Fantasy Basketball Scoring
Systems for Fantasy Basketball Scoring
When preparing your fantasy basketball draft strategy or working on your team's roster, nothing is more important than statistics. This article looks at some of the different fantasy basketball scoring systems and which statistics matter.
Important fantasy basketball statistics fall in the range of anywhere from 3 to 10 categories or even more. The specific statistics important to your fantasy basketball scoring system depend on the league you've joined.
The types of fantasy basketballs statistic leagues are easy enough to remember -- the number of statistics used that earn fantasy points usually determines the name of the league type. If your league uses a scoring system with only three statistics, that is called a "three statistic league". And if your league uses a massive number of statistics (usually including oddball stats like fouls and games started) you could be playing in something like a twelve or thirteen statistic league.
Here's a breakdown of typical league sizes and the fantasy basketball statistics used in typical fantasy basketball scoring schemes.
Three Statistic League
This kind of scoring system is perfect for fantasy basketball beginners. The three most common statistics (and easiest to track) are most important:
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
This kind of fantasy basketball is an offensive game, much like standard fantasy football leagues tend to place emphasis on running backs and touchdowns.
Five Statistic League
The five statistic league is my favorite kind of league -- simple enough for casual participation but with nuance added to keep things interesting. The five stats usually used in a league like this are:
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Blocks
- Steals
Since defensive rebounds count, as do blocks and steals, this is a balanced type of fantasy basketball scorekeeping method, allowing room for players to make a defensive impact. This kind of league reminds me an IDP fantasy football league, where individual defensive players have an impact on the fantasy total a manager earns.
Eight Statistic League
Now we're getting into fantasy basketball statistical nerd territory. Sometimes known as "percentage leagues", eight statistic league take player percentages into account and push the game even further toward an emphasis on offense. All of the above statistics are important (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals) but also of value are field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point field goal percentage.
This league is weighted toward a fantasy basketball manager that drafts a ton of superstars. What kinds of players are going to have solid numbers for the basic five stats AS WELL as great shooting percentages? Realistically, only the two 15 or 20 players in the league will make major contribution to your eight statistic league roster.
Nine Statistic League
Identical to eight statistic league, with one exception -- turnovers count against the team that turns the ball over and for the team that gains the turnover. Probably, these leagues are trying to take some of the offensive emphasis away from what is an otherwise difficult, competitive, and stat-driven league. Unless you've got a roster full of Butterfingers, points taken away due to turnovers should be just about even with points given for causing a turnover. These leagues are rare.
Oddball Statistics for Custom Leagues
You can customize the scoring for your league by adding or taking away any statistic or by assigning different stats their own points values. You can score points, rebounds, steal, and blocks along with field goal percentage and turnovers. That seems like a well balanced scoring system, with points and field goal percentage counting offensively, steals and blocks counting defensively, and turnovers and rebounds counting for both. I play in a league that scores this way, and I it's the easiest league to both learn and master the game of fantasy basketball. Since there are nearly endless numbers of stats (including games played, shots in paint, jump ball win/loss, etc) you can create any kind of league you want to play in.
Fantasy Point Values
Fantasy basketball statistics usually count for different numbers of points in terms of fantasy scoring. Just like with the types of stats used to score your fantasy game, you can assign different values for different statistics and customize your game. If you think the standard three statistic league is offense heavy, you can reward rebounds double the value of points and assists. This would make hardworking rebounders more valuable than guys who can put the ball in the bucket.
On the other hand, if you want to make a three statistic league into one that values superstars, make points worth two or three times rebounds and assists. This could be called the "ball hog league", but if this is the kind of fantasy game you want to play, you have the freedom to do that. The fantasy basketball statistic police won't come get you.
Some standard point values for different fantasy basketball follow:
- Point scored (+0.5)
- FG made (+1)
- 3 point FG made (+3)
- FT Made (+1)
- Rebound (+2)
- Steal (+3)
- Block (+3)
- Assist (+2)
- Turnovers (-2 for player who committed turnover, +2 for player who caused turnover)