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: The Degree of Difficulty of the Punt Strategies

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 3 of a large RotoBaller series on Punting in Head-to-Head fantasy basketball leagues. 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 some of the basics of punting as well as common pitfalls managers face when punting, let's look at the different categories of punting. Not all category punts are build alike - some are more difficult than others.

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!

 

Ranking The Degree of Difficulty of the Punt Strategies

When I was first exposed to punting, I had no idea where to begin. Moving from only knowing balanced teams to trying to master punting let's you see the game in a completely different light. It's like going from driving a car to finding yourself at the controls of a jet. Sure you know you're faster, but it'll take a while to figure out how to use that speed. That being said, not all punt strategies are equally difficult to navigate, and it may be better to roll with a strategy that is easier to start than jumping straight into the harder ones. Here's my take on the difficulty of each of the 8 main single punt strategies, and how likely I think a new player will be able to fly that plane.

Clear Skies, Let's Go For A Joy Ride - Punt Points

In my opinion, the easiest punt build to play for a couple of reasons. Firstly, points is the most overdrafted category in most leagues. I'm sure the majority of you don't play in super leagues full of experts so in most cases, your league will probably overdraft points, making the draft board chock full of value if you are punting that category. You'll naturally avoid some of the most overrated 8/9-cat players by going punt points (hello Andrew Wiggins and Harrison Barnes), and end up with some of the best value pickups out there because there's almost always mid-round value guys for the build just floating around on the waiver wire. Think about your own league, and how easy it is even in a 14-teamer to find someone like a Danny Green or P.J. Tucker for free to bolster certain cats in a week.

Your contrary stats (see the last part for more on contrary stats) are the easiest to find on the wire. For punt points, that would be 3s and steals, which you can get with guys like Green and Tucker really easily. The only contrary stat you need to go out of your way to draft is FT%, which will probably end up being your most volatile stat in this build.

Finally, by virtue of being in punt points, you end up really well positioned to hold lottery tickets early before they cash. For example, before someone like Rudy Gobert broke out, they would have been off most people's radars in balanced or other punt builds, but because you are punt points, he would have been providing enough value to roster even in very low minutes, and there's a much higher chance you would have picked up and held him to reap the benefits of his mid season breakout. Great punt point teams definitely end up with the most "your team looks like a bunch of randoms, how the heck are you first?!" reactions, and you know you've succeeded when you get that message.

A Little Turbulence But You'll Live - Punt FG%, Punt FT%, Punt 3s

I find the % builds very easy to pick up due to the fact that it's a bit more intuitive to build a team around counting stats when you can disregard one of the rates. They're also the easiest to steal weeks with your punted stat due to them being rate stats -you can just hit a super high roll for your % and have guys like Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard shoot 80% over a small sample size week, which is a lot more common than being punt points and having multiple Larry Nance type players pop off for multiple 20 point games or something.

Punt 3s is here because 3s is probably the second most overdrafted stat after points, and it's really easy to find 0 3PM centers that can contribute in a number of categories running around on your wire. Think John Henson types. You also end up naturally passing up on a long list of overrated players similar to in punt points.

These three strategies are fairly easy to draft and manage, and are all solid options to try for a first time punter.

Sharp Turns and Barrel Rolls - Punt Assists, Punt Rebounds

Punt assists is fairly intuitive to build but it forces you to get creative to cover your contraries, with 3s as the especially hard one to fill. You usually end up having to pay sticker price for a decent guard anyways, especially if there are multiple punt assist drafters in your league.

Punt rebounds is kind of in the same boat where your main contraries, blocks and FG% are pretty hard to cover since there is so much overlap between those 3 stats. It makes early pivots a lot more important, and this is one of the builds where your first round pick will matter a lot more as having a pivot for the contrary stats like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo is a huge part of drafting a successful team.

These two builds are both alright choices with just a small layer of difficulty added. I'd say punts assists is a decent bit easier than rebounds but definitely a tier above the first four options in terms of difficulty.

Houston, We Have A Problem (and it's not named Carmelo) - Punt Steals, Punt Blocks

These two builds are definitely the hardest because we have the opposite situation we had with points where these are probably the most under-drafted categories in the majority of leagues. I drafted punt blocks 3 times, and two of those times, I ended up just finding enough blocks on the waiver wire trying to steal the category some weeks and ending up with a team that finished as more of a balanced team than a true punt blocks team. The edge gained from drafting these strategies will not be as big in most leagues, and they should be reserved for high difficulty leagues where you know almost everyone will be punting and has a good sense of valuation.

