This article is part of our DRAFT NBA series.
There are plenty of salary-cap based daily fantasy sites out there -- the biggest names being DraftKings and FanDuel. But it can be stressful dedicating time trying to figure out the exact right use of salary to maximize potential score. Plus, any breaking injury news can completely throw a wrench into the equation.
DRAFT makes things quicker and easier by introducing a snake draft format, something that nearly every player of year-long fantasy is familiar with, to DFS. Here's how it works:
Selecting a Draft
Whether on desktop or mobile, the site/app has an intuitive design, making it easy to know what your draft options are. For example, you can enter multi-person or head-to-head drafts that begin immediately when full, or larger contests that start at a set time. Drafts range between 2 to 12 people.
There are also multi-round, multi-day tournaments in which you are dropped right into a draft after entering, with the first round beginning when filled. If you win your draft against the others in your grouping, you advance to the next round. The deeper you go in the tournament, the more cash you can take home. The last man standing takes home the grand prize.
Finally, there are "Dream Team Drafts", which are different from the typical snake draft format of the site. In Dream Team Drafts, you simply pick five players from the player pool and hope that your combination outperforms your opponents'. But your opponents may have one, or more, of the same players on their team as you. This style of draft can have 100-plus other entrants. In a recent change, Dream Team Drafts do not always include all players on that day's slate, as certain top-tier players are obvious choices and result in too many ties.
Picking your Players
Once the draft begins, you'll see where you land in the draft order. Once your pick arrives, you're on the clock to make a selection. When looking through players to select, a point projection is available, as well as recent news about the player. This process continues until you've drafted five players who you think will outscore your opponent'(s). The drafts themselves average under 10 minutes to complete.
Your team consists of two guards, two forwards and a center. The assigned point values for each statistic are as follows (and are based on the NBA's official fantasy scoring format): Points (1), rebounds (1.2), assists (1.5), blocks (3), steals (3) and turnovers (-1).
You are allowed to swap a player in the event that player went from an active status (In, Probable and questionable) to an inactive status (Doubtful, Out, Traded, Postponed). When a player is eligible to be swapped, you will receive a push notification and then can execute a same-position swap. All swaps are final.
Watching and Winning
After drafting your squad, you can follow along with their performances live through DRAFT, even if you aren't around to watch the games. Especially make sure to check back when the games end to see how you fared and collect your potential winnings. Those winnings go straight back into your account, where you can choose to re-invest and up the profits.
General Strategy
The strategy of taking the "best player available" isn't as straightforward in daily formats as it is in yearly. For example, even if you believe Joel Embiid is better than Dwight Howard -- a very reasonable opinion to have -- it's important to keep in mind who each player is matched up against. If Joel Embiid and the 76ers are facing off against a top-tier defender in Rudy Gobert and a slow-paced Jazz team, it may make more sense to draft Howard ahead of Embiid if the Hornets are playing the Nets, for example, who are a fast-paced squad with a weak front line.
It's also important to keep an eye on injury news. For example, in where Joel Embiid has not played this season, Dario Saric averages 34.4 fantasy points compared to his average of 25.6 fantasy points when Embiid laces up. Having that sort of information in your back pocket can come in handy during the late rounds of drafts, especially in larger ones with up to 12 people, in which 60 players are selected.
