About JJ's Cheatsheet
A free fantasy basketball desk, built for ESPN 9-category leagues
JJ's Cheatsheet puts what you check before setting a lineup or making a move on one page: injuries, news, the week's schedule, category leaders and a trade checker. It's free, there's no sign-up, and it works on your phone.
I'm JJ, and I play in ESPN 9-cat leagues. Most fantasy tools are built for points leagues, or put the useful parts behind a paywall. I wanted something quick that answers the questions that come up every week: who's hurt, who plays the most games, who's a good pickup and whether a trade offer is any good. So I built it.
What's on the site
My team
Star any player anywhere on the site and they show up here, with their injury status and value. Below that, the week projection multiplies each player's averages by the number of games their team plays this week or next. You can use season averages or the last 5 games.
Injuries
Every listed NBA injury, with filters for status, team and position. A New tag marks anything updated in the last 24 hours, so you can catch changes before your leaguemates do.
News
Latest NBA news, which you can filter to injuries or just your players. There are also fantasy notes on everyone you follow.
Schedule
Games per team this week and next. Days with 7 or fewer games are marked as light days. Fewer teams play then, so it's easier to fit a streamer into your lineup. Today's games show the betting spread and total. A spread of 10 or more can mean a blowout, where starters sit the fourth quarter.
Leaders
The top 30 per game in each of ESPN's nine categories (FG%, FT%, 3PM, REB, AST, STL, BLK, TO and PTS), plus an overall value board. FG% and FT% use the NBA's minimums, so a player who's 3-for-3 on the season doesn't top the list. Turnovers rank the fewest among players averaging 25 or more minutes.
Trade checker
Add the players on each side and get a verdict, from "Great trade for you" to "Lopsided against you", with a category-by-category breakdown. You can share the trade as a link, or swap sides to see it from the other manager's point of view.
How the 9-cat values work
Value in a category league is about being better than the players other managers roster, not raw totals. For each of the nine categories, the site measures how far above or below a typical rostered player someone is, then adds those up. This is called a z-score. 0 is average. Higher is better.
- FG% and FT% are weighted by attempts. A player shooting 60% on 15 shots a game helps you far more than one shooting 60% on 3 shots.
- Turnovers count against you. Fewer is better.
- League size matters. In a 14-team league, more of the player pool is rostered, so the comparison point is lower than in an 8-team league. Set your league size under League at the top of the site.
Points leagues are supported too. Switch under League and enter your scoring, and values become fantasy points per game.
How to judge a trade in 9-cat
- Look at the overall verdict first. It compares total value on each side.
- Count roster spots. In a 2-for-1, the side getting one player gets an open spot they can fill from waivers. The checker adds a waiver-level player for that spot automatically, so a 2-for-1 isn't overrated just because it has more names in it.
- Check the categories, not just the total. A trade that's "fair" overall can still be great if it helps categories you're close in and only costs you ones you already win or have given up on (often FT% or turnovers).
- Read the notes. The checker flags injured players and tiny sample sizes. The verdict assumes healthy production, so an injured star is worth less to you right now than the number says.
- Swap sides before you send an offer. If it's lopsided the other way, it probably won't get accepted, so adjust before you send it.
Where the data comes from
Stats, schedules, injuries and news come from ESPN's public data feeds and refresh every few minutes while the site is open. JJ's Cheatsheet isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to ESPN or the NBA. The values are estimates to help you decide, not guarantees. Always check the latest news before you lock a lineup.
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