The Blueprint: Fantasy Basketball Draft Cheat Sheet for 2024-25 NBA season

Welcome to the 2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Blueprint, where we channel the spirit of Jay-Z’s iconic trilogy (and others from Jay-Z’s deep catalog) to help you orchestrate a championship-winning team. Get ready to dive into strategy, ranks, tiers and analyst tips to help you dominate your drafts.

From sleeper picks to breakout stars, we have everything you need to turn your fantasy draft into a masterpiece. It’s time to step up your game and build your version of a dynasty.

Let’s get started!

MAGNA CARTA: How to get ready for drafts

Understand your league’s scoring system: It sounds simple, but if you’re new to this, ensure you understand the format and league settings. Each league can have its own unique scoring settings. Familiarize yourself with these rules to draft players best suited to your league’s format. Whether it’s points, categories or rotisserie, tailoring a strategy to these rules can give you a crucial edge. The default scoring for private and public free leagues is head-to-head points (like fantasy football) and the default scoring for public prize leagues is head-to-head categories. Click here for a quick overview on different formats.

Formulate a plan: Create a plan that includes multiple scenarios and backup options for each round. This flexibility allows you to adapt to unexpected player runs or surprises, ensuring you make the most of every pick.

Mock Draft! You can’t come in raw and unprepared — practice makes perfect! Participate in Yahoo mock drafts to get a feel for trends and a sense of player values. It’s a battle-tested way to try strategies and see where’s the likeliest places to snag your must-have players.

Check my latest points and category league rankings: I’ve updated them weekly over the past month to account for injuries, role changes, competition and more. Points here, categories here.

Monitor preseason performance: Keep an eye on preseason games to catch rising stars and evaluate how players fit into new team roles. While preseason stats can be misleading, they often hint at players who might have increased opportunities in the upcoming season.

Use player projections:…