NFL Fantasy Football Strategy

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Updated January 29, 2021

Adapting NFL Fantasy Tips for Daily Fantasy Sports

Sports-radio host Colin Cowherd has spoken about how NFL and NCAA football are fundamentally different. Pro football must plan for long-term success, Cowherd has explained, while members of a college league will try to win in any way possible with the talent currently available.

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The veteran pundit’s advice extends beyond just the NFL and NCAA to include fantasy leagues. Some “Fantasy” sports GMs have different jobs than others. Depending on the style of competition, Fantasy rosters can be designed to succeed right away, while others are chosen for sustainability over the long haul.

However, the fundamentals of old-fashioned strategy for Fantasy Football and Daily Fantasy drafts are the same. GMs try to select the best bang for their buck, knowing that real dollars, prizes, or both are at stake when imaginary salary-cap dollars are spent. 

A good Sunday game plan begins with a firm understanding of FanDuel’s DFS draft and scoring rules on the National Football League.

Scoring Rules for Drafts

Fantasy competitions at FanDuel grant each GM a 60,000 “dollar” budget to select a roster of players in a given week. Contestants are asked to fill out a standard roster of picks, which includes QB, running backs, WRs, a tight end, and a kicker.

FanDuel customers may also choose a “flex” or variable roster spot from eligible players, along with a team-defense pick.

Many casual fans who follow the DFS news are already familiar with basic Fantasy strategies. For instance, it makes sense to pick a QB and a WR from the same team to increase point totals when your top picks connect on a TD pass. It’s also wise to focus a solid chunk of your 60K budget on the QB and kicker picks. The QB handles the ball on every play and is likely to rack up the biggest stat total of anyone over 4 quarters.

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There are always exceptions to the “rules” of a fantasy football strategy for game drafting. In February of 2019, the New England Patriots and L.A. Rams met for what some pundits expected to be a top QB duel between Tom Brady and Jared Goff. Instead, a grand total of 1 touchdown was scored in the football championship contest, leaving Fantasy competitors to piece together points from ancillary picks such as runners, pass-rushers, and kickers.

FanDuel’s Fantasy scoring system doles out points for passing, rushing, receiving, runs-after-catches, and all touchdowns scored, in addition to small penalties for fumbles and interceptions during a game. There are no penalties for 5, 10, or 15-yard penalties taken by DFS draft picks, though penalties taken by an offense can stall a drive and prevent points from being scored—on the field and in DFS games. 

Defenders earn Fantasy points by holding an opponent to minimal TDs scored during a game. A team’s defenses can also score points in a game by creating a turnover, sacking the QB, or notching a safety. 

Not only can top kickers score 5 points at a time with 50+ yard field goals, a 2-point conversion earns extra bonus points when it’s a passing play.

Choose a Level of NFL Fantasy Opponent

FanDuel users may choose a level of Fantasy competition that is right for their experience level. 

Veteran handicappers compete in scientific mano-a-mano duels every Sunday, but that doesn’t mean beginners are forced to walk the plank against the “Chiefs and 49ers” of the Fantasy pigskin landscape. 

NFL Fantasy sign-ups can register as beginners and participate in special contests against an entire field of fellow novices. Prizes in the game can be won by even the newest of competitors!  

But when you’re ready for the big dance, feel free to level-up and engage in an experts’ battle up to 20 weeks per year, with winners determined every weekend.

Rating NFL Fantasy Draft Picks by Average Position

Fantasy GMs must consider which fantasy football players others will seek to draft right away. That enables the competitor to plan a game strategy without fear of losing players to other GMs, and to try to gain maximum value in all selections. 

“ADP” stands for Average Draft Position, or the expected Fantasy draft position of each player. 

Click or tap for an updated ADP chart rating the top Fantasy draft commodities in the National Football League.  

