Fallers dominate the Yahoo board: Isaiah Jackson drops 219 spots to 419, turning a late-round flyer into a scavenger hunt. Fred VanVleet falls 108 spots to 203 and is out for the year, a tough blow for Raptors backcourt plans. Al Horford dives to 211 after signing, making him a punt-points center option rather than a stable value. MPJ, Cam Johnson, Jaylen Green, and De’Aaron Fox slide as teams recalibrate roles and minutes. LeBron, Zion, and Lowry Markkanen drift into safer, lower-end spots while new team dynamics create fresh bargains. The board is volatile, but savvy managers can still mine value from these fallers with careful roster-building and targeted late-round bets.

Two themes emerge: role uncertainty and punt-leaning strategies. Players who can secure meaningful minutes or a clear path to increased usage, even in a crowded roster, can rebound into top-60 value. For nine-cat leagues, the emphasis shifts toward players with steady peripherals (rebounds, assists, defensive stats) and acceptable shooting. The shifts also increase the importance of late-round targets who fit specific roster builds—punt FG, punt FT, or punt turnovers—without chasing risk beyond reason.

Old Man Squad’s preseason session leans into an efficiency-first fantasy blueprint, weighing Anthony Davis as a high-upside first-round bet despite injury risk and pairing him with Evan Mobley for a dominant, efficient backbone. Desmond Bane emerges as a safe third-round floor, while OG Anunoby and Deni Avdija offer upside at reasonable costs. The duo also roams through Thompson twins Amen and Ausar, plus promising late-round flyers such as Jalen Suggs, Shane Sharp, Scoot Henderson, D’Angelo Russell, Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Donovan Clingan to craft versatile rosters.

The conversation centers on punting a few categories strategically, optimizing field-goal and free-throw efficiency, and leveraging defense-heavy tracks to win turnovers and blocks. Mock drafts fuel their planning, but the core takeaway is to build around efficient contributors who can shoulder multi-category loads, while keeping explosive upside in reserve for late-round swing bets.