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
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Punt Guide: Common Pitfalls of Punting

With the 2018-2019 season approaching, we're ready to start rolling out NBA preview content for you guys, our readers. I believe that H2H Fantasy Basketball is right up there with Roto Baseball as the most skill-testing fantasy format and punting strategies are a huge reason why - they are simple to learn, hard to master, and are incredibly rewarding when you execute them properly.

Welcome to Part 2 of the RotoBaller Guide to Punting in Fantasy Basketball. This is our most ambitious NBA project yet, a multi-part deep dive into every standard punt strategy in fantasy basketball with advanced punting strategies. Over the next little while (or long while!), we will look at how to approach first round picks, move on to separate guides for each of the eight standard punt strategies (FG%, FT%, 3PM, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK), and get you ready to move into each and every one of these builds should the opportunity present itself. Before taking a deep dive into strategies for each individual build, we'll be presenting a primer and looking at the concept of punting from a more general angle for those inexperienced with the concepts, and hoping to create a solid landing point for newer fantasy basketball players, showing anyone new to the game how to begin effectively utilizing the defining strategy of the game we all love.

Now that we've covered the basics of what punting is, let's dive into some of the common pitfalls players face when punting in fantasy basketball.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders leads the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with his 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!

 

Common Pitfalls of Punting in Fantasy Basketball

At this point, most players who have any experience with the game know about punting, and have their own idea what it entails, but a surprisingly large amount are not aware of what exactly it means to execute a punt strategy as they fall for these common pitfalls and end up with teams that might sound like they work on paper, but come up short time and time again.

The Concept of Punting is Not Actively Trying to Lose a Category, but Rather, Trying to Create Surplus Value Through Ignoring a Category During Team-Building

This is easily the number one pitfall that new players taking their first swipe at punting fall for. Punting does not mean you are actively trying to lose the category you decide to punt. What punting does mean, is ignoring that category to build the strongest team you can in the other categories you are not punting, even if it means drafting a player who is not an obvious candidate for the specific build you are going for if it makes sense from a value and team building perspective. That means not reaching for players that seem like perfect fits for your strategy and surrendering value in the process.

The reason why punt strategies are the defining strategies in fantasy basketball is because punting allows you to create artificial surplus value where it otherwise wouldn't exist. The secret to being successful in fantasy is really simple, as it boils down to creating the most value using a constrained set of resources (draft capital), a basic economics problem. What punting does for you is create a situation where a player can give you value beyond the draft pick or auction dollars you spend to acquire them simply because they contribute more to your build than they do to others'. By reaching for players who "fit your build" earlier, you are essentially giving that value right back. The easiest example is someone like DeAndre Jordan, who would not be drafted at all by a team that isn't punting FT%. If you are the only player in your league drafting that strategy, you can land Jordan in the 4th/5th round, meaning you are getting a player who will return borderline 1st/2nd round value in your build for the investment of a 4th/5th round pick - 2-3 rounds of surplus value.

If you were to take Jordan in round 2 just because you decide "I am punt FT%", you are not only giving that value right back, but also narrowing your flexibility going forward, as spending your second round pick on a player who almost definitively puts you into a specific strategy greatly limits your options going forward. This leads really neatly into our next pitfall.

 

Committing Too Early and Not Using Signals

The draft is a spectacle in itself, and probably the biggest contributor in determining your fate in a league. Every draft is a different animal - a game within a game that needs to adjusted to and controlled in order for you to gain an edge over your competition. In leagues where most players will be playing a punt strategy, it is almost always incorrect to commit to your strategy after the first round without having idea of what your opponents are doing. That is because the entire pool of roster worthy players in fantasy basketball is only large enough that it can only support so many teams of a certain strategy before the overlap causes a significant drop in the teams trying top execute that strategy. For example, if there are 3 players building a punt Assists team, each of those teams will be relatively weaker simply due to the fact that they will all be fighting over the same targets for the entirety of the draft.

That is why I am a huge believer in staying open early until you have an idea of what strategies your opponents are running before committing to your own, usually around the 3rd or 4th round. From this, we need to take a look at signals, and the importance they have on drafting a punt strategy.

signal  is when a player falls below a certain threshold in draft position (or auction dollars), strongly indicating, or signalling, that a certain punt position is open. The easiest example of this would be someone like Andre Drummond falling to the 4th round - if there was another punt FT% player in your league, Drummond would have been taken in the 2nd or 3rd by that player so seeing him there in round 4 means nobody else is drafting that strategy. I prioritize being in an open strategy over forcing one that my first round pick fits in better just because I know that my overall team will be stronger, and it is much easier to trade your first round pick for other top tier players who fit your build than it is to make up the lost depth because you've been fighting all draft and all season for the same players as 2 other teams.

