In a points league, your scoring settings decide how much each stat is worth. ESPN League Managers can edit individual stat values. Sleeper has scoring categories that can stack, and Yahoo allows private leagues to change its defaults. Check your own league's settings before using anyone else's draft rankings.
ESPN scoring settings · Sleeper scoring settings · Yahoo basketball league settings
The comparison uses Yahoo's public head-to-head points default and ESPN's published head-to-head points default. These are provider settings, not two private leagues. The player stats are completed 2025-26 regular-season totals, not forecasts for 2026-27.
Yahoo default settings · ESPN default scoring · NBA season totals
Re-scoring last season's box scores
These are the NBA's 2025-26 regular-season totals. ESPN scores both makes and attempts, so the shooting lines matter here. Banchero played 72 games; Flagg played 70. NBA traditional stats
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero | 72 | 1,599 | 604 | 373 | 51 | 40 | 222 |
| Cooper Flagg | 70 | 1,473 | 466 | 316 | 84 | 64 | 161 |
| Player | 3PM | FG made/attempted | FT made/attempted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero | 84 | 529/1,152 | 457/590 |
| Cooper Flagg | 72 | 559/1,194 | 283/342 |
These are the published scoring weights. A dash means Yahoo's default does not score that stat separately.
| Stat | Yahoo public H2H points | ESPN default H2H points |
|---|---|---|
| Point | 1 | 1 |
| Rebound | 1.2 | 1 |
| Assist | 1.5 | 2 |
| Steal | 3 | 4 |
| Block | 3 | 4 |
| Turnover | −1 | −2 |
| Three-pointer made | — | 1 |
| Field goal made | — | 2 |
| Field goal attempted | — | −1 |
| Free throw made | — | 1 |
| Free throw attempted | — | −1 |
For each player, fantasy points = sum of (stat × league weight).
| Player | Yahoo season FPTS | Yahoo FPTS/G | ESPN season FPTS | ESPN FPTS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero | 2,934.3 | 40.8 | 2,726 | 37.9 |
| Cooper Flagg | 2,789.2 | 39.8 | 2,778 | 39.7 |
Among the 582 players in StatDunk's 2025-26 regular-season totals snapshot, their season fantasy-point ranks look like this:
| Player | Yahoo rank | ESPN rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero | 21st | 30th | Down 9 places |
| Cooper Flagg | 23rd | 26th | Down 3 places |
Both slide down the overall list under ESPN's scoring. Banchero falls nine places and Flagg falls three, putting Flagg ahead. These are ranks for the completed season, not a 2026-27 draft board.
Yahoo gives Banchero a 145.1-point lead for the season, or about 0.9 points per game. ESPN gives Flagg a 52-point lead for the season and about 1.8 per game. The per-game result shows the change comes from the scoring rules, not their games-played gap.
Banchero scored 126 more NBA points and grabbed 138 more rebounds. Flagg had 33 more steals, 24 more blocks, and 61 fewer turnovers. ESPN puts more weight on those defensive stats and turnovers than Yahoo does. It also scores shooting makes and attempts. Banchero missed 133 free throws to Flagg's 59, a 74-miss difference that hurts Banchero under ESPN's formula. The result comes from the full scoring sheet, not one stat.
Scoring changes affect players according to their own stat lines. You can't apply one adjustment to every guard, forward, or center.
Check the whole scoring sheet
Before trusting a points ranking, check:
- Read every positive and negative weight. Points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, threes, turnovers, shooting stats, and bonuses can all count. A strong NBA scorer can lose fantasy value relative to other players if missed shots or turnovers carry a steep penalty.
- Look for categories that overlap. A platform can award points for a general stat and a more specific one. On Sleeper, for example, rebound points can stack with offensive or defensive rebound points. Sleeper scoring settings
- Check lineup and acquisition rules. A player needs a usable starting slot. Daily or weekly lineups, position limits, bench size, and transaction limits determine how much of a projection your team can use.
The scoring weights help estimate a player's fantasy points. The roster rules help you judge how much of that production your team can use.
Last season's average is not a draft projection
The tables show what each formula did to completed 2025-26 production. For a 2026-27 draft, you need a new estimate of each player's points per game and games played.
Projected season FPTS = projected FPTS/G × projected games
Banchero's 72 games and Flagg's 70 are last season's totals. They may play a different number of games next season. A draft board should show its projected games beside FPTS/G so you can see the availability assumption.
In a conventional total-points draft, compare projected season totals, per-game rates, projected games, and the player you could start instead. A small rank gap may matter less than a restrictive center slot, an open utility spot, or a useful replacement you could draft later.
A five-minute draft-board audit
- Open your league's scoring and roster settings. Confirm the format before using a public ranking.
- Enter the weights in your ranking tool, including penalties and bonuses. Check for categories that overlap.
- See which players moved, then look at the stats behind the bigger changes.
- Compare total FPTS, FPTS/G, and projected games. Use the view that fits the decision you're making.
- Check nearby players against your lineup slots and the alternatives you could realistically get. The rank is a starting point.
StatDunk's NBA Points Rankings let you select or edit a scoring profile and switch between projected total FPTS and FPTS/G. Check the displayed projection date before making a decision about a recent injury or role change. A season projection is a dated estimate, not a live availability report.
The format matters, too
This guide covers head-to-head points leagues that add up fantasy points across games. Sleeper Lock-In asks whether to keep a completed game score or wait for another chance. Yahoo High Score counts a starter's eligible high game under its own rules. Nine-category leagues compare category results instead of adding them into one fantasy-point score. Those formats need different value calculations.
When two rankings disagree, compare their scoring weights, projected games, lineup assumptions, and decision windows. The rank number alone won't tell you why they differ.
Method and freshness: These are 2025-26 NBA regular-season actuals. StatDunk scored all 582 players in its season-totals snapshot with Yahoo's public H2H points weights and ESPN's published default weights, then ranked them by season fantasy points. It divided each season total by games played for FPTS/G and rounded to one decimal. These results are historical, not 2026-27 projections or scores from a private league. NBA totals and provider rules were reviewed September 28, 2026. Check your league's current settings before using the numbers. StatDunk's product description was checked against the local implementation on the same date.