Fantasy basketball is a game of numbers, strategy and timing. Success depends on not just knowing the players but also advanced stats, lineup rules and fantasy-specific terms.
This glossary highlights more than 50 essential concepts that every manager should know to draft smarter, manage rosters better and gain a competitive edge. You can also subscribe to RotoWire to get expert analysis and access to a wealth of tools.
Draft Prep and League Setup
Snake Draft: A format where the NBA fantasy draft order reverses each round, ensuring fairness, so teams picking late in the first round, pick earlier in the next.
Keeper League: A format where managers can retain certain players for future seasons, adding long-term value to draft choices.
Dynasty League: Similar to keeper leagues but more permanent, with entire rosters carried over each season for a long-term franchise-building approach.
Waiver Wire: The system where undrafted or dropped players are available to be added, usually based on waiver priority or FAAB bidding.
Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB): A blind bidding process where managers use a set budget to acquire free agents during the season.
Head-to-Head (H2H): A format where teams compete weekly in direct matchups across categories or total points.
Rotisserie (Roto): A scoring format where teams accumulate stats across categories all season, and rankings are determined by cumulative performance.
Points League: A format where real stats are converted into fantasy points, and the highest total wins.
Streaming: A strategy of cycling short-term pickups to maximize games played during a week.
Handcuffing: Drafting a backup player whose value spikes if the starter is injured or rested.
Punting: Intentionally ignoring one or multiple statistical categories to dominate in the others, a tactic used more in H2H leagues than in Roto.
Draft and Ranking Tools
Mock Draft: A simulated draft session that allows managers to practice strategies and test fantasy basketball rankings before their real draft.
Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit: A collection of resources including rankings, projections and strategy guides designed to help managers prepare for draft day.
NBA Fantasy Rankings: Lists that order players based on expected fantasy performance, often broken down by position or category strength.
Fantasy Basketball Auction Values: Dollar amounts assigned to players in auction drafts, reflecting their market worth relative to budget and demand. Managing fantasy basketball auction values can be tricky for new players.
NBA Fantasy ADP: Average Draft Position shows where players are being drafted across leagues, helping identify sleepers or overvalued picks. NBA fantasy ADP is one of the essential tools for a successful strategy.
Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: A streamlined draft-day tool with tiers, rankings and targets for quick reference under pressure. RotoWire provides an excellent NBA fantasy draft cheat sheet.
Lineups and Player Management
Streaming Spot: A roster slot reserved for adding players with favorable matchups or games on days when the NBA schedule is light, helping managers squeeze extra games into their weekly totals.
Load Management: Planned rest for players to preserve their health and performance, a factor managers must track closely.
Back-to-Back: When a team plays on consecutive nights, increasing the risk of rest or limited minutes for key players.
Injury Stash: Holding onto an injured player with the expectation of long-term payoff once they return.
NBA Lineups: Monitoring announcements or projections of NBA starting lineups is essential, as they directly impact fantasy value and playing time.
NBA Injury Report: The official status updates on player injuries, which are critical for setting lineups and making waiver moves, appears on the NBA injury report.
Standard Categories
Points (PTS): The total scoring output of a player, the most basic and universally tracked stat.
Rebounds (REB): The number of missed shots a player retrieves, sometimes divided specifically into offensive and defensive boards.
Assists (AST): Credit given for passes that lead directly to a made basket, a key stat for guards.
Steals (STL): When a player takes possession from an opponent, a high-impact defensive stat.
Blocks (BLK): When a defender legally deflects an opponent's shot attempt, protecting the rim.
Turnovers (TO): Instances where a player loses possession, which usually count as negatives in fantasy.
Field Goal Percentage (FG%): Efficiency based on shots made vs shots attempted, an important category for big men.
Free Throw Percentage (FT%): A measure of accuracy at the line, critical in Roto formats.
Three-Pointers Made (3PM): The number of successful long-range shots, increasingly valuable in modern fantasy formats.
Double-doubles (DD): An achievement when a player records double-digit numbers (10 or more) in two different statistical categories during a single game. The most common combinations are points and rebounds or points and assists, but it can also include steals or blocks.
Triple-doubles (TD): A performance in which a player records double-digit numbers (10 or more) in three different statistical categories during a single game. The most common triple-double is points, rebounds and assists, but it can also include steals or blocks.
Advanced Stats and Analytics
Usage Rate (USG%): The percentage of a team's offensive plays that a player is directly involved in while they are on the floor, an indication of how central they are to the offense.
Player Efficiency Rating (PER): A composite stat that measures per-minute productivity, adjusted for a team's pace of play and league average.
True Shooting Percentage (TS%): A scoring efficiency metric that accounts for free throws and three-pointers in addition to field goals.
Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%): Adjusts shooting percentage by giving extra weight to made three-pointers.
Win Shares (WS): An estimate of the number of wins a player contributes to their team, combining offense and defense.
Box Plus/Minus (BPM): A box score-based estimate of a player's impact compared to league average per 100 possessions.
Value Over Replacement Player (VORP): Measures a player's overall value compared to a replacement-level alternative.
Offensive Rating (ORtg): Points produced per 100 possessions, showing scoring efficiency.
Defensive Rating (DRtg): Points allowed per 100 possessions, reflecting defensive value.
Pace: The number of possessions a team uses per 48 minutes, important for projecting volume stats.
Net Rating (NetRtg): The difference between offensive and defensive ratings, showing overall team effectiveness.
Assist Percentage (AST%): The share of teammate field goals a player assists while on the floor.
Rebound Percentage (REB%): The share of available rebounds a player secures, adjusted for playing time.
Turnover Percentage (TO%): The rate of possessions a player ends with a turnover, scaled to usage.
Projections and Strategy
NBA Projections: Forecasted player stats used for draft prep, DFS contests or season-long NBA projections.
Ceiling: A player's best-case scenario performance in a given game or season.
Floor: The baseline or worst-case outcome, useful for risk evaluation.
Breakout Player: A player expected to significantly exceed previous production.
Injury-prone: A player with a history of missing games for health reasons that could impact his availability throughout the season, either because of rest or the chance of re-injury.
Bust: A player drafted high who underperforms expectations.
Sleeper: A player picked late with potential to deliver outsized value.
Whether you're new to fantasy basketball or a seasoned veteran, mastering these terms and stats will sharpen your decision-making and give you an edge over the competition. From draft prep to in-season roster management, understanding how metrics like usage rate, PER and advanced lineup strategies apply can be the difference between a middling finish and a championship run.
Subscribe to RotoWire and keep this glossary as a reference throughout the season. You'll be better equipped to spot breakout players, avoid pitfalls and maximize every opportunity to dominate your league.
