Elite Fantasy Basketball – Free Preview

Signing up for Elite Fantasy Basketball’s award-winning fantasy basketball coverage is the best way to gain a competitive advantage over your opponents. At Elite Fantasy Basketball, you will find content you won’t find anywhere else. The site offers an incredible amount of unique and in-depth analysis for all types of leagues and now includes a set of tools that can go toe-to-toe with the best tools in the industry.

Here is a taste of what is available to subscribers.

Punting Guides

2026-2027 Punt Blocks Guide (Yahoo)

2025-2026 Punt Blocks Guide (ESPN)

Draft Tracker

Elite Fantasy Basketball’s Draft Tracker connects to draft rooms on Yahoo, ESPN, and Fantrax. The tool supports 21 different categories and any points league scoring setting.

For a full preview, click here: Draft Tracker Preview

Team Building Tool

The Team Building Tool—a tool unique to Elite Fantasy Basketball—makes it easier to test different player combinations. Mock drafts are extremely time-consuming, and instead of spending over half an hour seeing if a Nikola Jokic/Austin Reaves/Amen Thompson start works better than a Nikola Jokic/James Harden/Trey Murphy start, you can use this tool to compare the two scenarios in seconds. You should still do a few mocks to get a better idea of which players could be reached for and which players could fall, but in terms of creating and testing your draft strategies, the Team Building Tool is where you want to spend most of your time.
This tool can be used to track how your team is doing in your real draft or mock draft. You can use it to test different combinations on the fly, and it allows you to keep track of your squad’s strengths and weaknesses. It tracks how your team is doing after each round in comparison to the rest of the league. This tool provides quicker analysis than traditional draft trackers, which don’t give you a clear idea of how a player will impact your team’s outlook until after the round is finished.
The tool is loaded with the most up-to-date rankings from Yahoo, ESPN, and Fantrax. The tool will be updated whenever the host sites update their rankings.
The tool is very easy to use. Just click on a player’s name, and the tool will populate that player’s projections. I’m not exaggerating when I say you can build your team in 30 seconds.
The Tool now supports leagues with non-standard categories. The tool has data for PTS, 3PM, REB, AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT%, TO, OREB, DREB, DD, TD, 3P%, FGM, FTM, A/TO, EFG%, TS%, MIN, and PF.

Here are some screenshots of the tool. The team in the team tool is a punt assists team built around Victor Wembanyama.

Matchup Tool

The Upgraded Matchup Tool is now available! The old Matchup Tool only supported Yahoo and nine-category leagues. The new Matchup Tool supports Yahoo, ESPN, and Fantrax leagues and also allows subscribers to manually create a matchup if they play on a different host site. The new tool also supports all 21 categories that Elite Fantasy Basketball provides projections for and any points league scoring system.

At the beginning of the week, the tool will be populated with the projections for each team’s players. As the week progresses, those projections will be replaced with the players’ actual numbers. The tool is tied to the NBA’s injury report. Each time you hit the Update Matchup button on the tool, the latest injury report will be pulled in. Players who have been ruled out will have their projections removed for the games they are expected to miss.

Connecting your league to the tool is a quick, one-time process. The process for connecting to the tool differs slightly from host site to host site. The instructions for how to connect your league can be found here -> How to connect your league to the Matchup Tool

Here are some screenshots of the tool.

Schedule Analyzer

The new Schedule Analyzer tool will look very familiar to returning subscribers. The Schedule Analyzer is the tool version of the streaming guides I put out at the beginning of each week. In addition to providing you with a best available players list for the selected period, the tool also highlights which categories each player can help in. Here is a screenshot of the tool’s recommendations for opening night. The tool has been connected to one of my leagues, so it only shows the players available in that league. As is the case with all of Elite Fantasy Basketball’s tools, the Schedule Analyzer can connect to any league on Yahoo, ESPN, or Fantrax, and includes an option to manually upload your league. It also ties to all the other regular-season-focused tools. If you upload your league in one of those tools, the data for your league will automatically upload to the Schedule Analyzer.

