Understanding the scoring systems?
My daily fantasy sports guide should begin with the basics which is probably to understand the scoring systems in place at the DFS site that you are using. After all, each DFS brand will have different scoring systems for different eventualities in different sporting events.
This will ultimately have a massive impact on deciding how to assemble your fantasy sports team. For example, if you wanted to pick a quarterback for your football team, you’d want to know that a DFS site like DraftKings has the following scoring system:
- Passing TD +4 Pts
- Interception -1 Pt
- Reception +1 Pt
- 300+ Yard Passing Game +3 Pts
- 25 Passing Yards +1 Pt (+0.04 Pts/ Yards)
Some of the top Daily Fantasy Sports sites
Creating game-winning line-ups
Pretty much every daily fantasy sports guide will focus on the most enjoyable part of this whole phenomenon – building your team. It’s something that experienced players will spend hours doing and it ultimately means doing your research to see who’s in form.
So be sure to consider the following factors before you click to add a particular player to your DFS lineup:
- How have they performed over the last five games?
- How do their strengths play against the opponents’ weaknesses?
- Is the player susceptible to any injuries?
- How is the player’s morale?
- Is the player successfully playing as part of the team as a whole?
Managing your budget
Most DFS sites will only let you build your fantasy sports line-up by staying within a strict salary cap. This means that you’ll have to think carefully about whether you aim to include a handful of star players or opt instead for a more balanced squad overall.
Most people reading this daily fantasy sports guide will probably blow their budgets pretty fast by selecting modern-day legends like Patrick Mahomes. However, I’ve found that even the big stars can have their off-days, and aiming for consistent good performances can go a long way in helping your team get a place on the leaderboard.
Analyzing player stats
If you don’t like statistics, then you probably won’t have much success in DFS and you won’t enjoy reading this daily fantasy sports guide either. After all, you’ll need to know which statistics to include and which to ignore when it comes to knowing which players to select in your line-up.
Again, my advice here is to do your research and don’t fall into the trap of following the herd. While everyone knows that LeBron James is an NBA legend, he might not necessarily be the player to include in your team. Instead, I think that using the right players for the right context will have longer lasting benefits. Here are some statistics to look out for
No guide to daily fantasy sports would be complete without mentioning promos. After all, each DFS provider will have a welcome offer that helps you play more. Here are just some of the deals that I found while making this daily fantasy sports guide:
| DFS provider | Welcome offer |
| Underdog Fantasy | 100% up to $100 + Mystery Pick’em Special |
| ParlayPlay | $5 Free Pick |
| OwnersBox | 100% up to $500 |
| DraftKings | 20% up to $500 + free $3 ticket |
| FanDuel | 100% up to $100 |
Play at these sites for the
ultimate guide to daily fantasy sports
Sometimes theory can only go so far and you’ll need to actually play. So I’ve handpicked five of my favorite DFS sites that can be used to help put that theory into action.
Underdog Fantasy – Cheap entries and big prize pools
Pros & Cons
- Good range of tournaments
- Low entry fees
- User-friendly DFS app
- Big prize pools
My daily fantasy sports guide has found that Underdog Fantasy is one of the hottest new DFS sites around. It’s got Pick’em contests for the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, and you can win anywhere up to $1,000,000 by playing tournaments like the Best Ball Mani contests. What’s best is that many of these DFS contests can be played from just $5 and you’ll find no shortage of Daily Snake Drafts and Battle Royales to keep you busy. Highly recommended for newbies to DFS.
Pros & Cons
- Generous welcome offer
- Huge sports coverage
- Vast range of tournaments
- Monumental prize pools
- Hard to play against pro DFS gamers
Anyone reading this daily fantasy sports guide will know that DraftKings is one of the two brands who started this whole DFS phenomenon. The good news is that DraftKings hasn’t slowed down, and you can come here and play DFS for a massive range of sports ranging from football and basketball through to Formula 1 motor racing and even esports. While it might seem intimidating for rookies, that big sign up offer should make you feel welcome.
FanDuel – The DFS provider to beat
Pros & Cons
- Top one-day fantasy contests
- Matched deposit bonus offer
- Huge range of sports
- Industry-leading DFS brand
- Intimidating for rookie players
FanDuel is the other DFS brand who pretty much owns this industry. As such, you can come here and enjoy a vast range of one-day, weekly and season-long fantasy sports for pretty much any sport. Things start off with a great welcome offer that simply doubles your money, and from here you can build your team, enter some awesome free contests and discover why this is one of the biggest DFS brands in the world.
ParlayPlay – Free to play tournaments and much more
Pros & Cons
- Good sports coverage
- Simple Higher/Lower contests
- Free2Play tournaments
- Simple yet effective welcome offer
ParlayPlay is a relatively new DFS platform that has been picking up plenty of fans recently. This is down to the sheer ease of use for the two game types here. The Higher/Lower contests are something that pretty much anyone can understand, while the Hit-It tournaments are equally fun. There’s also good sporting coverage here of the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, UFS and college sports. The best part is that ParlayPlay has Free2Play games that cost you nothing but can see you winning up to $150. This means that you can see whether the best fantasy baseball draft strategy really works without it costing you a cent.
OwnersBox – Top up-and-coming DFS provider
Pros & Cons
- Massive welcome offer
- Play in private tournaments
- Excellent DFS app
- Wide range of contests
I had to include OwnersBox in this daily fantasy sports guide as it is a DFS provider that is not afraid to try something different. Here you’ll get to assemble your teams to compete in prize pool tournaments with a wide range of field sizes. Plus there’s even the option to take part in private one-on-one tournaments against friends. The downside of OwnersBox is that it only features the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to access cool features like Lightning Lineups, Flex and SuperFlex that can all work wonders in building the ultimate fantasy team.
Conclusion – Check back for updates to this
guide to daily fantasy sports?
This DFS guide has shown you that fantasy sports offers you a great way to get closer to your favorite sports. Not only that, but it’s got the perfect blend of skill and chance. This means that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to put some of the above strategies into action, and yet nobody will completely be able to master fantasy sports.
Above all, DFS is something that’s going to keep evolving as more new brands like OwnersBox and ParlayPlay continue to push the envelope for what you can expect from fantasy sports. So I’ve given you my tips, now it’s time for you to sign up to one of these recommended sites and put that daily fantasy draft strategy into action.
The best Daily Fantasy Sports Bonuses
Daily fantasy sports guide
FAQ
?? Who has the best daily fantasy sports app?
Each of the five brands featured in my daily fantasy sports guide has excellent apps, but I think that the FanDuel app might have the edge in its overall performance. Still, it’s worth shopping around to see which DFS app works best for you.
Some players will like FanDuel and DraftKings just because these are massive brands, but I think that places like OwnersBox and ParlayPlay are worth a closer look. Perfect for seeing if the best fantasy football draft strategy actually does the trick.
? How do you build a winning DFS lineup?
It’s a matter of doing your research to find a nicely balanced team that stays within the salary cap. While there’s always an element of chance, there’s nothing like doing your homework to avoid those rookie mistakes.
