Yahoo’s top-10 for 9-cat fantasy basketball is out, led by Nikola Jokic at No. 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo sat at No. 2, with Victor Wembanyama at No. 3 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 4. Luka Dončić sits at No. 5, followed by Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Domantas Sabonis completing the top 10. The host argues Jokic’s multi-category supremacy makes him a safe, productivity-saturated anchor, while projecting upside and risk across the board for the rest. Giannis’ placement sparks debate due to severe free-throw penalties in nine-category formats, making him a mid-first-round pick in some builds. Wembanyama’s ceiling is enormous, but he’s not a foolproof path in every format, especially if you’re not punting certain categories. The discussion then pivots to building around the big names with eye-catching durability, with attention paid to how health, games played, and category emphasis shape value for Edwards, Cunningham, Davis, Towns, and Sabonis. The host also dives into scoring profiles, field-goal efficiency, and the tricky balance between punting and balancing categories in both nine-cat and roto setups, offering practical draft-landing zones and pairing strategies for a season that demands both steady floor and ceiling bets.

NBA schedules drive late-season strategy, but overvaluing tiny playoff-week differentials is a trap. The focal point: finish playoffs around March 22 for best matchup density, with 11-12 game weeks across most rosters and key traps in two-game finals weeks. Best-practice rosters balance four-team clusters with 12-game weeks vs. injury-prone stars who might miss back-to-backs. The chatter also flags back-to-backs, quality-game days (10+ games = start-sit churn), and NBA Cup quirks that can force late-streaming moves as rosters adapt.

Planners must weigh 12-game ceilings against 9- or 10-game floors, and reframe drafts to avoid overpaying for outlier playoff weeks. Teams like the Clippers, Knicks, Suns, and Wizards show 11-to-12 game templates in the marquee window, while squads like Atlanta, Cleveland, and New Orleans may present two-game finals weeks. The takeaway: align picks with calendar realities, not vague “week numbers.”

In-season signals get amplified in playoffs: a 2-game finals week is a real drag for big-name anchors, so granularity matters for guards and wings with two-game weeks. The show also flags Embiid, Jokic, Booker, Doncic, and others as high-variance levers depending on which weeks they land in lineups. Balancing upside with reliability is the core craft here.

Promising targets emerge from the 12-game slate—Clippers, Knicks, Suns, Wizards—while avoiders include players who carry high risk of back-to-backs like Embiid or players with late-season rests. The episode leans into dates over generic “week 20” talk, and champions a date-driven framework to maximize weekly output without chasing phantom season-wide advantages.

For fantasy bettors, the tempo matters: the NBA Cup could tilt schedules, back-to-backs, and even quality-game days. The advice stays practical: don’t chase a single extra game at the expense of 2-3 more meaningful weeks. Instead, lock in a framework, test it against the Yahoo/ESPN playoff scaffolding, and let the data guide the final pick order and streaming moves.

Narratives shape this MVP season as much as numbers do. Jokic and SGA sit at the obvious-lock frontier, but Luka’s off-season preparation in LA has the blueprint of a narrative-driven breakout. LeBron is framed as a post-prime voice in the conversation, while Giannis is kept alive as an outlier if Milwaukee pushes to a top seed. The discussion also explores the historical standard that MVP winners typically come from 50-win teams, with a reminder of Russell Westbrook’s 2017 moment and the ever-present call to avoid overreliance on hype. The dialogue pivots between elite production and team success, hinting at a few surprise contenders who could force their way into the mix as the season unfolds.

As the clock ticks toward training camps, the panel weighs age curves, prime windows, and the evolving role of MVP voting. They emphasize that the MVP metric isn’t only scoring but impact—how a star's minutes, usage, and playmaking ripple through their group. The conversation signals Luka’s emerging narrative power, SGA’s sustained growth, Jokic’s steady dominance, and Giannis's potential comeback narrative if the Bucks defy expectations. The takeaway: a candid, data-informed debate with room for a late-season surge from a buzzy runner who proves capable of lifting a sub-50-win squad into MVP contention.

First mock draft of the season for a 12-team, nine-cat head-to-head league unfolds as Josh Lloyd tests a third-round reversal, builds a raw-but-ambitious roster, and weighs the constant tension between elite per-game upside and long-term risk. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lands early, becoming the anchor in a guard-forward build while Nikola Jokic and Luka Dončić hover in the top four—though the host signals flexibility depending on schedule and matchup dynamics.

Attention shifts to the playoff calendar: no two-game finals in most weeks, with some teams sporting heavy two-game weeks in round one and up to five in the finals. That prompts strategic chatter about balancing positions, streaming late-round centers, and punting certain stats to maximize value. The session doubles as a live exploration of board dynamics, expected ADP drift, and what a truly balanced, adaptable squad looks like across formats.

Throughout, the host stresses that projections meet variance in head-to-head formats, and that the mock is a learning tool rather than a real draft. Feedback from listeners and future schedule-breakdown shows are teased as essential pieces to refine builds for Yahoo, ESPN, and Fantrax alike. It’s a playful, analytical kickoff to a year of evolving fantasy basketball strategy.