Gina Johnson
Fantasy basketball on Sleeper offers a unique and strategic twist to the game. There are two game modes: Lock-In Mode and Game Pick Mode. In Lock-In Mode, you decide whether to “lock-in” a player's performance after they have played a game, to count towards that week's fantasy score. In Game Pick Mode, you can only use each player for one of their games in a week. Each manager drafts a team and all players are available. Rosters reset at the end of the season, and managers can designate a certain number of players to keep on their roster for the next season. Sleeper also allows you to customize your league's scoring and research and analyze players.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of teams supported | 22 |
| Game modes | Lock-In Mode, Game Pick Mode |
| Roster | Managers draft a team and all players are available at the start of the season. Rosters reset at the end of the season. |
| Keepers | Each manager can designate a certain number of players to keep on their roster for the next season. |
| Dynasty league | Each manager drafts a team and keeps all the players for the entirety of their career unless they're traded or dropped. |
| Scoring | Can be customized |
| Rounds | 12 or 13 |
| Positions | Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Center, UTIL (wildcard spots) |
| Waiver wire pickups | Sleeper shows data on the most popular players being picked up by fantasy managers each week |
| Trading | Possible with other managers |
| Trade deadline | Midway through the season |
| Player swapping | Possible |
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Lock-In Mode
Sleeper's Lock-In Mode offers a unique strategic twist to fantasy basketball, challenging managers to make pivotal decisions. Unlike the Game Pick Mode, where you select a single game each week for your players to score points, Lock-In Mode gives you the ability to decide, after a player's game, whether to "lock-in" their performance to count for that week's fantasy score.
Each player on your squad will only have one game per week that counts toward your matchup score, helping to reduce the time-consuming demands of daily lineup management. After your player plays a game, you may "lock-in" that game to count towards that week's fantasy score. However, if you want to lock it in, you must do so before that player starts their next game. Once you lock in a player's game, you cannot lock in that player again for the remainder of the matchup week, and you also cannot swap them into a different positional spot.
The essence of Lock-In Mode is making informed decisions. After each game, you must weigh the potential of your player's future performance against the security of the points they've already earned. This adds a weekly endeavour to fantasy basketball, keeping you engaged without being overwhelmed with daily tasks. To make the best lock-in decisions, analyze your players' past performances, their upcoming matchups, and their health status.
For example, let's say you have Joker in the Center position, and he's playing three games this week. Sleeper will show projections for how well he could do in those games. Let's say he plays on Tuesday and does badly, scoring low. You choose not to lock in that performance. He has a decent game on Thursday, and you choose to lock in those points to the Center position for the week. If he has an even better game on Sunday, that's too bad. You've already locked in that position, and you cannot lock in that player again for the remainder of the matchup week.
If you forget to lock in a game for a player, Sleeper will automatically take the fantasy points scored in their team's final game of the week, which could be zero if the player didn't play.
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Game Pick Mode
Sleeper's Game Pick Mode is a unique and exciting way to play fantasy basketball. It's a once-a-week engagement where you, as the owner, pick one game per player, per week, to count towards your team's total score. This ensures an even number of games played between opponents, so you don't lose simply because your opponent's players had more games to play that week.
Each week, you select one game for each player to start in. Once their selected game begins, they are locked into your roster and cannot be moved or dropped until the matchup ends, which is usually early Monday morning. If a player doesn't play any minutes, they will be unlocked after the game, allowing you to choose a later game for them or substitute them for another player with an upcoming game that week.
When choosing which game to pick for each player, you can consider various factors, including player matchups, home vs. away, opponent's defensive ranking, and pace of play. This adds a layer of strategy to the game, making it more engaging and exciting.
While Sleeper currently defaults to Lock-In Mode for new leagues, you can still choose to play in Game Pick Mode, which offers a simplified and strategic approach to fantasy basketball.
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Dynasty leagues
Sleeper offers exclusive features for fantasy basketball, including dynasty leagues. Dynasty leagues are designed to cater to all kinds of users, from casual to elite fantasy players. In a dynasty league, each manager drafts a team and keeps all the players for the entirety of their careers, unless they are traded or dropped. The only additions each year are waiver-wire players (free agents) and incoming NBA rookies (via an annual rookie draft). This means that dynasty leagues have more rounds in their startup drafts, as the rosters and sometimes starting lineups tend to be larger.
On Sleeper, dynasty league owners can create leagues each season and continue making offseason moves, trades, or chatting with their league mates. If a team owner is having a rough season, they can start a rebuild and start trading for future draft picks, just as a real-life general manager might do. Most leagues have a rookie/free agent draft each year, so it makes sense to trade for those picks to better prepare for the following season.
Sleeper's dynasty leagues are customizable, allowing owners to set their own rules. For example, a keeper cost is typically added, but this cost can vary depending on the league's rules. Generally, if you drafted a player in the first round and decide to keep them, your league can have that be in place of your first-round pick the following season.
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Trading players
There are several types of trades that can be made. One-for-one trades are the simplest, where one player is swapped for another. Multi-player trades are also possible, where managers can take on more players than they are trading away, but they will need to cut someone else to stay under the roster limit. Draft-pick trades are also an option, where managers can trade future draft picks or acquire them as part of a deal.
To make a trade, managers can use Sleeper's trade dashboard to see which players are up for grabs and communicate with other managers. It's important to establish a personal connection and gauge interest in a deal before making an offer. Once a trade is accepted, it enters a review period, after which it is processed. Commissioners can veto or force through trades and pin polls in the league chat to solicit votes on pending trades.
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Scoring customisation
Sleeper's Lock-In Mode offers a unique strategic twist to fantasy basketball, allowing you to make weekly decisions and focus on matchups, similar to fantasy football. This mode adds a layer of strategy to the game, where you decide whether to “lock-in” a player's performance for the week's fantasy score after they have played a game.
Here's how it works: Each week, you choose one performance to lock in for each of your players. This decision must be made before the player's next game starts, and the player must be in your starting lineup to be lock-in eligible. Once a selected game begins, the player is locked in until the matchup ends. If your player doesn't play, you can choose another game for them. If a player is traded, only the games played after the trade will count for your points.
In Lock-In Mode, you need to balance the certainty of points already earned with the potential of future performance. It's important to understand the rules, stay active, and make informed decisions to gain an edge over your competition.
Sleeper also offers a Game Pick Mode, where you can only use each player for one of their games in a given week. This mode can be accessed with renewed leagues, and it differs from Lock-In Mode in that you select a single game each week for your players to score points.
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Frequently asked questions
Sleeper's Lock-In Mode offers a unique and strategic twist to fantasy basketball. In this mode, you can lock in a player's performance for the week after they've played a game. You must do this before the player's next game starts. If you forget to lock in a game for a player, Sleeper will automatically take the fantasy points scored in their team's final game of the week.
Before the draft, determine your team’s championship window. Some managers target win-now pieces, while others build for the future by prioritising young players. You can also get a good understanding of smart potential waiver wire pickups by seeing who the trending players are. The Sleeper app shows data on the most popular players being picked up by fantasy managers each week.
Yes, you can offer trades to rival managers, and they can send proposals to you. Most leagues have a trade deadline at some point midway through the season. If you want to drop a player on your bench who hasn't started your selected game, you can do that at any time.
