Drafting Guidelines and Scoring Methods

Rules for Drafting

At all the main daily fantasy sites, the drafting guidelines for daily fantasy football competitions are largely the same. The size of the salary cap is one of the few areas with some fluctuation. For instance, FanDuel has a salary cap of $60,000 and DraftKings has a salary cap of $50,000.

Please be aware that this does not necessarily imply that choosing a strong team at FanDuel is simpler. Although there may be a larger budget, each daily fantasy sport has its own unique system for paying players. At FanDuel, players will typically cost more, making it as challenging to strike the correct balance during a draft.

In both of these places, a nine-player team is selected using the salary cap. The roster composition is shown in the following table.

As you can see, there is only one difference in this instance. While at DraftKings you get a flex player, at FanDuel you must pick a kicker. Another running back, wide receiver, or tight end may be this flex player.

All daily fantasy sites have these kinds of insignificant variations, and they have no meaningful impact on how the competitions are conducted. They might slightly affect strategy, but that’s about it.

Regardless of the website you choose, you will discover that it is never permitted to draft the entire lineup from a single team. Players from at least two different teams who are taking part in at least two different games must be used.

Rules for Drafting

Depending on how the players you’ve chosen do in the actual games, your lineup will receive points. The following are ways for players to gain points.

• Touchdowns
• Yardage
• Receptions
• Sacks
• recovering from errors
• Permitting Points
• A field goal

For interceptions and fumbles as well as if the team permits too many points, players can also lose points.

Let’s examine the specifics of how FanDuel and DraftKings points are gained and lost.

Touchdowns

Kickoff and punt return scores, as well as rushing and receiving touchdowns, are all worth six points on FanDuel and DraftKings. At both locations, passing touchdowns are worth six points.

Yardage

Running and receiving are two ways for players to gain yards. A point is awarded for every ten yards gained in receiving and rushing at both DraftKings and Fanduel. Passing also helps players gain ground. For each 40 yards of passing, Fanduel awards one point. In contrast, DraftKings gives one point for every 25 throwing yards.

Players at DraftKings can gain bonus points for reaching specific objectives. For instance, a player receives three points for a game in which they pass for more than 300 yards. Additionally, 100 or more yards gained when running or receiving are worth 3 points.

Receptions

The majority of daily fantasy leagues use a points-per-reception scoring system. That implies that successful receptions result in points for the player. Players receive one point for each reception at our two example locations.

Sacks

Sacks are one of the primary ways a defense scores points for a team. At both of our sample sites, a sack is worth one point.

Rectifying Mistakes

Points are awarded to players for recovering mistakes. At both Fanduel and DraftKings, that is worth two points.

Permitting Points

The defense’s point total is a significant scoring aspect as well. A team receives points if their defense can limit their opponents to fewer points than that. The defense, on the other hand, may cost your fantasy squad points if their opponents score a lot of points.

A defense that concedes zero points receives ten points on Fanduel. Seven points are awarded to a defense that yields 1-6 points. Four points are awarded for allowing 7–13 points, while one point is awarded for allowing 14–20 points. Allowing 28–34 points results in a loss of one point, and 35 points or more results in a loss of four points.

The scoring method for defense on DraftKings is the same.

A field goal

A field goal is worth three points on Fanduel. They receive four or five points instead for field goals of more than 40 or 50 yards. A field goal cannot be scored at DraftKings since there is no kicker available.

interceptions and errors

Your team loses points when you throw interceptions. Fumbles typically result in a two point deduction, while interceptions typically result in a one point deduction.

How to Draft and Score in Daily Fantasy Baseball

Rules for Drafting

Baseball drafting guidelines at FanDuel and DraftKings are similar but not identical to those for football. One difference is that there are distinct salary caps. You have a $35,000 salary cap on FanDuel but you have a $50,000 salary cap on DraftKings. Additionally, the pay for specific players varies across each website.

