I was ready. I had my rankings up and my strategy set. My computer was fully charged and my sodas were cold.

I had time to kill, though, and I was getting anxious. So I decided to walk across the street to the farmer’s market.

“I’m just going to buy a couple things”, I told myself. “Some lettuce, fruit and maybe a pastry. The draft doesn’t start for one hour.”

Anyone who’s ever been to a farmer’s market knows the plan I had laid out was destined to fail.

I had bought some meat and veggies and was ready to purchase a baguette — the final touch on what was going to be an amazing homemade sandwich. I reached into my pocket to pay the guy at the bread stand and realized I had no cash left.

“Do you take cards?”, I asked. Unfortunately, he didn’t. So I raced to the nearest ATM, withdrew $20, paid the man and speed-walked home.

Phew! I made it, and I still had 10 minutes to spare before embarking on a journey that my grandchildren will one day say was the most significant moment of my adult life: The Fantasy Fix Experts League Draft.

The Plan…

This is a draft-only league. There are no adds, drops or trades. Who you draft is who you’re stuck with. There are no benches; all stats are cumulative throughout the season. I ran a draft with the exact same settings last week, and wrote about those results. But here’s a little recap of the rules:

• 12 teams
• 8-category roto scoring (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PT, FG% FT%)
• 15 roster spots (PG, SG, SF, PF, 2 C, 2 G, 2 F, PF/C, 4 UTIL)

You can’t have an Experts League without experts though, right? Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, I don’t like using the word “expert”. I don’t really think anyone is truly an expert per se. There are few things I’ve fully mastered. Sleeping, eating and watching TV are three things I’m comfortable saying I’m an expert in. For the sake of the league, I chose to use “expert” because, let’s be honest, it sounds a lot cooler than “The Fantasy Fix Group of Writers Who Are Very Good at Their Profession League”. That said, the gentleman that comprise this league are some of the most knowledgeable fantasy basketball minds in the game; this would truly be a test for all of us.

The Players…

(In order of draft)

Dennis Esser (@coachesser) – Host of the Fantasy Coach Podcast

Paul Whiteman (@WhiteManSports) – 15-Year Fantasy Veteran and Creator of the Holy Grail League of Legends

Ricky Sanders (@RSandersDFS) – Lead Content Contributor at FantasyDraft

Seth Klein (@SethDaSportsMan) – Writer at The Fantasy Fix, FantasyDraft, Razzball

Zack Rewis (@BigZack44) – Senior NBA Writer at The Fantasy Fix

Russell Peddle (@rustypedalbike) – Writer at numberFire and Raptors HQ

Joshua Reese (@MrJoshua) – Sports Radio 610 in Houston

Robert Brown (@rmbrams91) – Nine-Year Fantasy Veteran and Five-Time 2014 Fantasy League Champ

Joe Polito (@JoePo89) – Writer at CBS Sports

Matt Moczygemba (@MattMoczy) – Writer at The Fantasy Fix

Adam Cook (@Fantasy_Schnerd) – Writer at The Fake Sites and The Fake Pigskin

Daniel Grzelak (@Fasketball) – Owner of Fasketball.com

The Draft…

Round 1

1	Anthony Davis, Nor PF	@ Coachesser
2	Stephen Curry, GS PG	Team Whiteman
3	Kevin Durant, OKC SF	@RSandersDFS
4	Russell Westbrook, OKC PG	@ SethDaSportsMan
5	James Harden, Hou SG	@ BigZack44
6	Chris Paul, LAC PG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
7	LeBron James, Cle SF	Rockin all night long
8	DeMarcus Cousins, Sac C	Team Brown
9	Damian Lillard, Por PG	Team Polito
10	Kawhi Leonard, SA SF	Team Moczygemba
11	John Wall, Wsh PG	Team cook
12	Klay Thompson, GS SG	Fasketball Lovers

Coach started the draft off with a bang, selecting The Brow with the No. 1 overall pick. Can’t argue with that …. Paul, Ricky, myself and Zack rounded out the top five with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westrbook and James Harden. No surprises there. In fact, the first round left little mystery as 11 of the 12 players currently have first-round ADP (average draft position) on ESPN. Kawhi Leonard is 13th with Paul George at 12th.

