Below you will find a simplified explanation on how daily fantasy basketball works:
1. NBA players are assigned their respective position and a monetary value. One thing you must understand is the more a player produces, the higher they’re worth.
Examples: PG Chris Paul = $9,000, SG Kobe Bryant = $9,000, SF Lebron James = $12,000, SF Kevin Durant = $12,000, PF LaMarcus Aldridge = $9,800, C Dwight Howard = $9,000
2. A salary cap is set.
Example: $60,000
3. You must take that $60,000 and create your “dream team” (for FanDuel you must select: 2xPG, 2xSG, 2xSF, 2xPF, & 1xC). You’re only allowed to select from the pool of players that have a game that day, so for example, if Cleveland doesn’t play, you can’t pick Lebron.
Example:
PG Damian Lillard ($6,600)
PG George Hill ($5,000)
SG Kobe Bryant ($9,000)
SG Kevin Martin ($5,300)
SF Lebron James ($12,000)
SF Andre Iguodala ($6,000)
PF David Lee ($5,800)
PF Zach Randolph ($6,200)
C Tyson Chandler ($4,100)
My grand total sums up to $60,000, which is perfect because I have fully maximized my salary cap. However, keep in mind that using all $60,000 doesn’t necessarily mean you created the best team possible, so don’t fall into the mindset of using all of your cap every single time. We’ve won numerous games with $100-200 left in our salary.
4. Once you’ve created your “dream team,” you enter your team into games and go against teams assembled by other people via public or private games (vs. friends). Then all you need to do is just sit back and enjoy the games. Once all of the games are over, check if you’ve won! The winner is the individual that scores the most fantasy points and will be awarded money or just bragging rights.