The number beside each player’s name is the player’s rank over that selected period, given your league’s settings. The categories listed after the player’s name are the categories the player can help in. There are thresholds the player must meet in order for the tag to pop up. Those thresholds are based on the player’s z-score in each category. The tool adjusts for league size, which will have an impact on which tags pop up. For example, in 10-team leagues, Devin Vassell would not get a PTS tag because his points z-score wouldn’t meet the threshold for earning that tag. However, in 16-team leagues, Vassell would get that tag because the deeper player pool would boost his z-score in the category above the threshold. The category league side of the tool also has an option to only show players with a specific tag. For example, if you are looking for the best assists streamers over a certain period, you can adjust the tool so that it only shows players with the AST tag.

Here is another screenshot of the tool with the period selected being all of Week 1.

The points league side of the tool looks slightly different, but functions in a similar way. It provides you with the highest-scoring available players over the selected period. Here is a screenshot of the tool showing the best streaming options for a two-day period at the end of October.

Additional Tools

This preview does not contain every tool on the site. For a full list of currently available tools and the tools that will be released this season, click this link:

26/27 Draft Season Content Tracker & List of New Features

Projections

Projections are available for both category and points leagues. There are projections available for 21 categories and any points league scoring setting (including Best Ball). The projections are updated daily throughout the regular season. Daily and weekly projections are also available. All projections are downloadable. Here is a screenshot of the category league projections page.

Rankings

Elite Fantasy Basketball’s ranking pages do not require a subscription to access. The rankings automatically update after each game and are adjustable for your category league or points league settings. Here is a screenshot of the category league rankings page. The numbers in the rankings tool are the final 2025-2026 player averages.

Top 150 Lists

Top 150 lists are available for Nine-category, Eight-category, Roto, Yahoo Points League, and ESPN Points League. A Dynasty Top 150 will be available later in draft season.

Here is a preview of the nine-category Top 150:

1) Nikola Jokic (C) – If Spencer Jones hadn’t stepped on Jokic’s foot in late December, there wouldn’t be much discussion around who should go first this season. If Jones’ foot had landed beside Jokic’s foot instead of on top of it, this blurb would be about how the three-time (or maybe four-time) MVP was coming off the greatest fantasy season of the modern era. That’s the type of season Jokic was on pace for before suffering a knee injury that led to him struggling through the remainder of the regular season and Denver’s first-round matchup against the Wolves. From the start of the season until December 27th, Jokic was 35 percent more valuable than SGA, who himself, at that time, was about 26 percent more valuable than the next-best player in nine-category leagues. In eight-category settings, Jokic was a whopping 56 percent more valuable than the Canadian at that point in the year. A gap like that at the top of the category-league rankings is unheard of. The center managed to create that gap by averaging a historic 29.9 PPG on 60.4 FG% and 85.5 FT%, 2.1 3PG, 12.4 RPG, 11.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, and 3.6 TOPG over his first 31 games. After returning from a month-long absence due to his hyper-extended knee, Jokic averaged “just” 25.8 PPG on 53.3 FG% and 81.0 FT%, 1.4 3PG, 13.5 RPG, 10.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG, and 3.9 TOPG. Those are numbers only a handful of players in history could match, but they do represent a sharp decrease in production for the big man. If you think the Jokic we saw over the second half of the season is going to be the Jokic we get going forward, you should pass on him at one. However, that feels unlikely. The drop in production was clearly due to the injury, and it is not an issue that should impact the Serbian going forward. While it ruined Jokic’s and the Nuggets’ season, a knee hyperextension is not a multiple-season injury. He might not quite match what he was producing during the first half of the 2025-2026 campaign, but he doesn’t need to in order to be the correct pick at one. A repeat of his 2024-2025 numbers would likely be enough. The Nuggets’ fantasy playoff schedule strengthens the argument that Jokic should still be the first player taken on draft day. Jokic and the Nuggets have 11 playoff games in leagues that start their playoffs on either March 1st, March 8th, or March 15th. Both Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have an 11-game schedule in just one of those setups. The Spurs will play 10 games during the fantasy playoffs in leagues that begin their playoffs on March 1st or March 8th. The Thunder will play 10 games during the fantasy playoffs in leagues that begin their playoffs on March 1st or March 15th. The two best punting strategies to pair Jokic with are punt threes and punt blocks. Punt threes is usually the best spot for Jokic in nine-category leagues. It tends to be a stronger strategy than punt blocks because it shakes up the rankings more. When we punt threes, it will be easier to find players who can significantly outproduce their draft position. In eight-category leagues, punt blocks holds a slight edge due to that format favoring small-ball builds.