Round 2

13	Jimmy Butler, Chi SG	Fasketball Lovers
14	Paul George, Ind SF	Team cook
15	Rudy Gobert, Uta C	Team Moczygemba
16	Serge Ibaka, OKC PF	Team Polito
17	Blake Griffin, LAC PF	Team Brown
18	Nikola Vucevic, Orl C	Rockin all night long
19	Paul Millsap, Atl PF	Montreal Boomshakalakas
20	Nerlens Noel, Phi C	@ BigZack44
21	Carmelo Anthony, NY SF	@ SethDaSportsMan
22	Victor Oladipo, Orl SG	Team @RSandersDFS
23	Marc Gasol, Mem C	Team Whiteman
24	Kyle Lowry, Tor PG	@ Coachesser

I really like the plays on the turn by Daniel. Getting Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler give him a deadly SG duo that can provide scoring, threes, good free throw shooting and steals …. Josh may have reached a bit to select Nikola Vucevic (currently has an ADP of 23), but pairing him with LeBron gives him strong percentages and rebounding …. Ricky took Victor Oladipo with the 22nd pick, solidifying his role as the biggest Hoosiers fan in the draft. Oladipo is primed for a big season, but I don’t think I would have drafted him with guards like Kyle Lowry and Eric Bledsoe still on the board.

Round 3

25	LaMarcus Aldridge, SA PF	@ Coachesser
26	Eric Bledsoe, Pho PG	Team Whiteman
27	Andre Drummond, Det C	Team @RSandersDFS
28	Gordon Hayward, Uta SG	@ SethDaSportsMan
29	Rudy Gay, Sac SF	@ BigZack44
30	Draymond Green, GS SF	Montreal Boomshakalakas
31	Goran Dragic, Mia PG	Rockin all night long
32	Pau Gasol, Chi PF	Team Brown
33	Chris Bosh, Mia C	Team Polito
34	Al Horford, Atl C	Team Moczygemba
35	Reggie Jackson, Det PG	Team cook
36	Hassan Whiteside, Mia PF	Fasketball Lovers

The more time that goes on, the more I feel like LaMarcus Aldridge is going to severely under-perform at his ADP (19 on ESPN), but Coach was able to get him a few spots later than that and I like the pairing with Anthony Davis …. Russell took Paul Millsap here, and I really like how his team is shaping up so far. He’s managed to get two forwards in Millsap and Draymond Green who can provide blocks and steals but also knock down threes. Great way to start a squad …. Chris Bosh continues to fall in drafts and I think he could be one of the big steals on draft day. Nice value there for Joe.

Round 4

37	Chandler Parsons, Dal SF	Fasketball Lovers
38	DeAndre Jordan, LAC C	Team cook
39	Jeff Teague, Atl PG	Team Moczygemba
40	Nicolas Batum, Cha SF	Team Polito
41	Isaiah Thomas, Bos PG	Team Brown
42	Ty Lawson, Hou PG	Rockin all night long
43	Kyrie Irving*, Cle PG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
44	Brook Lopez, Bkn C	@ BigZack44
45	Derrick Favors, Uta PF	@ SethDaSportsMan
46	Mike Conley, Mem PG	Team @RSandersDFS
47	Kevin Love, Cle PF	Team Whiteman
48	Bradley Beal, Wsh SG	@ Coachesser

Chandler Parsons at 37 is far too high (though I later learned that Daniel couldn’t make the draft and was auto-picking). Parsons was barely a top 70 player last year and is coming off major knee surgery. He’s someone I’m staying far away from at his current ADP, which is anywhere between the third and fifth rounds if you include Yahoo!’s rankings …. Josh missed out on hometown hero James Harden in the first round, but he was able to land the newest Rocket, Ty Lawson. Lawson’s stats will undoubtedly drop a bit now that he won’t be handling the ball as much as he did in Denver, but I expect his FG% to increase because of that …. Robert had stacked big men early on and was forced to go small with this pick, and I can’t argue with Isaiah Thomas in that spot. His poor FG% will be offset by DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin and Pau Gasol.