Speaking of punt breakers, they are at their highest level of importance in these builds, especially dailies, because weekly totals for these two stats can be very low in any given week and there are going to be lots of opportunities to punt break against your opponents, many of who will be weaker in these stats than something like points or 3s.

I would recommend avoiding these builds for newer players, as well as those of you playing in relatively weaker leagues.

 

Next: First Round Picks in Punt Strategy




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

Jalen Suggs3 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Mike Conley4 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
AJ Green4 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Khris Middleton4 hours ago

Probable To Play Friday
Jerami Grant4 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Orlando
Giannis Antetokounmpo4 hours ago

Likely To Play On Friday
Bobby Portis4 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Steven Adams4 hours ago

Available On Thursday, Will Start
Alperen Sengün4 hours ago

Alperen Sengun Out On Thursday Night
Ja Morant4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Josh Green4 hours ago

Expected To Play Versus The Clippers
Mark Williams5 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
LaMelo Ball5 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Clippers
Dylan Covey5 hours ago

Mets Designate Dylan Covey For Assignment
Carson Williams5 hours ago

Invited To Spring Training
Anthony Maldonado5 hours ago

Designated For Assignment
Elvis Alvarado5 hours ago

Claimed By Athletics
Colt Emerson5 hours ago

Mariners Inviting Colt Emerson To Spring Training
Ja Morant6 hours ago

Doubtful On Thursday
Sam Merrill6 hours ago

Available Versus Hawks
Jaxson Hayes6 hours ago

Starts On Thursday
Rui Hachimura6 hours ago

Good To Go Against Wizards
Jamal Shead6 hours ago

Questionable For Friday Versus Chicago
LeBron James6 hours ago

Cleared For Action Thursday
Gabe Vincent6 hours ago

Remains Out Thursday
Dorian Finney-Smith6 hours ago

Out Against Wizards
Kaan Ofli6 hours ago

Looks For First UFC Win In Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Naimov6 hours ago

Opens Up UFC Saudi Arabia Main Card
Jairzinho Rozenstruik6 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Saudi Arabia
Sergei Pavlovich7 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Streak At UFC Saudi Arabia
Shara Magomedov7 hours ago

Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Saudi Arabia
William Karlsson7 hours ago

To Miss Upcoming Road Trip
Michael Page7 hours ago

Moves Up To Middleweight At UFC Saudi Arabia
Cole Sillinger7 hours ago

Rejoins Blue Jackets Lineup
Owen Tippett7 hours ago

Will Not Play On Thursday
Mikael Granlund7 hours ago

Ready To Face Kraken
Alexander Wennberg7 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Max Scherzer7 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Toronto
Mattias Ekholm7 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Charlie McAvoy7 hours ago

Returns To Action Thursday
Lance Lynn8 hours ago

Drawing Interest As Potential Closer
Dallas Goedert8 hours ago

Being Rested Again On Thursday
DeVonta Smith8 hours ago

Misses Practice Again On Thursday
Sebastian Aho10 hours ago

Questionable For Thursday
Ryker Evans10 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Andrei Vasilevskiy10 hours ago

Viewed As Game-Time Decision On Thursday
Linus Ullmark10 hours ago

Will Not Suit Up On Thursday
Miro Heiskanen10 hours ago

Deemed Week-To-Week
Mason Marchment11 hours ago

Hopes To Return Before International Break
Justin Tucker11 hours ago

Accused Of Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
Los Angeles Angels11 hours ago

