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How to start a fantasy basketball team


ESPN Fantasy Basketball 101 - How to play

Sep 26, 2022

  • ESPN Fantasy

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You love basketball. You follow the NBA, root for your favorite team and watched in amazement as Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to another championship.

And you still haven't played fantasy basketball?!

If that sounds a lot like you, this is the perfect season to give it a try -- there is just so much exciting stuff happening around the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic can do everything on the court. Luka Doncic and Trae Young have moved into the MVP discussion. Zion Williamson is coming back from a missed season. And superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant continue to put their teams on their backs like they did 10 years ago.

There has never been a better time to jump right into the fantasy game.

Create or join an ESPN Fantasy Basketball league today and draft your league any time before the first game tips off every Monday. Your league starts fresh with 0-0 records for the new matchup period.

Sign up for free!

Imagine having Curry on your team when he gets on a roll from 3-point land and carries you to victory. Or what it feels like to have LaMelo Ball on your squad when he stuffs the stat sheet in his third NBA season.

These are the moments you remember as a fantasy manager!

In fact, many of those who've played fantasy basketball over the years can recall specific games that certain players had for them. An epic scoring night by James Harden or Damian Lillard, or maybe a timely triple-double by Russell Westbrook.

So fun. So, so fun!

If you're not an expert, don't worry -- we have everything you need to know about how to enter a league and draft a winning team. Even if you're a total beginner, you will still have the tools to experience the joy of fantasy basketball like millions do every year.

Make the league your own

Every fantasy basketball league is different. While there are basic rules and settings that apply across the board (you will learn about those below), each league takes on its own identity based on settings like roster size, injury spots, stat categories and other specifics.

We encourage you to join or start a league that fits what you're looking for. If you want to be more casual and set your lineups once a week, find a league that uses weekly lineup changes. If you're a little bit more diehard with all this and want to be able to add and drop players and craft new lineups on a daily basis, that's the type of league you should enter.

The bottom line is to do what's fun for you. Find a league that keeps you tuning in to watch your players every night.

With that in mind, we've put together ESPN Fantasy Basketball 101 to give you an overview of how to get started, how to prepare for your draft and how to play during the season.

Now it's time for you to sign up and join the fun!

Getting started

ESPN Fantasy Basketball FAQ

Click here for a quick reference for basic game-related questions.

How to sign up on the ESPN Fantasy app

Were you invited to an ESPN Fantasy Basketball league? Do you want to create your own as a League Manager? We have complete instructions for you right here.

How to sign up online

Whether you were invited to join an already-existing league or want to create your own as a League Manager, you'll find everything you need to do so right here.

League settings

If you created your own league, you'll need to make sure all of your league's rules and settings -- including roster size, scoring, regular-season schedules and playoff schedules -- are to your liking. We have all of the details of how to do that right here. Note: This season

You've signed up, now what?

Check out your league and team pages

It's time to learn more about your league and team pages, so you know where everything is. We've got you covered with a detailed tour right here.

Know your rules

This might seem incredibly basic, but even veteran fantasy basketball players often assume they know their league rules even when they don't. The result of overlooking a rule can be costly, so be sure you know the rules before your draft.

Go to your fantasy basketball league page, click on League, then Settings. Here, you'll be able to find all the rules that are in place for your league this season. This includes roster construction, scoring, schedule, playoff structure and more.

Take the time to carefully go over every section. To make sure you understand the thinking behind each rule, check out our League Settings overview.

Draft prep

A good draft will put you in position to have a successful season, and taking time to prepare beforehand is key. That includes formulating strategies and printing out rankings that reflect your league's scoring format.

Don't worry, we have you covered with customized expert rankings and draft strategies in the ESPN Fantasy Basketball draft kit.

Autodraft prep

If you don't plan to take part in a live draft, that's OK. Our system will automatically draft for you.

Still, you have the option of guiding how our system will draft your team. Go to your Team page and click "Edit Autopick Strategy." Here, you can decide which player positions you'd like to pick in which parts of the draft and how many players at each position you want to select overall.

Mock drafts

Mock drafts are simply practice drafts that don't count for anything. It's a terrific way to get used to the ESPN draft software, make sure you know how everything works and test out different strategies. For example, that might mean drafting a point guard in the first round versus drafting a small forward in Round 1 and waiting on a point guard until the fourth round.

These practice drafts also let you see which players are going higher than expected and which are routinely slipping down a round or two (or more). This is extremely useful knowledge that you can take with you in your real draft and use to your advantage, avoiding those "sliding" players until later rounds when you have a good idea that they will still be available.