Round 5

49	Andrew Wiggins, Min SG	@ Coachesser
50	Karl-Anthony Towns, Min C	Team Whiteman
51	Kemba Walker, Cha PG	Team @RSandersDFS
52	Greg Monroe, Mil PF	@ SethDaSportsMan
53	Tyreke Evans*, Nor SF	@ BigZack44
54	Jonas Valanciunas, Tor C	Montreal Boomshakalakas
55	Jarrett Jack, Bkn PG	Rockin all night long
56	Danny Green, SA SG	Team Brown
57	Monta Ellis, Ind SG	Team Polito
58	Brandon Knight, Pho PG	Team Moczygemba
59	Tobias Harris, Orl PF	Team cook
60	Kenneth Faried, Den PF	Fasketball Lovers

Round 5 is where we start to see teams load up on categorical needs. After going big man-heavy early on, and then taking IT2, Robert continued to add some 3-point shooting to his team with Danny Green …. I can’t fault Russell for taking Canadian national hero Jonas Valanciunas. Will Dwane Casey ever give him crunch-time minutes? Russell is hoping this is the year he will …. Matt went with Brandon Knight here and I really like that pick for his team. He managed to avoid guards early on, yet still boosted his assists by getting Knight and Jeff Teague in the last two rounds.

Round 6

61	Khris Middleton, Mil SF	Fasketball Lovers
62	Al Jefferson, Cha C	Team cook
63	Giannis Antetokounmpo*, Mil SF	Team Moczygemba
64	C.J. McCollum, Por PG	Team Polito
65	DeMarre Carroll, Tor SF	Team Brown
66	Kobe Bryant, LAL SG	Rockin all night long
67	Nikola Mirotic, Chi PF	Montreal Boomshakalakas
68	Danilo Gallinari, Den SF	@ BigZack44
69	Dwyane Wade, Mia SG	@ SethDaSportsMan
70	Elfrid Payton, Orl PG	Team @RSandersDFS
71	Ricky Rubio, Min PG	Team Whiteman
72	Thaddeus Young, Bkn SF	@ Coachesser

C.J. McCollum is the darling of 2015-16 drafts, and if you want him, you’re gonna have to pay a lot more than you would have a month ago. Joe grabbed him here and while it may be a little bit of a reach, he has a great opportunity to put up big numbers this year as one of only a couple offensive weapons in Portland …. I like Adam’s pick here of Al Jefferson. Big Al is in a contract year and is nearly a lock for 18 points and nine boards every season …. This round featured a lot of injury risks in Kobe Bryant, Danilo Gallinari, Dwyane Wade and Ricky Rubio. It’s interesting to see them all fall here.

Round 7

73	Ryan Anderson, Nor PF	@ Coachesser
74	Trevor Ariza, Hou SF	Team Whiteman
75	Marcin Gortat, Wsh C	Team @RSandersDFS
76	Tim Duncan, SA PF	@ SethDaSportsMan
77	Gorgui Dieng, Min C	@ BigZack44
78	DeMar DeRozan, Tor SG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
79	Dirk Nowitzki, Dal PF	Rockin all night long
80	George Hill, Ind PG	Team Brown
81	Kyle Korver, Atl SG	Team Polito
82	Markieff Morris, Pho PF	Team Moczygemba
83	Dwight Howard*, Hou C	Team cook
84	Derrick Rose, Chi PG	Fasketball Lovers

I’m high on Marcin Gortat this year and I think Ricky got a steal. “The Polish Hammer” should settle in to another season of 13+ points, 8+ rebounds and 1.5 blocks, and he doesn’t hurt you in percentages …. Zack went with another draft darling in the Wolves’ Gorgui Dieng. Despite a bench role, Dieng will provide solid points, boards and blocks. He doesn’t hurt you from the line and has even been developing a 3-point shot, hitting 2-of-3 attempts so far in the preseason …. I took Duncan here as I need help in blocks and boards. Though he just turned 39, he’s as consistent as they come. I’m expecting 12+ points, 8+ rebounds and more than a block per game with good percentages …. By pairing Dwight Howard with DeAndre Jordan, Adam has given up on FT%, but that’s not a bad trade off if you want to solidify boards, blocks and FG%.

Round 8

85	J.J. Redick, LAC SG	Fasketball Lovers
86	Terrence Jones, Hou PF	Team cook
87	Robert Covington, Phi PF	Team Moczygemba
88	Robin Lopez, NY C	Team Polito
89	D’Angelo Russell, LAL PG	@ Rmbrams91
90	Jahlil Okafor, Phi C	Rockin all night long
91	Zach Randolph, Mem PF	Montreal Boomshakalakas
92	Michael Carter-Williams, Mil PG	@ BigZack44
93	Darren Collison, Sac PG	@ SethDaSportsMan
94	Emmanuel Mudiay, Den PG	Team @RSandersDFS
95	Eric Gordon, Nor SG	Team Whiteman
96	Jrue Holiday, Nor PG	@ Coachesser

Zach Randolph in the eighth round is an absolutely steal for Russell. He’s a two-trick pony (points/rebounds), but a very good one at that. I’m not sure how he fell that far …. We had a run on rookies this round, as D’Angelo Russell (Robert), Jahlil Okafor (Josh) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Ricky) all came off the board. I expect all three to be heavily involved in their teams’ offenses this year, and along with Karl-Anthony Towns, could all vie for Rookie of the Year honors.