Christian Moore Has A Chance To Start In 2025
Jack Kochanowicz11 hours ago

Could Open Up In Bullpen
Reid Detmers11 hours ago

Has Leg Up For Fifth Rotation Spot?
Dylan Cease12 hours ago

Cubs A Team To Watch On Dylan Cease
Kyle Wright16 hours ago

Having Normal Offseason
Nelson Velázquez16 hours ago

Royals, Nelson Velazquez Agree On 2025 Contract
Jose Iglesias16 hours ago

Cubs Expressing Interest In Jose Iglesias, Jorge Polanco
Pedro Avila16 hours ago

Sent Outright To Triple-A
Dylan Cease17 hours ago

Mets Showing Interest In Dylan Cease, Michael King
Filip Gustavsson17 hours ago

Sharp In Victory Over Toronto
Sidney Crosby17 hours ago

Lifts Penguins To Victory
Quinn Hughes17 hours ago

Extends Point Streak On Wednesday
Matthew Tkachuk17 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Two Assists On Wednesday
Jake Allen17 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Wednesday
Owen Tippett17 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Ja'Marr Chase1 day ago

Extension A Priority For Bengals This Offseason
Brad Keller1 day ago

Cubs Sign Brad Keller To Minor-League Contract
Matthew Stafford1 day ago

Plans To Play In 2025
Ian Gibaut1 day ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Reds
Owen White1 day ago

Reds Designate Owen White For Assignment
Dallas Goedert1 day ago

Sits Out With Ankle Injury
Alex Faedo1 day ago

Tigers Designate Alex Faedo For Assignment
DeVonta Smith1 day ago

Dealing With Hamstring Injury
Carlos Estévez1 day ago

Carlos Estevez Signing With Kansas City
Dakota Joshua1 day ago

Rejoins Canucks Lineup Wednesday
Dylan Guenther1 day ago

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Andrew Novak2 days ago

A Value Play At Pebble Beach
Stephan Jaeger2 days ago

A Risky Option At Pebble Beach
Adam Scott2 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Play At Pebble Beach
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Looking For Bounce-Back At Pebble Beach
Russell Henley2 days ago

In Great Form Heading Into Pebble Beach
Tony Finau2 days ago

Struggles Continue Ahead Of Pebble Beach
Will Zalatoris2 days ago

Back In Action At Pebble Beach
Jason Day2 days ago

A Course Horse At Pebble Beach
Sam Burns2 days ago

In Great Form Ahead Of Pebble Beach
Hideki Matsuyama2 days ago

Looks To Stay Hot At Pebble Beach
NFL2 days ago

Mike McCarthy Won't Coach In The NFL In 2025
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Kellen Moore In "Strong Position" To Become Saints Head Coach
Justin Thomas2 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Pebble Beach
Detroit Lions2 days ago

Lions Hire John Morton As New Offensive Coordinator
Washington Commanders2 days ago

Kliff Kingsbury To Stay With Commanders
Cleveland Browns2 days ago

Browns Not Interested In Trading Myles Garrett
Collin Morikawa2 days ago

A Reliable Pick At AT&T Pro-Am
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Making Season Debut At Pebble Beach
Davis Thompson3 days ago

Treading Water Heading Into Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor3 days ago

Trending Way Up For Pebble Beach
Justin Rose3 days ago

Cannot Be Counted Out At Pebble Beach
Taylor Moore3 days ago

Attempts To Put Torrey Pines Behind Him
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Tries To Rebound After Torrey Pines
PGA3 days ago

Sungjae Im Can Contend Again At Pebble Beach
Ben Griffin3 days ago

A Bit Of An Unknown For Pebble Beach
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

An Intriguing Option For Pebble Beach
Russell Wilson3 days ago

Steelers Unlikely To Re-Sign Both Russell Wilson, Justin Fields
Josh Allen3 days ago

Picks Up Wrist Injury In AFC Championship Loss
A.J. Brown4 days ago

Finds The End Zone In Strong Outing
Saquon Barkley4 days ago

Posts Three-Touchdown Performance
Jalen Hurts4 days ago

Leads Explosive Offense To Super Bowl Berth
James Cook4 days ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Loss To Chiefs
Xavier Worthy4 days ago

Leads Receivers In AFC Championship Win
Chicago Bears4 days ago

Bears Hire Dennis Allen, Declan Doyle For Coordinator Roles
Seattle Seahawks4 days ago

Seahawks Hiring Klint Kubiak As Offensive Coordinator

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Dak Prescott - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Five Veterans To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

Managers who only play in redraft fantasy football leagues have packed it up for the season. Those who also participate in dynasty leagues know there is no offseason. Whether we're looking at the incoming rookie class, concocting trade offers, or planning for the 2025 rookie draft, we are always trying to improve. If you're in […]


