This article is part of our DFS Football 101 series.
New daily fantasy sports (DFS) players routinely ask me which contests they should be playing in. Unfortunately, most new players' first taste of daily fantasy sports is a large field tournament that pays back 15-20 percent, which will burn through a bankroll quickly. If you don't win right away, the allure and luster wears off, which is why it's important that new players are participating in the contests that give them the best chance to win.
This week, I give you some tips on the contests you should be playing on DraftKings that will help put you in the winning column.
Head-to-Head - The trick to playing heads-up contests on DraftKings is to try to avoid the sharks. You can do this by looking at how many contests each player has posted at each level. The contests are listed "NFL $10 Head-to-Head vs. Player ABC". If your opponent has posted more than one contest it will show the quantity (x 10, for instance) after their name. I look for the players who have posted the fewest games (less than 10) and take only one of each per opponent to maximize my variance. You can also look at the players who have posted the higher entry fee contests and then avoid them, too.
Beginner Contests – DraftKings offers beginner contests, which you will play against other players that have played in less than 50 contests in each sport. This is a great way to start playing before you jump into the main contest lobby.
Steps Contests – Steps contests are not heavily promoted, but these contests are new-user friendly, as 40 percent of the field wins and each field is comprised of just 10 entries. The competition in these contests is usually pretty soft, unless you spot the username CONDIA, a longtime DFS player. Avoid any contests that he is in.
In Steps contests, there are Four Steps (1,2,3,4). I recommended starting off at the $2 level (Step 1). If you finish in first or second place of a Step 1 contest, you advance to Step 2. If you come in third or fourth, you get another Step 1 ticket. The good thing about Steps contests is that you can turn a $2 entry into $200 at a very low risk.
50/50– 50/50 contests are my favorite contests because you get to double up your entry fee as long as you finish in the top 50 percent of the field. Recently, DraftKings has been offering large field 50/50's labeled "GIANT" that allow for multiple entry. This is the best way to build your bankroll, and it's also the best way to hedge your entries in GPPs or qualifiers. For example, let's say you put in five entries in the $27 Millionaire Maker; you want to make sure you put the same amount in the 50/50 contests.
If you can't get into the "Giant" 50/50 contests, then look for the "Single Entry" 50/50 contests with the highest number of entries and join those. I look for the 50/50 contests with at least 80 entries.
Leagues – Much like Steps, Leagues are often overlooked, as people look at the large prize pool GPPs first. But Leagues are a good way to play in tournaments of 100-500 entries for $2-$5. The competition is not as tough in these, plus you usually don't run into a ton of players who play multiple entries.
25 Cent Contests – These low-stake contests are good if you have less than $1 in your account and want to take a flier with a couple lineups. Also, DraftKings runs a lot of qualifiers for a quarter. There are usually 115-entry fields with one seat up for grabs, but DraftKings has also been running $2 ticket satellites lately, which is great for the small stakes players. You can take the $2 tickets and play steps or leagues.
FPP Points – Each time you enter a contest, you earn Frequent Player Points that can be redeemed in the FPP Store for free tickets to enter contests. DraftKings does not promote this enough, and there are many new players who are not aware they are even accumulating points. If you click on the "setting" symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the lobby, you will find the FPP Store link.
Thursday-Monday NFL Contests – These contests can be easy money makers if you play them right. A lot of new players end up playing in the Thursday-Monday contests because they select and track players while watching the Thursday game. This is a huge mistake because you are selecting a lineup based on emotion instead of creating a roster based on the best optimal matchups. Instead, new users should often fade players from the Thursday night game. I think I have cashed in 100% of my Thursday-Monday NFL 50/50s this year. The competition and lineups are very soft.
