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Daily fantasy basketball is a fun and exciting way to put your knowledge of the NBA and its players to the test. Because it is a day-to-day, game to game commitment, rather than a season-long endeavor, many find it a preferred way to turn your basketball expertise into real cash, legally.
While there are no guaranteed ways to have a surefire advantage over your opponent(s), there are strategies and tips that we think definitely improve your odds of winning.
Strategies and Tips To Win Daily Fantasy Basketball
Team Building – 2 Types Of Teams
The value of a player in daily fantasy basketball is derived from their personal skill, how often they play, and the opponent in which they are matched up against. Your team, whether it is derived of a few all-stars or a bunch of average players, should be built with these three factors in mind.
Allstars plus scrubs – The first is a team with a few (2-3) Kevin Durant, Lebron James-type players and 5-6 scrubs.
Well balanced mid level guys – The other type of team is a well-balanced grouping of players who are average in skill individually, but combine to make a strong team.
We find that it is most beneficial to select a team centered around a few all-stars when playing guaranteed player pool type games and to select a more average, balanced team when playing head to head and 50/50 games. Because you have a set salary cap when drafting teams, it is impossible to afford a team with 8 all-star players.
Consider The Opponent
Out of the three factors mentioned above, the most overlooked is without a doubt the need to consider the opponent any given player is matched up against. When picking a team, the inexperienced drafter tends to look at a player’s average PPG and the minutes they play and assume, wrongly, that if they average 29 points a night, for example, they are guaranteed to score at least that many every single night.
The first thing to consider is the defense in which your players are matched up against. An insanely strong defensive team or player matchup will undoubtedly have some sort of bearing on how your player(s) perform. Additionally, being matched up against a considerably weaker opponent may lead to a blowout and see your star players sit on the bench as opposed to getting possessions and scoring up until the final whistle.
These strategies may seem simple after reading this, but there are far too many people who begin drafting and select only players they know and are familiar with. There are hundreds of players in the NBA, so to limit yourself to only a handful would not only be a mistake, but could end up costing you a lot of money too.
Consider The Contest
If you playing in the GPP (guaranteed prize pool contests) then you will be better served going for a ‘boom or bust’ style team, aka Allstar + scrubs. If you are playing in 50/50’s then you may be better served putting together a solid team of value for points.
Let the Online Bookmakers Help You Find Value
Every day the betting lines update for the NBA games. Here are Bovada’s NBA lines. Find the games with HIGH over/unders and when you can, draft your fantasy players from these teams. Let them help you find value from these games with big over/under scores. You can also search the player props for bets on some of the more popular players including total rebounds, total points and more. futures for individual bets for the bigger name players when available. If you see someone with high numbers to bet for or against with close to even money odds then you can assume this guy is likely to do what the bookmaker is predicting.
Fade the Public
If you are active on any of the forums and message boards and the ‘expert picks’ websites then the way to win is to go against the crowd and have the crowd be wrong. And believe me, the crowd is often wrong. If you can catch the right players that are not touted far and wide on the picks sites then you will have an edge.
Find value with late injury replacements
When a player is scratched from a game later in the day, that players backup is likely to be inexpensive for you to draft. This opens you up to get other high powered players with the cash you saved.
Related
- Basics of Real Money Fantasy Basketball
- Play Fantasy NBA at DraftKings or FanDuel
- Current Promotions At Daily Fantasy Sports Sites
- More Strategy Articles