Rashee Rice - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL wr, Draft Sleepers

Five Wide Receivers To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

While the 2025 fantasy football season is still months away from redraft players, dynasty players work year-round to build a winning roster. Many dynasty players fall off the radar after the regular season until the rookie draft. However, now is the perfect time to make league-winning trades. Everyone loves buy-low trade targets. Yet, sometimes, fantasy […]


Isiah Pacheco - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News

Five Running Backs To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

The great thing about competing in dynasty fantasy football leagues is that managers can make moves all offseason. Whether you are trying to compete in 2025 or entering a rebuild, making different trades in the coming months is almost a must. That's the single best way to upgrade your team for the future.  In this […]


Tucker Kraft - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Five Quarterbacks/Tight Ends To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

Our Super Bowl LIX matchup is set. That means we are just about done with the 2024-25 NFL season. For dynasty fantasy football leagues, this is a slower time of year until the NFL Draft and rookie draft season are upon us in a few months. However, dynasty gamers are in a prime position to […]


Cam Ward - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Early 2025 NFL Draft Rankings – Top 10 Quarterback Prospects

Several high-end quarterbacks, such as Jayden Daniels from LSU and Bo Nix from Oregon, were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft class. These quarterbacks have already established themselves as franchise players. However, this class does not have as many high-end options as last season, but it does have some intriguing Day 2 and Day 3 options that […]


Tetairoa McMillan - College Football DFS Lineup Picks, NCAA CFB, NFL Draft Prospect

2025 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 - Pre-Senior Bowl Mock for First Round (Matt Donnelly)

With the Senior Bowl here, the NFL Combine just a few weeks away, and the 2025 NFL Draft closing in, it's time to get our mock on and predict where some of the top players in college football will be taking their talents to in 2025 The 2025 draft class is deep and talented, with […]


Will Howard - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Five Fantasy Football Sleepers To Target In Dynasty Rookie Drafts

With just one football game left in the season, fans of 30 of the 32 teams in the NFL have already turned their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. Dynasty fantasy football sickos have already been focused on the draft since midseason, but it is just about time for everyone else to start paying attention. […]


Justin Jefferson - Fantasy Football rankings, NFL DFS, Injury News

Very Early 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings with Rookies and Tiers - Top 230 for Redraft Leagues

The 2024 NFL regular season just ended, but that doesn’t mean fantasy football has to. At least not totally. If you play in a dynasty or keeper league, or maybe you’re just consumed by fantasy football and cannot get enough, these 2025 fantasy football rankings should get you thinking about next season. Anytime you’re doing […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Who is the Best NFL Wide Receiver Since 1990?

With the increased popularity of receivers in fantasy football and the advancement of data and film study (colossal shout-out to Reception Perception), the average football fan or fantasy football manager has more data and information at their fingertips than ever. That increased knowledge leads to more intense debates. Who is the best receiver? We could […]


Tyler Warren - College Football Rankings - NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Early 2025 NFL Draft Rankings – Top 5 Tight End Prospects

The 2024 NFL Draft class had arguably the best tight end prospect in decades, if not ever. While Brock Bowers was a superstar as a rookie, the rest of the tight end class failed to make an impact. However, there is still hope for the rest of the class. Thankfully, the 2025 NFL Draft class […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Should I Buy or Sell Marvin Harrison Jr. in Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues?

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, all fantasy managers believed Harrison was going to put up elite numbers right away. He was tabbed as a generational prospect and landed in one of the best situations. However, Harrison had his ups and […]


Video: Bold First-Round Predictions for 2025 - Way-Too-Early Fantasy Football Draft Preview

With the matchup for the Super Bowl set and the biggest game of the year just over a week away, it's a fun time to start putting together thoughts on 2025 fantasy football drafts! RotoBaller's LaQuan Jones breaks down his thoughts on 2025 in this Way-Too-Early Draft Preview. What are his bold predictions for the […]


Brian Thomas Jr - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Top Buys For Dynasty Fantasy Football – Offseason Trade Targets

The 2025 fantasy football season is still months away for redraft players. However, the game never stops for dynasty fantasy players, as the offseason is anything but slow. Now is the perfect time for fantasy players to explore the trade block and make deals ahead of free agency and dynasty rookie drafts. Everyone loves acquiring […]