X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Punting Guide and Strategies - Top Players To Target for 2024-25 Drafts

Trae Young - Atlanta Hawks

Max's fantasy basketball punting guide, punting strategies, and top sleepers for 2024-2025. He gives you his favorite targets if you decide to punt categories.

When drafting your fantasy team, there are several different strategies that you can deploy. Rather than blindly building out your roster based on who's available, it's vital to head into your draft with a game plan.

Over the last decade, punting categories have become a tactical strategy across the fantasy community. If you aren't familiar with the term, Hashtag Basketball puts it like this. "Punting is when you ignore a specific category in your draft to maximize your chances of drafting players who make your other categories stronger. Punting a player's worst category can increase their value, making it easier to find players more valuable than where you can usually draft them."

Punting can be a necessary evil; chances are you're not going to be able to assemble a team that can legitimately compete in all 9 categories week after week. I let my first 2-3 picks determine my strategy regarding punting, as opposed to going in with a set plan of what categories I don't care about. The four most popular categories to punt are threes, free throw %, field goal %, and assists. In this piece, I'll discuss the ins and outs of punting these three categories and run through a couple of guys whose value sees a spike as a result.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Punting Threes

Shooting 3's is so heavily ingrained in the NBA at this point, that it's near-impossible to assemble a team with no 3-point shooting. However, 3-point shooters are one of the two most common "specialist" categories (along with rebounds), so by choosing to punt on 3's, what you're really doing is actively deciding that all 3 point specialists (guys like Klay Thompson or Bogdan Bogdanovic) are off your board no matter what.

Punting threes is an interesting strategy that allows you to eliminate players from the queue who are primarily good three-point shooters. As a result, you'll find that most of your options will now be big men, or guys that dominate the paint. This has the potential to help your overall field goal percentage, as most of your guys' shot attempts will come from mid-range or close distance.

When removing threes from the equation, you'll notice that lots of mid-late-round guys suddenly jump the ranks and move up into the first handful of rounds. Looking at the current fantasy basketball landscape, this strategy is at its best if you are stuck picking toward the back half of the first round. Here are a few of my favorite guys to target when implementing the punt threes strategy.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

SGA is a consensus top-5 pick this year, but he's the only Guard in the consensus top 35 not making at least 1.5 3's per game. Undoubtedly he's an elite scorer, but the long ball has never been a huge part of his game since moving to OKC.

Scottie Barnes - SG/SF, Toronto Raptors

A career 31% shooter from 3, Barnes shot a career-best 34% from deep in his third year in the NBA. Neither his efficiency nor volume would suggest that 3s are a favorable category for him. Barnes is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA and should contribute plenty in other areas - most notably all defensive stats.

Jimmy Butler - SF, Miami Heat

Butler is a wing player who doesn't even average one made 3 per game. He's the poster boy in this punt strategy and a player that pushes you to punt 3s. I would only take him if you're comfortable doing so, and your team through the first 2-3 rounds lends itself to the strategy.

Brandon Ingram - SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans

Ingram is very similar to SGA where he's heavily involved in his team's offense, sometimes even taking the mantle of the #1 option. While he's not a terrible 3-point shooter overall, he's made less than 90 total 3s the last three seasons, compared to making an average of 145 3s during his first two years in New Orleans. Ingram prefers to get his buckets by other means.

Also consider: DeMar DeRozan, Zion Williamson, Josh Giddey

 

Punting Free Throw Percentage

Punting free-throw percentage can lend itself to building a well-rounded team, but it can feel like you're restricted in your options at times. Unless you draft a specific player in the first round (more on him in a second), you're not likely to know this is a punt-worthy category until you're starting to hit the middle rounds (rounds 4-8).

If you adopt this strategy; you're going to end up with a lineup that's heavy on big men, but, that goes hand-in-hand with success in categories like rebounds, blocks, and FG%.

Just like punting threes, punting free throws consists of targeting guys whose free-throw shooting is poor. Rather than trying to make up value throughout the draft, you will purposely forget about the category. This has been my favorite category over the years and I've always seemed to love my teams as a result.

Because the majority of big men are typically worse free-throw shooters, there is a great opportunity here to double down on blocks and rebounds. Here are my favorite targets when implementing the punt free-throw strategy.

Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis makes punting FT% an optimal strategy from the jump. He has the second-lowest FT% in the consensus top 50 behind Rudy Gobert (more on him in a moment) and has come in below his career rate of 70.2% in four of the last five years. It's safe to say that after a decade in the NBA, this is the norm for him. I will note that if your league plays by "Total Number of FTs Made" and not by percentage, Giannis is an absolute stud in that scenario.

Giannis is my guy for this strategy. His poor free-throw shooting forces him to the back end of the first round, so if you can build your punt free-throw team around him, you have the chance to do something special. Believe it or not, he sees the biggest value jump of all players when you remove free throws from the equation. If my draft spot is later than the 5th round, meaning I've missed out on the elite top 5, I'm likely implementing this strategy and taking Giannis. No questions asked.

De'Aaron Fox - PG, Sacramento Kings

Fox registered the lowest FT% among all starting PGs last season. If you're deciding to punt FT% he's a no-brainer for a build like this, since guards are typically much better FT shooters than forwards or centers and there are just so few options at guard that truly stand out.

Rudy Gobert - C, Minnesota Timberwolves

Gobert has the lowest FT% in the top 65 players, and like Giannis, has been a poor FT shooter for a decade. Obviously, you won't get major offensive numbers from him, but he's an absolute beast defensively. If you're able to pair him with an elite PF that's ideal and really sets you up with a solid direction for your team.

Also Consider: Nicolas Claxton, LeBron JamesJaylen Brown, Russell Westbrook

 

Punting Field Goal Percentage

Our first two punt strategies have been geared more toward playing through big men, but that's not the case here. If you're punting FG% you want all the ball-handling, shot-chucking guards and forwards your roster can hold. With this strategy, you're going to be stronger with offensive categories, and likely weaker in categories like blocks and rebounds. Ultimately, we're looking to sacrifice efficiency for sheer volume.

Trae Young - PG, Atlanta Hawks

Young has always been a high-usage player throughout his career. Last year he "only" averaged a 28.9% usage rate, down from his career average of 32.3%. With Dejounte Murray no longer in Atlanta, it seems more likely than not that usage number will look more like his career average in the 2024-25 season.

LaMelo Ball - PG, Charlotte Hornets

Ball boasts the second-lowest FG% among guards in the consensus top 50. Deep down he's still the shot-chucking 16-year-old at Chino Hills, but when he actually does play, he typically produces a well-rounded fantasy stat line.

Anthony Edwards - SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

The NBA's newest emerging superstar is fresh off an Olympics run where he claimed to be the best player on the team. THAT is the mentality we're looking for when punting FG%. For a player as explosive as Edwards is, you'd expect him to get a fair amount of quality shots around the rim. However, he only shot 46% from the field last year, which puts him at the second-lowest percentage among all guards in the top 40 players.

Nikola Vucevic - C, Chicago Bulls

Much like how the guard options are limited when punting FT%, bigs that fit a build of punting FG% are few and far between. Vucevic is one of three center-eligible players to finish under 50% FG% in the top 75 consensus players, but going into this year he's the only one who seems to be their team's #2 offensive option. The Bulls don't look to be very good this year, but they also don't have any young talent waiting in the wings to usurp Vucevic from big minutes on a nightly basis.

Also Consider: Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Jabari Smith Jr, Draymond Green

 

Punting Assists

Punting assists is simply avoiding players who typically put up high assist numbers. Most of the top assist mavens happen to be point guards with the ball in their hands frequently, so deploying this strategy should also indirectly cut down on your turnover numbers - can't turn the ball over if you're not the one handling it. By punting on assists, you might be dealing with a bit more volatility due to having a roster largely comprised of wings & bigs.

Kevin Durant - SF/PF, Phoenix Suns

Durant is still a lethal weapon on offense, but in this current iteration of the Suns, the offense doesn't run directly through him as much as it used to in his younger days. Durant averaged less than 5 assists per game last year, while also shooting 41.7% from 3 - his best percentage since his first year in Brooklyn (2020-21 season). It's clear that as he gets older, he's less focused on getting to the rim as he attempted the lowest number of FT attempts per game of his career.

Lauri Markkanen - SF, Utah Jazz

Markkanen averaged less than two assists per game last season and was the only non-center under two assists per game in the consensus top 50 players. He's an excellent shooter and is his team's primary offensive option, and finding a primary option that isn't a ballhandler isn't exactly easy to do.

Jalen Johnson - PF, Atlanta Hawks

Johnson was one of the biggest breakout players in the league last year and was an absolute steal in drafts at his ADP. You're not going to be able to grab him in the double-digit rounds this year, I can promise you all that much. Johnson is set to be Atlanta's secondary offensive option behind the previously-mentioned usage juggernaut Trae Young, and when you play with the guy who led the league in assists last year, there's simply not a lot left to go around.

Devin Vassell - SG,  San Antonio Spurs

With floor general Chris Paul coming to San Antonio to be a veteran presence running the offense, Vassell should cede even more playmaking duties. At this point in his career, CP3 is almost strictly a facilitator, and I don't see Gregg Popovich bringing him in to have him stand in the corner while Vassell initiates. I'd be shocked if Vassell averages close to the 4 assists per game he did in 2023-24.

Also Consider: Jaren Jackson Jr., Myles Turner, Michael Porter Jr., Tyler Herro



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Uchenna Nwosu

Seahawks Place Uchenna Nwosu on PUP List
Taylor Decker

Alim McNeill, Taylor Decker Placed on PUP List
Tyrion Davis-Price

Titans Waive Tyrion Davis-Price
Tre Harris

Chargers Relying on Tre Harris to Be Starting X Receiver
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF