I have never been present in the basketball world, nor have I understood how fantasy leagues work. When my brother gave me the opportunity to be in a fantasy basketball league this year, I was hesitant. How would I be able to win without knowing much about sports or the players on every team? If this situation is similar to yours, here are some tips and tricks to beat your sporty friends and have bragging rights forever from an amateur who won her fantasy league this year:
1. Use your resources before deciding who will be on your team
When I built my team, I made sure to select who I thought would be the best with the help of Google. If you are deciding who to draft, do not do it based on cool last names or teams that you are familiar with. Scour the internet and choose who is arguably the best on the roster and do not be afraid to pick a few rookies. You never know if they will turn out to be the best player on your team and they are typically available if people have chosen before you. It also never hurts to have Nikola Jokić as your center.
As a starting point, here was my team in the final week: James Harden, Derrick White, Tyrese Maxey, OG Anunoby, Jalen Johnson, Miles Bridges, Nikola Jokić, Cooper Flagg and Evan Mobley.
2. Do not brag (or talk) about how your team is doing that week
Is everyone in your league looking at their team frequently to lock in scores and win the week? Probably. Is there a chance that someone who you are facing forgot about it? Yes. Avoid talking about how your team is doing or bragging about your likely win. This only reminds your enemy that they should look at their standing and work extremely hard to beat you.
3. Make fantasy a part of your daily routine
Checking in on your team every day will help you to keep up with high point values and lock them in early so you do not regret it later. Fantasy sports do not have to take over your entire life, but a quick check before bed or when you wake up can save you from realizing your player scored 50 points and you cannot lock them in anymore.
4. Be strategic when swapping players during the week
Sometimes your players will be out for the week (or longer) and you have to switch them out. Be mindful of these situations before half of the week is gone and you cannot lock in another player’s points because you waited. Many of the people in my league made this mistake because they forgot to check and missed out on opportunities to win for the week.
5. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks
When I first started, I was losing pretty badly. I was not sure how to lock in a player’s points and I did not know that I could take players off the bench throughout the week. If you take your time to learn and understand the game, you can get the hang of it quickly. You will learn about your players and how their performance ebbs and flows throughout the process as well.
Overall, take your time at the start of the season and learn the basics before diving into the deep end. The worst that can happen is you try and end up losing. Best case scenario is you show everyone you are great at fantasy and can brag about it for a very long time.
