For years, Yahoo Fantasy Basketball has been the best platform for fans to play the game their way, offering the flexibility and formats to suit every kind of hoops manager. Traditional formats remain a blast for managers who love the grind, rewarding those who track every hot streak and late-night injury report.
But there’s a new way to play on Yahoo Fantasy for the 2025-26 NBA season that doesn’t just match that excitement — it builds on it, delivering a fresh take on fantasy that stays true to its roots while adapting to how fans connect with today’s game, ultimately making it less of a grind — and more fun.
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Introducing High Score, a new, easier way to play fantasy basketball on Yahoo, the official season-long partner of the NBA!
Let’s take you through everything you need to know to get ready for this innovative, points-based, head-to-head format, which is now the default scoring for new leagues.
[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. Create or join a league]
How does High Score differ from other formats?
A streamlined roster with star power
Points, nine-category and rotisserie leagues require managers to fill at least 13 spots and juggle deep benches. High Score trims that roster to 10 players, with six weekly starters — creating teams packed with stars while still leaving room to select your favorite sleepers and emerging talents.
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Here’s how your roster will look
The traditional PG-SG-SF-PF-C composition remains a constant for NBA purists, but the game of basketball itself has evolved toward a more positionless style of play. High Score adopts this trend with a flexible setup of players — a mix of guards, forwards and one FLEX — aligning with the NBA’s structure for its awards and All-Star teams.
Clean, simplified scoring
High Score focuses on the core stats we care about — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks — while completely removing turnovers from the equation. Each stat is scored in whole numbers, so you don’t have to worry about decimal points or managing 8-9 categories to earn a W.
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By reducing complexity, High Score integrates the Head-to-Head points approach that makes results easier to follow and more exciting to track.
Learn more about High Score
Save time while earning the highest score
I love the daily grind of traditional points and category formats, but playing fantasy basketball for 24 weeks with multiple games per day can be daunting. So, we’re presenting a different and more efficient rhythm. With High Score, you can choose to set your lineup just once per week and let each starter’s single-highest point total of the week count toward your overall score. This preserves the thrill of competition while reducing the time commitment. You’ll still celebrate every breakout night, but without the pressure of adjusting lineups daily across a full fantasy basketball season.
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How do I earn points in High Score?
There’s no need to worry about having to pick which game might net the best performance. Each of the six players entered into your starting lineup will automatically be credited with their single highest score in a given week. Doesn’t get much easier than that!
The risk-reward factor when you swap players in your High Score lineup
You can decide to have a more hands on approach and move players in and out of your starting lineup throughout the week, but here’s the key: When you bench a player, any points they scored before being benched won’t count toward your weekly total. Once you put them back in, only the points they score after rejoining your lineup will count.
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For example, if Steph Curry has 35 fantasy points on Monday while starting, then you bench him and later put him back in, only the points he scores after being reinserted will count. It’s all about timing your lineup decisions to maximize those big performances.
When you bench a player, any points they scored before being benched won’t count toward your weekly total.
What are some draft and in-season strategies?
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Target guards and passing bigs in this format because they’ll have an advantage. Assists are more valuable than rebounds, plus turnovers don’t count.
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Prioritize ceiling over floor. Since High Score is taking the best score from six players each week, look for the high-variance, streaky scorers over the consistent, reliable players.
Want more strategy? Don’t worry — I hit on both draft season and in-season strategy for High Score to help you crush your first season in the new format.
This is an evolution, not a replacement
High Score respects the heritage of fantasy basketball while opening doors for new fans. Die-hard daily players can continue with the classic offerings, while those seeking a lighter, more approachable challenge can chase the High Score. And heck, why not just play them all?
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It’s the same passion, reimagined for the modern NBA.
Draft, cheer and watch your NBA stars shine with Yahoo’s new and exciting format for fantasy basketball. Join or create a High Score league today!