Fantasy Basketball 2025-26: Beginner’s guide, draft tips and winning strategies

If you saw the title of this article and clicked, first and foremost, thanks for doing that. And in doing so, you’re likely in a position where you’re looking for tips on how to approach your first fantasy basketball experience. Whether you’re playing amongst friends for bragging rights or competing for cash prizes, fantasy basketball can make the season more exciting and enjoyable if played properly.

The goal of this article and the fantasy basketball content we’ll be releasing over the next month is to put you in a position to have a successful season, whether you’re an expert juggling multiple teams or a novice looking to have a fun first experience.

Advertisement

The NBA regular season begins on October 22 with a fun doubleheader that can be seen on NBA and Peacock. Without further ado, here are some tips that could prove valuable as you jump into fantasy basketball.

NBA: Playoffs-Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Fantasy basketball mock draft analysis 2025-26: Is Nikola Jokic the top pick?

Getting the top pick in your draft is a great advantage, but how should you build the rest of your team?

1. Read the rules before entering the league

Last year’s intro article strongly suggested that the rules should be read before the draft. While that is true, the rules should be discussed by all involved parties when creating the league, with newcomers then deciding whether or not they want in. How many teams will be in the league? How many IL (or IL+, which is preferred for flexibility reasons) will you have to work with? While missing a rule in a casual league that doesn’t have money on the line can be frustrating, the leagues in which you are playing for money are where feelings can get hurt because someone did not pay attention. Save yourself the headache and read the rules early. If anything needs to be addressed, that can be done before someone joins a league they ultimately decide they don’t want to participate in.

Advertisement

2. Determine what kind of draft setup you prefer

We’ll get into the specifics regarding league types a little later, but the first step is to decide how you prefer to go through the draft…

..

Read More

Recommended For You

About the Author: nbatalk