DFS explained: Daily Fantasy sports advice, strategy, how and where to play NFL, MLB, NBA and more – CBS Sports

Unlike season-long Fantasy sports, daily Fantasy sports, more commonly known as DFS, offer you the opportunity to start fresh every day with DFS tournaments and cash games being held across several prominent sites. With football season about to start, plenty of new NFL DFS players will be joining those sites in hopes of having fun and potentially winning money.

However, with such a large number of users and so many different variations of the game, finding a winning DFS strategy can be extremely difficult. Scoring is often significantly different than it is in season-long Fantasy games and understanding the pricing system takes some trial and error. But with some effective DFS advice, playing daily Fantasy football, daily Fantasy baseball, and other sports can be an enjoyable experience. So be sure to check out this helpful DFS primer from the team at SportsLine. Join SportsLine for DFS picks and advice.

SportsLine provides sports fans with the most accurate projections and predictions using a combination of advanced data models, the latest news and information, and the opinions of industry experts. 

Its daily Fantasy model and suite of DFS tools has helped plenty of users win big in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, motorsports, MMA and more. So after learning the DFS basics, be sure to check out the daily Fantasy picks and tips from SportsLine.

Where to play DFS

There are a number of daily Fantasy sports websites, but the most prominent in the industry are DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo! Sports. DFS was first introduced online roughly 15 years ago and has continued to evolve throughout the years.

FanDuel (established in 2009) and DraftKings (established in 2012) are the two most popular sites in the industry and both function with similar formats that use an adjusting scale for player pricing and a fixed salary cap for different sports and formats. Both sites offer DFS tournaments, cash games, 50-50s and more.

How to play daily Fantasy sports

For whatever sport you’re playing, you’re required to fill out a lineup while staying under a set salary cap limit. The scoring formats of most sites vary from sport to sport and the DFS pricing of each athlete also varies.

However, the general concept is to create a lineup within a salary cap that outscores the lineups of your opponents. In DFS tournaments, you’re typically playing against large fields that require extremely high scores to win. In 50-50s and cash games, you’re trying to be in the top half of the field or defeat players head-to-head. Ultimately, there are many ways to play DFS and which site/format to play is dependent on what you’re looking for.

With regular-season NFL DFS returning soon, the scoring system on FanDuel and DraftKings will look somewhat familiar to season-long Fantasy football players. FanDuel uses a half-PPR scoring system, while DraftKings uses a full-point PPR scoring system. There are bonuses offered for longer touchdowns and hitting certain yardage thresholds, but the scoring is similar to most standard Fantasy leagues.

What are the best DFS strategies?

Like with sports betting or season-long Fantasy sports, you’ll encounter several styles of players who have found success utilizing different strategies. There are feel players, players who use advanced analytics and even players who use daily Fantasy to hedge against other bets or Fantasy interests they have.

There’s no set way to win in DFS, but the general concept is always to find value within a given DFS pool. DFS pricing is typically set several hours, days or even weeks before an event and can’t be updated to reflect the latest news, injuries or lineup changes in any given sport.

DFS players who are capable of identifying athletes who are being undervalued have a significant advantage over their opponents. Cheaper players who are walking into larger opportunities than their pricing suggests free up DFS salary cap space that can be used on more expensive and often more reliable options.

So with football season right around the corner, baseball already underway and other popular sports like basketball and hockey beginning in just a couple of months, daily Fantasy sports can be a fun way to stay up-to-date with all the action. If you’re interested in learning more about daily Fantasy sports or are looking for additional DFS advice to help you set your upcoming NFL DFS lineups, be sure to check out the useful DFS tools at SportsLine.