DFS

Comparing DFS apps - finding the top options

With daily fantasy sports growing in popularity, the number of DFS products has rapidly increased over the years. This can make it difficult for someone looking to enter DFS contests to find quality products that provide the services they are looking for. Each product has varying strengths and weaknesses, so it may be overwhelming at first. The good news is that there is no limit to the number of products a customer can create an account with as long as it is legal in their state.

There are a few factors to consider when trying to find the right products. First is promos, as many apps offer new customers hefty bonuses that help them get started on the app. Outside of promos, there are other things to consider, like app layout, payout times, and responsiveness. Still, above all, the two most important factors are the number of contests and the number of leagues the app offers contests in.

On a more specific level, all customers should ensure that products offer different filters for entering contests like entry price, number of players, restrictions, and more. Premier apps like Underdog, Prize Picks, DraftKings DFS, FanDuel DFS, and Owners Box are all products that do an excellent job of helping customers find the contest they are looking for in a timely manner.

Introduction to daily fantasy sports

Most sports fan's first exposure to anything gambling-related is fantasy sports. Many young adults have been competing in fantasy football leagues with their friends since they had access to a computer or phone, and while that league may have been for a prize, the money was collected by a friend named Kevin. Today, those young adults don’t need to wait an entire season to receive their cash prize; instead, they can download one of the many daily fantasy sports products, draft a lineup, and have a payout by the end of the NFL slate.

Daily fantasy sports bring all the excitement of fantasy and pack it into one game, slate, or week, depending on what a person is looking for. The nice part is that not only are there plenty of other leagues/sports to compete in contests, but there is also a range of contests that don’t just involve drafting a lineup and hoping for the best.

With the advancement of DFS products, sports fans now have complete control over the type of contests they are looking for. For example, customers can choose to enter their lineup against a small group of people for a different entry price, or they could enter their lineup into a daily or season-long best ball event against thousands of people, with the prize pool changing depending on where that customer places.

For sports fans who want more variety from drafting a lineup, they could look into Pick’em contests. These allow sports fans to select the over/under on different players' stats for a slate of games, and the more picks they put into an entry, the higher their playout would be. This contest is very similar to crafting a player prop parlay in sports betting, and for some sports fans, it’s the closest thing they’ll get to sports betting since their state still outlaws gambling.

Legality of DFS in the US

Daily fantasy sports and their legality can get confusing in the US. Plenty of states have legal DFS contests, and while some states have made them strictly illegal, there are a few places where DFS has no legislation, so DFS apps operate in a gray area. Additionally, even if a state offers legal DFS contests, there may be some contests that are not allowed to be offered.

In total, four states do not allow DFS contests of any kind, and outside of them, six states offer both regular DFS contests and Pick’em contests, but the states are starting to question the legality of Pick’em contests, which could cause changes over time. The reason for this concern by some states is they view Pick’em contests as sports betting, and in certain states, sports betting legislation has not yet been passed.

While the changing of legislation regarding certain contests can be frustrating, at the end of the day, DFS contests are all some people have in terms of gambling since multiple states without sports betting legislation do allow DFS contests, which is partially why the market has become so popular.

Latest updates from the US DFS scene

• August 21, 2024: PrizePicks and well-known comedian Druski have agreed to a brand partnership.

• July 3, 2024: Starting on July 15th, Google will permit ads for daily fantasy sports in 17 states due to a change made by the company on its Gambling and Games Policy.

• April 9, 2024: Underdog is one of five DFS operators leaving the state of Maine after the state removed the product's operator license.

All DFS contests explained

The DFS market has become quite crowded, so to stand out, many products have been trying to produce creative and distinct contests that are new to the field. While these products try to gain traction with their creativity, two contest types remain the most popular: drafting a lineup and Pick’em contests. Each product may have an offshoot of these contests, but in reality, the premise is still the same.

When entering a contest that involves drafting a lineup, many different factors go into it, like how many people will be in the draft, how many people are in the competition, and whether it is a head-to-head style or a group contest to see who has the most points at the end. Researching and planning for these drafts can go a long way since other people could take the player you wanted. Finding a “diamond in the rough” for these contests could be the difference between a second-place payout and a first-place payout.

Pick’em contests may have different names on products, but the overall premise remains about the same. These contests are not played against a different DFS user, which means each customer has complete control over each entry. The exciting factor about Pick’em contests is how risky a customer wants to get. A smaller entry may hit, but the payout might be average, while a big entry is a high-risk/high-reward situation.

Daily Drafts

A fantasy contest that revolved around drafting a lineup was most people’s introduction to fantasy sports. In the DFS world, there are a few ways to draft a lineup or compete in a contest revolving around a given lineup. In the simplest form, a customer will choose a contest they want to enter based on entry price, number of entrants, length of contest, and whether it’s a quick draft or slow draft.

Once the draft starts, customers draft players based on the contest settings, and in some cases, they must stay under a given salary cap. The payout for these contests may vary depending on the number of players. Many products offer one big contest a day where thousands of players enter, and their payout is determined by how high they place.

Best Ball Drafts

Best ball drafts still involve drafting a lineup, but typically, these drafts are for season-long competitions. There will still be a set number of players at each position that a customer must draft. Still, instead of having to tinker with a lineup each week before the game starts, the contest will automatically use the highest-scoring players at each position every week to ensure that the customer is getting the most points possible.

These contests can be found in almost all the popular U.S. leagues, including college football. Similarly to daily drafts, these best ball lineups can be entered in contests with a set number of people, or they could be entered into massive contests with thousands of competitors hoping to finish higher on the leaderboard for a bigger payout.

Pick’em

Since it was created as a DFS contest, Pick’em has become arguably the most popular contest in the market, as it closely mimics sports betting. Each product may have a slightly different way of conducting Pick’em contests. Still, typically, it involves picking the over/under for a given player's stats, such as points, hits, receiving yards, shots on goal, etc., and putting those picks into an entry. The more picks in an entry, the higher the payout will be.

Some products offer ways to double down or minimize the risk of these entries. For example, on PrizePicks, customers can choose between Flex Picks or Power Plays. With flex plays, customers can have one or two picks in an entry lose and still receive a payout, while with Power Plays, every pick in an entry must win, but if they do, the entry earns a higher payout.

Pick’em Rivals

The “Rivals” adaptation of Pick’em can be found on Underdog, but similar contest styles can be found on other products as well. Customers will still be putting picks into an entry, but instead of picking the over/under on a given stat, they will pick which player out of the two listed will have more of that stat.

Most matchups will have an adjustment, which is almost a handicap for the matchup. For example, Gerrit Cole (-1.5) strikeouts vs. Aaron Nola. This means that even if Gerrit Cole has more strikeouts, he needs at least two more for this pick to be considered a win.

Lightning Lineups

This OwnersBox exclusive contest does not involve competing against other players; instead, it requires customers to choose between three randomized lineups of three players. If customers do not see a lineup they like, they can hit spin, and the lineups will randomize. Once a customer sees a lineup they want to use, they will select that lineup in the hopes that it will outscore the other two lineups that were offered.

This contest is available across four sports, and customers can choose more than one lineup in the hopes of multiplying their payout.

Sports and leagues available for DFS

The number of sports and leagues offered on DFS products is growing daily. Each product may offer a different range of sports and leagues, depending on its size, but for the most part, all products will offer contests in the predominant US leagues like the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL. These leagues also tend to have the most and biggest contests, either daily, weekly, or season-long.

Of course, that is just the tip of the iceberg, as other sports and leagues include College Football and Basketball, golf, tennis, soccer, MMA, WNBA, eSports, and more. Among these sports and leagues, international soccer has a massive DFS following, as leagues like the Premier League can be found, especially in Pick’em contests on the top apps.

• NBA

• NFL

• MLB

• NHL

• NCAAF

• NCAAB

• Golf

• Soccer (US and International)

• Tennis

• WNBA

• eSports

• MMA

• Cricket

• Boxing

• F1

• NASCAR

Basic tips and strategies for DFS

Before discussing specific tips and strategies for DFS, it is essential to note that bankroll management is just as important in this market as in sports betting. Staying within a DFS player’s means and managing bankroll daily can help prolong profitability and help players avoid getting carried away.

Now, as far as the actual contests go, the most important thing is research, research, research. I had to say it three times to stress the importance, but jokes aside, using DFS tools/websites and researching each slate can go a long way toward turning a profit. Certain players may perform better against certain splits; for example, a hitter produces more against righties.

Finding stats prevalent in each matchup can help you gain an advantage over other players who may just be going off the DFS app projections. Aside from diving into the stats, it’s vital to search for and read any news about a player or team, as this helps you find who to avoid due to a possible injury or who to target due to a possible increased role in a given week or game.

Daily Fantasy Sports in other countries

The U.S. is not the only country where DFS contests are growing in popularity. In fact, a large majority of U.S. DFS products are also available in Canada. With Canada being home to multiple pro sports teams in the prominent US leagues, interest in those leagues remains strong, especially the NHL. With that, it’s unsurprising to see DFS products put their resources into the Canadian market.

Now, there are also plenty of countries that may not have a strong interest in the prominent US leagues/sports but still have DFS products. Three of these countries include Australia, India, and South Africa. In Australia and India, their DFS products put a strong emphasis on cricket since the sport has almost a cult following in both countries. In South Africa, residents can access Fantasygo.io, which provides week-long contests.

In countries where DFS may still be growing or the market hasn’t fully developed, there are still fantasy products that provide season-long contests. These are particularly popular in European or South American countries where professional soccer has the most significant following. For example, the English Premier League in the UK has a fantasy sports involvement similar to that of the NFL in the U.S.