I’ve been playing fantasy hoops since the late 1990s, but then I was playing in casual leagues with friends. It wasn’t until five or six years ago that I got “serious, serious” and entered my first NFBKC league. I’ve grown so much since then — albeit with lots of pain and some heartache. But the journey has been wonderful because my process has become more refined, and my skills have grown.
Nothing beats experience, but experience means nothing unless you get something from it. In this piece, I’ll go through the leagues I played in this past season, show how I did and expound on the lessons learned.
Before I get started, I want to provide some background. I used to read articles, watch games and review box scores. I knew hoops — or at least I thought I did — especially since I played often.
I realized I didn’t know how to value players properly for fantasy. This led me to do my own projections. Thanks to Eric Jenike for helping me with that endeavor, especially with the spreadsheet. It was arduous work, especially since I had no clue what I was doing, but going through every player dialed me in and provided a foundation. I continue to refine the spreadsheet every year, and going through that process every offseason is extremely valuable. But I have come to rely on it less. In a way, it became a crutch and boxed me in.
I will never forget my early conversations with Eric Wong, when he would yell at me for relying so much on the numbers and player raters. I didn’t fully understand what he was saying then, but I get it now.
Although fantasy basketball is about numbers, oftentimes, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. What’s the saying? “Past results do not guarantee future performance.” Yet, I was relying on past results because I focused solely on projections. There’s more to it.
That led me to scan the headlines for every team every day. Most articles are garbage, but there are always a few with great nuggets — insights into a player’s mentality, how the organization views him, who he’s training with, etc.
Perusing box scores has also become more significant. Before, I’d just look at the stats. Now, I focus on rotations and maintain depth charts for each team.
I’ve also made it a habit to watch more games. I can’t get to every contest every night, but I will at least watch the condensed versions for every game. If I want to focus on a particular player, I will click on their highlight reel. Watching teams and players uncovers nuances.
I started mapping out the schedules for my head-to-head leagues on a spreadsheet. I didn’t realize how much of a visual person I was until doing this. It made managing the weekly game so much more manageable.
Although these practices don’t seem like a big deal individually, their combination has allowed me to be more in tune with the fantasy hoops universe, helping me navigate injuries, player movement and depth chart changes.
I still have much growing to do, so let’s go to the leagues and see what I can add to the bag.
Yahoo H2H league
I’ve been in this league since 2019, and my best finish was fourth. This year, the league had 14 teams, but it had 16 teams for the first three seasons. I was finally able to win the chip this season.
I dealt with some injuries near the end — Jalen Brunson and Domantas Sabonis — but I had relatively good injury luck for the most part. And that is a must to win any chip.
Lesson learned: Maximize games played
This is standard practice for all H2H leagues, but I was more diligent this season. The weekly template mentioned earlier was essential, but this league is super active, and everyone knows their stuff. There are managers in different parts of the world, so the waiver wire is extremely competitive. Knowing the rotations and depth charts helped me to identify players to add or drop when situations unfolded.
ESPN H2H Points league
This was a 10-team league, and it was my first time in it. I made it to the playoffs but did not have good injury luck and got bounced early. Sometimes, that’s how the cookie crumbles.
Lesson learned: League settings matter
It’s cliche, I know, and I was fully aware of all the settings. But I ended up optimizing my roster poorly. The league only required one C slot and had one FLEX. At one point, I had three very good centers on the roster, and there were a ton of viable centers on the waiver wire. I now know I don’t need to pay up for the position, so I can try to stack the other positions and stream the center position.
ESPN Roto league
I’ve also been a member of this 10-team league for many years. I’m currently fifth.
Lesson learned: A balanced roster is important
I was too big-man heavy early on. I pivoted and made up some ground, focusing more on the guard stats, but it may have been too late. I wasn’t aggressive enough when players were out. I kept too many of them in the lineup when they were questionable and didn’t work the waiver wire as hard as I should have. Again, no excuses. I have to be better.
