With an 82-game regular season, fantasy basketball can sound like a lot of work. We kept that in mind when building fantasy basketball on Sleeper.
Lock-In Mode is unique to Sleeper and was designed to create a more strategic, streamlined fantasy basketball experience without requiring managers to constantly adjust their lineups throughout the week.
Lock-In Fantasy Basketball
How Lock-In Mode Works
One game per week, per player, will count toward your matchup score.
After your player finishes a game, you can choose to lock in their performance.
You must lock in that performance before the player's next game begins.
Once a player's performance is locked in, you cannot use that player again during the same matchup week or move them to another position.
Weekly matchups run from Monday through Sunday.
Game Pick Mode
Our Game Pick Mode is only accessible for leagues that have been renewed to the 2026-27 season. It's no longer possible to create a Game Pick league from scratch.
Breaking the Tradition
In traditional fantasy basketball formats, the number of games on the NBA schedule can have a major impact on weekly matchups. One of your opponent's players might have four games in a week while one of yours only has two, giving them more opportunities to accumulate stats.
Managers can also add free agents late in the week simply to gain additional games on Saturday or Sunday.
Lock-In Mode changes that.
Instead of trying to maximize the number of games played, every player gets one performance that counts toward your weekly matchup. Your decisions about who to start and when to lock in a performance become a major part of the strategy.
It brings some of the weekly decision-making found in fantasy football to fantasy basketball while still giving you the feeling of managing your own team.
Sleeper provides the research and information you need right at your fingertips. All you have to decide is who to start and when to lock them in.
Will you offer other game formats in the future?
We understand that Lock-In Mode may be different from the fantasy basketball formats you're used to, but we believe it creates an engaging and strategic way to play throughout the NBA season.
Formats such as Rotisserie, Head-to-Head Categories, 9-Cat, and others may be considered in the future, but we don't have plans to offer them at this time.
For now, Lock-In Mode is the default format for new Sleeper fantasy basketball leagues, and we hope you'll give it a try!
Types of Leagues
Choosing the right league format for your group may depend on how much complexity you're looking for and how long your managers want to commit to the league.
Sleeper supports fantasy basketball leagues with up to 32 teams.
If you want to start simple and add more complexity later, you can update your league format during the season for the following season.
Redraft
Simplest format
Fun and easy to learn
Short-term commitment
All managers begin with an empty roster and a full set of draft picks.
Draft picks can be traded leading up to and during the current season's draft. Future-season draft picks cannot be traded until the league has been renewed for that season.
Keeper
Added complexity
Keep players from season to season
Draft for long-term value
Trade future draft picks
Managers can select a predetermined number of players from their current roster to keep for the following season.
Keeper costs are determined by your league's rules. For example, if you drafted a player in the first round and decide to keep them, your league could require you to give up your first-round pick in the following draft.
The exact keeper rules and costs are up to your league.
Dynasty
Highest level of complexity
Closest to a true "General Manager" experience
Long-term commitment
Rookie drafts
Taxi squads
In Dynasty leagues, teams carry their entire roster from one season to the next.
Much of the appeal comes from the long-term nature of the format and the connection managers build with their teams over multiple seasons.
Great decisions can pay off for years, while costly mistakes can have lasting consequences. Over time, those decisions can shape contenders, rebuilds, and if everything goes right...a dynasty.