What is DFS? Daily Fantasy Sports Explained

If you are familiar with fantasy football or fantasy sports, you might have heard the term DFS or daily fantasy sports throughout the year. What is daily fantasy sports? Here’s what you need to know.

Spend More Time Winning, Less Time Guessing

4for4 is home to the most accurate rankings since 2010! Sync your fantasy football league and stay ahead ꦚwith custom cheat sheets, advanced tools, and data-driven content.

Pros:
  • Most Accurate Rankings & Projections
  • Custom Rankings, Cheat Sheets & Top 200
  • Unlimited Access to Season-Long Tools & Reports
Learn More

What is Daily Fantasy Sports?

Daily fantasy sports consist of daily, weekly, and season-long contests. You build lineups and earn points based on the players you pick. If you end up at the top of the leaderboard, you win cash prizes. You can play DFS for several different sports with the NFL being one of the biggest attracti🐠ons with weekly contests during the season.

DFS is different than sports betting and has been considered a game of skill compared to a game of chance. This i༒s why states have allowed DFS platforms over sportsbook platforms for many years.

Types of DFS Games and Contests

There are different types of contests in DFS. Users select a sport and a contest to enter before se💫lecting a team of players with a salary cap set by the DFS platform. Each player is assigned a monetary value and you can construct your roster based on those numbers. Here are the💧 most common DFS games and fantasy contests.

Guaranteed Prize Pools: In this type of pool, players p🐻ay an entry fee and compete for a shared prize pool. These types of pools will run regardless if every slot is filled.

Head-to-Head: In head-to-head matchups, you are playing against one other pe🐟rson. If you have the better score, you wi🦋n the entire prize.

Cash Games: Fantasy players can join a league 🥃or create their own and the best fantasy team wins.

50/50: If a 50/50 pool, if you finish in the top half, you receive double what you put in. If you finish in t🐈he bottom half, you receive nothing.

Sports Contests in DFS

There are plentဣy of dif🐈ferent options for those who play daily fantasy in terms of sports. Here are some of the different sports offerings for daily fantasy contests.

  • Football (NFL)
  • Basketball (NBA)
  • Baseball (MLB)
  • Hockey (NHL)
  • There are also options on some platforms for college football, college basketball, PGA Golf, NASCAR, soccer, and more. Daily fantasy🌠 ๊basketball has become extremely popular in recent years.

    Top Daily Fantasy Sports Websites

    The two biggest names in DFS are DraftKings and FanDuel. They have been dominating the field for over a decade and also are now strong sports betting platforms as well. DraftKings starဣted its fantasy sports contests back in 2012 while FanDuel allowed users to play daily fantasy sports back in 2009.

    States Where DFS is Illegal

    When it comes to legality and daily fantasy sports sites, they have existed in a gray area. It depends from state to state. Some states don’t have legislation on whether or not it’s legal but allow the top platforms to operate within their borders.

    There are a few states that have outlawed DFS:

  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • Washington
  • There are🌳 DFS sites operating in more than 40 states. Check to see where your state stands before you try to play. There are states where daily fantasy sports are not illegal, but there are no sites avail🎃able to use.

    Interested in DFS Pick’Em Contests?

    Interested in pick’em contests in DFS? Here’s a look at some great options to check out.

  • Betr
  • PrizePicks
  • Sleeper
  • Underdog
  • Vivid Picks
  • written by

    Sam hails from Grandville, Michigan. He has a rich sports background, including playing baseball at Central Michigan before covering high school sports and working with the Orlando Magic. He earned his broadcasting/journalism degree from Central Michigan University and was a member of the 2010 MAC Championship baseball team. Sam developed his expertise while working with , Bleacher Nation, and in various areas ꦐsuch as writing, social media, betting research, and business development. He's a big fan of the NBA, NFL, and MLB, highly interested in data and statistics.

    more fantasy-football news

    Jake Ferguson Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Is Jake Ferguson a player you should be drafting for your fantasy football team this year? To assist you with your draft prep, here's a breakdown of the Dal✅las Cowboys TE's 2024 fantasy prospects.Ferguson had season stats last ♎year which...

    Donald Parham Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Is ꧙Donald Parham a player you should be selecting for your fantasy football team this year♋? To help you with your draft prep, here's a breakdown of the Denver Broncos TE's 2024 fantasy outlook.In the air last year, Parham was...

