WEEK 2 CHAMP
đź‘‘ LA
WEEK 2 SUCKER
🤪 NESS
Mare asked me, “What’s a good stat line?” and I remember having the exact same question when I first got into fantasy basketball.
Knowing what makes a player “good” beyond their ranking is key, but with all the stats in front of us, it’s tough to know what to look for.
I’m going to introduce two things: Benchmarks Per Cat and The Golden Line (™byLA).
BENCHMARKS PER CAT
When it comes to evaluating player performance, not every stat line is created equal. That’s where category benchmarks come in. These benchmarks help you quickly assess whether a player’s game was elite, solid, or poor by dividing each stat into three tiers:
Dope AF—Dece—Mid
Think of this table as a grading scale that helps you understand where your players fall on the spectrum for each cat.
| DOPE AF | DECE | MID | |
| FG% | 47%+ | 44-46% | 42% or less |
| FTM | 4+ | 2-4 | Less than 2 |
| Points | 15+ | 12-15 | Less than 12 |
| 3s | 2 | 1.5 | Less than 1 |
| Rebounds | 10+ | 8-10 | Less than 8 |
| Assists | 8+ | 5-7 | 5 or less |
| Steals | 1.5+ | 1-1.5 | Less than 1 |
| Blocks | 1+ | 0.5-1 | Less than 0.5 |
| Turnovers | fuck | turnovers |
But this is just one piece of the puzzle.
Each position has its own set of strengths and specialties.
Guards, for example, shine in steals and assists but may lag in rebounds and field goal percentage. On the other hand, bigs typically dominate in rebounds, blocks, and FG%. Benchmarks will shift based on a player’s position and playing style, so make sure your expectations are dialled in accordingly.
THE GOLDEN LINE: What Is It?
The Golden Line is one set of ideal stats—numbers to evaluate a player’s production across the board. It’s not realistic to expect even the best players to hit this every game (we all know that’s a tall order), but it gives you a sense of whether a guy is helping or hurting your fantasy squad.
0.45% FG
3 FTM
1 THREE
15 PTS
5 REB
4 AST
1 STL
1 BLK
TO – N/A
Measuring Up in Real-Time
It’s not just about the Golden Line, either. I’ve also calculated the average line for players across all teams, which gives you a quick snapshot of what’s “normal” in our league so far.
Here is a comparison of the Golden Line and the current League Average line:
THE GOLDEN LINE
- FG%: 0.45%
- FTM: 3
- 3s: 1
- Points: 15
- Rebounds: 5
- Assists: 4
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 1
- TO: N/A
This official Golden Line represents solid, well-rounded production…and damn, it looks beautiful.
The beauty of the Golden Line is it helps you understand where your players truly shine and, just as importantly, where they don’t.
THE LEAGUE AVERAGE LINE
- FG%: 0.47%
- FTM: 3.2
- 3s: 1.9
- Points: 18.5
- Rebounds: 5.9
- Assists: 4.1
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 0.7
- TO: 2.2
This is the average stat line across all our guys for games played this season thus far.
The beauty of the Current League Average line is it lets you see how your players compare against the league, helping you know where your team stands and where you may need more balance.
If anyone’s interested in knowing your team’s current average stat line
to see how it compares to the league’s or everyone else’s, let me know.
How This Helps You as a Manager
Picture this: you’ve got a player with solid Yahoo rankings, but when you check his numbers, he’s barely brushing the Golden Line. Now, if you’re short on, say, rebounds, and he’s averaging under five, you might need to start thinking about a trade or find a guy who can give you more on the boards.
How to Use It in Roster Decisions
Check if a player consistently meets or comes close to the Golden Line; these are valuable players who contribute in multiple areas.
Compare players against the Golden Line or the League Average to better understand how to improve your team’s stats.
GOOOAALS
For managers who have players who come close to this golden line or exceed it—you can sit smugly at home, proud of your boys, pretending you had a hand in it.
For everyone else, think of the Golden Line as your north star, guiding you to the players who’ll deliver balanced, well-rounded production that wins leagues or specialist value that will take your weaknesses and throw them out the window. (Who doesn’t want that?)
ps – Stay tuned for a deeper (nerdier) dive into The Golden Line and a tutorial on using it to understand your roster.
2 responses to “Stats That Shine”
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COMMENTS ARE OPEN, MFs <3
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Love this! Helpful, also someone plz help me
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