The Basics of Daily Fantasy Football Points
If you love watching football, but want to add some thrill to your viewing experience, fantasy football is one of the most popular ways for fans to get some skin in the game.
For those new to fantasy football and are still learning the ropes, the most important basic idea you’ll need to understand is the scoring system for your sport of choice, whether it be football or any alternative.
In this guide, we will break down how to calculate and score fantasy football points, as well as some of the different league types and scoring systems you can use.
Let’s jump right into it!
How Fantasy Football Points are Calculated
The first step in jumping into a fantasy league will be selecting your roster. Once you’ve chosen your perfect lineup, the players’ relevant statistics will start to be recorded and that data will represent your score.
While the systems or point values that different leagues use can vary, generally they follow a similar structure.
How Do You Get Points in Fantasy Football?
Here is what a standard scoring system looks like:
- 1 Point per 25 Passing Yards
- 1 Point per 10 Rushing Yards
- 1 Point per 10 Receiving Yards
- 6 Points per Receiving or Rushing Touchdown
- -2 Points per Interception or Fumble
- 1 Point per Extra Points Scored
- 2 Points per 2-Point Conversion
- 2 Points per 0-39 Yard Field Goal
- 4 Points per 40-49 Yard Field Goal
- 5 Points per 5+ Yard Field Goal
- 2 Points per Turnover Gained by the Defense
- 1 Point per Sack by Defense
- 2 Points per Safety by Defense
- 6 Points per Touchdown Scored by Defense
- 2 Points per Blocked Kick
Some common variations that you might see leagues use:
- PPR (Points-per-reception) – Every reception by an offensive player scores 1 point, adding more scoring opportunities to each game.
- Touchdown Only – This is a bare bones play-style that keeps things as simple as possible. The name is self-explanatory; the points set for a TD can be determined on a league-to-league basis.
FanDuel & DraftKings
The scoring system that these two highly popular sportsbooks use is identical, and is quite straightforward.
You pick a lineup of nine players: Quarterback, Runningback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Flex, and Defense.
There are, however, some subtle distinctions between the two. For one, on FanDuel, receptions are only worth 0.5 points, and a lost fumble is -2 points.
Different Fantasy Football Contest Types
Choosing between joining a season-long league and betting on Daily Fantasy games will depend on the style of play you want.
In this section, we’ll take a look at the differences between the two to help you decide, as well as examples of some rule variations of each one.
What’s the Difference Between a League and Daily Fantasy?
- Full-Season League
A full-season league, as the name implies, begins with selecting a roster at the start of the season, which sticks with you throughout its duration. Some leagues allow you to change your roster throughout the season, others will not.
If you prefer a longer, more in-depth playing experience, a league will probably be the more enjoyable choice.
- Daily Fantasy
Daily Fantasy games, by contrast, take place over the course of one game, or one day of games. This option will give you more freedom and is much less of a commitment of time and thought.
League Types:
- Public vs Private
A league can choose to either keep their membership invite only, or it can be made public. Both options, of course, have pros and cons. Private leagues are typically used for friend group or co-worker leagues meant for a specific circle of people, whereas a public league is better for casual low-stakes betting, or simply just practicing your skills.
- Draft Only League
A draft only league will only allow you to trade or alter your roster once the draft is finished. Adding or removing players from your roster is prohibited, placing greater importance on lineup choice.
- Dynasty League
A dynasty league carries over its members’ rosters from year to year, as opposed to choosing again every draft. This can allow for more long-game strategy and in-depth consideration of how your roster can work for or against you.
Daily Fantasy Types:
- Cash Game
This type of contest has high odds of winning, and is usually a “50/50” tournament in which a player faces off one other player, and whoever wins doubles their money. This is a straightforward and easy to understand play type, and is great for beginners.
- High Stakes
High stakes contests have high entry cost and low winning probabilities. The prize pools for these will usually be made up of a large number of participants’ entry fees.
- Freeroll
A freeroll is a daily fantasy game with no entry fee, but still a prize pool. These are often used by sportsbooks to bring in new players to their platform. This can be a good option for someone looking to try online gambling for the first time, as you can keep the stakes low while you learn the ropes.
Optimize Your Roster!
Whichever way you choose to play your fantasy football, you’ll always want to make bets that work in your favor.
There are many ways you can approach it, some gamblers go off gut feel. Others use complex data analytics to make their decisions. Your play style will ultimately be determined by the nature of your desired outcome.
Whether you trust your intuition or need to dig into the nitty-gritty details, you’ll need to find a source you trust to keep up with the stats and news you need to make a winning call.
TheMadLabsmma.com has all of these resources and more! Keep up with our blog or subscribe to one of our monthly packages for a host of incredibly useful projections, fantasy football tips, and more.
