NFL Daily Fantasy Sports is the most popular of all the different sports you can play in DFS. This is not shocking considering that football is the most popular sport in America. Daily fantasy has come a long way, with the emergence occurring over the last decade or so. NFL daily fantasy has been a massive part of the development of this game. Daily fantasy allows you to pick new lineups each week, or even from the early set of NFL games to the afternoon games. There is no waiting around for the season to come to an end.
How to Play
Just as any new undertaking, daily fantasy sports can be a little intimidating when you look at all the different contests. From lineup variability, lineup money/budget, legality, and ultimately who you should pick in your lineup. Don’t worry; it is not actually that difficult to do but let’s take it step by step.
Lineup Budget/Money/Cap Space
When setting your lineup, you have imaginary money, which you will “buy” your players with. The most common lineup has one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one flex position (RB, WR, or TE), and team defense. On FanDuel, the most common lineup budget is $60,000. You need to fill out those nine lineup positions that would give you an average of $6,667 to spend on each position. Now, of course, you will spend a little more on some positions and a little less on others. For example, even an outstanding team defense won’t cost more than $5,000. Each player or team defense cost is tied to their projected point total, average point total, and matchup. Values for players change weekly.
Lineup Types
As mentioned, the most common lineup is one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one flex position (RB, WR, or TE), and team defense. Yet different contests have different lineups at times, with their being all different types of variations. That doesn’t just go for NFL; NBA, MLB, NHL, and other sports all have their most common lineups, but specific contests may have lineup variations.
Advice
There are so many different ways you can go about setting your lineups. The NFL is unique in many aspects, especially with how competitive the league is. In a sport like soccer, it is almost unheard of for the top team in the league to lose to the bottom team. While it doesn’t happen regularly in the NFL often, it will still be competitive. Yet regardless of which team wins or loses, players can still have great performances fantasy-wise.
Another vital thing to note is different DFS providers have different scoring systems. The two big dogs in the market, FanDuel, and DraftKings have almost identical scoring systems except for one thing. DraftKings gives a full point per reception (PPR), while Fanduel gives a half-point per reception (.5PPR). This makes a difference because a player that catches a lot of passes would be a little more valuable on DraftKings.
Tips
It may sound simple but setting your lineup is all about value. What is a player going to score versus what will they cost.- Be aware of injuries, especially in regards to how it affects value. Typically DFS sites/apps don’t decrease a player’s cost even if they have an injury designation.
- Weather is another thing that, with it being so unreliable forecast-wise, DFS sites/apps do not decrease a player cost based on weather. Yet if the game ends up being played in a driving rainstorm, chances are no individual player will have a great game scoring. Yet, on the other hand, that may make a team defense more valuable.
Daily Fantasy Sports NFL Promos
- FanDuel is currently offering new users a sign-up promo. Deposit at least $5 and enroll in a contest that costs at least $5. Once completed, that will give you two free entry vouchers, one for the NBA and one for the NFL.
- Fanduel first-time users can also receive a 20% match on their first deposit up to $500.
Why is Daily Fantasy Better Than Season Long Fantasy?
Many of the frustrations occur inside season-long fantasy football. It just does not happen in daily fantasy football. For that matter, many frustrations that exist in season-long fantasy basketball, soccer, hockey, or any other sports don’t happen in daily fantasy. If your best player gets hurt in season-long fantasy, it may spell doom for your season. In daily fantasy, it may stink if a player gets hurt early in a game and hurts your scoring total. Yet next week or even later that day, you do not have to have that player in your lineup.
Another factor is that you are not limited to who is left in your beginning of the season draft when it is your turn to pick. You can put any player you want in your lineup as long as your lineup stays within the total budget. Lastly, your fantasy sports season doesn’t have to end when the regular season ends. Daily fantasy is offered all the way through the Super Bowl, and the same is said for hockey, baseball, college football, and other sports that have playoffs.
Frequently Asked NFL DFS Questions
Yes, custom matchups and leagues are available on all the major sites/apps. This is one of the coolest things about playing DFS. You can play with your friends whenever you want.
Yes, every major DFS provider has a mobile app. This is a way they can prove the location of your device.
It is legal in all but six states across America. You may want to double-check with your state-wide legislation just to make sure. The main sites will let you know.
There is a wide variety of platforms, but FanDuel, DraftKings, and Yahoo Sports are three of the best. Start by opening an account here and then you can venture off into some of the smaller markets.