First Term Evals

Quick Evaluations from Best to Worst

Strategic Notes

• Waiver Budget: Teams like The Black Order, Chloë’s Champion Team, and I Got A Harden should look to leverage their untouched budgets for timely mid-to-late season pickups.
• Activity Levels: Highly active teams—GetSome and Flat Earthers—are working hard to optimize their rosters, potentially helping them climb the standings.
• Momentum: Too Hot For Kool Aid and Flat Earthers are trending upward for now, while teams like Lowryour expectations and Mary Gets Bucketzz are fighting to stay relevant.

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Overall Stats

TEAM	FG%	FTM	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO	W%	W-L-T
LA	.470	1094	550	5842	2011	1433	363	201	714	.627	39-23-1
JEN	.479	1010	564	5968	2259	1425	394	264	753	.571	36-27-0
JESS	.459	1149	636	5837	1860	1604	317	259	830	.524	32-29-2
B	.463	881	669	5646	1632	1169	305	253	620	.492	31-32-0
CHLO	.489	926	538	5500	2041	1155	295	204	650	.492	31-32-0
MIKE	.485	962	634	5902	1761	1173	345	184	637	.464	29-34-0
MARE	.485	802	621	5247	1864	1238	317	177	601	.464	29-34-0
NESS	.478	822	555	4839	1839	1132	298	207	622	.373	23-39-1

⟶⟶⟶⟶⟶⟶ Take a look at the above overall stats and consider the following:

Which categories are you absolutely crushing? Is there room to sacrifice a player in that cat to boost yourself in another where you’re more competitive?

Take assists and turnovers, for example—they’re like fantasy basketball frenemies. If you’re leading in assists, chances are your turnovers are through the roof. (That’s why I always say, “Fuck turnovers!” perhaps to my own detriment?)

Case in point: Jess. He’s losing turnovers, but he’s a staggering 171 assists ahead of LA (next up in assists), which is wild. Here’s the thing—I look at that and think, well, Jess has room to play.

He can afford to sacrifice some assists to improve categories like Points + Field Goal Percentage (FG%). How? By identifying one of his steady assist guys—not Trey, obviously, because dropping him would be insane—and swapping them for a player who can deliver reliable scoring and efficiency.

With our small league and plenty of streaming options, we all have room to make strategic adjustments each week. If you’re trailing in steals but see a narrow enough gap to catch your opponent, don’t just grab the top free agent or trending player—target a specialist who excels in that category. Once they’ve served their purpose, drop them and move on to your next need. (I’m honestly saying this as a reminder to myself because I don’t do this enough.)

On the flip side, let’s look at Mare‘s stats. Her turnovers are impressively low, yet her assists still sit solidly in the middle of the pack. Translation? Her players keep a good handle on the ball. This lets her win the turnover category consistently without taking the same risks as teams pushing massive assist numbers.

Efficiency can be a saviour, and Mare’s quietly proving it week after week. But can she afford to sacrifice her turnover wins to boost a couple of other categories instead? What y’all think?

So, take a look at your team. Where are you thriving, and where can you tweak for an edge? Have your recent moves already addressed certain gaps in lacklustre categories? If not, maybe it’s time to SHAKE THINGS UP.

Win-Loss-Tie

TEAM	FG%	FTM	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	ST	BLK	TO	W-L-T
LA	3-4-2	6-1-2	3-4-2	7-0-0	5-2-2	5-2-2	5-1-1	2-5-2	3-4-2	39-23-1
JEN	4-3-2	4-3-2	3-4-2	3-4-2	5-2-2	3-4-2	4-3-2	6-1-2	4-3-2	36-27-0
JESS	2-5-2	6-1-2	5-2-2	2-5-2	2-5-2	6-1-2	3-2-2	5-2-2	1-6-2	32-29-2
B	3-4-2	3-4-2	5-2-2	4-3-2	2-5-2	3-4-2	3-4-2	5-2-2	3-4-2	31-32-0
CHLO	5-2-2	3-4-2	2-5-2	3-4-2	5-2-2	3-4-2	2-5-2	4-3-2	4-3-2	31-32-0
MIKE	3-4-2	3-4-2	5-2-2	6-1-2	1-6-2	2-5-2	4-3-2	1-6-2	4-3-2	29-34-0
MARE	5-2-2	1-6-2	3-4-2	2-5-2	4-3-2	4-3-2	3-4-2	2-5-2	5-2-2	29-34-0
NESS	3-4-2	2-5-2	2-5-2	1-6-2	4-3-2	2-5-2	2-4-1	3-4-2	4-3-2	23-39-1

