Becoming a good DFS player is more than just devising algorithms that keep you ahead of the game or staying up to date with all team and player news. You have to assemble your roster according to the type of contest you’re in, and you must practice solid bankroll management just like you do – or should do – when betting on sports.
Here’s a little something for all you newbies out there that could help you have a more enjoyable time partaking in DFS throughout the 2016-17 NFL regular season.
GPP – This is a type of contest with a grand prize pool meaning these are the types of contests that make millionaires out of people for sometimes a negligible amount. Sometimes it’s tens of thousands of dollars in entries. Other times it’s because the winner qualified through a $2 satellite.
Regardless, to take one of these bad boys down you must hit it big with the superstars drafted to your roster. If you pony up a big chunk of your salary cap to draft Aaron Rodgers, he must go for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns. You always want to get at least 3x value with every player rostered if not more.
Most important however is the need to not just nail one, not two, but at least three diamonds in the rough. These types of players possess low salaries and are often second and third wide receivers or backup running backs and tight ends. A prime example would be Marvin Jones when he went off for four touchdowns with the Bengals three years ago. His salary was a third of AJ Green’s that day, yet he ended up being the No. 1 wide receiver that week.
You also want to look at players that would likely have low ownership. The less teams that have them on their roster, the easier it will be for you to ascend the rankings. Let everyone draft ODB and Julio Jones, get you some Tajae Sharpe and Sammie Coates!
50/50 – Also called cash games, 50/50s award DFS players that finished in the top half of their respective league. If you enter a $100 50 man 50/50, the first 25 teams with the highest scores will make their money back minus the entry fee to the contest.
Since your main goal in one of these contests is to finish in the money, this isn’t the type of contest where you want to take many risks. It’s exactly the opposite of a GPP. These are “grinder” contests where you’re more or less just trying to secure a foundation that allows you to still do well for the week in case all your GPP entries go up in flames. While not sexy, they still provide a ton of opportunity for DFS players to make some green.
This is where you want to pony up some salary to roster at least one stud at each position. Fill the rest of your lineups in with guys that have plus-matchups. Let’s say for example the Steelers are running up against a team with a horrendous pass defense. Antonio Brown is a surefire candidate to be rostered on just about every single 50/50 lineup going. While he’ll still likely put forth a fantastic fantasy tally, there might be better options out there.
That brings us to the next check point…
Betting Lines - Make it a point to incorporate the betting lines when targeting players for all contests. In the example above, Brown would be an even better 50/50 roster candidate if the game had a competitive betting line attached to it. If the Steelers were only a field goal favorite, oddsmakers expect the game to be close for a majority of it. If the Steelers are laying near double digits, it’s possible they hold a big lead late forcing Mike Tomlin to run the ball so as to milk the clock. That means Brown likely isn’t catching many pigskins, which ultimately has him not multiplying the value you hoped you were getting when first drafting him.
Target games with high totals as well since those are the games expected to see points get put on the scoreboard. The more points tallied, the likelihood players on your DFS roster are tallying fantasy points as well.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook for pertinent information needed to assemble your best DFS rosters on a weekly basis. You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today!
