Adam Boustani entered NBA Fantasy: Salary Cap Edition as a newcomer to basketball. He finished it as the game’s 2025-26 worldwide champion, posting 32,611 fantasy points to top 63,940 managers.
The United Kingdom-based software developer had played fantasy football before a basketball-loving friend suggested they try the NBA version. A trip to Indiana last season with that friend only deepened Boustani’s connection to the league.
“I wasn’t a basketball fan before fantasy,” Boustani said. “It gave both of us a way to get into it.”
Quick facts
- Boustani won the 2025-26 global ranking with 32,611 points.
- Managers select 10 players while staying under a $100 million salary cap.
- The first regular-season Gameday is Oct. 20; preseason runs from Oct. 3 through Oct. 16.
- Nikola Jokić opens at a fantasy-high $23.0 million for 2026-27.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is priced at $18.5 million with Miami, while rookie Darius Acuff Jr. starts at $8.0 million.
Boustani’s notebook begins with patience. A poor box score in one night should not trigger an immediate move, he said, because a single-game sample rarely tells managers enough about a player’s place on their roster.
Preseason can help shape opening builds, even though exhibition games do not produce fantasy points. Boustani plans to use those games to identify reserve players positioned for meaningful early-season minutes before regular-season scoring starts Oct. 20.
Managers can make unlimited free moves until 2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 20, the deadline for the opening Gameday. Once the season is underway, each Gameweek brings two free transactions, with unused moves disappearing rather than rolling over.
Additional transfers cost 100 points apiece. Boustani largely kept moves in reserve last season, preferring to retain flexibility in case an injury created an urgent need later in the week.
“I took a conservative approach,” he said, noting that an early transfer can become a problem if another player goes down soon afterward.
Jokić stayed in the captain’s chair
Nikola Jokić was the anchor of Boustani’s title-winning roster in 2025-26. The three-time MVP carried the highest salary in the game and still delivered a league-best 68.6 fantasy points per game.
Boustani frequently used the Gameday Captain chip on Jokić. That chip doubles one player’s score and can be deployed once on each Gameday within a Gameweek.
Jokić again enters this season as the costliest option at $23.0 million, but Boustani still views the Denver star as worth the spend. Premium production can be difficult to replace when a roster is trying to hold its position near the top of a leaderboard.
His roster also benefited from value plays. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe became especially useful after Joel Embiid was injured, illustrating Boustani’s point that injuries to high-usage teammates can quickly alter a player’s fantasy value.
Chip timing matters as much as player selection. Along with Gameday Captain, managers have three Wildcards for the season; each makes transactions free for the following Gameday. The one-use All-Star chip permits unlimited transfers with no budget limit for a single Gameday.
Only one chip may be activated on any given Gameday.
Miami’s new star and a Kings rookie to monitor
For the 2026-27 build, Boustani sees Antetokounmpo as a premium option carrying unusual value. The 10-time All-Star played only 36 games in 2025-26 because of injury, and his fantasy price did not rise entering his first season with the Miami Heat after spending his entire NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo begins at $18.5 million, though player salaries can move during the season. Boustani believes that number gives managers a chance to buy elite output below the game’s top price tier.
His sleeper call is Sacramento guard Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Acuff opens at $8.0 million, and Boustani likes the rookie’s scoring and playmaking profile even if his early role remains uncertain.
“He looks terrific offensively,” Boustani said. “He was a strong scorer and creator in college. I don’t know how much he’ll play right away, but he could become excellent value at some point.”
Managers who do not want to chase every projection can also build around players they enjoy watching. A roster may include 10 favorite players from across the league, although no team can supply more than two players.
Before each Gameday, managers must set a five-player lineup no later than 30 minutes before the first tip-off. If no lineup is submitted, the game automatically selects one so the team can still collect points.
