.


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Clears 100-Yard Mark Again in Loss to Rams
Jahmyr Gibbs

Leads Lions in Receiving in Week 11 Loss
Christian Watson

Breaks Out With First Two Touchdowns of the Year
Josh Naylor

Mariners Finalizing Five-Year Contract
Derrick Henry

Breaks Two-Game Scoreless Streak in Week 11
George Kittle

Hauls in Two Touchdown Grabs in Week 11 Win
Drake London

Knee Injury "Not Thought to be Overly Serious"
Aaron Rodgers

May Have "Slight Break" in Left Wrist, Likely Out for Week 12
Jacoby Brissett

Sets Completion Record in Loss to 49ers
Trey McBride

Extends Touchdown Streak in Busy Outing Against 49ers
Michael Wilson

Peppered With Targets Amid Teammate's Absence
Christian McCaffrey

Scores Three Touchdowns in Divisional Win
Michael Penix Jr.

Aggravates Knee Injury, Could Miss More Time
Dillon Gabriel

to Remain the Starter if Healthy
Travis Etienne Jr.

Scores Two Touchdowns in Run-Heavy Blowout
P.J. Washington

Active Against the Trail Blazers
Anthony Davis

Won't Play on Sunday Night
Kenneth Gainwell

Catches Two Touchdown Passes in Elevated Role
Zion Williamson

Remains Sidelined on Sunday
Bijan Robinson

Scores Twice in Overtime Loss to Panthers
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play Sunday
Dillon Gabriel

Ruled Out With a Concussion Against Ravens
Kristaps Porzingis

to Miss Another Game on Sunday
Bam Adebayo

Not Ready to Return Monday
Josh Jacobs

Not Believed to Have Season-Ending Knee Injury
Jalen Brunson

Unavailable Monday
OG Anunoby

to Sit Out at Least Two Weeks
Bilal Coulibaly

Back in Action Sunday
Tetairoa McMillan

Sets New Career-Highs in Overtime Win
Scott Mayfield

Available Sunday
Stephon Castle

Won't Return on Sunday Night
Sean Tucker

Scores Three Times in Lead-Back Role
Josh Allen

Scores Six Touchdowns in Thrilling Victory
NYI

Max Shabanov Returns From 12-Game Absence Sunday
Derrick Jones Jr.

Won't Return on Sunday
Samuel Honzek

Out Week-to-Week
Kirby Dach

Sidelined for 4-6 Weeks
Kristaps Porzingis

Questionable for Sunday's Meeting with Phoenix
Thatcher Demko

Considered Week-to-Week
Filip Hronek

Good to Go Sunday
Quinn Hughes

Back in Action Sunday
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate Not Dealing With Long-Term Injuries
Grayson Allen

Sidelined With Quad Contusion
Viktor Arvidsson

Injured in Saturday's Win
Jonathan Kuminga

Knee Issue Keeps Him Out of Weekend Action
Nick Foligno

Ruled Out for Four Weeks
Bilal Coulibaly

Questionable With Calf Issue Against Nets
Samuel Honzek

Hurt in Collision With Teammate
Precious Achiuwa

Questionable With Illness For Sunday
Drew Doughty

Exits With Lower-Body Injury
P.J. Washington

Expected Back From Shoulder Issue Sunday
Charlie McAvoy

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Against Canadiens
Tre Jones

Uncertain for Sunday With Minutes Set to Tighten
Thomas Harley

Out Week-to-Week
CFB

Virginia Tech Close To Naming James Franklin As Head Coach
Coby White

Could Make Season Debut Sunday
Josh Giddey

Set to Return Sunday
Zion Williamson

Tagged as Questionable for Sunday
Jeff Skinner

Placed on Injured Reserve
Matt Duchene

Continues to Sit Saturday
Thomas Harley

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Kaapo Kakko

Out Week-to-Week
Joseph Woll

Starts on Saturday
John Carlson

Out on Saturday
Rasmus Dahlin

Rejoins Sabres Lineup Saturday
Jack Hughes

to Miss Eight Weeks After Finger Surgery
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Doubtful vs. Arkansas On Saturday
Edwin Díaz

Blue Jays Interested in Signing Edwin Diaz?
Jacob deGrom

Named AL Comeback Player of the Year
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Wins NL Comeback Player of the Year Award
Aroldis Chapman

Named AL Reliever of the Year
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Named NL Reliever of the Year
Justin Thomas

Will Miss Start Of 2026 After Undergoing Back Surgery
Islam Makhachev

Set For UFC 322 Main Event
Jack Della Maddalena

Set For His First Title Defense
Zhang Weili

Can Become The New Women's Flyweight Champion
Valentina Shevchenko

Set For UFC 322 Co-Main Event
Michael Morales

Looks To Remain Undefeated
CFB

Mario Craver a Game-Time Decision for Week 12
Sean Brady

Set For Title Eliminator Bout
Carlos Prates

A Favorite At UFC 322
Leon Edwards

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Set To Open Up UFC 322 Main Card
Beneil Dariush

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
CFB

Virginia's Chandler Morris Trending Toward Facing Duke on Saturday
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Says There's a "50-50" Chance he Returns to Mets
Shohei Ohtani

Wins his Fourth MVP Award
Aaron Judge

Wins AL MVP Award Again
Raisel Iglesias

Dodgers Interested in Signing Raisel Iglesias
Pete Alonso

Orioles Could be in the Mix to Sign Pete Alonso
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Could Return in Second Half in 2026
Kodai Senga

Attracting Trade Interest, Will the Mets Move him?
Yordan Alvarez

Expected to be Ready for Spring Training
Byron Buxton

Could Waive his No-Trade Clause
Paul Skenes

the Unanimous NL Cy Young Winner
Tarik Skubal

Wins AL Cy Young for Second Straight Year
CFB

Still No Update on Jermod McCoy's Return Timeline
Sami Valimaki

Riding Momentum Into Bermuda
Matthieu Pavon

Struggling Through a Rough Season
Taylor Montgomery

Hopes to Get Back on Track at Port Royal
Ben Martin

a Risky Play at Bermuda Championship
Mark Hubbard

Primed for a Bounce-Back Week in Bermuda
Lee Hodges

Searching for a Spark in Bermuda
Stephen Vogt

Wins Back-to-Back AL Manager of the Year Honors
Milwaukee Brewers

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager of the Year Again
Patrick Fishburn

Looking to Bounce Back in Bermuda
Eric Cole

Carrying Momentum into Bermuda
Tommy Edman

to Have Ankle Surgery Next Week
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks Unlikely to Trade Ketel Marte
Sahith Theegala

Finishes Tied for 27th at Bank of Utah Championship
Sam Stevens

Finishes Tied for 36th at Baycurrent Classic
Patrick Rodgers

Finishes Tied For Sixth at World Wide Technology Championship
Luke List

Finishes 75th at World Wide Technology Championship
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied for 63rd at World Wide Technology Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied for 14th at World Wide Technology Championship
Luke Clanton

Finishes Tied for 46th at World Wide Technology Championship
Blades Brown

Finishes Tied for 18th at Korn Ferry Tour Championship

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP