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How to win a roto draft

Roto is one long season. Every category is ranked across the whole league and the points add up, so a weak category costs you all year. Draft for balance and for games played.

Projections updated 2026-10-14

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How roto scoring works

In a 12-team rotisserie league, teams are ranked in each of the nine categories on season totals. First place in a category earns 12 points, last earns 1, and the team with the most points across all nine wins. There are no weekly matchups to win or lose.

What a punt costs in roto

Two example teams in a 12-team league. Last place in FT% costs the punt team 7 points against a balanced team, and it only comes out ahead by finishing third or better in almost every other category.

Balanced teamSolid in every category
FG%
8FT%
83PM
7PTS
8REB
7AST
8STL
7BLK
8TO
8

69 roto points

Punt FT% teamStrong elsewhere, last in FT%
FG%
10FT%
13PM
10PTS
9REB
11AST
9STL
9BLK
10TO
9

78 roto points

So a punt can win roto, but only if the rest of the team is that much better, and the margin for injuries is thin. In head-to-head you only need five categories a week; in roto the lost category is a permanent hole. Soft punts, being merely below average in one category, are safer than giving one up entirely.

Totals and games played decide roto

Roto counts what your players produce across the whole season, so a player who misses 25 games costs you a third of his value. Rank on season totals, not per-game averages. Our rankings have a Season totals view for exactly this.

Rise on durability

  • Mikal Bridges#27 totals · #76 per game
  • Brandin Podziemski#77 totals · #107 per game
  • DeMar DeRozan#89 totals · #119 per game
  • Sandro Mamukelashvili#116 totals · #145 per game
  • Kon Knueppel#43 totals · #68 per game
  • Toumani Camara#111 totals · #136 per game

Drop for missed games

  • Mark Williams#309 totals · #74 per game
  • Jimmy Butler III#254 totals · #33 per game
  • Al Horford#211 totals · #134 per game
  • Joel Embiid#92 totals · #18 per game
  • Mitchell Robinson#158 totals · #90 per game
  • Kristaps Porzingis#124 totals · #58 per game

Percentages and scarce categories

FG% and FT% are season-long percentages, so volume shooters move them most. Steals and blocks are the scarce counting stats: the gaps between teams are small, and one specialist can gain you several places. Threes and points are deep, so don’t overpay for them early.

Draft-day checklist