Round 9

97	Otto Porter Jr., Wsh SF	@ Coachesser
98	Julius Randle, LAL PF	Team Whiteman
99	David Lee, Bos PF	Team @RSandersDFS
100	Wesley Matthews, Dal SG	@ SethDaSportsMan
101	Enes Kanter, OKC C	@ BigZack44
102	Tyson Chandler, Pho C	Montreal Boomshakalakas
103	Jabari Parker, Mil SF	Rockin all night long
104	P.J. Tucker, Pho SG	@ Rmbrams91
105	Myles Turner, Ind PF	Team Polito
106	Jordan Clarkson, LAL PG	Team Moczygemba
107	Aaron Gordon, Orl PF	Team cook
108	Arron Afflalo, NY SG	Fasketball Lovers

Joe took rookie Myles Turner and has really done a nice job of boosting blocks without letting assists and 3-pointers suffer …. Jordan Clarkson and Aaron Gordon have looked great over the past couple of weeks and Matt and Adam may have found some nice value here at the end of the ninth round.

Round 10

109	J.R. Smith, Cle SG	Fasketball Lovers
110	Meyers Leonard, Por C	Team cook
111	Joakim Noah, Chi C	Team Moczygemba
112	Ersan Ilyasova, Det PF	Team Polito
113	Trey Burke, Uta PG	@ Rmbrams91
114	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Det SG	Rockin all night long
115	Jusuf Nurkic*, Den C	Montreal Boomshakalakas
116	Rodney Hood, Uta SG	@ BigZack44
117	Roy Hibbert, LAL C	@ SethDaSportsMan
118	Stanley Johnson, Det SF	Team @RSandersDFS
119	Mason Plumlee, Por PF	Team Whiteman
120	Alec Burks, Uta SG	@ Coachesser

A really like the J.R. Smith pick to lead off the 10th. I expect Smith to be a beast for as long as Kyrie Irving remains sidelined …. What happened to Joakim Noah? It seemed like just yesterday that he was a top center in the league. Now he’s fallen to pick 111. The plan is for him to come off the Bulls’ bench, which is leading to his drop in ADP, but I think he’ll still put up similar numbers to what we’re accustomed to …. Trey Burke (Robert) has looked impressive in the preseason. His shot selection has improved, and with Dante Exum out for the season, Utah’s starting point guard job is his to lose … Another Jazz player, Alec Burks, is criminally underrated. With his shoulder injury behind him, he’s poised for a big season. The one negative is his lack of threes from the SG position, but excellent value here for Coach.

Round 11

121	Kristaps Porzingis, NY PF	@ Coachesser
122	Amir Johnson, Bos PF	Team Whiteman
123	Willie Cauley-Stein, Sac C	Team @RSandersDFS
124	Wilson Chandler, Den SF	@ SethDaSportsMan
125	Al-Farouq Aminu, Por SF	@ BigZack44
126	Deron Williams, Dal PG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
127	Louis Williams, LAL PG	Rockin all night long
128	Jared Sullinger, Bos PF	@ Rmbrams91
129	Josh Smith, LAC SF	Team Polito
130	Joe Johnson, Bkn SG	Team Moczygemba
131	Tony Parker, SA PG	Team cook
132	Avery Bradley, Bos SG	Fasketball Lovers

Tony Parker has fallen off the fantasy map, but in the 11th round there are far worse players you can draft. After going with big men for the past seven rounds, adding Parker to John Wall and Reggie Jackson was a solid move by Adam …. The Celtics frontcourt is shrouded in mystery, yet two of them went off the board here, with Paul taking Amir Johnson and Robert grabbing Jared Sullinger. If Sullinger is to have any value, I think it will require him being traded to another team …. He doesn’t have the same flash as before, but Joe Johnson is a steady producer and one of the few scoring threats left in the draft, so he’s a nice pick here by Matt.