That being said, it doesn't hurt to have your first round pick fall perfectly into the open punt strategy you find yourself in after round 3, and that is why I like flexibility from my first rounders and prefer to rate players who fit neatly into a multitude of different punt strategies higher. The true studs in the game are usually so strong in so many different categories that you really have a few different directions you can go and can defer that decision for after you have a feel for what your league-mates are doing.

Also, note that auction drafts are a different animal all together, and signals will be a lot easier to read than in snake, but auction requires a more top down view and knowing exactly what each and every one of your opponents is drafting and why. Even though signals are more obvious, you need a better grasp of your opponents thought process and strategy to gain an edge, and being in the open strategy is even more important than it is in snake.

 

Focusing Too Much on Complementary Stats and not Contrary Stats

Some definitions first:

complimentary stat is a stat that fits naturally into a punt build, such as FG% and REB for a punt FT% strategy due to the fact that low FT% bigs happen to be good contributors in those categories. It means that these are the stats you will be naturally strong in just by virtue of being in that strategy.

A contrary stat is a stat that you'll be naturally weak in if you are in a specific punt build, such as STL and AST for that same FT% build due to the fact that the highest contributors in FT% are usually guards who also provide high STL and AST rates. You still need to be competitive in these categories but need to work in order to do so.

One of the biggest mistakes newer punt players make is putting all their focus into players who provide complimentary stats, rather than players who can patch up their contrary ones. The result of this is teams that end up great to dominant in their complementary stats but so weak in their contraries despite still needing to compete in those stats, causing their team to fall apart in weeks where things don't go according to plan such as when they suffer an injury to a key player or their opponent happens to be extremely strong in or greatly over-perform in one of their complimentary stats.

Having strong contrary stats allows you to have a buffer during those tough weeks, and gives your team a level of consistency that ensures your strategy can withstand the bad weeks and dominate the good ones. It is the foundation upon which strong punt teams are built, and underscores the importance of pivots, or players who have increased significance in certain builds due to the coverage they provide for contrary stats. During our series, we will go over pivots that are valuable for certain builds, and when to target them.

Finally, taking the pivot concept to the extreme is the most specialized pivot, the punt-breaker, or a player who can swing your punt cat in a matchup against a team punting, or just generally very weak in that stat. Punt-breakers can be useful to steal a win here and there during the regular season but they can be absolutely back breaking in a one week playoff if deployed correctly.

 

Next: Ranking the Degree of Difficulty of Punt Strategies




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Will Levis5 mins ago

Questionable For Week 9
David Njoku14 mins ago

Good To Go For Week 9
Bucky Irving21 mins ago

Absent During Friday's Practice
Yves Missi26 mins ago

Considered Questionable For Friday
David Njoku33 mins ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
Jordan Hawkins34 mins ago

Uncertain To Play
Adam Thielen42 mins ago

Doubtful For Week 9
Herbert Jones44 mins ago

Unavailable On Friday
Jonathon Brooks49 mins ago

Not Expected To Play In Week 9
D'Angelo Russell50 mins ago

Likely To Play On Friday
Tee Higgins56 mins ago

Listed As Doubtful For Sunday
Aaron Gordon58 mins ago

Tagged As Probable For Friday
Tyreek Hill1 hour ago

Expected To Play In Week 9
Amari Cooper1 hour ago

Curtis Samuel Questionable For Week 9
Drake Maye1 hour ago

Remains In Concussion Protocol, Could Still Play On Sunday
Lamar Jackson1 hour ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
Travis Etienne Jr.2 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision For Sunday
Anthony Davis2 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Gabe Davis2 hours ago

Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis Considered Game-Time Decisions For Week 9
De'Andre Hunter2 hours ago

Set To Miss Fourth Consecutive Game
Tyrone Tracy Jr.2 hours ago

Continues To Progress, Expected To Be Available This Weekend
Tee Higgins2 hours ago

Remains Sidelined During Friday's Practice
Andrew Nembhard2 hours ago

Questionable Against Pelicans
Immanuel Quickley2 hours ago

Doubtful To Play On Friday
Zach LaVine2 hours ago

Uncertain To Play Against Nets
Franz Wagner3 hours ago

Questionable, Expected To Play Friday
Brandon Miller3 hours ago

Questionable Against Celtics
Tomás Nosek4 hours ago

Tomas Nosek Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Leon Draisaitl4 hours ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Three-Point Effort
Martin Necas4 hours ago

