When it comes to choosing your NBA DraftKings lineup, there are a host of strategies at your disposal. Unfortunately these strategies certainly are not full proof. In fact, last night I had four players that were hurt before half-time in one of the contests I played. However, thanks to my specific bankroll strategy, it was a minor loss, and I still won money by the end of the night.
Then there will be players that you never see coming. They will only play about 15 minutes a game, but they get hot during that time, which quickly turns fifteen minutes into thirty and about 30 to 40 points instead of 10. The point is; there are some things you just can’t account for when the game starts. However, there a few things you can do that will help create the best possible lineup.
#1 Knowing the Categories
Once you’ve entered an NBA contest, you will have nine spots to fill:
1 Point Guard
1 Shooting Guard
1 Small Forward
1 Power Forward
1 Center
1 Guard (point guard or shooting guard)
1 Forward (small forward or power forward)
1 Utility (this can be one player from any position)
#2 Understanding the Player Options
The very first time I entered an NBA contest, I basically picked my team in the order they were listed (point guard, then shooting guard, then small forward, etc.). The problem with this approach is you don’t necessarily pick the smartest choice in each category. You have to look through each position and see what type of talent is available. On any given night, you will only find 3-5 good choices in one position, but you might have 12 good to decent choices in another category. Why is this important?
Often times you can pay $8,000 to $9,000 (sometimes more) for an elite player, but by the end of the night, a $4,500 player at the same position will have more fantasy points. Then again, you might find certain positions where you will have to take the expensive players, because the value picks are a little light. The smartest approach is to go ahead and draft the expensive players where it is necessary, and then fill in the rest based on the salary you have left to spend.
#3 Defenses vs. Position
When you are drafting each player, you can maximize their potential by checking an opponent’s defense versus a certain position. This can be done by clicking on the face of the player when you’re in the drafting area. This will load the player’s information card. When you click on “matchup,” it provides with a variety of statistics, and one of them is how the opponent fairs against that player’s position (e.g. Sacramento ranks 16th vs. SFs).
If you use these research strategies in the beginning, you overall point totals will see a massive increase.