It’s a crucial moment, as Dunkest’s NBA Fantasy Basketball (which is free and can be played on the app iOS, app Android and Web) is about to begin, and it’s essential to start strong by understanding all the game dynamics and avoiding mistakes. We at Team Dunkest want to help you get off on the right foot (here…
It’s a crucial moment, as Dunkest’s NBA Fantasy Basketball (which is free and can be played on the app iOS, app Android and Web) is about to begin, and it’s essential to start strong by understanding all the game dynamics and avoiding mistakes.
We at Team Dunkest want to help you get off on the right foot (here you can find the NBA Fantasy Basketball 2025/26 Guide) by outlining all the moves to make at every moment of Round 1.
1. What to do before the start of Round 1
- By Wednesday, October 22, 01:29, select your 5 starters and the Captain, making sure to field players who will play in Turn 1 (if you’re unsure why, check the Dunkest Calendar: Game Days and Turns)
2. What to do during Round 1
Turn 1
- Wednesday, October 22, 01:30 – Turn 1 of Game Day 1 begins: substitutions and the market close, and you won’t be able to modify your team until the end of the Turn (after Warriors vs Lakers)
- Wednesday, October 22, 01:31 – Follow your team’s live scores: your players’ stats will update automatically and in real time
- After the Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers game ends, Turn 1 ends, and you can make bench-field substitutions and change your Captain until the first game of Turn 2 (Thursday, October 23, Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks)
Important: You can only field players who haven’t played yet. Also, at the end of the day, players left on the bench will earn 50% of their points, while players on the court and the sixth man earn 100%.
Example: If you put Steph Curry on the field as Captain and his score isn’t satisfying, you can move him to the bench and field a player from Turn 2, e.g., Anthony Davis (Mavs vs Spurs).
With the “Undo” feature, you can cancel any changes made at the end of Turn 1, but always before Turn 2 begins. With this feature, you no longer need to wait 5 minutes before Game Day starts to save your lineup; you can do it in the morning and still make changes during the day in case of sudden injuries.
Turn 2
- Thursday, October 23, 01:00 – Turn 2 begins with Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks; team management operations are locked again until the end of Timberwolves vs Blazers (the last game of Turn 2)
- Thursday, October 23, 01:01 – Follow your team’s live scores: stats update automatically in real time
- After Timberwolves vs Blazers ends, Turn 2 ends, and you can make bench-field substitutions and change your Captain until the first game of Turn 3 (Friday, October 24, 01:30, Thunder vs Pacers)
Turn 3
- Friday, October 24, 01:30 – Turn 3 begins with Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers; team management is locked until the end of Nuggets vs Warriors (last game of Turn 3)
- Friday, October 24, 01:31 – Follow your team’s live scores in real time
- After Nuggets vs Warriors ends, Turn 3 ends, and you can make bench-field substitutions and change your Captain until the first game of Game Day 2 (Saturday, October 25, 01:00, Hawks vs Magic)
3. What to do at the end of Round 1
Shortly after the last game of Turn 3 ends, you can check your score and ranking.
The market remains open until Saturday, October 25, 00:59, allowing you to improve your team by buying and selling players for the next Game Day (use the Fantasy Pass to cancel penalties).
It’s crucial for each Game Day to build your roster with players spread across all Turns: this shields you from negative surprises and ensures you always have a bench player ready to replace a starter who performed poorly.
