Free Draft Guide Preview:
Cornerstone Combos

Which players should you consider teaming up with Dirk Nowitzki to give you the best fantasy foundation for Roto and Head-to-Head leagues?

The first few players that you select on draft day are extremely important, because they are going to be the cornerstones of your fantasy team. You want your top players to not only put up excellent stats, but to be very reliable and COMPLEMENTARY as well. Of course, this means different things for Head-to-Head and Roto leagues. In H2H leagues, you want to focus on building up your strengths first, and then improving your weaknesses second. In Roto leagues, you usually want to focus on improving your weaknesses first.

To build a winning foundation for your fantasy squad, you must first figure out who your 1st round targets are. This is why determining the draft order ahead of time can be very useful. If you know what pick you have in advance, then you figure out which top guys may be available to you, and thus, you can narrow down your choices not only for round 1, but for rounds 2 thru 4 as well.

So in this exclusive article, Tom Lorenzo and I examine every potential 1st round candidate (i.e. the Top 15 guys), breaking down his statistical strengths and weaknesses. For BOTH Head-to-Head and Roto leagues, we have recommended 4 or 5 players to consider drafting in rounds 2-4 to team up with each top pick. By suggesting the best possible Cornerstone Combos for each top draft pick, you can fine-tune your early round strategy and build a rock solid foundation for your fantasy team.

In this FREE preview, we take a look at a guy who has been a Top 10 fantasy player for 9 years running…

Dirk Nowitzki

For the past decade, Dirk has been one of the most reliable fantasy players around. He consistently shoots around 48% FG and 88% FT, and he’ll go down in history as one of the greatest shooting big men ever. He’ll likely get fewer shots this season, but he’s still an elite scorer who turns the ball over much less others. He’s also a solid source of boards & blocks, and an above average source of assists and threes for his position. -EW

For H2H leagues:

You’ve really gotta maximize the percentages with Dirk, and I suggest going for a “finesse big man” team, just like the man himself. So draft a couple of quality bigs to strengthen your boards, blocks, and FG% (to beat up on the small ball teams), but also load up on point guards for assists, treys, and FT% (to beat the power big ball teams). In 9-cat leagues, try to preserve Dirk’s low-turnover strength as well. -EW

Mid 2nd / Mid 3rd round -
If Jose Calderon falls to you in the 2nd round, don’t hesitate to take the efficient stud point guard. He doesn’t get to the free throw line often, but he hardly misses when he does. The Spaniard is a career 49.9% shooter from the floor as well and a HUGE boost in assists. You also have to like the solid treys, decent steals, and low turnovers that he adds to Dirk. -TL

Consider adding David West in round 3. He’s a solid shooter from the floor, but his strength is in his superb touch from the line. Rebounds, FG%, FT%, points, and low turnovers is what you’ll get from West, making him a fine addition to Dirk. You’d like to see him more active on the defensive side of the ball, but he’s a great addition elsewhere. -TL

Mid 4th / Mid 5th round -
If you miss out on West, then target LaMarcus Aldridge in round 4. The talented young Blazer averaged 19.1 points and 8.6 boards after the All-Star break, and just like Dirk, he has the potential to shoot over 50% FG and 80% FT. While Dirk’s stats may be starting to decline, LaMarcus is on the way up. -EW

Ray Allen has long been known as the guard version of Dirk Nowitzki. He’s a stellar three-point shooter and is tremendous from the free throw line. Plus, since joining the Celtics, Allen’s turnovers have dropped significantly. Running Allen out with Dirk eases the drop-off that Dirk has seen in his three-point shooting over the past three seasons. -TL

If you missed out on Calderon and still need a PG, then consider Mo Williams in round 5. The man known as “Fog Raw” will further strengthen your points, 3’s, and FT%, and his assists should go up now that Shaq is in town. He also shot 46.7% from the field last season, so he won’t hurt your FG% as much as other point guards. -EW

For Roto leagues:

Dirk immediately gives you a sound foundation in FG% and FT%, but he’s pretty weak in steals and blocks. So look for an elite point guard (to improve your assists, steals, and threes) and a big-time shot-blocker early. If you team him up with a center who is also a great (or at least solid) free throw shooter, then you should be able to put yourself head and shoulders above the competition in that category. -EW

Mid 2nd / Mid 3rd round -
Both Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups provide the steals, assists, and threes that team up nicely with Dirk. The downside is that neither shoots the ball well from the floor. The other guy to look at, then, is his old buddy Steve Nash. He’ll shoot threes, provide a ton of assists, add modestly to Dirk’s FT%, and shoot at a high-rate from the floor. His defensive numbers aren’t nearly as good as Kidd and Billups tend to post, but you can find those steals elsewhere without killing Dirk’s FG%. -TL

There was a time when adding an efficient and intense big like Kevin Garnett to a finesse 7-footer like dirk Nowitzki was a huge coup. This season, KG will have to shake the rust off after missing the final two months of ‘08-09, but when healthy, he’s a big man that has shot over 50% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line in four of the last five seasons. He’s also a plus-rebounder, a very solid shot blocker, and a big help in turnover leagues. He could fall to you in round 3 due to last season’s injury woes, in which case he’d be a nice value pick. -TL

Josh Smith is a top-tier shot blocker to look at in the 3rd round. He can block a ton of shots while at the same time grabbing more than a steal per game and putting up a very solid showing in FG%. He shot poorly from the free throw line in ‘08-09, but keep in mind that it was a career-low for J-Smoov. Either way, if you draft Smith here, you’ll need to compensate for his free throws later on. -TL

Mid 4th / Mid 5th round -
Rajon Rondo helps make up for the steals and assists that Dirk lacks. He’s the perfect guy here in the 4th round if you opted to go big in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. Rondo is an efficient shooter from the floor, but hurts the FT% numbers that Dirk gives you and is not helpful in threes. Still, he’s an excellent Roto complement to the sweet-shooting 7-footer. -EW

In round 5, look at a guy like Andrea Bargnani to help out with his threes, blocks, and solid shooting percentages. His post-All-Star break numbers were spectacular, and since he doesn’t turn 24 until the day before the season starts, he’ll continue to get better. -TL

I hope you enjoyed this free Draft Guide preview. RotoEvil Silver and Gold subscribers receive “Cornerstone Combo” suggestions for EVERY 1st round candidate.

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