Best Builds: Punt Threes, Punt Blocks

2) Victor Wembanyama (PF/C) – The 2025-2026 campaign was a tale of two seasons for Wembanyama. He started the year in surprisingly bad form and wasn’t coming even close to matching Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s production, who were two players that he was selected before in many drafts. He was still a clear first-round asset, but it looked like Wembanyama’s third year in the association was going to be a disappointing one. Then February hit, he flipped a switch, and proceeded to lap the field for the rest of the regular season before leading the young Spurs to the finals. Over the final two months of the regular season, Wembanyama averaged an alien-like 26.0 PPG on 51.4 FG%, 2.0 3PG, 12.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 3.8 BPG. We can’t draft the Frenchman with the expectation that he’ll post numbers like that for the entire season, but it does give you an idea of what his ceiling looks like. Jokic is the safer bet on one, but if you do want to bet on another leap from Wembanyama, taking him at the top of the draft is fine. From a per-game production standpoint, that is a move that carries minimal downside. If Wembanyama’s development stalls, or Dylan Harper starts eating into his touches, he may not be as productive as Jokic, or even SGA, but he’ll still be a clear top-three asset. Wembanyama’s ceiling is very, very high, and so is his per-game floor. Due to the strides Wembanyama has made in the efficiency categories, which build to pair the center with is a trickier decision than it used to be. He’s still the dream starting point for punt FG%, but his improvements from the field make him just as strong of a starting point in punt assists. The dip in his 3PAr, which has helped boost his efficiency, also makes him a great option for teams opting to punt threes. In eight-category leagues, punt FG% will likely be the best option, as that scoring format heavily favors small-ball builds. However, in nine-category leagues, the options are almost endless. Map out the various strategies using the Team Building Tool before deciding on the build to pair the future Hall of Famer with. Those with early playoff start dates should pair Wembanyama with players with strong playoff schedules. The Spurs’ playoff schedule is fine if you start your playoffs on March 15th, but if you start a week earlier, San Antonio will play just 10 times during the fantasy playoffs. In leagues with a March 8th playoff start date, you will need to win multiple matchups during which Wembanyama will have a three-game schedule to bring home the championship.

Best Builds: Punt FG%, Punt Assists, Punt Threes

3) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG) – There won’t be too many drafts where SGA goes first, but in nine-category leagues, that is a completely reasonable pick. The Canadian has been arguably the best pick in nine-category leagues for three straight seasons. In 2023-2024, he finished second in the nine-category per-game rankings behind Joel Embiid, who played just 39 games. In 2024-2025, Nikola Jokic topped him in the per-game rankings, but the gap wasn’t huge, and unlike Big Honey, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t miss a full week during the fantasy playoffs. Last season, he finished slightly behind both Jokic and Victor Wembanyama in the per-game rankings, but he played the most of the three and was easily the most consistent of the trio. If you are finding it easier to build a championship-level squad around SGA than the top two bigs—and you might—as the back-to-back MVP produces a line that is incredibly easy to build a contender around—pick Shai. Your leaguemates might call you a name or two, but you might be the one laughing at the end of the season. Last year, I took SGA at two over Wembanyama, which was against the consensus. When putting together my draft strategies, my Gilgeous-Alexander teams felt stronger than my Wembanyama teams, so I picked SGA. My leaguemate who took Wembanyama third was thrilled and talked some smack. In March, when my SGA-led team beat his Wembanyama-led team 9-0, he was awfully quiet. Gilgeous-Alexander is the most productive guard since Michael Jordan. During his second MVP campaign, the all-timer averaged an incredible 31.1 PPG, 1.7 3PG, 4.3 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, and 2.2 TOPG. He managed all that while almost matching Jokic’s FG% impact (55.3 FG%) and leading the association in FT% impact (87.9 FT% on 9.0 FTA). SGA is a dream starting point for every build, but punt threes is usually the best build to pair him with. That build will have no problem winning the big man categories consistently but will usually struggle to find enough points and FT% impact. When Shai is a punt threes team’s centerpiece, neither of those categories will be an issue. Punt threes teams built around Gilgeous-Alexander have the potential to be above average in eight categories.