And, as always, Fantasy Hoops sometimes comes down to luck and consistency. Let’s be real—my overall stats line is a lieeeee hehe. I’m first in 4/9 categories. Sounds great, right? Does that mean I’m consistently winning those categories every week? Nope. 🙃 Sometimes, no matter how incredible you feel you are (and trust me, I think I’m the shit), it’s still not enough to win. Now that I’m looking closer, this indicates inconsistency, tricky matchups and poor management. (Ahh!)

Now, let’s talk about LA. He’s second in points overall and has won the category seven times (he’s never lost at points as of yet!), while I’m first in points and have only won that category three times. While LA’s not leading in any of the overall stats, he’s consistently winning in 4/9 categories and is competitive in many.

That’s the mark of a great manager making smart moves when he needs to with reliable players who show up and do their job well week after week. Ugh. For the rest of us, that’s not exactly good news—it means LA isn’t leaving much to chance, and we’ll need to step up if we want to keep pace.

What does all this mean? Flashy stats and big games are fun, but solid picks and consistency give ya wins.

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Twinning Comparison

It would seem we have two fairly even pairs of teams in the league—at first glance, identical records and identical frustration for their managers. But let’s look at how alike these two pairs actually are:

B vs. Chloë (Both 31-32-0)

Here’s how they compare based on the Overall Stats table:

Category	B	CHLO	Better Team
FG%	.463	.489	CHLO
FTM	881	926	CHLO
3PTM	669	538	B
Points	5646	5500	B
Rebounds	1632	2041	CHLO
Assists	1169	1155	B (narrow win!)
Steals	305	295	B (narrow win!)
Blocks	253	204	B
TO	620	650	B

Analysis:

• B wins in 3PTM, points, steals, assists, and blocks, showing a stronger offensive and defensive game overall.
• CHLO, however, dominates FG%, free throws made, and rebounds, proving they are far more efficient and better on the glass.

Verdict: B comes out slightly ahead because they win more stat categories (5 out of 9), particularly excelling in shooting volume and defense. CHLO wins efficiency and rebounding but lacks the depth of stats to pull ahead of B.

Mike vs. Mare (Both 29-34-0)

Now let’s compare their stats:

Category	MIKE	MARE	Better Team
FG%	.485	.485	Tied
FTM	962	802	MIKE
3PTM	634	621	MIKE (narrow win!)
Points	5902	5247	MIKE
Rebounds	1761	1864	MARE
Assists	1173	1238	MARE
Steals	345	317	MIKE
Blocks	184	177	MIKE (narrow win!)
TO	637	601	MARE

Analysis:

• MIKE wins free throws, three-pointers, points, steals, and blocks, showing a strong scoring and defensive team.
• MARE takes rebounds, assists, and turnovers, leaning into ball control.

Verdict: The stats say MIKE is the better team overall, winning 5 out of 9 categories. MARE keeps it competitive with rebounds and assists but can’t match MIKE’s scoring power or defensive performance. Oooh.

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So there you have it—some teams are crushing it, some are grinding, and a few are straight-up praying for miracles…I know I wouldn’t turn one down. Whether you’re dominating, scraping by, or desperately refreshing the waiver wire, there’s still plenty of time-ish to turn things around or, you know, keep flexing on the rest of us. (Where’s the trash talk, LA? We deserve it.)

Now go forth and make me proud—or at least give me something to roast next time around.