Fantrax leagues
H2H FBI World Cup
Fantasy Basketball International runs this tournament. There are 12 leagues with 12 teams each, and the competition is top-notch. I finished 10th in my league, building a team around Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert and LeBron James.
Lessons learned: Beware rookies, secure guard stats, hit the waiver wire
Though rookies rarely make a significant fantasy impact, I always fall for the banana in the tailpipe. I drafted Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan for big man stats, but by the time they were productive, the season was toast. I also didn’t focus enough on guard stats. Granted, having Ja Morant didn’t help, but the other options I drafted weren’t great, either. Finally, I wasn’t diligent on the waiver wire. No excuses there.
Draft Only FBI leagues
These were cool little $5 leagues that are draft only and best ball, so no waiver wire pickups or lineup management. I participated in seven H2H leagues and two Roto leagues. I won one of the H2H leagues while finishing second in two others. I’m tied for first in one Roto league and third in the other.
Lessons learned: Minutes are gold
These leagues don’t draft benches, so minutes are genuinely important. Additionally, you need a ton of injury luck. That said, minimizing risk was the goal, and it seemed to work relatively well.
H2H Locked On Fantasy Basketball Bowl
Josh Lloyd runs the LOFB. I came in fifth in the league and made the playoffs but lost 4-5. I like this league because there’s a 40-game cap per week. Someone made an awesome Google Sheets template — shoutout to whoever that was — and it was vital. I had some big injuries, but most people did, so I’m not complaining. I thought this team was well-built for my vision.
Lesson learned: Be more aggressive on the waiver wire
Like the FBI World Cup team, I didn’t utilize the waiver wire as much as I should have.
Roto LOFB
I’m currently third in my league and 58th overall out of 192 teams.
Lessons learned: Blocks matter, and so does the draft
This team was balanced across the board, but I ended up a little light in blocks. I became a little too comfortable after drafting Myles Turner, so I should have stayed vigilant.
This league drafted right after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade was announced. I took Brunson at 1.7. I thought Brunson would be the main beneficiary of the trade, but I could have gotten him in the second or third round. The song of the spreadsheet was too enticing. Now I know how Odysseus felt, except I’m not half the man he was. To compound matters, I chose Donovan Mitchell in Round 2. Towns went the next pick. Yeah, I really messed this draft up.
Draft and Stash LOFB
This is a Roto league with no waiver wire pickups. The draft was 36 rounds. I’m currently first in my league and second overall out of 132 teams. I’m obviously happy with this team.
Lesson learned: Depth is key
Over the years, playing in many deep draft-and-hold leagues, I’ve learned that depth is crucial.
Roto SportsEthos Challenge Roto
I’m currently third in this league, but second, third and fourth are within two Roto points of each other. And this team has Victor Wembanyama and Damian Lillard on it. So much sadness.
Lesson learned: Address all categories
I didn’t address field goal percentage. Not one player is over 49%.
Roto Cash SportsEthos
I’m currently eighth in the standings. This team has Luka Doncic on it, so all those missed games didn’t help. It’s the same with Zion Williamson, but I acquired him in a trade with Alperen Sengun for, essentially, Lauri Markkanen.
Lessons learned: Rely less on rookies
Once again, I put too much stock in Twin Tower rookies Clingan and Edey. I drafted a lot of Jazz players and didn’t pivot off of them early in the season.
Industry Pickup Roto
This is a league run by Alex Rikleen of CBS Sports. It consists of other fantasy analysts, so the competition is fierce. I’m currently in eighth place. I have Tyrese Maxey, Brunson and Anthony Davis on this team. Oh, look. The Twin Towers of Clingan and Edey again!
Lesson learned: Be aggressive on the waiver wire
This league has a season games cap, so I wasn’t aggressive enough on the waiver wire. I was way too passive, thinking things would balance out.