Best Builds: Punt Threes, Punt Assists, Punt Blocks

Here is a preview of the Roto Top 150:

Pairing Guides

Pairing Guides for standard leagues have already been released. Pairing Guides for deeper leagues will be released later in the draft season.

Here is a breakdown of the pairing guide process and some sample pairings:

You likely won’t win or lose your league when you make your second-round pick. However, that doesn’t mean pairing isn’t important. Not every second-round pick fits well with every first-round pick, and a less-than-ideal pairing can get you into trouble. Pairing is an extension of category scarcity, which we all agree is an important factor to take into consideration on draft day. When you make your second-round pick, you need to be thinking about not only that player’s outlook, but how that pick is going to impact your options over the next few rounds. There will be a butterfly effect that your second-round pick creates. Some picks may lead you down a path that contains many quality options, while others will take options off the board that you may not want to take off the board. Pairing becomes even more essential when you punt in H2H leagues. Each punting strategy comes with strengths and weaknesses that should be taken into consideration when we decide on our second-round pick. For example, the categories we need to target aggressively when we punt FT% are much different than the categories we need to target early when we punt FG%. If we try to punt without regard to the natural strengths and weaknesses of our builds, we may find ourselves in a situation during the second half of the draft where the categories we need are not available.Attempting to draft the best available player without regard for fit at each pick can work, but it is an approach that comes with a lower floor. For one, it’s difficult to identify the BAP at every point in the draft. Last season, once Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell came off the board, often inside the top 15, the BAP from that point until the end of the second round was Scottie Barnes. Was that obvious at the time? No. Barnes had an ADP of 25 last year. Only focusing on taking the BAP at each pick can also lead to lopsided teams that are stronger than they need to be in some categories and weaker than they should be in others. We’ve all been in leagues with teams that look very good on paper, but end up underachieving. Often, that’s due to a funky fit. Drafting only for BAP is especially risky in leagues where trades are rare. If you end up too strong in a category or two, and weaker than you should be in a must-win category or two, it will be tough to fix that imbalance.If you are taking fit into consideration, nailing the BAP at each pick won’t be nearly as important. Focusing on fit (in addition to a player’s upside, floor, and all the other factors we take into account when we draft) makes it more likely you come away from the draft strong in the categories you need to be strong in and with a team that isn’t wasting value. A good fit can also make blown picks hurt less. And let’s be honest. We are going to blow a pick or two on draft day. If you never blow a pick, then stop reading this and go apply to be an NBA GM. You are probably the next Sam Presti. If a player underachieves, that’s not ideal, but as long as that player is producing the TYPE of line we need, the hit won’t be too painful.Below are some first- and second-round pairings that complement each other well. I’ve broken them down by first-round pick and punting strategy. I’ve also included a breakdown of where you will stand after the second round if you start with one of the pairings below. That will make it easier to figure out which categories you need to focus on during the subsequent rounds.

I’ve compared each pairing’s projected numbers to the projected average numbers of the 24 players I think will make up the first two rounds of most competitive 12-team drafts. There are a few players on this list who have the potential to fall into the third, but at least 20 of these players will be off the board by the end of the second in the majority of standard league drafts.

The players that I have included in these calculations are: Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Cooper Flagg, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jamal Murray, Austin Reaves, Jalen Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, Alperen Sengun

Average Projected Numbers of the likely Top-24 Players: 24.3 PPG, 2.3 3PG, 7.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 49.6 FG%, 82.1 FT%, 2.7 TOPG

Victor Wembanyama (Pick 1-3)

