The fantasy football season is winding down, and whether you're on the verge of glory or lamenting your squad's untimely demise, there's no need to hang up your competitive hat just yet. Join a fantasy basketball league and keep that spirit alive!
Fantasy basketball brings a new challenge with plenty of excitement for seasoned fantasy players and rookies alike. With the 2024-2025 NBA season underway, here's a 101 guide on how to play and some helpful tips to get started:
Give fantasy basketball a shot
Add to your fantasy sports portfolio
Maybe you’re a die-hard football fan who hasn’t really given basketball much thought. Fantasy basketball can be a gateway into the NBA. You’ll start recognizing player names, picking up on team dynamics and figuring out why Victor Wembanyama is a defensive monster or why Nikola Jokić is a triple-double machine. It’s like an all-access pass to basketball fandom; trust me, you’ll quickly find yourself checking game stats daily and chiming in on MVP debates.
It’s never too late to join
Unlike football's tight week-to-week window, fantasy basketball gives you way more flexibility. Missed the season kickoff? No worries. Yahoo Fantasy Basketball draft rooms stay open until March 2025. That means you have ample time to draft, play, and hopefully, win. Didn't love your first team? Fine, draft again.
Just like fantasy football, there are options to play for free or for cash on Yahoo Fantasy. The same goes for fantasy basketball. Want to keep it casual with no monetary stakes involved? Join a free league with friends or randos. But if you're confident and want to up the ante, join a cash league and put some money on the line.
There’s room to experiment, win and, most importantly, have fun.
Keep the momentum going!
Fantasy basketball is the perfect cure for the long, post-football-season layoff. Just like in fantasy football, there are multiple formats for playing fantasy basketball. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, there's a league that caters to your skill level. There are also different scoring formats to choose from, such as points leagues, head-to-head categories leagues and rotisserie leagues. This variety allows for a more diverse and enjoyable playing experience.
Tips for drafting a fantasy basketball team
Test the waters with a points league
If you’re coming from fantasy football or want to keep things simple, points leagues are a great starting point. They mirror football scoring in simplicity—players rack up points based on their performance and production. It’s easy to follow and you can set your lineups daily or weekly, whatever is easiest to manage your squad.
For those looking for the classic fantasy basketball experience try your hand at a head-to-head 9-categories leagues. In this format, it's a balance of production and efficiency, where you're graded on nine statistical categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, free-throw percentage, field-goal percentage, 3-pointers made and turnovers. It's my preferred choice, but it can be a lot if you're new to this. If you want to learn more and explore the right format for you, this 101 guide on how to play covers them all.
Do a mock draft!
Before you jump into a real draft, give a mock draft a try. Yahoo’s mock draft tool lets you practice your strategy, get comfortable with draft format (snake, salary cap or other) and helps you understand who’s being drafted where (average draft positions, or ADP for short). Things shift fast during the season—injuries, trends and breakout stars all change ADPs — so having a sense of the market is huge. And yeah, practice makes perfect.
If you're looking for a baseline expectation or range of where to expect certain players to get drafted, Yahoo Fantasy's draft analysis tool helps understand each player's ADP. Some will go later, and others will go early, so mocking will help get a sense of the market value when it's time to draft.
Once you're ready to draft, look at my articles to know who's trending mid-season and the latest fantasy basketball rankings when you're actually on the clock in the draft experience. That'll be crucial for preparing a team that can win now, not a team that could've won two months ago.
I drafted a fantasy basketball team, now what?
Fantasy basketball can be more hands-on than football, but the added layers of strategy are what make it my favorite fantasy sport:
Keep an eye on daily player status updates. Knowing who's in, who's out and who's riding a hot streak can give you a huge edge — just like fantasy football.
Exploit scheduling quirks. If a team has extra games in a week, pick up players for that team to gain a competitive advantage.
Don't sleep on the waiver wire. Players emerge all season long, and a savvy pickup could win you a week or even the league.
If setting your lineup becomes too time consuming, Yahoo! + offers a lineup tool that solves that. With one click, you can set optimal lineups for the week ahead, making this game super accessible even if you're low on time.
Here’s what you may have missed this season so far
Top-3 in points leagues: Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić
Top-3 in 9-category leagues: Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Payton Pritchard has been the best value relative to ADP
The Celtics are the most fantasy-friendly team with five players in the top 75 and six in the top 100 in 9-cat formats
Kawhi Leonard has not played in an NBA game this season
Zion Williamson has played in six games this season
NBA trade season is open and the biggest move thus far was Dennis Schröder being traded to the Golden State Warriors
The Wizards, Jazz and Pelicans have won a total of 13 games. The tank is in session.
Players who are being drafted higher now vs. the preseason
Karl-Anthony Towns
Jalen Williams
Alperen Sengun
Nikola Vučević
Derrick White
Jalen Johnson
Dyson Daniels
Payton Pritchard
Franz Wagner
OG Anunoby
Isaiah Hartenstein
Darius Garland
Tyler Herro
John Collins
Josh Hart
Jalen Suggs
Trey Murphy III
Norman Powell
Cameron Johnson
Malik Monk
Players being drafted lower vs. preseason
Zion Williamson
Jusuf Nurkić
Jabari Smith Jr.
Jalen Duren
Brandon Ingram
Deandre Ayton
D’Angelo Russell
Kyle Kuzma
Lauri Markkanen
Joel Embiid
Jerami Grant
Terry Rozier
Mark Williams
Collin Sexton
Klay Thompson
Alex Caruso
Bogdan Bogdanović
Jrue Holiday
Tobias Harris
Nic Claxton
Final Thoughts
There’s no better time to jump into fantasy basketball. Whether you’re itching for a post-football fix, looking to try something new, or just wanting to understand how Wembanyama is dominating the NBA, fantasy basketball offers endless excitement. Draft, play, win and keep that competitive spark alive all season long! What are you waiting for? Get in the game.