If you’re an NBA fan, you can now participate in several ways in every season besides just watching. One is fantasy basketball, which allows you to facilitate your own NBA group by drafting and trading your players. You’ll also play with other team managers with your present roster to fully experience the NBA league.
As exciting as it sounds, it can also be very complicated for first-time users. If you wonder how to get started, here’s everything you should know.
How Does Fantasy Basketball Work?
The primary essence of fantasy basketball is to construct teams of players from respective leagues. Then, you can earn points based on their real-life performances, determining the winners and losers on that day, week, or season.
In other words, you can run your professional basketball players in the NBA league. You’re responsible for setting up lineups, offering, accepting, and rejecting trades, signing in free agents, and competing against other teams in your league like how a regular season of the NBA works. You can join other people’s leagues or set up your own with your friends.
Draft Tips and Strategies
To make your experience more fun, ensure you thoroughly know your way around the game. Whether you’re a complete beginner or are currently looking for new information and strategies, finding new ways to learn will help you as you draft your players. So, to get started in your learning more, here are a few drafting tips and strategies you can look into.
Know Your Rules
One of the primary things you must remember is that every league is different. As such, you should expect that each one has its own rules you must follow. Despite sounding like a simple tip, this one is usually overlooked, especially by veteran players. It might be lengthy.
Each rule mentions how you should play your game and usually tackles the primary settings, like scoring, construction, schedule, playoff structure, etc. So, don’t just rush in mindlessly; take your time reading your league’s rules.
Understand Your Format
Sportsbooks like FanDuel fantasy basketball allow their players to create their own DFS NBA league. So, understanding the different available formats will allow you to present enjoyable games to the members. Depending on your league format, the value of players can drastically change. So, if you’re starting your league or joining the existing ones, understanding the format allows you to strategize your draft further.
● Roto. Also known as rotisserie, teams are ranked from first to last in each category in this scoring format. The points will then be awarded according to the order in every category, which will then be totaled to determine the overall score and league rank.
● Points. Unlike roto, the points format is just a straightforward calculation of which teams have accumulated the most points according to the NBA’s standard fantasy points:Points: +1.0, assists: +1.5, rebounds:1.2, turnovers: -1, and steals/blocks: +3 fantasy points.
● Head-To-Head Roto. In this format, you will face off against another team in your league per week. Your amassed wins and losses will determine whether you can make the playoffs, like the actual NBA format.
● Head-To-Head Points. H2H Points is similar to H2H Roto, except you can only win by totaling your fantasy points, following the above-mentioned values. It’s best to understand how your commissioner assigns their values.
Try to See More Than the Name Value
If you’re a fan of the NBA, you’re more likely familiar with the star players. However, once you start playing fantasy basketball, you should take all your chances and try to see beyond the name value. Remember that popularity isn’t correlated to their skills, and they might not be the right fantasy pick for you.
To improve your draft, you should do your research and look into their recent performances. If you think they will fit your strategy, you should list them first as you try to finalize your draft later.
Clear Away From Injury-Prone Players
Aside from the name value, it would help if you also study the player’s health and recent injury reports. Remember that you need active players who can help reel points so that you can improve your chances of winning.
One way to do so is to draft players who will continue to play for the rest of the season as much as possible, not just for a few weeks.
However, it would also help to consider that just because they were projected to be bad for the season doesn’t mean they’re unsuitable for fantasy basketball. There were instances where these teams could finish in the top 10.
Avoid Over-Drafting Rookies
While it’s exciting to discover new talents, over-drafting rookies might be your most significant mistake in the season. Over the past six seasons of the NBA league, only an average of three rookies have made it to the top 100 each campaign.
While some stood out, like Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, and Scoot Henderson, it’s important to note that they’ve already established their roles in their offense. However, it’s unlikely for most rookies. Instead, you can consider sticking to the more established old-time players just to be safer.
Final Thoughts
Fantasy basketball is a unique way to enjoy the new season of the NBA games. Trying to know your way around might be confusing, but experience will help you learn everything firsthand. If you’re not ready to start wagering with money, there are available free options you can find online. So, if you can, you should sign up with a fantasy game provider like FanDuel and start drafting your team.