while and he isnt expected to play in the second of back-

RIO DE JANEIRO -- There have been boos and scandals for Russia in Rio, but also medals -- a lot of them.A country which arrived under a cloud with a depleted team leaves with 19 gold medals and fourth place in the medal table, leaving fans at home wondering what Russia could have achieved at full strength.While it wouldnt have been easy to win the eight extra gold medals needed to overhaul China for third place, there are plenty of events where Russians could have made their mark if they hadnt been excluded over allegations of state-sponsored doping.Heres a look at how Russian stars could have done if the doping scandal had never happened:YELENA ISINBAYEVA -- Russias two-time Olympic champion in the pole vault was in no doubt that she could have won in Rio if the Russian track and field team had been allowed to compete, suggesting Greek winner Ekaterini Stefanidi would not have a real gold. Isinbayeva might have a point, since Stefanidis winning leap of 4.85 meters was 5 centimeters short of the Russians best result this year.SERGEI SHUBENKOV -- The 110-meter hurdles gold could have been Russias, with Jamaican winner Omar McLeods 13.05-second time well within the range of Shubenkov, who ran 12.98 to win the world title in Beijing last year.MARIA KUCHINA -- The womens high jump competition was mediocre, with top contenders on such poor form that better results were actually set by the non-specialists in the heptathlon. Spanish veteran Ruth Beitia was surprised to win gold with a jump of 1.97 meters, which would only have been good enough for fifth in 2012 or seventh at last years world championships. World champion Kuchina jumped 2 meters last month near Moscow.TATIANA KASHIRINA -- Weightlifting was the only sport to ban the entire Russian team, citing revelations from the World Anti-Doping Agency and a huge number of recent drug test failures. While Kashirina did once serve a ban, she was otherwise eligible for Rio and could have won gold without coming close to her world-record lifts from 2014, which total more than 40 kilograms more than Chinas Meng Suping managed for Olympic gold in Rio.ALEXANDER DYACHENKO -- The 2012 sprint kayak gold medalist was barred from Rio after being implicated in a WADA report into alleged drug test cover-ups. Its hard to compare times from different competitions due to varying water conditions, but recent performances indicate Dyachenko and partner Yuri Postrigay would have had a shot at defending their title.ELENA LASHMANOVA -- There have been so many drug test failures in Russias once dominant race walk team that Russia didnt even try to enter Lashmanova and other top walkers for Rio as a gesture of goodwill. Still, its unlikely that gesture would have been necessary if Russia wasnt already under considerable pressure over doping. Lashmanova, who once served a two-year drug ban, beat Rio gold medalist Liu Hong at the 2012 Olympics, though the Chinese walker has improved since and would have been a tough opponent this time round.Custom Atlanta Braves Nike Jerseys . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Custom Baltimore Orioles Nike Jerseys .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-oakland-athletics-nike-jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Nike Jerseys . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Custom Chicago Cubs Nike Jerseys . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach.Auction drafts can be a lot of fun, and the appeal at its simplest form is this: You can get any player you want if youre willing to pay the price.Its hard to argue with that.But as auctions become the way to go in many fantasy leagues in 2016, they also require much more time -- sometimes around 3.5 hours in baseball leagues with large rosters -- and over two hours in fantasy basketball and football leagues.Thats where the traditional snake-style draft has a big advantage.Not only is it faster, it also require less mental energy and isnt the exercise in patience that an auction league often is -- just ask the guy who left himself with $8 to spend on his final eight players.Can you say nap time?Last season, I was adamant that Stephen Curry deserved the top spot in fantasy drafts ahead of the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden, and that worked out as well as anyone could have imagined as Curry put up career-best numbers on his way to a second consecutive MVP award. Where I missed was the rookie class, which saw Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and Devin Booker put up incredible numbers for first-year NBA players. It was very difficult to see that coming.At the risk of irritating the guy on Twitter who claimed Dwyane Wade should be the top shooting guard on fantasy draft boards this season, heres a look at my ultimate draft board if everything goes exactly to plan in a 12-team, eight-category league.Use this as a guide to help you in your fantasy drafts, and adjust as necessary if you play in 10- or 14-person leagues.The coreRound 1 targets: Russell Westbrook, James Harden or Karl-Anthony TownsIf Im drafting first or second, its hard to go wrong with either Westbrook