How to Win at Fantasy Basketball

Every basketball fan dreams of being able to lace up their sneakers and take the game-winning shot, but alas, it will never happen. Fans can take part in their favorite sport by proxy in fantasy basketball. Fantasy basketball allows a fan to become an owner and assemble a team in hopes of taking the title in their league.

Instructions

    • 1

      Establish what scoring system is used in the league--is it head to head scoring or is it based on overall rankings? This will alter the overall strategies for a particular team owner. If the league is head to head then an owner needs to concentrate on the weekly matchups. If the league is based on overall rankings a more long range approach is needed.

    • 2

      Draft a few specialists--players that, while not all-stars, are very good at one or two things be it rebounding, assists, steals, or blocked shots. Every team needs role players and this true for fantasy basketball.

    • 3

      Be careful not to concentrate on only scoring. The players who score a lot get the accolades but fantasy basketball includes all the statistical categories.

    • 4

      Check the contractual status of a player. If a player is heading into the last year of his contract, he is playing for his next contract. This offers extra motivation for the player because they want to make the most money that they can in their next contract. Conversely, some players that have just signed a new contract have a tendency to ease up knowing that they have the security of new long-term contract and not play as well.

    • 5

      Beware of rookies. While some do take the league by storm, others take a few years to get the hang of the game at this level. These rookies receive a ton of publicity because their teams want everyone to think the teams management made the right decision in drafting them. Remember rookies are based on potential, and potential just means they have not done it yet.

    • 6

      Watch the free agent waiver wire intently. Every year in basketball some player comes out of nowhere to have a career year. Most times these players were not drafted and free to pickup whenever you want to. This is a risky move in that the player could be just having a great week or month, and after that falls back to their usual production.

    • 7

      Pay attention to the style of play a team uses. Drafting a good player who's team runs an up tempo style is often more valuable than drafting a better player that plays for a team that slows the pace of the game. If the game is faster and more shots are taken the player has more opportunities to tally more points, rebounds and steals.