What is FPPM and why is the stat an overlooked tool for fantasy basketball managers?

2 weeks ago7 min read

Alright, fantasy hoops heads, let's get into the stat that's been my secret weapon for years but somehow still flies under the radar in most season-long chats: Fantasy Points Per Minute, or as I like to call it, the purest measure of a player's boom potential. Forget just looking at per-game averages; FPPM cuts through the noise and tells you exactly what a guy does with his time on the floor.It’s the stat that DFS sharks have been feasting on for ages, and if you’re not applying that same ruthless efficiency to your season-long leagues, especially in a format like Yahoo’s High Score where only your best weekly performance counts, you’re leaving wins on the table. The math is stupid simple—take a player's total fantasy points and divide by their total minutes, or his per-game average divided by his average minutes.That’s it. You get a clean number that shows you who’s truly productive versus who’s just out there logging heavy minutes.A player dropping 30 fantasy points in 25 minutes? That’s a killer 1. 2 FPPM.Another guy needing 35 minutes to get to the same 30 points? That’s a pedestrian 0. 85 FPPM, and in the upside-chasing world of High Score, that difference is the gap between a league winner and a roster clogger.This format is all about volatility and ceiling, not consistency. You want the guys who can randomly explode on a Tuesday night and single-handedly win your week, and that’s where high-FPPM monsters come into play.Think about Tari Eason last season—dude averaged 1. 17 FPPM, which put him in the 91st percentile among forwards, all in just 25 minutes a night.Any time he sniffed starter-level run, you knew a blow-up game was lurking. Then you have the absolute cheat codes like Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the alien rookie Victor Wembanyama, all chilling around an absurd 1.7 FPPM. They’re not just stars; they’re fantasy nuclear reactors, generating massive output every second they’re on the court.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Davis aren’t far behind—every minute for them is pure production. And let me tell you, Zion Williamson is one of my biggest targets in High Score this year.With his production calculated just once per week, that 1. 56 FPPM ceiling makes him as dangerous as some first-round talents, offering week-winning upside if he’s healthy and on the floor.Even guys like Cade Cunningham, who entered first-round conversations this year with a 1. 37 FPPM, signal they’re on the verge of that next leap as elite fantasy producers.On the flip side, you have the heavy-minute guys like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. In standard points leagues, they’re fine—you get your 35 minutes of steady, if unspectacular, production across categories.But in High Score? That steadiness is a ceiling cap. Their sub-0.9 FPPM marks show they just don’t spike often enough to move the needle in a boom-or-bust format. Sure, they’re worthwhile assets because opportunity matters, but at their respective ADPs, you’re likely missing out on players with higher explosive potential.Now, FPPM isn’t the be-all and end-all—you still gotta consider usage, team pace, role stability, and volume. But if you’re hunting for players who maximize their minutes and can deliver those epic, week-winning outbursts, FPPM is the ultimate tool to highlight who’s truly taking advantage of their time on the hardwood. Because in fantasy basketball, it’s not about who plays the most minutes; it’s about who does the most with them.

#fantasy basketball

#FPPM

#player efficiency

#DFS

#High Score format

#weeks picks news

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