Round 12

133	Mo Williams, Cle PG	Fasketball Lovers
134	Luol Deng, Mia SF	Team cook
135	Jeremy Lin, Cha PG	Team Moczygemba
136	John Henson, Mil PF	Team Polito
137	Kevin Martin, Min SG	@ Rmbrams91
138	Andrew Bogut, GS C	Rockin all night long
139	Rajon Rondo, Sac PG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
140	Marcus Smart, Bos PG	@ BigZack44
141	Ed Davis, Por PF	@ SethDaSportsMan
142	Jordan Hill, Ind PF	Team @RSandersDFS
143	Jerian Grant, NY PG	Team Whiteman
144	Zach LaVine, Min PG	@ Coachesser

This round is where many teams began to address needs. Josh and Joe needed blocks and they got some here from Andrew Bogut and John Henson …. Ricky added some rebounding help by taking Jordan Hill and I grabbed Ed Davis to shore up my swats …. Jeremy Lin is one of my big sleepers this year, and it’s possible we see a little glimpse of Linsanity return. Great value here by Matt.

Round 13

145	Gerald Henderson*, Por SG	@ Coachesser
146	Justise Winslow, Mia SG	Team Whiteman
147	Zaza Pachulia, Dal C	Team @RSandersDFS
148	Jamal Crawford, LAC SG	@ SethDaSportsMan
149	Harrison Barnes, GS SF	@ BigZack44
150	Brandan Wright, Mem PF	Montreal Boomshakalakas
151	Clint Capela, Hou C	Rockin all night long
152	Noah Vonleh, Por PF	@ Rmbrams91
153	Jose Calderon, NY PG	Team Polito
154	Bojan Bogdanovic, Bkn SG	Team Moczygemba
155	T.J. Warren, Pho SF	Team cook
156	Evan Turner, Bos SG	Fasketball Lovers

Many of the players in this round are going to have a difficult time achieving fantasy value this season. Gerald Henderson, Justise Winslow, Jamal Crawford, Brandan Wright and Clint Capela all need help from injuries (or in Henderson’s case, their own injuries) …. T.J. Warren has been fantastic in the preseason and has a very good chance of supplanted P.J. Tucker as the Suns starting SF. He’s someone all owners should be targeting in the final few rounds of their drafts.

Round 14

157	Bismack Biyombo, Tor C	Fasketball Lovers
158	Nik Stauskas, Phi SG	Team cook
159	Alex Len, Pho C	Team Moczygemba
160	Mitch McGary, OKC PF	Team Polito
161	Frank Kaminsky III, Cha C	@ Rmbrams91
162	Dennis Schroder, Atl PG	Rockin all night long
163	Patrick Beverley, Hou PG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
164	Isaiah Canaan, Phi PG	@ BigZack44
165	Doug McDermott, Chi SF	@ SethDaSportsMan
166	Marcus Morris, Det PF	Team @RSandersDFS
167	Timofey Mozgov, Cle C	Team Whiteman
168	Jeff Green, Mem SF	@ Coachesser

Another round filled with players who don’t offer help in more than one or two categories, but that’s what the last two rounds of any draft will feature …. Dennis Schroder has sneaky good value for Josh there. He starts games when Jeff Teague sits out and could play a lot of 2-guard with Kyle Korver shifting to the 3. He’s also reportedly said he wants to play somewhere where he can start. Could he be traded at some point in the season? Maybe. And if he does, he’ll immediately gain more fantasy value.

Round 15

169	Taj Gibson, Chi PF	@ Coachesser
170	David West, SA PF	Team Whiteman
171	Omer Asik*, Nor C	Team @RSandersDFS
172	Anthony Morrow, OKC SG	@ SethDaSportsMan
173	Gary Harris, Den SG	@ BigZack44
174	Ben McLemore, Sac SG	Montreal Boomshakalakas
175	Brandon Jennings*, Det PG	Rockin all night long
176	Rodney Stuckey, Ind SG	@ Rmbrams91
177	Andre Iguodala, GS SF	Team Polito
178	Kyle O’Quinn, NY PF	Team Moczygemba
179	Ian Mahinmi, Ind C	Team cook
180	Tristan Thompson, Cle PF	Fasketball Lovers

The 15th and final round of the draft …. Love the Gary Harris and Kyle O’Quinn picks by Zack and Matt. Both should return better than 15th-round value this season …. The Cavs’ new $82-million man, Tristan Thompson, was the very last pick of the draft. While fantasy doesn’t always translate to real life, it’s another example of how bad of a contract it is.

Thanks again for everyone the participated and good luck this season!