As the NBA season gets underway, NBA fans across the country are lining up to play fantasy basketball. Some of the most popular formats used are season long fantasy tournaments and daily NBA fantasy tournaments. Both formats are available online through popular sports websites such as Yahoo.com, NBA.com, DraftKings.com, FanDuel.com, and others. Each format requires a different approach that offers something simple for players of all experience levels.
NBA Fantasy League
For years now, fantasy sports leagues have run for managers who want to run their team through the rigors of an entire season. While most leagues are played for fun, some league commissioners run leagues with entry fees and prize money distributed at the end of the season.
The process begins with a structured draft. The most popular draft format is the standard “Snake Draft” where players’ draft position is determined by random drawing. For returning guard leagues, draft positions may be determined by the manager’s position in the previous season. Over the past few years, auction drafts have grown in popularity. With this format, each manager is given credit, which is used to bid on players until their roster is full.
In both formats, each manager is required to draft an entire team of players based on the configuration of the league’s setup. Most leagues have up to 10 starting roster positions plus bench players. Depending on league rules, coaches can make player moves on either a daily or a weekly basis. Scoring is determined by league rules and head-to-head competition on a weekly basis. Towards the end of the season, the teams with the best overall records head into the playoffs, which usually cover the last 2-3 weeks of the NBA regular season.
Daily NBA Fantasy contests
For managers who love their fast and furious online money action, popular fantasy sites provide access to daily contests. This daily contest comes in a variety of formats listed on the website. Managers can choose to compete directly with a smaller group of managers ranging from 2 to 25 contestants. These contests are usually designed and published by a contestant who then opens the entry process to any contestant who wishes to participate based on the contest setup. Entry fees range from $5 to $1,000 per contestant. While some contests are winner takes all, contests with more than 10 contestants may offer small consolation prizes. In all competitions, the fantasy gaming site will charge a fee (usually 10%) to cover administrative costs as well as profits.
Another popular format is website-sponsored contests. These competitions usually have thousands of entries with huge guaranteed prize packages on offer for a relatively small entry fee. The more participation in these competitions, the more places will be paid. Prize packages may include major cash prizes, consumer goods, or special occasion prize packages where something like Super Bowl weekend might be on the line. Often, managers can earn free entry fees by winning small satellite contests along the way.
Contest rules and registration parameters are provided through the website. Each manager is given a salary cap (usually $50,000) to use when selecting players. Each player scheduled to play on a particular night will be allotted a salary cap. Obviously, the better the player, the higher the value. The team structure is usually PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F and UTIL player.
Now that you have a general idea of how fantasy basketball is played, it’s time to join the fray. If you choose to play in daily tournaments, you need to remember that a lot of managers have a great deal of experience, which can put you at a significant disadvantage. The bottom line is that you should never put more money on the line than you can afford to lose.
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