I have been writing fantasy basketball pieces for HoopsHabit for a great portion of my time as a contributor. Most of these pieces, if not all, have been focused in the realm of fantasy basketball in head-to-head category leagues.
While the advice I give can be stretched out to many varieties of league formats, with a plethora of different scoring options, one thing has been consistent: season-long team building.
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However, I have yet to touch on the booming sector of fantasy sports, which is the daily fantasy game.
If you’re reading this piece, you probably already know the basics about daily fantasy sports. As in, how it differs from your season-long team, and how each day requires a different approach.
You probably also know that the objective is to score a ton of fantasy points by assembling the roster you believe will lead you to fantasy greatness, all while staying within the confines of the given salary cap.
While playing daily fantasy basketball is a ton of fun, it can be extremely challenging, and at times it feels impossible to win without executing a perfect lineup. Many experts aim for five fantasy points for every $1,000 of salary cap money spent. This can be a daunting task if you don’t go into each day with a general philosophy with how to construct your lineup.
And, in case you are just starting, or are simply looking for outside perspectives on this subjective process, I am quickly going to share my general philosophy on lineup construction.
Note: I prefer to play on DraftKings, but since most scoring systems are fairly similar this advice should work to some extent on most platforms.
Point Guard – On most nights, this is where I want to spend a good chunk of my money. This doesn’t mean spending for the sake of seeing the cash dwindle away, but the point guard is pretty much the most important position in fantasy. Today’s NBA features plenty of elite options, and these guys can put up every stat on the board.
The point guard has complete control of the game, and when double-doubles are rewarded with extra points, it becomes even more crucial to grab a good one. As an aside, if I have a spot that I can put extra point guards in (as in, a generic guard or utility position), they almost always will be used for such.
Shooting Guard – This is a position I usually punt. I don’t normally look to spend anymore than $5,000 on a shooting guard, and often times that number is much lower. If I can find an injury fill-in, or a player that has upside at a cheap price, I will typically roll the dice in that direction.
The only shooting guards that I spend salary on and feel good about are two-guards that basically play point guard for their team. James Harden, Eric Bledsoe, and Tyreke Evans are all labeled shooting guards on most sites, but handle the ball for their team. This position gets thin quick, so the players I use are normally at the top or the bottom of the salary spectrum.
Small Forward – See: Shooting Guard. LeBron James, or point forwards, are really the only guys worth spending a ton of money on here. Otherwise, the goal is to find an inexpensive option that can make value (five points per $1,000). I usually won’t even consider players like Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant, unless the other studs on the board are absolutely putrid.
And, much like the shooting guard position, small forward can get ugly quickly from a fantasy standpoint.
Power Forward – This is the other slot where I have no problem spending to secure the best possible point total. Power forwards are extremely important to DFS success because they normally rebound and block in addition to boasting some high-scoring players.
When spending on a power forward, rebounding ability is certainly a big key, and I ideally want to be confident the guy I am getting can get a 20 points, 10 rebound game with little trouble.
Center – The center position is interesting because it can provide much of the same value power forward does, but it’s typically harder to find a player at this position that scores at a high level consistently. Because of that, I will normally target a player that is priced in a mid-tier level, and specifically want a guy who can bring solid rebounding to the table.
A good example of this type of player this year would be the Phoenix Suns’ Alex Len, who doesn’t score in bunches, but provides enough to be a low-end double-double threat for fantasy purposes.