What’s your plan heading into the draft?
We are days away from the NBA tip-off and there are many of you who will be entering the realm of Fantasy Basketball for the first time. It can be daunting when you’re looking at the different setups including Head-to-Head versus Rotisserie or Categories versus Points. In either case, there are pros and cons to each.
Whether you’ve already joined a league with a specific scoring setup or are getting ready to join one and are not sure which to join, we have links to help with those decisions. For more on drafting strategies, have a look at the links below.
ESPN: Fantasy Hoops Blueprint
Whether you’re new to the game or not, each year can bring a different strategy based on the player pool. Some years, there just happens to be a greater depth of talent at the point guard position. Brian McKitish (ESPN) covers this very topic in relation to the 2014-15 season, as he talks about the need to load up on point guards and power forwards as a successful strategy. The concept isn’t so much to only draft players of those positions, but the thought behind the strategy is to load up on guys that contribute in multiple categories. Think LeBron James and James Harden. While neither play those positions mentioned above, they contribute heavily in categories besides points (e.g. assists). When you look at last season, only 26 eligible players averaged five-plus assists per game. If you drafted 3-4 of those players, you’d likely win the in the assist category. However, winning in one category doesn’t win you the league, which is why you want players to also contribute in other categories at a consistent rate. This is where the list of players begin to narrow. There are no hard fast rules with this strategy, but for more details on what to look for when drafting players, visit ESPN and have a look at the article.
Fake Teams: General Fantasy Basketball draft strategy
Drafting can be complex and strategy can be dictated by what other owners are doing. Bobby Del Rio (Fake Teams) recognizes this which is why he comes it to a “baseball batter’s box. The most important thing is to have a plan in the first place. You can always improvise if things aren’t going your way with 2 strikes, but randomly flailing away at pitches makes no sense…” If you play in a competitive league, a plan is almost always a must. Whether you decide to punt categories or try to be well rounded, here is a general strategy broken down by round to give yourself a shot at a quality team.
Roto Professor: Strategy Talk: Tips To Help You Dominate Your Auction Draft
Auction drafts can seem pointless to plan for as players are inevitably going to be purchased for too high or too low of a price. As this happens, values need to be adjusted on the fly which is likely not happening. The no plan method is still a poor decision as Ray Kuhn (Roto Professor) points out. In his mind, identifying groups of players your want within each position and statistical category is a very good way to construct a well rounded team. Planning this way can also help prevent crippling yourself from overpaying for players or specific categories. The important thing to remember is that for all the overpriced players, there will be under-priced bargains. You must also not forget to give yourself some wiggle room though, and be willing to pay $1 over your budgeted amount. For more auction advice, check out Kuhn’s piece on auction draft strategy.
RotoBaller: Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy: Head-to-Head (H2H) vs. Roto
When planning a strategy, the league configuration will dictate some of how you approach your draft. Yes, that may seem obvious, but there are certain aspects of drafting where, regardless of H2H or Roto, value is the key to your draft. Trevor Crippen (RotoBaller) put it simply, “In roto, you want to be thinking about value, balance and avoiding weaknesses. In head-to-head, you want to be thinking about value and building a core of strong categories”. Without giving up too much of the article, Crippen highlights topics such as Protect the Percentages, Manage Up the Other Stats when discussing roto and Punting, Going Big and Small Ball for H2H leagues.
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Not sure who to draft? Check out our Who Should I Draft? page for all the player comparisons you’d like to make.