For an overview of how everything in the ESPN draft room works, click on this link.

The draft

Draft day is the most exciting day of the season, because it's when your team goes from a plan to a reality. It's when you finally get the chance to assemble the group of players you get to root for all season. Of course, you can always add and drop players throughout the year, but the draft is still the most fundamental part of your roster and you want to make sure you don't miss on your top players.

If you have prepared for your draft by reading up on players and strategies, and by participating in several mock drafts, you're on the path to success. Believe in your hunches and don't look back.

To make everything go as smoothly as possible, be sure to follow these handy rules.

The season is starting, let the fun begin!

Trading

In most leagues, there are at least a few managers who enjoy the art of the deal. If you're one of those people, trading is going to be one of the most fun aspects of fantasy basketball. When done well, it's a great opportunity to improve your roster while unloading someone you perhaps no longer want or need.

There are several important factors to keep in mind. You must look at the roster of the team you're trading with and understand which, if any players, that manager might be willing to part with. For example, it'd be unwise to make a trade offer for a point guard on a team that is battling injuries and down to one healthy point guard. Also, while you may never want to send your best trade offer with your first proposal, be careful not to offer up too little. That can be offensive to the other manager and can lead to that person not only declining your offer but ending all future trade talks with you.

In-season strategies

Beyond trading, there are other factors to consider during the season like how to manage your games played in roto leagues, how to approach head-to-head playoffs, and how best to work the waiver wire. Check out the in-season strategies section of our draft kit.

Fantasy basketball etiquette

Every few years, no matter what type of league you're in, you'll run into someone who causes problems. Sometimes it name-calling on the message board and being a bully. Other times it is a constant stream of wild trade offers and questionable transactions. Whether you are in a hyper-competitive league or just trying to have some casual fun, you want to avoid being this way or having others in your league who conduct themselves like this.

Generally speaking, that just means following the golden rule: Treat others the way you'd want to be treated in your league.

How to sign up on ESPN Fantasy app

Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images
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Sep 26, 2022

  • ESPN Fantasy

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Get the ESPN Fantasy Sports app

Go to the Google Play Store or the App Store, search for ESPN Fantasy Sports, and install the ESPN Fantasy Sports app. Then sign in or create an ESPN account, if you are a first-time user.

Click on the basketball icon in the top row to access ESPN Fantasy Basketball via the app.

How to join a public league

If you don't have enough people to create your own league, or if you just want to join a random league, click the orange "GET A TEAM" button to find a public league that fits your desires.

For detailed explanations of each setting (number of teams, scoring, draft, etc.), click here.

How to start your own league as a commissioner/league manager

Click the orange "CREATE LEAGUE" button, then choose the settings you want to use in your league. In order to create your league, you'll need to choose your basic settings, including League Name, Number of Teams, Scoring Type and Draft Type. Don't worry about being perfect with these settings -- you can change any and all of them all the way up until the league draft.

For a detailed look at all of the basic and advanced settings, click here.

Invite friends

Once you've created a league, you can invite your friends via Twitter, Facebook messenger, email or text message. You can also copy the invitation link to send it to them in any other manner you choose.

While it's best to invite the other owners as soon as possible, you can always create your league now and invite participants at a later date. Or, you can provide the invitation link to active members of your league and encourage them to invite friends or family members who might be interested in playing.

League manager tools

As commissioner/league manager, it's your responsibility to make sure all of your basic and advanced settings are done correctly. That can be done by tapping the three-bar menu button on the top left, then selecting "League Manager Tools."

Once there, you can edit the basic draft settings and add/remove owners as needed.

In order to edit advanced settings for your league (including scoring and rosters), you'll need to visit your league web page on ESPN Fantasy Basketball.

For a detailed look at all of the basic and advanced settings, click here.

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what is the essence of fantasy, how to assemble a team, when and how to make substitutions

There is very little time before the start of the World Cup - now is the best time to assemble a team in fantasy.

This post is for those who have heard something about such entertainment, but have not yet figured out the details, and for those who have not even heard, but want to make the 2022 World Cup even more interesting for themselves.

Believe me: thanks to fantasy, even the most boring and meaningless tournament match (suddenly there will be such) turns into an exciting one if someone from your squad is on the field.

Very briefly - what is the essence of fantasy?

You assemble a squad of real World Cup participants, they perform real actions on the field - and you get points for every score.

Points are conveniently divided into basic (for an exit and a full match) and bonus points. Bonuses for each position are different: goalkeepers and defenders receive for dry matches, keepers also for repulsed penalties; for goals and assists they add to everyone, but the goals scored by midfielders and forwards bring a little less.

You make a team by the beginning of the tournament, then before each round you can change several players, and before the playoffs and the final at the World Cup - in general, all of them.

Important! If you are reading this post from the Sports.ru application, read the instructions on how to find the World Cup fantasy inside the application at the end of the material.

Composition - how to assemble it? Buy only stars? And who exactly to ignore?

You have 100 virtual millions for 15 players - an average of 6.5 for one, but if you take everyone at that price, you will have a strong defense with a dubious attacking midfield.

Let's go through the key principles when putting together a composition. Of course, everyone can have their own tactics, but these are general recommendations to start not from scratch.

• Start by picking two or three superstars, the players you have the most confidence in. Most likely, they will be among the most expensive: for example, Benzema, Mbappe, Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Kane are forwards who cost 9. Then it will be possible to transfer captaincy (doubling points) between them. But do not get carried away: the more you spend on tops, the more difficult it will be to get the rest and the greater the imbalance when no one brings more points.

• Appreciate the penalty takers, especially if they are a midfielder and even more so a defender. Because for fantasy points there is no difference whether they scored from the field or from the penalty spot.

• Don't take defensive players - this is probably the most disadvantageous position for fantasy. They rarely participate in attacks, they get only +1 for a dry match, there is always a big risk of nullifying this bonus with a yellow card.

• Look for adjacent positions with an emphasis on attack - defenders who often connect and midfielders who play directly in front. There are always those. Often in successful lineups there are only full-backs constantly running forward along the touchline - it doesn’t matter to you how the players combine with each other, only personal achievements matter.

• Carefully take risks with a weak margin - three fielders and the goalkeeper always remain on the bench (their points are counted if someone from the base did not come out), you can take the cheapest ones there, but even so look which of the defenders for 4 ,5/5 plays, usually these are people from weak teams. Especially before the first round, when lineups are not completely predictable and your main players in life may suddenly be in reserve - it is more reliable to keep those who bring safety 2-3 points for a full match in the fantasy lineup.

• Captain an attacking player against a weak team - who you think has the best chance of making multiple hits. Defensive captain is a more cautious tactic if you are sure of a clean sheet. The goalkeeper's armband is not very logical, because the risk of conceding is high, and it is strange to count on a saved penalty, and even more so a goal / assist from the keeper. The selection of the vice-captain is insurance in case the captain does not play at all. If he played even a minute, his points will double, and the status of "vice" will not matter.

• Remember the rule of three defenders - if three of the main players did not play, the first defender will be considered from the reserve first, and not the midfielder/forward. This is a measure against imbalance and the recruitment of only expensive attacking players at the expense of defense.

• Avoid matches between your own players - if your forward captain plays against your own goalkeeper (or defender), you will definitely not get the maximum from two: either the attacker will leave without a goal, or the defense without bonuses for a dry match.

• See who's playing without substitutions - for a full 90 minutes, even without useful action, the midfielder and forward will have +1, so you need a little less players who are constantly changed in the middle of the second half. And also, after all, there is a risk of substitution before the 60th minute, then the exit will be +1, not +2 (“the coach hates fantasy” is a favorite thing about those who make substitutions at the 59th minute).

When - and most importantly - how to make replacements?

The key is to meet the deadline, it comes an hour before the first match in the new round. In the case of the World Cup, everything is already scheduled: the teams gather until 18:00 Moscow time on Sunday, the first substitutions - until noon on November 25.

• Substitutions for the second round can be made right during the first (there are only 12 hours between them at night and in the morning), especially if someone is injured and definitely will not return for the next match. It is not necessary to use all three at once, and you can also cancel the ones already saved if you come up with better moves.

• To change the formation, it is enough to pick up a player of another position from the reserve - the scheme adapts automatically. But less than three defenders at the start will not allow, this is again about balance and rapprochement with reality.

• The further in the tournament, the more players from one team you can take : two in the group, three in the 1/8 finals and so on until the unlimited for the final and the match for third place. Before the playoffs and before the final, you can completely update the line-up, five replacements will be available for the quarter-finals, and six for the semi-finals. You can bet on one or two teams, but with the risk that after 1/4 it may be necessary to replace many at once (and there may not be enough replacements).