or Harden. Though Westbrook has the nod as the top player on our Top 200 rankings, Hardens move to point guard and eye-opening play this preseason certainly make him worthy of consideration ahead of Westbrook at pick No. 1. Both players are going to score close to 30 points a game while also providing an excellent source of rebounds, assists and steals. Both are also capable of carrying your free throw percentage, because they each shoot over 80 percent from the stripe and get there 7-10 times per game on average. Where Harden has a clear advantage over Westbrook -- aside from being eligible at both PG and SG -- is from beyond the arc, coming off a season where he made 2.9 threes per game compared to Westbrooks 1.3.The case for Towns is made if you draft fourth or fifth and he falls to you, which is happening in most drafts. Though the reigning Rookie of the Year is ranked No. 3 in our rankings, ahead of Curry (4) and Kevin Durant (5), Curry is a more popular pick at No. 3 and Durant is also going ahead of Towns in a good portion of ESPN drafts. Nabbing Towns this low is a steal, considering the numbers he put up as a rookie (54.2 FG%, 81.1 FT%, 18.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 0.7 SPG), as long as you keep in mind that most of the top point guards are off the board by the beginning of the third round this year so selecting Towns might lock you into taking a point guard in Round 2 and/or 3.Round 2 target: Paul MillsapAdmittedly, there are a few questions surrounding Millsap. Hes 31 and being brought along slowly in the preseason following a non-surgical procedure to reduce swelling in his right knee. On top of that, Dwight Howard replaces Al Horford at center, which could shake things up because Howard is a bigger, less versatile big man than Horford is. But Millsap has long been one of the games most underrated fantasy options, putting up Draymond Green-like numbers without the fanfare.If he falls to the end of Round 2 (he has an ADP of 21.8 in ESPN leagues as of Oct. 10), Im taking my chances that Millsap has at least one more big season left in him. Anything close to the 17.1 points, 9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.8 steals and 0.9 3-pointers he averaged last season and my team is completely stacked heading into Round 3.Round 3 target: Eric BledsoePhoenix coach Earl Watson already has announced that Brandon Knight will serve as the Suns sixth man this season, leaving the starting point-guard duties to Bledsoe. And if were being honest with ourselves, Bledsoe is the better option anyway -- an electric point guard who can push the pace and provide an excellent source of points and steals while getting a bump in assists thanks to the tremendous sharpshooting of backcourt mate Devin Booker.Bledsoe is coming off an injury-shortened season that ended in late December because of a torn meniscus in his left knee, but I like the chances of him returning to form on the young Suns roster. Its easy to forget that he averaged 20.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 4 RPG and 2 SPG in 31 games before the injury. If Bledsoe is my first point guard, Im going to have to look for a second one in the next couple of rounds, but in a perfect world Bledsoe can serve as a second point guard who contributes additional points, assists, steals and 3s to a roster that already includes either Westbrook or Harden.Round 4 targets: Nikola Jokic or Evan FournierThe secret is out in Denver -- this Jokic kid can play! You cant wait beyond pick 50 if you expect to grab him, so if I dont take Towns in Round 1 Im waiting until Round 4 and taking the Nuggets 21-year-old who averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1 steal in only 21.7 minutes per game as a rookie. With a year of experience under his belt and his minutes certain to rise in Year 2, few centers in the game have the fantasy upside of Jokic this season. Its worth noting that he shot 81.1 percent from the free throw line as a rookie as well, giving him a big advantage over 95 percent of the centers in the league in that department.If Im able to get Towns in the first round, I dont need a second center yet and am more likely to pass on Jokic for Fournier, who quietly put up big numbers last season and will see his usage rise this season following the trade of Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City. Fournier turns 24 the first week of thee season and enters his fifth year in the league after averaging 15.dddddddddddd4 points and 2 3-pointers per game last season while also contributing as a passer (2.7 APG), defender (1.2 SPG) and marksman from the free throw line (83.6 percent).The middle roundsRound 5 targets: Devin Booker or Trevor ArizaBooker qualifies as a shooting guard while Ariza is eligible only at small forward, and both offer strong upside at the thinnest positions in fantasy hoops this season. Bookers stock isnt as high as some might expect given his huge rookie season, and thats due to the return of Bledsoe and Knight, but he doesnt turn 20 until Oct. 30 and hes lighting up the scoreboard again this preseason. At this stage in Bookers career, hes mostly a points and 3s guy, limiting his