This article is part of our DFS Football 101 series.
World Fantasy Pools is a new DFS site that is quickly gaining popularity with casual and professional players alike, as it flips the script on standard DFS play in a fresh and unique way.
If you're familiar with survivor pools, you're already one step ahead of the game with World Fantasy Pools. If you don't know how these pools work, the idea is pretty simple. Let's use the NFL as an example. In Week 1, you pick a team that you think is most likely to win. If they win, you move on to the next week. The catch is that you can't use that team again, and that is where advanced strategy comes into play. Do I have to us the Patriots this week? Can I opt for another team that also has an edge? You can see the basic concept. The idea is based on survival, and that's how you win on World Fantasy Pools - survival.
The site offers a head-spinning variety of options for both NFL and NBA play, so there's no shortage of gameplay available, and there is a plethora of freeroll opportunities on the site, so you can get the feel of the games at no cost.
Gameplay
Whether you're playing NFL, NBA, or any sport World Fantasy Pools offers in the future, your goal is to pick players based on any number of statistical categories in hopes that they meet or beat the threshold of that particular contest. The concept is similar to the traditional Over/Under wagers you see in Vegas prop bets for individual players. The wrinkle is that these contests take place over a set number of days/weeks, and in most cases, the threshold of the stats increase. If you manage to survive to the end of the contest, you share the prize pool with all remaining players. To give you a more concrete example of how this works, I'll share an example of an NBA contest that I am currently participating in:
This is a four-day freeroll that I am currently in the process of playing. The goal of the contest is to pick four players over the course of the next four NBA slates that will exceed a certain assist threshold. My first selection was supposed to match or exceed five assists, and as you can see, James Harden succeeded, so we are eligible to move on to Day 2. I have selected every player for this four-day contest, but as long as you get your selection in before game lock on that particular day, you're fine. You can also change your future selections if circumstances change. You can see that I selected LeBron James for the current day, and as previously stated, the threshold increases. James must meet a six-assist total to move forward. To stay alive, De'Aaron Fox and Ricky Rubio will have to meet or beat seven assists when they play.
For NBA and NFL, there are countless pools on World Fantasy Pools that cover any number of statistical categories. Available basketball pools include options for points, rebounds, assists, field goals made, and others. For NFL fans, World Fantasy Pools has an even more diverse variety of categories. Survivor contests for NFL are naturally a bit more difficult because they progress over a number of weeks, not days. Here's an example of a current NFL pool:
In this freeroll, the goal is to identify a player that will rush for 100 yards or more. I selected Christian McCaffrey for the first week. This may have been a foolish entry on my part, as I need a running back that has to beat 110 yards next week and 125 yards the following week. It might make more sense to save McCaffrey for a higher total and carry a little more risk with the lower threshold. And keep in mind, just like any normal survivor pool, you can only use a player once.
My favorite format currently is a mixed game, where you have to assemble a lineup for the week that meets a variety of thresholds (a QB that throws for 300 yards, a RB that runs for 100 yards, etc.). These mixed games are just another example of the kind of variety you can find on World Fantasy Pools. If you love prop bets and hate salary caps, this site could be your DFS nirvana.
Interested in trying World Fantasy Pools? Sign up here.