The size of your roster is another distinction between the two websites. You only get 9 players at FanDuel, while you get 10 players at DraftKings.

Again, the distinction is quite slight. You only get one pitcher at FanDuel whereas you get two at DraftKings.

Daily fantasy baseball is subject to the same prohibition against selecting players from the same teams as daily fantasy football. Once more, you must select players who are on at least two separate teams and taking part in at least two distinct contests. You must select batters from a minimum of three different teams when playing at DraftKings.

Scoring Methods

Due to the ability to categorize point-earning activities into two groups, fantasy baseball scoring is a little easier. Pitching and hitting fall under these. Let’s take a closer look at the scoring at our two example sites.

Pitching

The following are the pitching rankings at Fanduel.

• A victory yields 4 points.
• A strikeout is worth one point.
• Every inning pitched results in one point.
• Each earned run scored against a pitcher results in a point loss.
• Pitching is graded differently at DraftKings.
• A win earns 4 points
• A strikeout receives 2 points
• Each inning thrown receives 2.25 points
• Pitchers lose 2 points for each earned run against them.
• Every hit against a pitcher deducts 0.6 points.
• Every time a pitcher allows a player to get on base for balls or for hitting a batter, that’s also a deduction of 0.6 points.
• 2.5 extra points are provided for a pitcher who completes a game.
• 2.5 bonus points are earned for throwing a shut-out.
• 5 bonus points are earned for pitching a no hitter.
• Hitting
• At Fanduel, hitters score as follows.
• Singles gain 1 point.
• Doubles score 2 points.
• Triples earn 3 points.
• Home runs earn 4 points.
• RBIs earn 1 point.
• A base on balls (BB) earns 1 point
• A hit by pitch (HBP) earns 1 point.
• Stolen bases earn 2 points.
• Each out deducts 0.25 points.
• At DraftKings, hitters have a significantly different scoring system:
• Singles earn 3 points.
• Doubles earn 5 points.
• Triples earn 8 points.
• Home runs earn 10 points.
• Hitters earn 2 points for every run batted in, and 2 points for every run.
• A base on balls earns 2 points.
• A hit by pitch earns 2 points.
• Stolen bases earn 5 points.
• If a hitter gets caught stealing a base, it’s a 2 points deduction.

The differences in the scoring systems stem directly from the different make-up of the rosters. Having an extra pitcher changes the situation dramatically, so the hitters’ abilities to score points are upped at DraftKings compared to Fanduel.

Some other sites have even more dramatic differences in how they score games.

Drafting & Scoring for Daily Fantasy Basketball

Rules for Drafting

As usual, our two example sites have different salary caps.

It’s $60,000 at Fanduel and $50,000 at DraftKings. Naturally, the salaries for individual basketball players also differ at each website.

On both sites, you get the same number of players on your roster (9). (9). The make-up of the rosters is the same too, and is as follows.

• Point Guards (x2) (x2)
• Shooting Guards (x2) (x2)
• Small Forwards (x2) (x2)
• Power Forwards (x2) (x2)

Center

Again there is a rule that you have to choose players from different teams who are playing in different games. You’re not allowed to draft all the players from a single team.

Drafting Rule

Scoring for fantasy basketball is simpler than for fantasy baseball or fantasy football. Let’s take a look at how it works at FanDuel and DraftKings.

• At Fanduel, points are awarded as follows.
• A 3 point field goal is worth 3 points.
• A 2 point field goal is worth 2 points.
• A free throw is worth 1 point.
• Rebounds are worth 1.2 points each.
• Assists are worth 1.5 points each.
• Blocks and steals are worth 2 points each.
• Each turnover is -1 point.
• At DraftKings players score for the same things for the most part, but the values are different in some instances.
• Each point scored is worth 1 point.
• Each made 3 point shot is worth an additional 0.5 points.
• A rebound is worth 1.2 points.
• Assists are worth 1.5 points each.
• Blocks and steals are worth 2 points each.
• A double-double earns 1.5 points.
• A triple-double earns 3 points.
• Each turnover is 0.5 points.
• Daily Fantasy Hockey Scoring

Rules for Drafting

Daily fantasy hockey contests are growing increasingly popular as the sport continues to grow, and

Fanduel and DraftKings both offer hockey contests. At Fanduel you get a $55,000 salary cap, but at DraftKings you get a $50,000 salary cap. As you’d expect, you’ll find different prices for different players as a result of this subtle difference in the rules.

On both sites you get a 9 player roster, but the lineup differs slightly from one site to the other.

The utility position at DraftKings can be filled by any player other than goaltenders.

You’re required to draft players from different teams in hockey too. For this sport, it must be at least three different teams.

Scoring Methods

Scoring in fantasy hockey is simple in the same way that scoring for fantasy basketball is simple. We’ll now demonstrate exactly how it works at our two example sites.

At Fanduel, players besides goalies score as follows.

• 3 points per goal.
• 2 points per assist.
• 1 point per Plus/Minus.
• Penalty minutes are worth 0.25 points.
• Power play points are worth 0.5 points each.
• Each shot on goal is worth 0.4 points.
• Goalies have their own scoring system.
• 3 points for a win.
• 0.2 points for each save.
• 2 points for a shut-out.
• -1 point for every goal against.

At DraftKings, the scoring is exactly the same for goaltenders. It’s a little different for the other players though.

• 3 points for each goal.
• 2 points for each assist.
• 0.5 points for each shot on goal.
• 0.5 points for each blocked shot.
• 0.2 points for each shootout goal.
• 1.5 point bonus for a hat trick.
• The scoring system for goalies is very similar.
• 3 points for a win.
• 0.2 points for each save.
• 2 points for a shut-out.
• -1 point for every goal against.

Other Daily Fantasy Sports Scoring Systems

Those are the four most commonly played daily fantasy sports games, but some sites offer a wider variety of sports. These other sports also have their own rules and scoring systems.

For example, at DraftKings, you can participate in fantasy golf contests. You get to spend $50,000 to draft a team of 6 golfers. Each golfer earns points depending upon where they place in each tournament, and also earns points based on their score on each hole.

• 20 points for a double eagle.
• 8 points for an eagle.
• 3 points for a birdie.
• 2 points for a par.
• -0.5 points for a bogey.
• -1 points for a double bogey.
• -2 points for anything worse than a double bogey
• Streaks of three or more birdies earn 3 bonus points.
• Bogey free rounds earn 3 bonus points
• Scoring all four rounds in under 70 strokes earns 5 bonus points.
• A hole in one is worth 10 points.
• Placing first in a tournament is worth 30 points.
• Second is worth 20 points.
• Third is worth 18 points.

You can also play fantasy MMA at DraftKings. You draft 5 fighters with a $50,000 salary cap, and those fighters score points based on how they do in their fights that week. The scoring system is as follows.

• Significant strikes earn 0.5 points each.
• Advances earn 1 point.
• Takedowns and reversal/sweeps earn 2 points each.
• Knockdowns are worth 3 points each.
• Fighters also score points for which round they win in.
• A first round win is 100 points.
• A second round win is 70 points.
• A third round win is 50 points.
• A fourth or fifth round win is worth 40 points.
• A decision is worth 25 points.

As you have now learned, drafting rules and scoring systems for daily fantasy sports all work according to the same basic principles. Players get points for achieving certain milestones in each game. Players also cost a certain amount of money, so managers have to balance how much they think a player will score against how much it will cost to draft that player.

The differences occur in the details, so it’s advisable to familiarize yourself thoroughly with the scoring system for any contest you enter before drafting your team. Fanduel and DraftKings are the two sites we used as examples for this page, but other sites can also be different. If you want to look at some alternatives to these two sites, please check out the following page.