fantasy upside, but many are calling him the next Klay Thompson and theres no denying how useful Booker can be to your fantasy team as a scorer and 3-point shooter.Meanwhile, Ariza is certainly the more versatile of the two in terms of filling the box score, and its exciting to think about the potential Ariza has while playing under Mike DAntoni in Houston. As a glue player who consistently contributes steals and 3s while serving as a secondary scorer, rebounder and distributor, Ariza is a solid get at this stage in the draft.Round 6 targets: Gorgui DiengDieng may be the most overlooked player in fantasy hoops this season, and there are plenty of reasons why thats the case. For one, hes not a big-time scorer, which immediately takes him down a notch and removes him from the fantasy radar of many. On top of that, hes overshadowed on the talented young Minnesota roster by the likes of Towns and Andrew Wiggins and incoming rookie Kris Dunn, just to name a few. Lets not forget Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine, either.But that shouldnt discount Diengs production on the floor, and as long as he continues to average right around 27 minutes this season theres no reason to think he cant continue to positively impact every statistical category like he did a season ago when he averaged 10.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.2 BPG while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 82.7 percent from the line. Hes a sneaky good second center on your roster, and hes coming off a season where he appeared in all 82 games.Rounds 7/8 targets: Ryan Anderson and Julius RandleAt this stage in the draft, were talking about picks 73-96 in 12-team drafts, I love the idea of adding a power forward with a perpetual green light from 3-point land like Anderson in Houston and I also love the versatility that Randle provides entering his second season as a rebounder, scorer and underrated passer. Both of these options can help a roster, and deciding on the one to draft comes down to what the team needs at this point in the draft.Anderson has a chance to flourish under DAntoni, and you can see the potential here based on the way hes being used in the preseason. The 28-year-old veteran combined for 20 3-point attempts in games against the Knicks and Pelicans, making 11 of them, and averaged 23.5 points and 6 rebounds in those games. While Randle is a non-factor in the always important blocks and steals categories, hurting his value, he is a double-double machine and I expect his assists to rise from the 1.8 he averaged as a rookie thanks to his rare ability to pass the ball well for someone his size.The late-round fliersRounds 9/10 targets: Jusuf Nurkic and Joel EmbiidNurkic and Embiid are both players youll have to get right around pick No. 100 if you want them on your roster, and for good reason -- both are lighting it up in the preseason and gaining attention by the day.Nurkic was regarded as the Nuggets center of the future as recently as 2014-15, but the emergence of Jokic last season shifted those plans a bit. Still, Nurkic is only 22 and a huge presence in the middle with an enormous upside if he can stay healthy. In his first three preseason games, he averaged 18 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in only 27 minutes per game. Injuries limited him to 62 games as a rookie and only 32 last season, but at this stage in the draft thats a risk Im willing to take.Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014, is finally ready to make his NBA debut after missing his first two seasons in the league because of foot injuries. His 7-foot, 250-pound frame dwarfs teammate Nerlens Noel, and his rare skill set for someone his size has been on display in the preseason despite a minutes restriction of only 12-13 minutes per game. Embiid is a player who will require patience, because he may not be cleared to play extended minutes for a while and he isnt expected to play in the second of back-to-backs, but theres so much upside here hes worth it -- especially in dynasty leagues where you can keep him in the fold for a number of years.After pick 120 targets: Shoot for the moonAt this stage in the draft, its time to go big regardless of the risk. After all, many players drafted in this range will be cut after a week or two and can be had on the waiver wire. Your job is to find one who wont, and to unearth a gem who has a chance to be big a major contributor in one way or another -- maybe its a raw rookie with big upside, or a reserve slated to play behind an injury-prone starter, or a specialist who can carry you in a specific category.Some of the ones I like this season include versatile rookie Dario Saric in Philadelphia, bouncy big man Clint Capela in Houston and underrated stretch-4 Mirza Teletovic in Milwaukee. I also have my eyes on Allen Crabbe and Seth Curry after pick 150.There it is -- the players I am targeting in fantasy basketball drafts this season while taking ADP into consideration. To those of you in my leagues, please forget everything you just read. To everyone else, feel free to use this information to dominate your league on your path to the championship this season. ' ' '