Daily Fantasy NFL Games: How DFS Changes the Fantasy Landscape

An injury to a superstar player can ruin a season, and ruin an autumn of sports for a rabid fan base. It can also crush a traditional Fantasy player’s chances to win a championship. Full-season Fantasy GMs are subject to the same stresses real-life front office bosses and head coaches go through. Key players may be injured with no suitable backup in place. Quarterbacks go through slumps, tailbacks grow unhappy with a team’s blocking, and wide receivers go months without scoring a TD. 

Daily Fantasy Sports, or DFS, offers the Fantasy guru a fresh start every week. DFS contestants simply enter to play, choose a team, and play a 1-week contest, followed by the opportunity to draft a different roster the following week if desired. 

Long-time league fantasy GMs getting into DFS should be prepared to adjust their thinking as offense relates to defense. It’s not bad to draft a season-long QB who plays for a team with a good defense backing them up. For instance, Tom Brady has earned consistent wins for fantasy rosters despite the New England Patriots (his franchise until 2020-21) playing excellent defense at times. Top QBs, Running Back, and WRs on solid all-around teams tend to play harder, keep themselves healthy, and see more clutch minutes on the field—all long-term fantasy positives.

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But in the DFS landscape, a starting QB or a WR pick with an excellent defense is likely bound for an average point total. If the Ravens are leading 21-0 in the 3rd quarter of a game, 2019’s NFL MVP will probably throw fewer passes and rack-up fewer yards and TDs in the 4th quarter than if Baltimore trails 35-21 and needs a hurry-up offense to come back. 

Pocket QBs saddled with questionable defenses—like Drew Brees in close to 10 of his seasons in New Orleans—are often considered stronger DFS picks than dual-threats like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson in their prime years. It’s all about how many explosive passing plays a QB is expected to manufacture that Sunday, whether it’s in a winning cause or not.

Drafting a Defense for Fantasy Victory

NFL defense fantasy picks are more valuable when they’re making plays. The prevalence of sacks and interceptions in the 2nd halves of “shoot-out” contests is often the saving grace for a Fantasy draft GM stuck with an otherwise poor defense. 

The principle is similar to picking an underdog goalkeeper in Fantasy soccer. “Keepers” on underdog teams will be forced to make more saves during a game of the league, leading to bonus points for the manager. GMs may draft a keeper from Man United or Barcelona hoping to get a “clean sheet” bonus and a few stress-free saves, and those teams often shut-out their opponents. But meanwhile, a manager with a GK who made 12 saves and given-up 2 goals has scored more points overall in the game. 

A defense that holds its opponent off the board can earn up to 10 final-score bonus points on the Fantasy scoreboard. However, an effective yet boring defense is likely to be surpassed in Fantasy point totals by a unit that sacks the QB, intercepts passes, and forces fumbles, even if it allows more points from an offense. 

Pigskin and soccer aren’t the only Daily Fantasy sports at FanDuel. Click the link to see more on Fantasy hoops strategy with our Fantasy Basketball primer.

Injury Reports and a Modern Era of Fantasy Games

Finally, determine how your style of Fantasy competition impacts the importance of an injury report. 

Full-season Fantasy GMs must consider the durability of their preseason picks and trade acquisitions. Daily Fantasy contests must think in terms of how coaches react to key injuries, and whether or not they can expect an athlete at 90% to be allowed to go 100% on a given weekend. 

Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks were each overrated Fantasy picks going into last year’s Week 16 meeting of NFC West rivals. Neither QB was badly injured, but small bruises caused each head coach to play it safe with his key man. Seattle had already clinched a playoff berth while Arizona was mathematically eliminated. Pete Carroll wanted to protect Wilson for the postseason, and Kliff Kingsbury wanted to protect Murray for the long term. Both teams played cautiously in a 27-13 underdog win, the QBs barely combining for 300 yards through the air. 

