Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide 2026: Punt Strategy

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  • By Keston Paul

    Last Updated on August 20, 2026 4:38 pm by Keston Paul | Published: August 20, 2026

    Punting? We talking ’bout punting? Yes, we are.

    Punting is intentionally ignoring, overlooking or dismissing the impact of a specific category (or categories) on a player’s value or rankings.

    Punting is not actively trying to make a category (or categories) worse, although that is generally the side effect of ignoring a category (or categories).

    Soft Punting vs. Hard Punting

    I have seen this defined in different ways, although honestly, I genuinely think these extra outlines are a bit pointless and perhaps even misleading. We have to talk about it, however, since it exists in the fantasy basketball lexicon and you will likely hear it brought up eventually.

    First Set Of Definitions
    Hard Punting: Completely ignoring a category
    Soft Punting: More of a “partial punt” of a category, that is, not focusing on it but willing to improve it if you can

    Second Set Of Definitions
    Hard Punting: Leaning into the strategy more heavily by ignoring multiple categories
    Soft Punting: Only punting one category (maybe two categories at most if you are “pushing” the definition a bit)

    The First Set of Definitions is what you will hear more often. Usually, I see it being a result of a manager trying to draft a balanced 9-cat roster but perhaps being subpar in a particular category, for example steals. They will say that they “went into a bit of a soft punt” in steals, or something along those lines. I get the idea on paper, as it is basically a thought process of “I will improve that category in the future if I can, but it isn’t a priority.”

    In my personal opinion, it is a little misleading because you should never be trying to actively make a category worse anyway. Let us say you are punting FT%. You aren’t just drafting all the bad FT% players to lose FT%; you are ignoring the FT% to inflate the value of players who have a weakness in that category. However, you can and should still draft an 85.0 percent free-throw shooter if that player provides value in multiple other areas of need, like points, threes, assists and steals, for example. You are never avoiding a player “because they are good at the category you are punting.” Punting is all about improving the outlook of specific players or narrowing your area of focus.

    You punt to pool your resources into fewer areas, hoping to build a stronger foundation and higher ceiling in those fewer areas during the process.

    Think of it this way: it is easier to strengthen seven or eight categories than it is to be good at all nine, in a typical 9-cat league.

    You also punt to increase the value of a specific group of players by “removing their weakness or weaknesses” from the equation. We are all familiar with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is probably the face of the punting program.

    Ignoring his massive negative impact on FT% turns Antetokounmpo into a clear-cut first-round fantasy producer per game. In the case of Antetokounmpo, he will typically go in the first round with this understanding in mind.

    However, for a lower-ranked player, you could feasibly extrapolate extra value from a player who is the 80th pick in pure 9-cat terms but rises to top-50 value in a particular punt. By punting, you could feasibly “win the talent battle” because your players’ values are inflated in your punt. You get extra value by drafting them closer to their expected range rather than “reaching” to satisfy your punt.

    In other words, if a player has an ADP of 95 but is the 48th-best player in your punt, picking them at 48 is a waste of value. You can reach a little and get them with the 80th pick, extracting value despite taking them a little early. There may be cases when you want to reach a bit more, but for the most part, you are losing a chance to draft extra value if you do that too much.

    The intricacies of Punt Strategy are at your fingertips with the “When, How and Who” all still to come. Ready to win? You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!(opens in new tab) Premium Access Required

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    August 20, 2026, 4:38 pm