How to Play NBA Fantasy Basketball

Fantasy basketball is a very popular game that allows you to organize a team of real NBA players onto a team that you control this fantasy team will be measured against other teams to determine a winner. It is very similar to fantasy baseball and football.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Learn the format for NBA fantasy basketball. A fantasy league is made up of "owners" who draft real NBA players onto their teams, track the real life stats of the players on those teams and manage those teams during the season. Players that are not on fantasy teams in your league will be available either on waivers or as free agents. In order to claim one of those players, you will have to drop a player from your roster.
2. Find a league that intrigues you. There are a wide variety of NBA fantasy basketball leagues to choose from. There are different scoring systems. There are head to head leagues that will match teams up against each other week by week. Some leagues, called rotisserie leagues, keep a running tally of amounts in every category. Other leagues keep score based on game by game accumulation of points which are referred to as point based leagues. There are also different roster structures from league to league. Some leagues have as few as five players on a team and other leagues may have as many as 15 or more players on a team. Some leagues even provide prizes for the winners, but require an entry fee.
3. Study the players in the NBA. In order to play NBA fantasy basketball you will need to know player stats, who plays where, what players have changed teams and how that will impact their statistics.
4. Rank your players for the draft. The most exciting part of any NBA fantasy basketball season is the draft. You will acquire players for your team during a live draft, an offline draft or an auction. A live draft will take place either online or in person and everyone will make their selections in succession. An offline draft will be conducted automatically by a computer based on rankings submitted by every team. In an auction, every owner has a predetermined amount of money to purchase players. Every team bids on those players until they each have a full roster. No matter what kind of draft you participate in, you will need to rank your players.
5. Pay close attention to the NBA. Drafting your team is only a small fraction of playing NBA fantasy basketball. You must know how your players are performing, if they are healthy and if there are players who are available who will help your team. Managing your team is a key piece of playing fantasy basketball. Work to improve your team all season. Work to make trades with other teams, claim players that are on waivers or are free agents.
6. Enjoy the fruits of a good season. Do not expect to win your first season. Learn the game and work to improve every year.

Tips & Warnings

• It is all about stats. You cannot carry personal feelings into fantasy basketball and expect to do well. It is just about statistics. If you ignore a player that can help your team because you do not like that player, it will hurt your chances of doing well.
• There is a large number of websites, magazines and even television shows where you can find advice on managing your NBA fantasy basketball team. Do not simply follow the advice from these sources. It will be more fun when players take personal ownership of their team. Do not just make decisions based on what someone else is saying.
• If someone offers you a trade that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do your homework before agreeing to any trade. When you offer a trade make sure you make a case to the other owner how that trade will improve their team. No one will agree to a trade that they do not believe will make their team better.