Raheem “Mosterati” Mostert of the San Francisco 49ers surprised with a massive postseason in 2019-20, rewarding Fantasy GMs who gave him a chance when injuries hampered other NFC ball-carriers. Mostert doesn’t come with the raw track speed that scouts love. But when a club is blocking as well as the 49er’s offensive line, yards gained are a matter of power and timing. Savvy choices like Mostert often arise when other Fantasy commodities are ailing with injury. Gamers should not underestimate how well a backup pro athlete can perform when his supporting cast is off the charts. Sometimes, it’s simply a player’s time to shine. 

Timing can be everything for a Fantasy winner too. Visit our NFL Fantasy Projections page and keep track of the league’s Fantasy pulse as a new season unfolds. 

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: How Many Rounds in a DFS Draft?

There are only 9 rounds in a FanDuel DFS draft. Competitors are asked to choose a QB, 3 wide receivers, 2 running backs, a tight end, a pass rusher, and a “Flex” athlete.

While 9 rounds may sound challenging, it’s nothing like what Fantasy GMs used to go through.

Fantasy Football draft strategy used to mirror the tactics of real-life GMs participating in the NFL Draft. Draft managers had to spend as much time worrying about what their opponents would do in preseason as they spent cheering during the games. Depending on whether an old-fashioned Fantasy draft involved only NFL skill players, or defenses, special teams, and linemen, a draft could include as many as 12+ rounds.

However, the strategy of a Fantasy Football draft at FanDuel is a lot different, and frankly a lot more fun. GMs must still determine which QBs, RBsing backs, and tight ends give them the best chance to score fantasy points and win each weekly contest. But the modern “PPR” or points-per-reception scoring system gives you points every time a wide receiver in your draft catches a pass. Those injuries that used to lay waste to carefully-laid preseason Fantasy draft strategies (such as the 2020 injury to star tight end George Kittle) are now just a temporary nuisance.

Most importantly, GMs are no longer not allowed to draft a player just because an opposing GM chose to draft Kittle - or another tight end or wide receiver - in the first round. A “DFS” or Daily Fantasy football draft strategy is only based on how many points each draft pick can potentially produce in a given NFL week - and leaves room for brand-new draft strategies in the week to follow if injuries or disappointing stats hurt your point total.

FanDuel DFS Rules: How Many WRs, Tight Ends, and Running Backs Should You Draft?

FanDuel’s DFS drafts allow for at least 3 wide receivers, 2 running backs, and a tight end. However, the 9th and “Flex position” draft choice allows GMs to pick from all 3 positions (and more) in adding an extra point-producing weapon to your roster.

Most DFS experts prefer to draft running backs early and often, spending a good chunk of FanDuel’s 60,000 “dollar” salary cap on the RB position. RBs can score DFS points in a number of ways, by gaining yards, grabbing receptions, and scoring TDs by ground and air.

WRs should not be overlooked for the “Flex” position, but beware of drafting a WR from an NFL club that’s bound for a lopsided win on Sunday! Teams tend to stop passing the ball once ahead by 3 or 4 touchdowns, and may even sit a #1 WR on the bench in the 2nd half in a blow-out scenario. Winning by 30+ points and getting some extra rest makes NFL players very happy...but often makes their DFS GMs very upset.

Goodbye to the “Snake” Draft Strategy

Another advantage of Daily Fantasy pigskin is that contestants can forget about weird terms like “Snake.”

Snake draft strategy refers to GMs in old-fashioned leagues trying to gain a “middle” spot in the draft-selection order, to maximize the overall quality of a roster. However, a DFS

competition simplifies the task of drafting a Fantasy roster, and eliminates the threat of opposing players “taking” your favorite NFL athletes away from you in a draft.

No animals or reptiles need to be involved in an NFL fantasy draft at FanDuel...even if that extra “Flex” DE is an animal when tracking-down quarterbacks in the pocket.

What if You Need Further DFS Help or Advice?

Click around our NFL Fantasy Football blog to learn more about the ins-and-outs of Daily Fantasy competition at FanDuel.

GMs with questions about budgets, player selections, or scoring rules that are not covered in our blog or FAQ can consult the FanDuel Support Center.

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