Fantasy basketball Points leagues offer a streamlined and engaging format where players accumulate fantasy points based on their real-game performance. Unlike category-based leagues that involve competition across multiple statistical categories, Points leagues simplify the scoring system by assigning specific point values to different in-game actions. This approach mirrors the scoring structure often seen in fantasy football, but, unlike in fantasy football where individual achievements can significantly boost scores, Nikola Jokić won’t earn additional points for a perfectly executed full-court pass to Jamal Murray.

When preparing for your Points League fantasy draft, your strategy should differ significantly from that of a 9-category league. While 9-cat leagues emphasize overall efficiency across multiple categories, Points Leagues reward high-usage players who consistently rack up points. In a Points League, it’s advantageous to target players with high usage rates because they are more likely to contribute heavily to your fantasy score.

For instance, players like Paolo Banchero, Ja Morant, RJ Barrett, Jalen Green, and Julius Randle are excellent targets in Points Leagues due to their ability to generate a lot of fantasy points. However, these same players might not be as valuable in a 9-cat league, where efficiency and contributions across various stats are key. In a category league, you need to be mindful of a player’s contributions across every single category. In a Points League, you just want the guys who score the most points for you, however that’s achieved. Conversely, players who excel in category leagues such as Derrick White and Trey Murphy III offer early-round value in that format but don’t score enough in a Points League to warrant early selection. These 3-and-D players, while valuable for their contributions in defensive and shooting metrics, generally don’t accumulate enough points to be considered reliable early picks in a Points League. Aim to draft these high-usage scorers early in Points Leagues, while saving players who shine in category leagues for later rounds.

In a category league you need to think about how your roster mixes together, and how weaknesses and strengths combat and compound across every player. Not so in Points Leagues. Essentially, you don’t ask “how,” you ask “how many?” The fantasy points your players put on the board are the only thing that matters when the dust settles, whether that’s by scoring a bunch of points on awful percentages or grabbing a ton of rebounds with no other worthwhile contributions. But how should you go about getting the team together?

5 Tips to Dominate Your Points League Fantasy Draft

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