Whether you’re a seasoned pro when it comes to daily fantasy basketball or it is completely new to you, it is never a bad idea to sharpen your skills. Playing daily fantasy sports for basketball is a completely different beast than playing it in other sports, such as the NFL, so you really need to ensure you have learned all the latest and greatest tips.
Don't forget that you’re competing with other basketball fans when playing, so any advice can give you a real advantage over those you’re trying to beat. Whether you’re playing DFS on the fantasy basketball betting sites at fantasyfest.net, or any other, the following are the best tips that we can give you.
Understand the Scoring on Your Chosen DFS Platform
The first thing you need to understand is that while DFS works similarly across the platforms that offer it, they may have differences. This is particularly the case when it comes to the scoring system that each uses. You need to read through the rules to make sure that you know how many points your players will get when scoring, assisting and blocking, etc.
Other differences between platforms could involve player flexibility, roster construction, and whether you can swap players in and out during the season. Understanding the rules in detail could give you an advantage if your fellow players have just assumed the rules are the same on every platform.
Pick Players That Play a Lot of Minutes
Simply put, minutes equate to game stats, and game stats equate to points. If a player gets regular minutes, he will pick up stats and therefore get you points for your DFS team. One of your core requirements when selecting your DFS team is to pick the players that you believe will get some good minutes. For example, aside from his one-game ban for punching an opponent, picking Syracruse’s Buddy Boheim for your NCAA March Madness DFS team would have proved a good idea simply because he averaged close to 38 minutes per game throughout that tournament.
Don’t Ignore the Advanced Stats
While most players focus on traditional stats when picking players for their DFS basketball teams, these will only get you so far. Players that score well in traditional numbers usually come at a price, so it’s never workable to fit too many of the top performers into your team. In this scenario, you should use advanced stats to find better value and a better balance for your team.
For instance, Points Per Minute is an expensive statistic in DFS basketball and rightly so. A player with a high points per minute ratio is obviously going to get a lot of points for your team. However, as these players cost, it leaves you with less money to spend on other players. So, an advanced stat you could use instead is Usage Rate (UR) as this shows you how much a player is used in plays when on the floor. Somebody with a lot of the ball stands a decent chance at scoring, assisting or landing three-pointers.
Also, it’s important to do your own research to find the hidden gems. While you can unearth some great DFS bargains using other people's guides, there’s a good chance your competitors have read them too. Put the hard work in and you might just get one over your opponents.
Don’t Ignore the Opponents of Your Players
You could have some of the best point-scoring players in the league in your team, but if you notice their defender in the next game is among the best, it might be worth punting on someone else. A player who gets a lot of points per game against the lesser teams might not get the same results if he has Kawhi Leanord or Hassan Whiteside defending him.
Another tip is to remember that some of the big-name players will get fewer minutes against lesser teams. When a game is essentially wrapped up after half an hour, teams correctly take off their better players to protect them from injury.
Stay on Top of Everything
The most successful basketball DFS players never miss a thing. They catch all the latest tweets about lineup changes and injuries, look at the latest NBA statistics for all the games, and generally live and breathe basketball when involved in a DFS league. If winning is important to you, then doing the same should be a minimum. You’re competing for money and bragging rights, so you should do everything in your power to get yourself an advantage!
