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August 20, 2026, 3:11 amLast Updated on August 20, 2026 3:11 am by Keston Paul | Published: August 20, 2026
I was introduced to fantasy basketball about a decade ago via an ESPN Points League. That league is still ongoing to this day, but since then, I have branched out into pretty much all forms of fantasy basketball. I still love points leagues, but I also love category leagues, and whatever variation of those may exist: 9-cat or 8-cat, H2H, roto, dynasty and so on. We will have format-specific strategy guides, but for any of my fellow points-league lovers out there who want to see “what all the hype is about” when it comes to category leagues, this is a quick and easy introduction to the most popular form of fantasy basketball. I want to make your transition easier, so that when you start reading the more complicated aspects, your learning speed should be expedited.
What is a Category League?
Category LeaguesRookie, CollegeWelcome to the big leagues, rook.
You will hear a lot of analysts, or pretty much anyone speaking about category leagues, use the terms “9-cat” or “8-cat,” and that refers to the default number of categories in a standard league.
In other words, 9-cat means nine categories and 8-cat means eight categories. The standard nine categories are listed below:
- Points
- 3PM
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- FG%
- FT%
- Turnovers
In a standard 8-cat league, the turnover category is removed since it can be contentious among the fantasy community, that is, whether or not the weight of turnovers as the ninth “decisive” category makes sense in the grander scheme of things.
Types of Category Leagues
H2H or Head-to-HeadYou vs. Me, Philadelphia SixersKeston transitioned from mainly playing Points Leagues to Category Leagues (9-cat, 8-cat) years ago and is here to provide a veteran hand. Want more? 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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Keston majored in Biology and minored in Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies (U.W.I.), St. Augustine. Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, Kes grew up loving cricket, then football (soccer, not NFL) & never missed a Barça game in the 2010s. Later on, he grew obsessed with basketball/fantasy basketball & unfortunately claims to be a Sixers fan for some reason.
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