Registers Four Points In Dominant Win
Alex Ovechkin4 hours ago

Bags Three Points In Thursday's Win
5 hours ago

Royals Decline Option On Adam Frazier
Sidney Crosby5 hours ago

Drags Penguins Back On Track
5 hours ago

Manuel Margot, Kyle Farmer Headed To Free Agency
William Nylander5 hours ago

Pots Two Goals Versus Seattle
5 hours ago

Milwaukee Declines Option On Wade Miley
NHL5 hours ago

Will Smith Scores First Career Goals
Lucas Giolito5 hours ago

Staying In Boston
Chris Stratton5 hours ago

Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton Returning To Kansas City
Jordan Montgomery5 hours ago

Staying In Arizona
Davante Adams9 hours ago

Finds The End Zone In Week 9 Win
Garrett Wilson9 hours ago

Hauls In Two TDs In Week 9 Win
Aaron Rodgers9 hours ago

Tosses Three TDs In Win Over Houston On TNF
CJ McCollum15 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday Night
Dyson Daniels15 hours ago

Still Sidelined On Friday
Myles Turner15 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Another Game
Karl-Anthony Towns15 hours ago

Questionable Versus The Pistons
Bradley Beal16 hours ago

Unavailable On Thursday
Paolo Banchero16 hours ago

Suffers Oblique Injury
Puka Nacua17 hours ago

Suffers Knee Injury
Daz Cameron18 hours ago

Returns To Baltimore
Kyle Gibson18 hours ago

Lance Lynn Headed For Free Agency
Roansy Contreras18 hours ago

Claimed By Texas
Santi Aldama18 hours ago

Jaylen Wells Starting On Thursday
18 hours ago

Alex Kirilloff Announces Retirement
Steven Adams18 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
John Konchar18 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Game
Jorge Soler18 hours ago

Traded To Los Angeles
Curtis Lazar19 hours ago

Out Indefinitely Following Knee Procedure
Jakob Chychrun19 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Justin Barron19 hours ago

Kaiden Guhle Back For Canadiens Thursday
Blake Lizotte19 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Brendson Ribeiro19 hours ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado19 hours ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Montour19 hours ago

Will Miss Thursday's Game
Jhonata Diniz19 hours ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton
Derrick Lewis19 hours ago

Faces An Unranked Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
NHL20 hours ago

Matt Stienburg Suspended For Two Games
Amir Albazi20 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno20 hours ago

Ends Layoff At UFC Edmonton
Frederik Andersen20 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Gabe Davis21 hours ago

Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis Limited On Thursday
Jared Goff21 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Thursday
Jake Guentzel1 day ago

Nets Two Goals Wednesday
Elvis Merzlikins1 day ago

Celebrates First Shutout Of The Season Wednesday
Brandt Clarke1 day ago

Has Three Assists In Wednesday's Win
Jacob Markstrom1 day ago

Shuts Out Canucks
Artturi Lehkonen1 day ago

Expected Back Next Week
Erik Cernak1 day ago

Injured Versus Colorado
Timothy Liljegren1 day ago

Traded To Sharks
Jazz Chisholm Jr.1 day ago

Launches Second Postseason Home Run
1 day ago

Teoscar Hernandez Tallies Two RBI In Game 5 Victory
Aaron Judge1 day ago

Tallies Two Hits, Two RBI In Game 5 Loss
Giancarlo Stanton1 day ago

Goes Deep Again In Game 5
1 day ago

Walker Buehler Tallies Save In Game 5
1 day ago

Daniel Hudson Retires After World Series Victory
Freddie Freeman2 days ago

Drives In Two More Runs, Earns World Series MVP Honors
Chris Devenski2 days ago

Signs Minor League Deal With The Mets
Christian Encarnacion-Strand2 days ago

Activated From Injured List
Matt McLain2 days ago

Playing Some Center Field In The AFL
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Comes Up Short at Homestead
William Byron4 days ago

Rallies to Sixth at Homestead
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Tire Issue at Homestead Could Doom Kyle Larson's Championship Hopes
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Charges To A Thrilling Victory At Homestead
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Loses At Homestead On The Final Corner To Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Quietly Nabs A Top-5 Finish At Homestead
Khamzat Chimaev4 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Robert Whittaker4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 308
Aleksandar Rakic4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 308
Armen Petrosyan4 days ago

