Playing the Long Game: The Winning Mindset in H2H Fantasy Basketball

To be a winner, you need to understand the win conditions. The more conditions you satisfy, the higher the chances that you become a winner.

• Remember: The mindset listed below impacts how we think about H2H Fantasy basketball. This affects how we draft, how we value players, and how we make moves throughout the season. This is about short and long term planning, so don’t be siloed in one phase — always see the big picture.

To increase your chances in winning H2H fantasy basketball, you need to remember the following:

1. Win majority of the statistical categories. If there are 9 statistical categories in your league, you must win at least 5. If there are 8 statistical categories, you must win at least 5 (not 4). The key term is “majority”.
2. Survive the “regular season” phase. Losing the regular season means forfeiting the chance to be the league champion. Aside from trying to win majority of the statistical categories in your weekly matchups, you need to understand the minimum wins you need to get to the top 6. First, having a 5–4 (win-loss) score each week may sometimes not be enough. Certain leagues have really dominant teams at the top 8 and really bad teams at the bottom. Second, majority of the time, it is not possible to win each week. There are uncontrollable elements such as injuries, rest days, player off-days, or players playing lower minutes than usual. Hence, you need to monitor your running schedule and plan how to build and iterate your team to reach the top 6.
3. Be mindful that there is the “playoffs & finals” phase. Fantasy playoffs & finals is a do-or-die phase. Lose in 1 week and you forfeit the chance to win the championship. Hence, you must protect your assets and plan long term. You do not need to go all out during the regular season — be aware of factors like: your waiver wire position, the “injury and bench risk” of your players, your maximum adds, and the league schedule. Dominance in the regular season does not immediately translate to dominance in the “playoffs & finals” phase, so survive the regular season and know when to invest and save your resources for the playoffs.
4. Survive the current playoff round. Place your team in a good position for the succeeding round. In each playoff round, understand the strengths, weaknesses, and areas of competition between you and your matchup. Always focus on winning the current round first. But, do not lose sight of placing yourself in a good position for the next round. Some examples: (1) Maximize “games played”. Add players if needed to secure the win. (2) When adding players, look at player schedule this week and next week to maximize your add. (3) Don’t immediately drop your star players just to increase games played and survive the week — look at other options. Maybe you can maximize players with back-to-back games instead. (4) Don’t add/drop players when you don’t need to. Make your waiver wire position an asset.
5. Go all-in to win the Finals. Once you reach the finals, you can stop thinking about the next round — there is no next round. To increase your chances of winning, understand which stats you are dominant in, which stats you are at par with your matchup, and which stats you can punt. Always ensure that you win majority of the statistical categories. For stats that you are dominant in and you can punt, you just need to monitor them. For stats that you are at par with, maximize your resources turn the stats into winning categories. You can maximize your waiver wire by adding players with back-to-back schedules. You can drop your star players once they finish their games to increase your games played. You can bench certain players to solidify stat categories such as FG%, FT%, or TO. Do whatever it takes to win and be creative.

H2H Fantasy is a long game. Understand your win conditions, plan for the long term, and adjust your plans depending on the situation. A proper mindset helps you become a champion.