Below is a comprehensive list of all daily fantasy basketball terms (last updated November 2014).
50/50 – A type of game where the top 50% of the players double their money less the rake paid to the daily fantasy sports platform.
Bust – A term used to describe a player that does not perform to expectations and performs below projections.
Cash Game – A game where your odds of winning are about 50%. These are typically in the form of double ups, 50/50s, and head-to-head games.
Defensive Efficiency (DEF EFF) – The number of points teams allow per 100 possessions.
DraftDay (DD) – A daily fantasy sports platform.
DraftKings (DK) – A daily fantasy sports platform.
Deposit Bonus – A percentage that is matched by the daily fantasy sports platforms when a player makes their first deposit.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) – A new niche in the fantasy sports industry, instead of contests lasting a season. Daily fantasy sports contests last just one day.
Daily Fantasy Basketball (DFB) – Like traditional fantasy basketball, in daily fantasy basketball, players draft a team of NBA players who then score fantasy points according to set scoring rules.
Defense Versus Position (DVP) – How a specific player position performs versus the defense of an opposing team. For example, a SG will rank high versus a team with weak defense at the SG position.
Efficiency Site – A daily fantasy sports platform that takes away fantasy points for missed field goals.
Fade – Having second thoughts on your lineup or player, and ultimately making the decision to go a different route than your original thoughts. For example, “I think I’m going to fade Lebron James for Kevin Durant because he has higher upside tonight versus a weak defense.”
Fanduel (FD) – A daily fantasy sports platform.
Free Roll – A free entry/ticket into a GPP. Many daily fantasy platforms use free rolls as a way to help new players/beginners get used to the scoring systems and nuances of daily fantasy sports.
Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) – Prizes guaranteed by daily fantasy sports platforms even if they fail to fill up the game. These are generally your large tournaments with hundreds of entries and large prize pools.
Game Time Decision (GTD) – Players who are questionable to play until close to the start of the game.
Head-to-Head Game (H2H) – A game type that consists of a contest between two players.
Lineup (LU) – The players your draft or pick on your team for the day.
Offensive Efficiency (OFF EFF) – The number of points teams score per 100 possessions.
Overlay – The gap between a tournament’s guaranteed prize pool and the actual prize pool generated by entries. For example if there is a prize pool of $1MM, a buy in of $200, and 4,500 players enter, the player contribute $900K to the prize pool, and the rest ($100K) is covered by the daily fantasy sports platform.
PACE – The number of possessions teams use per game.
Pick 5 Game – A game where there are 10 players against one another in 5 head to head matchups. You must pick the player that you think will score more points in each of the pairings.
Punt – A player that is priced at, or near minimum salary and is a calculated risk to perform well on a specific day. For example, Ray Allen valued at $3,600 playing for an injured Dwayne Wade valued at $8,200.
Promo Code – A code used to receive incentives for your first deposit, these are highly recommended. See current daily fantasy sports promo codes.
Qualifier – A tournament whose winners win a seat/ticket into larger tournaments.
Rake – The commission paid to the daily fantasy platform by the player in order to run and host their games/tournaments.
Rebound Rate – A statistic to gauge how effective a player is at gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal.
Single/Multiple Eligibility Site – A daily fantasy sports platform that list athletes at multiple positions. For example, Blake Griffin can be used at PF or UTL in DraftKings, but in Fanduel Blake Griffin can only be used at PF.
Stacking – Playing multiple players from the same team or same game. For example, I’m going to stack my Fanduel lineup from players from the Portland Trailblazers v. Houston Rockets game.
Value – The player’s expected production compared to their current salary. A cheap player that can produce the same amount of fantasy points as an expensive player is said to have good value. A player’s value is site specific and highly situational. As a rule of thumb, you generally want your player to reach 5x their current salary. For example, if Kevin Durant is worth $10,000 on Fanduel, he must score by 50 fantasy points to “reach value.”