How the boards work, what they support, and what's coming. Anything not covered here: [email protected].
The boards don't use a fixed list. After every pick (or sale), they look at your roster, forecast what every other team in your draft is likely to end up with, and rank each available player by how much he raises your chances of winning categories against them.
Each category is weighed by how far apart teams typically finish in it, so a lead in a close category counts for more than a lead in one where teams are spread out. In head-to-head modes the boards also allow for how much each category swings from week to week.
That's why the order changes as your draft goes on: once you're comfortably winning a category, players who mainly add to it drop, and players who fill what you're short of rise.
Tap Why next to any player. It shows the categories he helps and hurts (in real stats, like "2.4 threes a game"), a one-line verdict, and, where roto and head-to-head disagree about him, the reason they do.
On the auction board, Why also explains when the room's price is more than he's worth to your team.
Gain now: the extra categories you'd expect to win if you take him now, compared with a typical player at this pick. There at: his chance of still being available at your next pick. Lasts to: if he's there and you pass, his chance of lasting to the pick after.
Expected price is what the room is likely to pay for him, adjusted as your auction goes. Max bid is the most he's worth to your team given your budget and roster: go up to it in $1 steps, and let him go above it.
Your plan shows the players your money can realistically buy. Star players to build the plan around them.
9-cat and 8-cat (no turnovers); roto, head-to-head each category, and head-to-head most categories; 6 to 16 teams. Snake drafts (including third-round reversal and linear order) and auctions with any budget, including keepers. Rosters, bench spots and games caps can be set in Setup.
Custom categories such as 11-cat (3P% and double-doubles) and points leagues aren't supported yet. 11-cat is on the list.
This season the boards use Yahoo's 2026-27 projections for the top 300 players, plus Yahoo ADP for who's likely to go when. You can switch on News adjustments in Setup to update players with dated injury or role news. Leave it off for mock drafts, which are scored on the unadjusted projections.
DraftDesk's own projections, updated daily from real results, are in the works.
Hundreds of simulated drafts in 10 to 14 team 9-cat leagues, scored on every week of three real NBA seasons with daily lineups. Drafting with the snake board won about 1.1 more categories a week than drafting by ADP, and the auction board about 1.4 more than bidding average auction values.
The draft boards are free and complete this season, with no account needed. Your drafts, settings and targets are saved in your own browser on your own device. Clearing your browser's data for this site deletes them.
Yes. On iPhone, tap Share then "Add to Home Screen"; on Android, use "Add to Home screen" or "Install app" in the browser menu, and it opens like an app.
Season Desk takes over after the draft: your team against your league all season, with trade analysis, waiver pickups and a weekly matchup planner, built the same way as the boards. It launches at tip-off.
Everything in Season Desk is free during early access. After that, the core of it stays free for good, and a Pro tier will add more advanced tools on top. Details and prices will go to people on the early-access list first. Sign up for Season Desk early access.
Yes, built with AI, and tested and decided by me. Every number on the board comes from the model and the projections, not from an AI guessing in the moment.
Email [email protected] (I reply within 48 hours) or post in r/DraftDesk. A lot of the boards' features came from feedback like yours.