Punt FG%

Victor Wembanyama/Trae Young

Above average in Threes, Assists, Blocks

Average in Points, Rebounds

Below average in Steals, Turnovers

Any Wembanyama-led team that does not want to punt assists will need to target dimes early and often. The MVP favorite is a solid source of assists for his position, but a very poor one for his draft position. Quality sources of dimes are difficult to find late in the draft, so you will need to go into the second half of the draft in an above-average position in the category. If you grab Trae in the second, that will be a very straightforward process. This is a well-above-average start in assists due to Young. Rebounds and turnovers will be the categories that cause the biggest headaches for teams built around this duo. Young is an exceptionally poor rebounder, and grabbing him negates the advantage Wembanyama provides you in the category. That is a bigger issue in punt FG% than in other builds since many of the mid-round big man options have a lot of value tied up in FG%, and therefore, will be iffy picks around their ADP. Due to Young being a good bet for 4.0 TOPG and Wembanyama a lock to post a poor number in turnovers for a center, this pairing will send you into the third round at the bottom of the standings in turnovers. However, this start does not force a double-punt. You can come back in the category if you make smart picks in the middle rounds. When deciding between your later point guard targets, prioritize mid-round guards like Damian Lillard and Immanuel Quickley, who will come with relatively low turnover rates for players capable of averaging 6.0+ APG.

Giannis Antetokounmpo/Jamal Murray (Roto)

Above average in Points, Rebounds, Assists, FG%, Turnovers

Below average in Threes, Steals, Blocks

Murray works with Giannis for the same reasons Mitchell works with Giannis. He is a strong producer in most of the guard categories that a punt FT% squad will need to pay extra attention to and comes with an excellent turnover rate for a high-usage guard that will offset Antetokounmpo’s struggles in the category. The Nugget doesn’t come with Mitchell’s track record of consistent first-round finishes, but he also doesn’t come with a two-game playoff schedule and is more likely to be available if you take Giannis at pick five or six. Steals will be an issue for teams built around this duo. Both players are below-average contributors in the category. You will want to target players with strong steal rates early and often. You will not have much room for error in the category, with many of the build’s top big man targets coming with significant steals hits. Don’t wait until the second half of the draft to focus on the category. If you do, you will find yourself relying on specialists who contribute little outside of swipes.

Jalen Johnson (Pick 10-12)

Punt Blocks

Jalen Johnson/Donovan Mitchell (Roto)

Above average in Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Turnovers

Average in Points, Threes

Below average in FG%, FT%

Pairing Johnson with Mitchell with the aim of punting blocks is an excellent option for teams stuck with a pick at the end of the first round. This duo is almost average or better in the remaining eight categories. It is just hair below average in FG% and FT%. The only downside to this combination—and it is a notable one—is that the two All-Stars will combine to play just five games in Week 21. If this is how you start your draft, you will need to target players with four-game Week 21 schedules aggressively. Quantity matters just as much as quality during the fantasy playoffs.

Fast Starts Guides

The Fast Starts Guides will be released during the final week of September. The guides provide subscribers with six-player combinations to target on draft day. There will be combinations available for each likely first-round pick. Combinations will be available for both standard snake drafts and snake drafts with third-round reversals.

Here are some combinations from the 2025-2026 Fast Starts Guides:

Victor Wembanyama – Punt Assists

Wembanyama/Mitchell/Murray/Avdija/Allen/Pritchard – Mitchell is a no-brainer partner for Wembanyama in punt assists. He won’t always be there in punt assists, but he will be there occasionally. In 10-team leagues, it is a pairing that has a good shot at being available. It is also a nice auction league pairing target. This is another well-rounded combination that is a little light in points. This is an especially strong start in threes, rebounds, blocks, and turnovers.

Anthony Edwards – Punt FG% (Third-round reversal)

(3RR) Edwards/Maxey/Ball/Avidja/Flagg/Sarr – 3RR creates some interesting opportunities for Edwards teams, especially if you get Edwards in the 8-to-10 range. In that setting, there could be an elite guard available at the beginning of the third. If there is, it’s fine to start with three smalls, as long as all three of your next picks are bigs or perimeter players who put up big numbers in at least one of the big man categories. This is a very strong combination for a team with a mediocre first-round pick. This group is well above average in points, threes, and steals and is above average in assists, blocks, and FT%. This group’s weaknesses are rebounds and turnovers. You’re not locked into a double-punt with turnovers, but you’ll likely have problems finishing ahead of the teams not punting FG% in the category.

Cade Cunningham – Punt FG% (Third-round reversal)

(3RR) Cunningham/Mitchell/Adebayo/Reaves/Butler/Sarr – This group is not significantly below average in anything. It’s not in an above-average position in rebounds or blocks, but is just one solid contributor away in both from being average or better. This is a very strong start in assists, steals, and FT%, and an above-average start in turnovers.

For a full list of all the content and tools available at Elite Fantasy Basketball, click here: