DFS by sport

Slots, caps and full scoring tables are on the rules page. This page covers what you do differently in each sport.

NFL: one big slate a week

Football gives you a week to think and one main decision. DraftKings says its NFL prices come out late Sunday and do not change during the week, so news between Monday and Sunday creates mispriced players. A new starter keeps his old price. That is the core of NFL DFS: spot the role change, then ask how many other entrants spotted it too.

The sites score differently, so one projection won't fit both.

• Catches. DraftKings pays 1 per catch, FanDuel 0.5. Six catches for 40 yards is 10 points on DraftKings and 7 on FanDuel.
• Fumbles. A lost fumble costs 1 on DraftKings and 2 on FanDuel.
• Bonuses. DraftKings pays 3 points at 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards. FanDuel is unsettled: its own 2024 and 2025 articles describe yardage bonuses, a comparison updated in October 2026 says it has none, and we haven't read its current rules page. Check the scoring screen in your contest.

Late news still matters. DraftKings' guide warns that injuries, inactives and weather can swing contests. Check your lineup before kickoff.

NBA: minutes and late news

Basketball runs nearly every night, and fantasy points follow minutes. A backup who scores 1.0 fantasy point per minute over 20 minutes gives you 20. If a starter sits and the backup plays 32, that's 32, a gain of 12 from one injury report.

News moves fast, and a good lineup at breakfast can be a bad one at tip-off. Both DraftKings and FanDuel offer late swap in NBA contests: you can replace a player whose game has not tipped, and once his game starts that spot is locked. So plan your night around the last game, not the first. Put late-game players in your most flexible slots when you can. On DraftKings that means G, F or UTIL, so a replacement has more positions to come from.

Scoring tilts differently here too. Steals and blocks pay 3 on FanDuel and 2 on DraftKings, and a turnover costs 1 on FanDuel and 0.5 on DraftKings. DraftKings adds 0.5 for a made three and bonuses for double-doubles and triple-doubles.

Stacking is weak in this sport, for reasons in the stacking guide.

MLB: weather, order and pitchers

Baseball is out of season, and we'll recheck its rules before the 2027 season. The logic doesn't change.

Pitchers. DraftKings rosters two pitchers and FanDuel one, which changes how much of your cap goes to the mound. Strikeouts are the steadiest source of pitcher points, and a win is a noisy bonus. You don't control the win, so don't pay for it.

Batting order. Spots near the top come up more often. A team that sends 38 batters to the plate gets through the order four times with two left over (38 = 9 x 4 + 2). Hitters one and two bat five times and the other seven bat four, so the top of the order gets 25% more chances. A player dropped from second to seventh loses that. Wait for confirmed lineups.

Weather. A game that isn't played gives you no stats, and rain can wreck a stack in one call. Check forecasts and read your operator's postponement rule before lock. Wind and heat can also change how the ball carries.

Stacks. Hitters on the same team score together, and DraftKings allows up to five. The stacking guide covers how to build them.

NHL: lines and goalies

FanDuel's own NHL research names two things to always focus on: what lines the players are on, and whether your goalies are confirmed starters. Both are decided close to game time.

Lines and the power play. Skaters on one line score together, and top power-play time is where points pile up. Check line combinations on game day.

Shots and blocks. DraftKings pays 1.5 per shot on goal and 1.3 per blocked shot, with 3-point bonuses at five shots and three blocks. Five shots alone is (5 x 1.5) + 3 = 10.5 points before any goal. Three blocks is (3 x 1.3) + 3 = 6.9, which is why a shot-blocking defenseman can pay off at a low price.

Goalies. On DraftKings a win is 6, a save 0.7 and a goal against -3.5. A 30-save win allowing two goals is 6 + 21 - 7 = 20 points. Goalie scores swing widely night to night, and a goalie who doesn't start gives you nothing, so wait for confirmation. Don't roster skaters against your own goalie.

DraftKings lineups need skaters from at least three teams, so even a double stack needs a third team in it. We couldn't confirm FanDuel's current NHL roster, because the sources we could read disagree, so check your contest screen.

Facts checked Nov 5, 2026.