Are you ready for NBA season yet? As a DFS player, I always get a weird feeling after baseball season finally ends. NFL becomes the main focus of everyone’s bankroll, thus leaving lots of downtime until NBA gets started. However, I feel it’s a great opportunity to get a head start on NBA season and prepare for the opening tipoff.
If you are getting started with daily fantasy basketball, then this article will help you shorten your learning curve and build optimal lineups that cash in 50/50 contests and win a GPP or two.
How does daily fantasy basketball work?
Daily fantasy basketball allows players to draft a team of players for each schedule day of games and win prizes based on how many points your team scores. Players receive points based on real life performances from players on your current roster.
Since most players play on Fanduel & DraftKings, I am going to use their scoring system and roster construction as the main example for this article. For more Fanduel NBA help, refer to my previous article: Fanduel NBA Strategy Guide.
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Basketball Basics
- Salary Cap: $60,000
- 9 man Roster: PG, PG, SG, SG, SF, SF, PF PF, C
- Value Target: 4x for cash games, 5x for GPPs
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Basics
My DFS Basketball Strategy
I’ve been a fan of the NBA for decades now so my strategy involves researching stats, looking at projections, analyzing points allowed per position, and watching live NBA action.
All of these components help me build lineups for 50/50, Head to Head, and GPP contests. I am mostly a GPP player but will probably focus more on cash games since I plan to scale my gameplay during the 2015/16 season.
Why is this important to you? Because you should figure out your own personal strategy when entering DFS basketball contests.
-50/50
-GPP
-Projections
DFS Basketball Advice
Once you develop your personalized strategy, then you will find it easier to create lineups on the fly. Gaining an understanding of players and matchups will cause the best plays of the night to jump out at you and scream PLAY ME. However, you should always follow some basic advice to keep your game sharp.
Check NBA Starting Lineups
Lineups will often change based on injuries, suspensions, and changes in the pecking order. Here’s a few sites to check NBA starting lineups on:
Another way to check starting lineups is by using twitter. All 30 NBA teams post their startling lineups on twitter around 30 minutes before tipoff. Here’s a list of every NBA team’s twitter feed.
Dealing with Injuries
Injuries happen in professional sports. When a starting player gets injured, his replacement in the depth chart gets an immediate boost in playing time and usage. More often, a bench player will enter the starting lineup so the team’s rotation stays the same. His replacement becomes a top value play for the day. Here’s a list of sites to follow NBA injuries:
Remember this basic tip: Minutes = Opportunity = Money. More minutes means more chances for points, assists, rebounds, and steals.
Lineup Optimizers
Lineup optimizers are a useful tool for putting together high quality lineups in a short amount of time. The key to using them is to be able to edit the projections to increase the overall ceiling of your lineup. Here’s a list of good NBA lineup optimizers:
- Rotogrinders
- Daily Fantasy Nerd
- Fantasy Cruncher
- Roster Nerds
Recommended Books
If you really want to improve your lineups fast, then reading a book on DFS basketball will give you insight that you cannot find anywhere online for free. Here’s a list of good books to pick up at Amazon:
- Daily Fantasy Basketball: The Guide to Winning Consistently
- Get Rich With Daily Fantasy Basketball: Beginner NBA Fanduel Strategy
- Daily Fantasy Basketball for Cash: My Strategies for DraftKings Fantasy Basketball Success
Best DFS Basketball Forums