Mid-Season Roto
Racco, one of the better players at NFBKC, runs this league. Wong and Jenike, as well as other NFBKC players, are also in this league. I’m currently third, 5.5 roto points behind the leader. I’m pretty happy with this team.
Lesson learned: Depth matters
Like the LOFB Draft and Stash leagues, this league does not have a waiver wire or games cap, so depth is very important. Having as many options as possible to rack up the most games weekly is essential.
30-team Leagues
Razzball Dynasty Association
I’m currently in the second year of a complete tear-down. I had a decent team, but there are some monster teams in the league, so I decided to rebuild. The next few years will be key because I have a ton of premium picks.
Lesson learned: Avoid mediocrity
Being in the middle of the pack is the worst position in a dynasty league. You’re never really in contention to win it all, and your draft picks are mediocre. You have to choose one of two paths: Go all-in or tear it down and build through the draft.
Razzball Salary Cap
This league has an H2H and a Roto component, so both winners get paid. I’m in the championship game in H2H and fifth in the Roto standings.
Lesson learned: Minutes are gold
This league has no games cap, with daily moves, so minutes are paramount.
Tank Me Later
I finished 18th in this league, which requires only five starters, and all the slots are FLEX. Lineups are set weekly, not daily.
Lesson learned: League settings determine strategy
Depth is always important, but I think the setup for this league requires a team to be top-heavy.
Dynasty 30
Matt Lawson runs this league. It’s filled with analysts from the fantasy basketball industry, so I’m humbled to have won it this season. A trade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at last year’s deadline set up this run to glory. I made trades at this year’s deadline to optimize the playoff schedule, including Franz Wagner for Sengun.
Lessons learned: Trades don’t have to be even
We all want that perfect trade in which both teams are willing to deal an excess that fits the other team’s needs perfectly. Those rarely happen. If you are pursuing a trade, you have to motivate the other team to part with their player, so “overpaying” is necessary, but I think that’s OK if it makes your team better. In addition, if you give action, action is often given back to you. Conversely, you’re in the driver’s seat if someone approaches you for a trade.
NFBKC Leagues
I have four Draft Champion teams, one Best Ball team, two RazzJam teams and one Main Event team. My current standings are:
- DC: sixth, sixth, fifth and second.
- Best Ball: fourth
- Main Event: 10th
- RazzJam: third and 11th overall.
Lessons learned: Rely less on rookies, depth is key, categories matter
Injuries ravaged my Main Event team. There is really nothing I can do there. I did work the waiver wire hard, but once again, I relied too much on rookies.
Three of the four DC teams were weak in field goal percentage and points. The managers in these leagues are some of the best out there, so you have to earn everything. Since they are also draft-and-hold leagues, depth is vital, and finding those later-round players is key. There are still too many holes in my DC teams, and I’m still trying to figure out the proper roster construction.
DraftKings Best Ball
I entered 19 teams and advanced six for a decent 31% advance rate. None were able to advance to Round 3, though.
Lesson learned: Be wary of ambiguous situations
There were some uncertain situations in the offseason, but I planted my flag without adequately considering all possible outcomes. The most glaring example happened in Atlanta. I thought Bogdan Bogdanovic would start alongside Trae Young due to his shooting and because he had been in that role before. As a result, I drafted a ton of Bogdanovic. I should have split it down the middle, drafting Bogdanovic and Dyson Daniels equally.
Underdog Best Ball
I entered 18 teams and advanced only two for a paltry 11% advance rate. At least they are still alive, as Underdog has a different playoff structure than DraftKings.
Lesson learned: Balance the roster
Most of my teams were extremely weak at the wings, and others had too many resources dedicated to the center position.
Conclusion
I had some good teams and some bad teams. Injuries definitely played a part, but I felt like the work paid off this season. I’m still not where I want to be, though, so hopefully, what I learned this season can help me get to that next level. May my trials and tribulations assist in your pursuit of glory as well.
(Photo of Lebron James and Luka Doncic: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
