DFS, math first
How daily fantasy contests really pay, how to build a lineup and what it costs you. Free, with no account.
Learn it in this order
4 stops, then you decide
- 1Start hereHow a contest works, how it pays and who ends up with the money.
- 2Build a lineupValue, roster shape and two full rosters walked through the salary math.
- 3Try the builderLoad the demo slate or your own salary file and build legal lineups.
- 4Do the bankroll mathRake, break-even, season cost and a downswing simulator.
Pick your contest
What wins each one
| Prizes, first to last | Contest | What wins it | How it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head-to-headYour lineup against one other. | Outscoring one person, who may play this contest every week. Floor beats ceiling. | Winner takes the prize. | |
| 50/50The top half of the field gets paid. | A score above the cut line. Floor beats ceiling. | One flat prize, first place to the last paid spot. | |
| Double-upNearly half the field gets paid. | The same cut-line game, with fewer spots paid. | Roughly double the entry fee. | |
| Tournament (GPP)A big field and a prize pool set in advance. | A high ceiling, and a roster few others built. | A small share of entries takes most of the pool. | |
| Depends on the contest | ShowdownOne game. Six players, one of them a Captain at 1.5x points and 1.5x salary. | Absolute points in the top slot, and a roster that stands apart. | Cash or tournament shape, contest by contest. |
| Depends on the contest | Best ballDraft once. Your best scorers count each week, with no lineups to set. | Roster shape and stacks on draft day. | Varies. Read the prize table first. |
The bars are drawings of each prize table's shape, not real prizes. Multipliers pay a fixed multiple, typically 3x to 10x, to a smaller slice of finishers. Satellites pay tickets to bigger contests, not cash. Definitions and the 3x to 10x range are from DraftKings Network, read Nov 5, 2026. Pick'em and prediction apps are a different product: what they are.
Two numbers behind every stack
From our own table
How a quarterback's score moves with his top receiver's, over 1,231 games in FCT's own table. His running back barely moves with him: .10.
−.49A quarterback against the defense facing him. Roster both and one is playing against the other.
Full table and method on the stacking page.