• Substitutions before the deadline are not only dangerous because of the rush : If you save changes at 12:01 with a deadline of noon, they will only be taken into account in the next round. And if this suddenly happened, it is important to discard these substitutions, because there are other matches in the new round, and the choice may also be completely different.

• If it's hard to trade one player for another at once for the price, you might consider double : dumping someone else, taking the player you want, and getting a second one with the right money (similar to real NBA trades). True, two substitutions out of three in the group stage will be spent this way.

We have shared with you what is easier for you to start playing fantasy and understand at first.

Ask questions in the comments about what else you would like to know about fantasy .

And if you yourself have been playing for a long time, share your life hacks so that the community grows and it is only more interesting for everyone to play!

If you're reading this on the Sports.ru app, make sure it's up to date so you can build a team and play right there! For this:

  1. Exit this material by clicking on the arrow at the top left
  2. Go to the news section by clicking on the three horizontal bars on the top left
  3. Go down the menu to section Fantasy .
  4. Assemble your team quickly, make substitutions, compete with your friends in your own league and compete for prizes!

Photo: Gettyimages.ru/Daniel Apuy / Stringer, Juan I. Roncoroni – Pool, Carlos Rodrigues / Stringer, Aurelien Meunier / Stringer

Where to play fantasy NBA?

Since the season in the most spectacular basketball league has already started, which means that the most attentive daily fantasy sports sites have already taken care of that part of their players who follow this sport, and have launched tournaments within which you can play fantasy NBA.

We have made for you a selection of DFS sites where you can play fantasy basketball for money or for free. But first, we offer a refresher on the basics of NBA daily fantasy so you can approach the game fully equipped.

How to play fantasy NBA?

Below is the general principle of NBA Daily Fantasy. However, we ask you to be careful, as details may vary from site to site. Therefore, before you start playing on a particular DFS site, study its rules. In general, daily fantasy basketball is the following.

NBA Fantasy Team Recruitment

In each tournament you get a certain budget to create your own fantasy team, which on most sites will consist of 9NBA basketball players. The list of available players will include the participants of the matches of the selected game day.

The cost of a player usually depends on:

  • Average points for the season
  • Number of points earned in the last game
  • Popularity (% player ownership)

Normally your team will consist of 9 players from the following positions:

  • Point Guard (PG) - Point Guard
  • Shooting Guard (SG)
  • Small Forward (SF)
  • Power Forward (PF)
  • Center (C)
  • Guard (G)
  • Forward (F)
  • 2 Utility Players (UTIL) - Player of any position

What are points awarded for in NBA Daily Fantasy?

In Daily Fantasy Basketball, during matches, your team members earn or lose points for their actions on the court. On most DFS sites where you can play fantasy NBA, when scoring the following events are taken into account :

  • Point
  • Three-Point Shot (3pt FG Made)
  • Effective transmission (Assist)
  • Rebound
  • Blockshot (Block)
  • Interception (Steal)
  • Double-Double (Maximum 1 per player)
  • Triple-Double (Max 1 per player)
  • Loss (Turnover)
  • Technical Foul
  • Flagrant Foul

Before recruiting players to a team on a specific DFS site, study the available positions and the scoring system, as they differ on different sites.

Where to play NBA Daily Fantasy?

Now that you've got the NBA Daily Fantasy Rules in mind, check out the main articles from the Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy section, as well as recommendations from DFS pro Peter "DraftCheat" Christensen . After that, you can start choosing a platform for playing daily fantasy basketball for money or for free.

Among the sites that provide the opportunity to play fantasy basketball, and the NBA in particular, we want to highlight the following sites where you can play daily fantasy NBA from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia or other European and CIS countries.

Sites where you can play NBA Daily Fantasy for money

The above sites accept players from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS and European countries, and provide an opportunity to play NBA fantasy for money or for free.

There are other sites besides these sites, but it is not possible to play for money there if you do not live in the US or Canada. On such DFS sites, you can register using special programs to bypass blocking and play fantasy basketball for free. We do not recommend depositing money on such sites, as it may be difficult to withdraw winnings.

Sites where you can play fantasy basketball (including fantasy NBA) for free

NBA, NCAA
User reviews on the forum: DraftPot discussion

How to choose a site where to play fantasy basketball (NBA)?

You are now pretty well prepared to start playing fantasy basketball. You know the basic rules of the game, refreshed your memory of the strategy, and received complete information about all the existing DFS sites where you can play NBA daily fantasy. It remains only to choose one or more, make a deposit and enter the game. Here are some guidelines to help you choose the right DFS site for your needs:

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