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The first few rounds of any fantasy basketball draft are no-brainers: You can't go wrong in selecting superstars like LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade, CP3, Melo, Dirk, D-Will, KG and Superman (sorry, Shaq -- Dwight Howard's steel biceps have wrested this moniker away from you, but you can keep the tattoo). But after the top 20 or 30 studs are gone, filling out your roster gets a lot trickier.

It's not as simple as just drafting the highest-ranked available player. You've got to a craft a winning strategy based on your league's rules. Are you aiming for aggregate dominance in a roto format, or week-to-week flexibility to grind out wins in a head-to-head league? Either way, you've got to balance the statistical strengths of your marquee names by taking role players who shore up soft spots like Howard's free throw percentage or Kevin Durant's atrocious assists per turnover ratio. You've got to pay close attention to positional breakdowns to ensure that you don't end up with 10 point guards and no power forwards or centers. Even though the players who are available in the later rounds generally aren't all-around, do-everything types, you can't afford to make a major mistake and end up with do-nothings.

In short, assembling a killer fantasy basketball team is all about maximizing efficiency. With that mantra in mind, take a look at ESPN Insider John Hollinger's projected Player Efficiency Ratings. Even though PERs actually measure real (rather than fantasy) impact, they are very helpful in identifying diamonds in the rough who can boost your fantasy production at a relatively low draft position. In comparing the fantasy rankings to Hollinger's projected PERs, you can unearth a few bargains among big men: Andrew Bynum is No. 74 in fantasy rankings, but No. 8 in PER projection; Kevin Love, No. 84 fantasy, No. 20 PER; Greg Oden, No. 116 fantasy, No. 25 PER; Shaq, No. 127 fantasy, No. 27 PER. These guys offer powerful production for a modest price.

Then again, ESPN SportsTravel doesn't want to set off a firestorm between basketball purists and fantasy fanatics, so we should stick to our area of expertise. Before you hop your flight to Las Vegas for the ultimate fall sports weekend (does it get any better than Sin City as the setting for such an important event as a fantasy draft?), be sure to bone up on the ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball 2009-2010 Draft Kit so you come to the draft party prepared to assemble a winner.

Fantasy sports are supposed to be competitive, but they're also supposed to be fun. If you want to be a high-efficiency playa in the playground of Las Vegas, you'd best follow SportsTravel's tips for a fantasy-tastic action-packed weekend. Take it from the Sports Guy himself: Bill Simmons says there's no greater month on the sports calendar than October. In addition to the start of the NBA and the NHL seasons, October features Major League Baseball's playoffs culminating in the World Series, plus great NFL and college football action. It's the only time of the year when all four major pro sports leagues are in session.

And there are few better places to take in all the action than front and center in "Lost Wages."

The first order of business, of course, is conducting your fantasy league draft, but that's the easy part. Bring your laptops along, and you can get down to drafting anywhere there's a wireless connection. If you're lucky enough to have a whale in your group, have him foot the bill for The Palms' Hardwood Suite, which comes complete with a basketball court and cheerleaders -- the perfect atmosphere for a hoops dream/fantasy draft headquarters.

But if you already wore out the Hardwood for your fantasy baseball draft in April -- the second-best sports month of the year -- pick another option. Perhaps a poolside cabana, a private room at a restaurant, a convention suite ... or just cram into a hotel room, order pizza and draft online at ESPN.com. (For an extended look at various draft locales, click here.) No matter how you do it, we suggest you get it done in the early going of your trip, while your mind is still relatively sharp. The draft is a great way to kick off the weekend because it brings everyone together and provides the fodder for a trash-talking, rabble-rousing weekend bender on and off the Strip.

But you can't afford a post-draft letdown, because there's plenty of fun and games on tap. Rest if you must, but remember that sleeping is for the redeye home. ESPN The Magazine's Chad Millman has a much better plan.

"At 4 in the morning you're gonna want to go to the Peppermill," Millman says. "After you've gone to all the clubs, that's a great way to end-slash-start the day. You can just sit there and feel Sinatra hatching some kind of plan."

Indeed, the Peppermill is a 24-7 Vegas classic, perennial winner of various "Best of Las Vegas" awards. The Peppermill's Fireside Lounge -- "best exotic drinks" and "most romantic bar" -- has been featured in "Casino" and "CSI: Las Vegas," while the Peppermill Coffee Shop has great diner food all day and all night. The party is just beginning. From there, it's time to keep rolling through Rocktoberfest ...

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