Knocked Out At UFC 308
Shara Magomedov4 days ago

Gets Highlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC 308
Joey Logano4 days ago

Intentionally Sleepwalked Through Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Advances to Championship 4 as Owner but Not as Driver
Dan Ige5 days ago

Loses Second-Straight Fight At UFC 308
Lerone Murphy5 days ago

Remains Undefeated At UFC 308
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Wins Lackluster Decision Win At UFC 308
Max Holloway5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out For First Time At UFC 308
Ilia Topuria5 days ago

Defends Featherweight Belt In Highlight-Reel Fashion At UFC 308
NASCAR5 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Earns Best Qualifying Run in Over a Year at Homestead
Zane Smith5 days ago

Expect Zane Smith's Steady Consistency to Continue at Homestead
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Both Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing Seem Ill-Suited to Intermediates
Michael McDowell5 days ago

Couldn't Overcome Ford's Intermediate Speed Deficit in Homestead Qualifying
Joey Logano5 days ago

Team Likely to Ignore Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Carson Hocevar5 days ago

Looks to Clinch Rookie of the Year Award
Daniel Hemric5 days ago

Qualifies Ninth for Best Start of the Year
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Is Strong at Homestead, but Sometimes Struggles in the Clutch
Justin Haley5 days ago

Benefits in Qualifying From Spire Motorsports Speed
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Slowest Ford Regular in Homestead Qualifying
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Lacks Intermediate Track Consistency
Josh Berry5 days ago

Hopes to Stay Alive in Rookie Race at Homestead
NASCAR6 days ago

Is Bubba Wallace Worth Rostering For Homestead This Week?

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 9 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 9 - Top Lineup Plays Include Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown, T.J. Hockenson

Like a backup quarterback patiently holding the clipboard with his hat on backward, I've been summoned into action to help give you some helpful NFL DFS advice for Week 9. My good friend Dennis Clausen, who usually pens this piece, asked me to help him out this week. Don't worry - Dennis is fine, other […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Josh Jacobs, Zay Flowers, Tank Bigsby, Rachaad White, Nick Chubb, Bucky Irving

Welcome to Week 9, the midway point of the 2024 fantasy football season. It's arrived quickly for most, but there's still plenty of season left! Injuries to wide receivers have left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers, therefore propping up running backs. However, some running backs may have a rough week while […]


Michael Pittman Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 9 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 9 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 9! With the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, fantasy managers will have to replace George Pickens, Najee Harris, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle in their lineups. This Week 9 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em piece will help you make the right lineup decisions […]


Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati Bengals Defense - Fantasy Football DST Streamers, Rankings, Pickups

Top Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings (Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our fantasy football D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 9, 10, 11, and 12 -- looking at the next four weeks and identifying the best D/ST matchups. If you like to stream defenses weeks in advance or are looking for a defense to pick up and play this week, you have come to […]


Video: Week 9 Must-Start Running Backs - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us! There are some interesting decisions at the RB position on this slate. Don't miss our notable fantasy football running back starts and sits for Week 9! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" running backs that will have a fantasy football impact in Week 9, […]


CeeDee Lamb - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9 (2024)

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9 by Kevin Tompkins Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

The King's Week 9 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel delivers his Week 9 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league formats. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to confirm that your must-start players have a good chance of posting winning fantasy […]


Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 9: Patrick Mahomes, Chase Brown, Chris Olave, Courtland Sutton, Travis Kelce

Week 9 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Patrick Mahomes, Chase Brown, Chris Olave, Courtland Sutton, and Travis Kelce. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 9 Lineups

Well, November is here, and we have officially entered the third month of the 2024 NFL season. It never ceases to amaze me how fast it moves once it’s finally here. Week 8 was more of the same for us here. Some good calls mixed in with some poor ones. Our big miss of the […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early Slate: Week 9 NFL DFS Picks on DraftKings, FanDuel (2024) - Lineups Advice, Strategy, Values

Last week’s Early Slate was loaded with many attractive games for fantasy. This week? Not so much. The Week 9 NFL DFS early slate on DraftKings, FanDuel has just one game that stands out; the Cowboys head to Atlanta in the game that highlights this slate. Denver/Baltimore and Miami/Buffalo have potential, but neither game comes […]


Xavier Legette - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire

Fantasy Football Rookie Report for Week 9 - Searching for League Winners

Eight weeks of NFL action have officially passed, and the pool of rookies who can make an impact in fantasy football and can be acquired for good value is thinning. We've seen many freshman players break out and still sustain their production, causing their trade value to skyrocket. Players like Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian […]