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 Auction Draft Strategy: Stars and Scrubs

Perhaps more than any other professional league in the world, the NBA is based around superstars. These are players you know are going to show up each and every night and produce solid all-around games. That holds even truer for fantasy basketball.  There is no need to look any further than the final per game rankings to know stars are a necessity in fantasy basketball. The top eight players from last year were Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard. Those eight players were all consensus first round (or in Lillard's case, early second round) picks in standard drafts last year.

Furthermore, if you look at a standard draft roster at the end of the year, you will see a ton of turnover at the bottom of your team. Often rounds nine and on are full of flyers and potential guys that simply do not work out, by spending up to start your draft you get top flight players while also not losing much at the back end.  Consider that players such as Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell and Taurean Prince all went undrafted (meaning they should be cheap in your auctions) in many leagues last year and ended up as top 50 fantasy players.

This all leads to a common strategy in fantasy basketball auctions: the "stars and scrubs" approach. In this strategy, you invest the bulk of your money into acquiring two or three of those near-guaranteed studs at the top of the draft, then fill out the rest of your roster with cheap flyers, eschewing mid-ranked players altogether.

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!

 

Auction League Draft Strategy

Pay for consistency and health at the top of your drafts

This is especially true in roto leagues where simply playing a majority of games can provide a huge edge over injured players. No player exemplifies this more than Towns, who in three pro seasons has yet to miss a game.  He may not have the upside of a Davis or Durant, but simply being available every game is huge, and makes him perhaps the top target in your auctions.

On the other side of the coin, it is important to not overspend on stars that have been injury risks in the past. Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid are the two prime examples of this. Consider that Embiid has missed two full seasons and in the two seasons since has played 31 and 63 games respectively. Although 19 games missed does not seem like a ton, consider that drops his 23.1%, thus effectively dropping his totals on the year to closer to around 17 points, 9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. It is hard to predict injuries, but if you are paying up for stars, it is vital that they are consistently on the floor to help boost the value on the cheap players on the team.

Be sure your studs are multi-category producers

The other thing that stars generally provide is a good combination of stats as opposed to some of the scrub players who are more specialized. Although a player such as Andre Drummond may be elite in field goal percentage and rebounds, he is also a minus in free throw percentage, assists, and turnovers. When looking at studs to buy, be sure to target the likes of a Harden, Khris Middleton, or Victor Oladipo who contribute across the board while also not being a huge hindrance in any one category.

Where to target scrubs

The stars portion of the draft is fairly self-explanatory as you want to get the true cream of the crop, where you can differentiate yourself is selecting under-the-radar players for next to nothing who compliment your studs to perfection.

Perhaps the most important thing to look at when picking your scrubs is to find players who are a lock to receive a boost in minutes from the previous year. The three big things to look at here are the departure of a player in front of them in the rotation, an injury, or a team who is likely to tank and thus give big minutes to some of their younger players.

A good example of a player departing and opening up time is LeBron James in Cleveland. He takes with him 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a monster 31.6% usage rate. Although he is nowhere near him in terms of talent, Cedi Osman is the front runner to fill that position and get a majority of minutes. For a player you might get for the minimum bid, Osman averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes last year. Numbers very similar to Al Horford last year.

As mentioned, it is also key to target teams who may not have a ton to play for this year and thus will give their younger (and cheaper in auctions) a shot to produce.  Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, and Sacramento all stand out as teams that have multiple young players who are likely to get big minutes this season.

Single category studs who are otherwise scrubs

A final thing to target with your scrubs are players who can excel in on area or another. For example, we mentioned Andre Drummond before who is likely to be top 10 in terms of rebounds and field goal percentage while not providing much in other categories.  Instead of spending money on a middling player like that, simply look at a cheap player such as Elfrid Payton. The new Pelicans point guard is not a great all-around performer but could be top 15 in assists, while also contributing good field goal percentage, steals and rebounds for a guard, all for a bargain basement price.

Assuming you have a few top end stars that produce across the bar simply finding a few specialists late could easily vault you into the top of your league. Remember, fantasy basketball is a league of stars, paying for the top studs over an 82 game season is going to pay off far more than in other fantasy sports.

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

Terrance Ferguson

Could Benefit from Rams Scheme Changes
Jacob Cowing

Could Handle Gadget Role in San Francisco
Jayden Higgins

to Start for Texans Right Away?
Sauce Gardner

Agrees to $120.4 Million Contract Extension
Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
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
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
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
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
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
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
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
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
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
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
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
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF