Fanduel Cash Game Strategy
- Fanduel Cash Game Strategy
- Fanduel Cash Game Strategy Guide
- Fanduel Cash Game Strategy 2020
- Fanduel Cash Game Strategy Guide Pdf
Brian Entrekin analyzes optimal DFS cash game value plays for Week 13 of the NFL season. These players are worth considering on FanDuel and DraftKings daily fantasy sports cash games.
cash games and guaranteed prize pool, or GPP, tournaments. It’s important to know which type you’re playing because they warrant applying different draft strategies.Fanduel Cash Game Strategy
- Cash Game Strategy. When playing in cash games, we want to take the least amount of risk possible. This is when you want to take the most popular players who are in great matchups. The best way to construct your lineups in cash games is by having a lineup with a high floor.
- Cash games consist of head to heads (H2H), 50/50s, double ups and triple ups on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Due to the lack of a tiered payout structure, there is no need to build volatile or upside-centric rosters when approaching this format, as safety and consistency will be paramount to your success.
- This makes find a trustworthy option for cash games a little tougher at this time but Mike Davis is one that stands out in terms of getting usage as CMC has once again been ruled out. Davis has been a bit of a roller coaster in fantasy starting out hot with no CMC then having a down streak of sub double-digit performances.
A lineup that crushes your competition in a cash game can land you at the bottom of the field in a GPP, and vice versa. One of the worst mistakes you can make in DFS is entering the same roster in both contest categories.
In fact, doing so is a surefire recipe for losing.
Here’s the good news: once you understand the differences between cash games vs. GPPs, and learn how to create lineups that cater to the nuances of both, your odds of winning increase dramatically.
Below, we’ll define both categories of contests. We’ll then cover the most important tips for drafting fantasy football lineups in each of them.
Let’s start with cash games.
What Types Of Contests Are Considered “Cash Games”?
The easiest way to distinguish cash games is to think of them as being anything other than a large tournament. That’s an overly-simplistic definition, but it’ll suffice for our purposes.
The most common types are 50/50s and head-to-heads. A 50/50 is a contest that pays out to the top 50% of the field. There can be anywhere from a few participants to several thousand. A head-to-head, or H2H, is a contest whereby you compete against one other team owner. The winner takes all (less the DFS site’s rake, of course).
Other types of cash games include double-ups and multipliers.
Double-ups work the same as 50/50s. The main difference is that slightly less than 50% of the field cashes. But those who cash receive double their money since no rake is taken by the DFS site.
This type of contest is so similar to a 50/50 that the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Multipliers give you a chance to win a multiple of your entry fee. For example, let’s say you “buy in” with $10. If you win, a 3X multiplier would pay out $30. A 10X multiplier would pay out $100. Compared to a 50/50 or double-up, you have less chance of winning since the field percentage that gets paid is comparatively smaller (ranging between 8% and 30%).
My advice to new cash game players is that if you plan to play $20 per week worth of cash game plays then you would be better served playing 20 different H2H matches (running the same lineup in all of them) than playing in one $20 50/50.
Why?
Because in a large 50/50 half your ‘mediocre’ lineup is either going to cash or not. In 20 different H2H competitions you same lineup will beat some of the competition even if you don’t beat them all.
Cash game fantasy football is a great way to build a bankroll and slowly increase your DFS bankroll.
Now, let’s take a look at GPPs.
Guaranteed Prize Pool Tournaments Defined
There are three defining traits of a GPP. The first two are the size of the field (i.e. the number of entrants) and the size of the prize pool.
Some of these tournaments draw a quarter of a million entrants and pay out more than $1 million to the top winner. Most GPPs pay out less, with some paying as “little” as a few thousand dollars to first place.
There is a “Quarter Arcade” contest every week at Draftkings that literally costs a quarter to play. Of course you can also join in the weekly NFL freeroll (usually available) even if you don’t have any money on your account already.
The third defining trait is that the prize pool is guaranteed.
For example, DraftKings is currently hosting a Beginner NFL $120K Play-Action GPP. The site guarantees it’ll pay out $120,000 to the field even if the number of entrants fails to reach the maximum number allowed to play. The same goes for its NFL $4.44M Fantasy Football Millionaire GPP. DraftKings is guaranteed to shell out over $4 million, even if it fails to draw in the maximum number of entrants.
Now that you know the differences between fantasy football cash games vs. GPP tournaments, let’s talk about how to create productive lineups, starting with the former.
Cash Game Strategy: 7 Keys To A Building Your Fantasy NFL Cash Lineup
What follows isn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide to cashing in fantasy NFL 50/50s, H2Hs, double-up, and multipliers. Rather, these are the seven most important tips for putting together lineups that’ll improve your odds of winning.
Remember, nothing is guaranteed. That said, these tips will give you an edge over one-week fantasy football players who ignore them. And believe me, there are plenty of players who do exactly that week after week.
#1 – Slot A Stud Quarterback
You need a stud QB in your roster.
You want someone you can count on to produce. This isn’t the time to get clever, drafting a sleeper who might bust. Your QB is your insurance policy in cash games. Be ready to spend for someone who’s expected to post a large volume of points.
#2 – Look For High Floors
Winning 50/50s and double-ups is all about playing conservative. Remember, half (or nearly half) of the field gets paid. While high ceilings and plenty of upside are sexy, they’re not as important as high floors. You can find projections from tons of different sources.
Fanduel Cash Game Strategy Guide
A high floor signals reliable production. That’s valuable when you’re grinding it out in cash games.
#3 – “Good” Is Good Enough
Suppose you’re competing in a 50/50 with 100 entrants. You don’t need to land in first place. You can place 50th and get paid the same amount as the first-place winner. So don’t spend hours trying to put together the perfect lineup.
It’s unnecessary. Moreover, it’ll suck up valuable time, which will prevent you from creating multiple rosters.
Good is good enough.
#4 – Vary Your Fantasy Football Lineups
There’s no single perfect lineup. There are only lineups that give you a solid chance of landing in the top half of the field.
So if you plan to enter multiple 50/50s, double-ups, and other cash games, don’t use the same roster. Use variations. Hedge your bets by slotting different QBs, receivers, and backs.
Remember, there’s more than one stud QB playing each week. There are also numerous reliable receivers and backs playing each week. Switch it up.
#5 – Draft Consistent Receivers
Fortunately, there’s a lot of consistency at wide receiver. Week-to-week production is fairly predictable.
Fanduel Cash Game Strategy 2020
The trick is to focus on guys who are usually targets for their respective QBs. A receiver who gets a lot of touches is highly likely to convert those opportunities into fantasy points.
In my opinion, you want to draft at least one stud at this position. Fill the other two slots – both DraftKings and FanDuel require you to draft three receivers – with value plays who offer high floors.
#6 – Follow The Crowd – Chalky Plays Are Good In Cash Games
If everyone drafts Matt Ryan, do the same. If most of the field slots DeMarco Murray, put him in YOUR lineup. If you notice a high percentage of entrants picking Julio Jones, it’s a good idea to follow their lead.
This isn’t the time to be a contrarian. Follow the crowd when picking star players. That way, your roster won’t fall behind when those stars produce.
#7 – Watch Out For Sharks
Fantasy football head-to-heads are a lot of fun. It’s you against another team owner. But be wary about who you’re squaring off against. There are a lot of very experienced DFS players who wait around for newbies to enter H2Hs. For them, it’s easy money.
Both DraftKings and FanDuel have made it easier to identify experienced players. Look for badges that indicate successful track records. If you’re new to cash games, the last thing you want to do is compete against someone who has entered thousands of contests and won thousands of dollars in payouts.
Let’s shift gears and talk about weekly fantasy football GPP strategy.
GPP Tournament Strategy: 7 Factors To Keep In Mind
In order to have any chance of winning an NFL GPP tournament, you need to take an entirely different approach to lineup construction than the one we just discussed. GPPs are all about high ceilings, high upside, high variance, and taking risks.
Following are the top seven things to think about when creating rosters for large-field fantasy NFL tournaments.
#1 – Think “Boom Or Bust”
You need to roll the dice. Because the payout structure of a GPP is so top heavy, you have to take risks to finish high enough that you’ll get paid.
To that end, you want players who are going to turn in the best performances of their season, or totally bust. You’re not looking for anything in between. A mediocre performance is the same as a terrible performance in a GPP: it’s a losing proposition.
#2 – Note The Payout Structure
Familiarize yourself with how the field gets paid in a GPP. As many as 30% of the entrants might receive a payout. But don’t get too excited. The payouts are tiny at the bottom half of that structure. You need to land in the top 20% (sometimes the top 15%) just to win twice your entry fee. In some GPPs, as little as 10% of the field gets paid anything at all.
What if you want to hit a significant payday (say 10X your entry fee)? You need to land in the top 0.3%.
Fanduel Cash Game Strategy Guide Pdf
Make sure you know where you need to land in order to cash. Forewarned is forearmed.
#3 – Single Entry Vs. Multiple Entries
One entry isn’t going to do you any favors in an NFL GPP. You’ll be going up against experienced team owners who’ll have created hundreds of lineups.
Can you win against those odds? Sure. Anything’s possible. But you’re better off entering multiple lineups. Each one gives you another chance to win.
It’s like participating in a large raffle. You can definitely win with one ticket. Anything’s possible. But your chances of winning increase significantly with each additional ticket you buy. The same goes for entering lineups in a football GPP.
#4 – Learn To Love Variance
Variance scares a lot of novice weekly fantasy football players. It’s the antithesis of predictability. That being the case, it’s understandable that it makes folks uncomfortable.
But variance is our friend in GPPs.
Think of it this way: if variance didn’t exist, you’d be able to forecast each player’s performance with perfect accuracy. In that case, daily fantasy wouldn’t even exist. The lack of predictability is what gives you a chance to win.
Predictable fantasy production is important in cash games. But it has far less value in large-field tournaments where the payout structure is so top heavy. Remember, you want boom-or-bust players in your lineup. That translates into high variance.
Learn to embrace it.
#5 – The Role Of Ceiling
A player’s ceiling is the most number of points he’s likely to score during a given game. For example, Aaron Rodgers might have a ceiling of 31 against Jacksonville. Antonio Brown might have a ceiling of 28 against Washington.
High ceilings are crucial in GPPs. You don’t want to mess around with players who have unimpressive ceilings going into the week’s slate. Instead, take chances on high-ceiling players, even if there’s a chance they’ll fail to deliver on game day.
Remember, with GPPs, it’s boom or bust.
#6 – Stacking QBs And Receivers
Stack your QB with his favorite receiver. If you have both of them in your roster, you’ll receive double the points for each touchdown they score. You’ll earn on your QB and his receiver, including points for both passing and receiving yards.
That leverage can prove vital for winning GPPs.
#7 – Percentage Ownership – Look for low owned, contrarian plays.
Remember earlier when I recommended following the crowd when drafting players? That was for cash games. In GPPs, you want to do the opposite.
You want to fade players who are owned by a large percentage of the field, and instead draft those who are being ignored. That’s where you’ll find the breakout performances you need to leapfrog over the majority of your competition.
Use the tips above to boost your odds when competing in fantasy football cash games and GPP tournaments at DraftKings and FanDuel. Don’t be surprised if your win/loss ratio shows a marked improvement!
Keep On Reading
A Complete NFL Strategy Guide For Winning Big At Fanduel
NFL was founded back in 1920, and it is the professional football league. It consists of 32 teams and considered the most loved game in the United States. The season starts from September and ends in December. Every team will play around 16 matches to qualify for the playoffs. It has gained millions of fans. The majority of people are looking for the FanDuel NFL strategy for winning the game with their team. If you are the one who is fond of placing bets, then it is the right place to know about the right tactics.
In this guide, we have covered all the aspects related to know about the top strategies to get the most from it. It is essential to consider every fact to get most from it. There is no need to worry as these are not hard. But if you place the bet without planning anything, then it is not suitable for you. The best part about the game is that it has the most attendance in terms of audience. It is also considered as the popular sports league around the nation. So, it is perfect to look carefully at the FanDuel NFL strategy to win big. Let us discuss them below.
Selecting the game type
The first step to do is to learn about the gaming zone. It means to choose the perfect kind for placing a bet. There is no need to worry as we are here for your help. In this section, we will cover various types of it.
GPP contests
It is known as the guaranteed win tournaments. The reason behind it is that it helps to make sure that you are able to win big or not. In this one, if the user ends in the top 20 percent of the winners, then it is sure to get a considerable amount of money.
Cash games
There may be a time when you want to play with your friends, and it is perfect to go for the double-ups contests. It is because you have to compare with the top rankings players. If you are the one who wants to master the matches, then it is best to be consistent in FanDuel NFL strategy.
Quarterbacks system for scoring
It is one of the most significant factors to remember to know about the scoring system. If you don’t know what it is, then you will not get anything. There is a need to understand the concept of becoming the best. Let us discuss it to get high scores.
Touchdowns
When the player passes the ball to the other, and that one is standing at a distance of 100 meters, then they will get 4 points. If it is less than that, then there is a chance to get 3 points. It is difficult to know about this one as you can calculate at the field. Therefore, it is most beneficial to get the most from FanDuel NFL strategy.
Passing yards
In this one, you will get .04 points, and if the distance is around 25 yard, then it is about 1 pt. If the quarterback is able to score more than 350 scores, then it is guaranteed to win the big easily.
These all are the things to know about the scoring system for the quarterbacks.
Roster defense
There is one thing to consider making sure that if the defense is not right, and then it will give away more points. So, it is most beneficial for you to have the proper knowledge about the level of players. It is because it helps to ensure that you are choosing the strongest one in the team. You have to build a strong defense team not to give away points for free. It is perfect for remembering this FanDuel NFL strategy.
Using the Vegas system
There are many people who don’t know what to do, and then end up getting nothing. It is because they don’t use the proper tactics to increase the chances of winning. It is most beneficial to know the concept of the Vegas lines. It helps to make sure that you are going to know the predictions of the game before the contest. Well, there is one thing to understand to learn how to use it. You don’t have to worry as you will discover it.
Follow injuries
It is sure that the players will get injured in the matches. Therefore, you have to ready for it and know how other players can give the same value for it. It means that if the squad is not in good condition for playing, then he will be replaced by another one. You have to understand that how much importance he is and who will take its position. It is perfect for remembering this FanDuel NFL strategy.
Know about the inactive player
There may be a time when you will come to know about the player who is not playing for long. It may be due to some specific reasons, and it is your duty to consider the importance of that one. It is because it helps to make sure that the squad can come back without any further notice. You don’t have to miss a high profile player to sit out of the team. You don’t have to worry as the information will be released prior to entering the match.
Stacking players
You have to make sure that the best part of the team is a quarterback. If it is not strong, then there will be no one who can stop you from losing. It is perfect to consider this FanDuel NFL strategy.
To consider, these all are the essential NFL strategies for winning big at FanDuel. It is perfect for remembering every aspect to get the most from it. Moreover, you don’t have to forget the low-cost player as they can be valuable in the upcoming matches. There is a need to understand the fact that you have to play with your head, not with the heart.