Upsyde Blog

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: Biggest Surprises of the Season: Stat nerds like myself are constantly following trends and players, but a lot of fans of the games and real world wins don't typically obsess with these details. Here is a list of players with outrageous early season stats. MILES BRIDGES: 25.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 53% FG, 94% FT, 2.5 3PG, 1.5 TOPG - In 9-stat category fantasy realms, this puts him in top 10 production. Many would look at this stat line and question if Kawhi was in fact hurt. I have always been super bullish on the 2018 draft, but he was not one of the guys that I would have though was going to be a cornerstone to their franchise. Him and LaMelo are probably the only untouchable players on this team and are the main reasons to their 3-1 start. They have another soft match-up tonight, further pushing them up the standings. EVAN MOBLEY: 14.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.0 BPG, 55% FG, 86% FT, 2.0 TOPG - The turnovers and lack of 3's are the o...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: Fantasy Watch List: Players <5% ESPN Ownership For those saying the waiver wire is always trash, a lot of it is poor scouting. There are a lot of hidden gems buried in waivers that either need a situation change, player movement, or are undervalued. Here are some gems you should be keeping an eye on. TALEN HORTON-TUCKER - He should be on any team with an available IR slot. THT is about two weeks away from returning, and he should see a solid role in their rotation. The traded to get Westbrook moved Kaldwell-Pope, and replaced him with a Kent Bazemore. THT does not have a lot of competition at the 2-guard, as the rest of their depth chart includes Monk, Ellington, and Nunn, two of which are hurt. They extended him this summer and have big plans. In preseason he averaged 12.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG. Those numbers aren't mind blowing, but he did that in only 23 MPG. He could find himself in a breakout year with the big 3 in LA garnering a majorit...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: Analysis of the First Full Night of Games: There was a lot of fun games going on, but none more than the Celtics versus Knicks game, that went into double-overtime as the rival Eastern Conference teams duked it out and dropped haymakers. By the end of the game, only the Celtics were playing defense, but the Knicks just couldn't miss. This is mostly a list of players to watch the rest of the year, which players to be concerned about, and which players should bounce back. PACERS VS. HORNETS - This was a fun game as well. The Hornets overcame a 23-point deficit to win in the final seconds of the game. Sabonis, Brogdon, and Duarte all scored over 25 points, but was not enough to overcome the deeper Hornets team. Duarte did phenomenally in his debut, but his performance was outshined by LaMelo's fantastic performance. Melo scored 31 points and added 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals in less than 30 minutes. The Hornets had six players in double-digits and t...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: SEASON PREVIEW: I wanted to do a comprehensive off-season guide, but there was so much chaotic movement, the task was too tedious for me to complete. That being said, I was simultaneously working on this article, and ended up devoting more time to completing this. This guide is not really a grade, but more of an analysis of each team. Was their off-season successful, did they complete what they needed to, was their needle moved? All of these will be addressed in this article. ATLANTA HAWKS: The Hawks sort of ran things back. They spent the off-season resting their veteran players like Bogdan and Danilo, and extended their young players in Collins and Trae. For the most part, their rotation won't change considerably. They added a secondary ball handler in Delon Wright, drafted guys for the future in Cooper and Johnson, and added a veteran big man in Gorgei Dieng. I think their floor remains as a 6-seed, with top-3 potential in the East. BOSTON CELTICS: The Ce...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: Fantasy Analysis - Biggest Reaches / Sleepers in Draft: With most fantasy drafts behind, dozens of mock drafts completed, and depth charts pretty much locked in, these are the biggest reaches and sleepers in the draft. REACHES: NIKOLA VUCEVIC - ADP: 15.9 - I'm a huge fan of the Vuce, but not mid-2nd round. After his trade his scoring production dropped from 24.5 PPG to 21.5 PPG, played 2 less MPG, and shot less 3's. He is still an elite big, even in his age-30 season, but now his usage will take another hit with DeMar DeRozan entering the mix. It's possible his efficiency might go up with Lonzo Ball added to the mix, but overall, I like him mid-3rd round at the earliest value-wise. DE'AARON FOX - ADP: 19.7 - Another player I'm not a huge fan of being drafted in the 2nd round. I think with Haliburton's increased usage and the addition of Davion Mitchell could hurt his production. There is also the possibility that Fox gets traded - he defe...