Fantasy basketball for beginners: 5 tips to keep in mind before you build your team

Fantasy basketball league players should be very excited because the NBA's preseason has already started. The regular season is almost upon us and this means that fantasy leagues will kick off soon. One of the most exciting parts of playing fantasy basketball is the draft, which occurs prior to the beginning of each season.

The end goal of playing in a fantasy league is similar to the NBA, win the championship by having the best team. This is why the draft is very important and exciting, as it sets players up for success or failure.

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5 tips for building a team in fantasy basketball

Veteran players already know what to look out for when assembling a roster, but new players might not be familiar with the ins and outs of building a team. For those who are new to playing fantasy basketball, here are some tips to help get you started.

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#1, Understand the league's format

Not all fantasy leagues are made equal, since there are several different formats that they can follow. Understanding the format of the league that one is playing in is vital in having a winning roster since it will help determine the roster moves that one will make.

Typically, a league is set to have a head-to-head format and the scoring is determined either by Roto or by Points.

Roto is more straightforward. This format tallies the number of points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks done by each player and adds it to their total score.

For example, each assist made by every player on a team will add to the total number of assists for the whole team. Whoever has the most assists at the end of the week will win that category and the team that wins the most categories wins the matchup.

The Points format on the other hand assigns a certain value for each category. For example, each rebound is worth +1.5 points and each assist is worth +1.2 points while a turnover is worth -1. All points are tallied and whoever has the most will win the matchup. Make sure to ask the league commissioner the point value they've assigned to each statistic as this can vary per league.

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#2, Know how player positions are set up

To set up a winning roster, an individual must also know how player positions are set up in their respective fantasy basketball leagues. Some leagues are set up so that teams will need to take into account the actual position that a specific player lines up in while some have more flexibility.

For example, a 12-player roster might require a team to have one player for each traditional position, six utility spots, and one bench spot. On the other hand, some leagues might completely ignore player positions and allow players to start several players that play the same position without restrictions.

Knowing how positions are taken into account in a fantasy league is important since it determines how one builds their team. If a league allows a team to have several utility players then one can go ahead and draft several guards to dominate the points and assists categories or one can draft big men to get the most rebounds and blocks.

To be more specific, someone can go ahead and draft Nikola Jokic, Bam Adebayo, and Nikola Vucevic to a team to ensure dominance on rebounds depending on the positional rules of their fantasy basketball league.

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#3, Learn the difference between Keeper Leagues and Season-Long Leagues

Knowing the difference between a Keeper League and a Season-Long League is very important in building a team. Players drafted during a Season-Long League means that the players in a roster will only be there for one season and players can assemble a whole new team next season.

Keeper Leagues on the other hand will allow a team to keep a certain number of players on a roster with every succeeding fantasy basketball season.

For Season-Long Leagues, one can consider the projected performance of a player for an upcoming season alone. While for a Keeper League, a player will need to consider player progressions and regressions. This means that drafting a young player who has plenty of upside, like Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson, in the hope of dominating the league later is a viable strategy.

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#4, Stay updated on player news

Since a player's on-court performance will also directly affect the overall performance of one's fantasy basketball team, it would be wise to keep up on important player news.

Knowing which players are injured and for how long is important as well as becoming aware of who is playing well and who is underperforming are all vital pieces of information.

Simply put, players who are not playing or are playing terribly will give a team owner better ideas on which players to avoid or to let go. Meanwhile, learning which players are exceeding expectations can help determine who to grab from the free agent market or who to target in a trade.

Getting a player like James Harden in the draft might seem enticing but if he does not play for the Philadelphia 76ers at all then he's nothing but a waste of a roster space on a fantasy basketball roster.

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#5, Take the time to adjust your roster

Some leagues allow team owners to set up their teams daily as long as it is done before the first game for that day occurs. Other leagues only allow players to set up their roster weekly before the next matchup occurs.

Knowing when a lineup needs to be locked in is important since this allows an owner to place any injured players on an inactive spot or to start the players who have the most games that week over those who are playing less.

Having the right players take up the active spots on a roster can be the difference between winning or losing a matchup so make sure to adjust the rosters accordingly.

These are some tips to help fantasy basketball beginners prepare for the upcoming season and have a better chance of beating even more experienced team owners.