In category leagues, you’re given the opportunity to compete in whichever stats tickle your fancy so long as they put you above .500 at the end of the week. Punting isn’t a “must” but it’s hard to win without a little bit of focused attention on your team’s strengths and weaknesses. The issue is that everyone knows it, and punt builds tend to stick to tight formulas.

Competing in blocks, for example, almost always comes with good numbers in FG% and rebounds with low turnovers. Ignoring those categories typically gives you good points, 3-pointers and assists with high turnovers. As more managers in your league slot into similar lanes, the strength of a punt-build roster will dilute as similar player types get spread across separate teams — you won’t be able to get the top-3 shot-blockers because someone else is going for the same build. If too many managers choose the same punt build, you might have a hard time guaranteeing wins in the categories you’re trying to build up.

So, what if you don’t want one of those common punt builds? You could either go for a total balance build, where you try to create a team that’s strong in every category, or go for a non-traditional punt build where you thread the needle and compete in stats that seem incongruous on the surface. Either way, what we have here is helpful for you.

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