There are two distinct types of fantasy basketball leagues that players can participate in. Head-to-head leagues and Rotisserie leagues offer their own variations of scoring, strategy and rankings. Both are enjoyable but require different strategies in both the NBA fantasy draft and throughout the season.
Head-to-head leagues include weekly opponents in which players compile statistics in different categories throughout the week to determine a winner. Rotisserie leagues compile season-long stats to determine a winner, making lineup changes less important, but consistency more important. We'll dive into each league type and how using Rotowire's fantasy basketball draft kit can set you up for success no matter the format of what you're playing.
What Is a Head-to-Head Fantasy Basketball League?
Head-to-head fantasy basketball is the most popular format. Fantasy basketball managers play a different opponent each week and attempt to compile better stats in eight (or nine) categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-pointers, field goal percentage and free throw percentage (and sometimes turnovers).
Some leagues give a "win" for every category won, so a team that beat its opponents in points, rebounds, steals, 3-pointers, and free throw percentage (five of the eight categories) would have a 5-3 record. Others give a single win for beating your opponent in more categories, so the same scenario would give that owner a 1-0 record for the week.
Owners in Head-to-head leagues can target specific categories with their fantasy basketball rankings while disregarding others because the goal is to be better in most categories rather than needing to be entirely balanced.
What Is a Roto Fantasy Basketball League?
Roto fantasy basketball leagues compile a team's stats over the entire 82-game season and assign a point total to each category based on where that team finished. For example, in a 10-team league, the team with the most total points will receive 10 points. The team with the fewest points will receive 1 point. The team with the most Roto points in all categories is deemed the league winner.
Your NBA fantasy draft cheat sheet becomes even more important in Rotisserie leagues because it's critical to balance your team's strengths. All categories are weighed equally, and you can't be poor in any one spot or your overall score will suffer.
Key Differences Between Head-to-Head and Roto
The weekly aspect of a head-to-head league vs. Roto's season-long format is the biggest difference between the two league formats. Players on the NBA injury report who miss a large chunk of the season might not hurt as much in head-to-head if they return for the fantasy playoffs, but missing time in a Rotisserie league hurts your overall numbers.
You'll also need to focus on all categories in Rotisserie leagues. In head-to-head leagues, you can lose free throw percentage each week and still earn a 7-1 victory that leads you to a championship. In Rotisserie leagues, having the worst free throw percentage means you'll get one point at the end of the season, making it tougher to come out on top. Keep that in mind when analyzing your fantasy basketball auction values.
Which Fantasy Basketball Format Is Right for You?
Both fantasy basketball formats are great for different reasons. Head-to-head is fun because you match up squarely against one another team each week and make short-term moves to try and get ahead. Using daily NBA projections late in the week can be the difference between a win and a loss.
Rotisserie leagues are great because they take the entire season into account and it's a better indicator of which team was the best. There's less activity because you're simply looking for the best players all year, but you'll still want to pay attention to NBA starting lineups changes and hot waiver wire adds who can help in the long run.
Regardless of which format you're playing in, fantasy basketball managers who subscribe to RotoWire will be able to customize their rankings and be in the best possible position to dominate draft day and make the right moves over the course of a season to come out on top.
