How To Become A Better Fantasy Basketball Player

Undeniably for you to be good at fantasy basketball, you need to know the game itself. Not just the fantasy basketball game but the real NBA game as well. From the recent player and team news, rumors, and all those little things that you do not think about as much without knowing that those little things are the ones that are going to help you become a better fantasy player. If you are just a casual gamer and is just playing the game for fun with friends and do not really care about where your team is heading (especially for dynasty leagues), then I do not see anything wrong with it. But, since you are still reading this article, then obviously you are interested to become a better fantasy basketball player.

There are lots of different ways to be successful in playing Fantasy Basketball and if you are like me, then you probably spend endless hours each week reading articles, talking to other fantasy players about a certain player’s play, upside, ceiling and future with a certain team, and even maybe asking them what they think about your team’s performance and ask for tips on what other moves you can do to make your team better.

You try not to be so attached to your team or a certain player which you own or someone else owns since emotional attachment can sometimes result in you making bad decisions especially in cutting someone for a better free agent pick up or in trades where you offer someone who is obviously a better fantasy player which you dislike for someone’s player who is not as an effective fantasy player that your a fan of or the team that player is playing.

I am no expert, but I can share some tips on things to avoid for you to become a better fantasy basketball player.

1 – Have The Time and Desire To Play The Game

If you do not have the time or you are just too busy in real life which is not wrong, then it is harder for you to be more successful than those who aren’t. I am not saying that you need to put all of your attention on your fantasy team, but at least set your line-ups actively and try not to miss a day or two in setting it up. A few misses can result of you losing a certain week or even more.

2 – Do Not Take Too Many Risks

I know taking risks are fun especially in dynasty leagues and I’m not saying avoid it, just don’t do it too much into an extent that you are giving away half or all of your proven players for a prospect who you think or an article that you just read a few minutes ago that said, the certain player has a great upside or a higher ceiling than everyone else or is rumored to be traded and has the opportunity in getting more playing time and is said to produce far better stats.

3 – Do Not Undervalue Your Players Too Much

Other players tend to undervalue your players for them to manipulate you in dealing them your guy for someone who isn’t as valuable. If you are not careful, you can become a victim of these certain type of players. It is wise to set a certain value on your players and set a limit on how low (value) you are willing to move them incase the player is not performing well as you have expected and always ask for other offers from other teams. Each fantasy basketball player has different values on players.

4 – Do Some Scouting

Always do some scouting. Read articles, news, rumors, forums or anything that can help you win. Scouting helps you in trades, pick ups, drops and all those other little but important things in winning your league.

5 – Selling High

Selling a player high is always a winning recipe. The challenge is finding the fantasy player who is willing to risk for it. This usually happens when you are able to steal a certain player from the free agent pool who is performing really well consistently but is temporary. Temporary meaning, the player is playing well due to was given ample amount of playing time since the main starter of a certain team is injured and will be out for a long period of time.

6 – Nice Guys Finish Last

Don’t be too nice. Being too nice is like bending over to the other fantasy players in your league. These other (not all) fantasy players are animals. They will manipulate you, lie to you, and take advantage of you knowing that you are too nice and you will give them what they want in deals/trades.

7 – Don’t Share Too Much

Don’t try to impress them by being a know it all guy. Like sharing your strategies, your plans, and what you read about a certain player. Not all of them are as dedicated as you are in scouting certain players and with you giving too much information is like you wasting your efforts. Share some but not all.

8 – Don’t Be Too Much Of A Homer

A homer is a person who literally wants to own the players who plays for his hometown team. These fantasy players tends to overpay or draft players way too early to get their favorite home team players and that is just simply a recipe for disaster. Avoid being this type of fantasy player.

9 – Don’t Do Panic Deals / Trades

Let’s say you own Anthony Davis who got injured and will be out for 5 weeks or more (knock on wood), and then unfortunately two other main guys in your team got hurt and is going to be out for a few weeks or more. You then are suddenly in a bad situation and is losing stats or in H2H your match up. Other fantasy players then try to give you really lame to bad offers for your injured stars for they know you are desperate for the missing stats. Usually the bad deals will fade away after a few days then real talks will begin. Always take your time when this misfortunate events happen to your team. The bad offers will eventually fade away and sooner or later you will be able to find the right deal to help your team.

10 – Too Many Teams

One of the most common mistakes of a fantasy basketball player is owning too many teams. I know fantasy basketball is addicting and you think owning a few or more teams will make your experience even better. Well if you can handle it then it’s fine, but if you can’t then don’t. Owning more than you are capable of makes fantasy basketball less or not fun at all. Instead of it being a good pass time pleasure after a busy day at work or school, too many teams will feel like an obligation which is not the reason you play fantasy basketball in the first place. Fantasy basketball is supposed to be fun and having too much is not healthy for you and your fantasy basketball experience.

Well, there you go. I hope these tips can help you perform well and enjoy the game of fantasy basketball even better.