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Daily Fantasy Sports Guide 2022 – Strategies, Tips, How to Play
What are Daily Fantasy Sports?
Before sports betting took over the sporting world, daily fantasy sports were the talk of the town. Some would even say that daily fantasy sports learned to walk so sports betting could run.
If it were not for daily fantasy sports becoming as popular as they are and pushing for legalization across the country, we would probably not be here right now with sports betting.
There are two forms of daily fantasy sports. One is prop betting parlays through sites like PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy. These platforms are included under the umbrella of daily fantasy sports, which allows them to operate in states that do not have legal sports betting.
If you haven’t signed up for PrizePicks and Underdog, be sure to do so using promo code ‘ODDSJAM’ for a first deposit match up to $100.
These sites are not difficult to profit from, especially with the help of the OddsJam Fantasy Screen. The Fantasy Screen includes PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, No House Advantage, ParlayPlay, Jock MKT, and ThriveFantasy. Any prop highlighted in green under the “% Odds to Hit” column means that individual prop is profitable.
If your entire entry is filled with green mathematically profitable bets, then the entry’s expected value will be significantly positive, and over a large sample size you will profit.
The other, older and more traditional form of daily fantasy sports is betting on individual players by drafting them onto a “fantasy team.”
Each individual player on the team gets points based on their performance for the game they compete in, and your score will be the aggregate of all your drafted players.
You can play head-to-head with another user who created their own team, or you can play in larger pools for different payouts. Each player has a cost to draft, and you are allocated a specific budget to draft your team.
This is very similar to regular fantasy sports, but the difference here is that after one day’s worth of matchups, you have to redraft in order to play again.
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For example, if a player were to get injured and be out for a long period of time, in regular fantasy you would have to decide whether to keep them on your bench or drop them entirely.
In daily fantasy sports, this does not impact your future lineups at all because you wouldn’t (nor would anyone else) draft a player who is injured or is not projected to play in the game the day you are creating your lineup.
Daily fantasy sports lineups can range anywhere from a day to a week, depending on which you pick.
How to Bet on Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily fantasy sports are legal in all but six states in the United States, so it is widely available for all that are interested. In order to play, you should follow the steps below:
- Find and sign up for a daily fantasy sports betting site.
- Make a real money deposit (pay attention to any bonuses you may be eligible for).
- Pick your sport and game mode, and draft your fantasy sports team.
- Enter a daily fantasy contest using money you have previously deposited.
- Check back in when the entire slate of games is complete to see if you are a winner.
For sites like PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy, the OddsJam Fantasy Screen is a game-changer.
This is a screenshot from the PrizePicks portion of the screen. As you can see, it compares odds from various sportsbooks and identifies value on PrizePicks.
The green picks mean those selections are profitable bets, and making a five or six-pick entry with exclusively green props ensures positive expected value in your entry as a whole.
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Daily Fantasy Sports Rules & Scoring: NBA DFS, NFL DFS, NHL DFS & MLB DFS
Although daily fantasy sports are offered for almost every sport, we will go over some daily fantasy sports rules for the four most popular sports in America; basketball, football, hockey and baseball.
These rules apply to most daily fantasy sports websites, but not all, so be sure to check your specific site for their exact rules.
| Sport | Lineup Requirements | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| NBA | Require a player from each position: PG, SG, SF, PF, C and a utility player (any position) | 1 point per actual point and 1.5 points per assist, 1.2 points per rebound, 2 points per block, 2 points per steal, -1 point per turnover |
| NFL | 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and 1 DST | 1 point per 25 passing yards, 1 point per 10 yards rushing, 4 points per passing TD, 6 points per rushing/receiving TD, 1 point per sack, 2 points per forced turnover |
| NHL | 2 C, 3 W, 2 D, 1 G and 1 utility (LW/RW/C/D) | Player: 12 points per goal, 8 per assist, 1.6 per shot on goal or block; Goalie: 12 points per win, 8 per shutout, 0.8 per save, -4 per goal allowed |
| MLB | 1 pitcher, 1 catcher, 1 1 B, 1 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B, 3 outfielders, 1 utility (any field position) | Batter: 3 points per base, 2 per RBI/run, 2 per walk, 5 per stolen base, 2 per HBP; Pitcher: 6 points per win, 4 points per quality start, -3 per earned run, 3 per strikeout |
Daily Fantasy Sports Betting Strategy
The key to DFS betting strategy is ensuring you understand what contest you are entering. There are generally two types of contests: low-risk contests and high-risk contests.
As the names state, you can probably assume that the low-risk contests require a small entry fee, while high-risk contests call for high entry fees.
There are also typically two game formats: head-to-head and larger tournament pools. Head-to-head will usually only double your entry fee, and you are against only one other person.
Tournaments have much larger payouts, but you are going against a lot more players. The key to build a bankroll in daily fantasy sports is to play more 50/50 and head-to-head contests, with the occasional tournament play if you are really confident in your lineup.