    Desmond Ridder Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Thinking about making Des🐟mond Ridder part of your 2024 fantasy draft plan? Below, we have all of the stats and projections you need for the Arizona Cardinals quarterback.In terms of last year's season sta🉐ts, Ridder threw for 2,836 yards (189.1...

    Ameer Abdullah Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Ameer Abdullah has put up 0.2 fantasy points through 2 games this season. Keep reading to find out what we can expect from🌄 the Las Vegas Raiders RB the rest of the way.In the running game, Abdullah has season stats...

    Matthew Stafford Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Through 2 games this season, Matthew Stafford hasn't generated much fantasy production, as he has scored just 21.3 fantasy points. Wanting to know his outlook for rest of the 2024 season? You've come to ꦜthe right place.Looking at season stats,...

    Tyler Allgeier Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Tyler Allgeier has not provided much production for fantasy managers this season, scoring 119.6 fantasy points (44th among RBs) through 2 games. Below, we analyze his rest-of-🌼the-season outlook.Allgeier has 12 carries for 74 yards and zero touchdowns. A closer look...

    John FitzPatrick Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    What can we expe🥃ct from John FitzPatrick this season from a fantasy football perspective? Keep scrolling to learn more about the Atlanta Falcons TE and his season-long prospects.Should I draft John FitzPatrick?In 2023, FitzPatrick was 95th at his position (and...

    Pharaoh Brown Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    What can we count on from Pharaoh Br♓own this season from a fantasy football perspective? Keep reading to learn more about the Seattle Seahawks TE and h﷽is season-long prospects.Looking at last year's season stats, Brown was targeted 15 times and...

    Treylon Burks Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    Treylon Burks has not provided much production for fantasy managers this season, posting 23.9 fantasy points (131st among WꦦRs) through 2 games. Below, we break down his rest-of-the-season outlook.Should I draft Treylon Burks?With 0.3 fantasy points in 2024 (0.2 per...

    Case Keenum Fantasy: 2024 Outlook, Projections, Stats, Points & ADP

    What can we expect from Case Keenum this season from a fantasy foot🉐ball perspective? Keep reading to find out more about the Houston Texans QB and his season-⛄long prospects.In terms of last year's season stats, Keenum passed for 291 yards...

    Latest News

    H🦩ow to Watch Syracuse𓂃 vs. Stanford: Live Stream or on TV

    The Syracuse Orange (2-0) square off against a conference opponent when they host the Stanford Cardinal (1-1) on Friday, Septe💮mber 20, 2024 at the JMA Wireless Dome in an ACC clash.Interested in watching this matchup? You can do so on...

    How to Watch Nebrask𝕴a vs. Illinois: Live Stream or on TV

    Big Ten opponents meet when the No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0) and the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Il𝓡lini (3-0) play on Friday, September 20, 2024 at Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE).You should check out FOX in order to watch this matchup.Watch...

    How💙 to Watch Reds vs. Pirates: Live Stream or on TV

    Nick Martinez will take the ball for the Cincinnati Reds (74-80) when they host starting pitꦑcher Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh Pirates (71-81) on Friday, with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET.The article below will give you everything you need...

    How to Watch Mets vs. Phillies: 🔯Live Stream or on T🍷V

    The New York Mets (84-68), led by Francisco Lindor, host Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies (91-61) at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday.Find out how to💧 watch the New York-Philadelphia matchup below.When is Mets vs. Phil🔴lies and when does it...

    Cubs vs. Nationals: Startও Tim🌊e, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs (77-75) host C.J. Abrams and the Washington Nationals (68-84) on Friday in a series opener, with first pitch atꦡ 2:20 p.m. ET.Find out how to watch the𝓰 Chicago-Washington matchup below.When is Cubs vs. Nationals...

    Orio𓆉les vs. Tigers: 💛Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    On Friday, Corbin Burnes will start for the Baltimore Orioles (85-ꦡ68) against Keider Montero and the Detroit Tigers (80-73), with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.See how to watch the Baltimore-Detroit matchup below.When...

    How ♌to Watch Rangers vs. Mar🐲iners: Live Stream or on TV

    Jacob deGrom takes the ball for the Texas Rangers (73-80) when they host starter George Kirby and the Seattle Mariners (78-75)✱ at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Texas play...

    Cardinals vs. Guardians: Start Time, Str꧅eaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    On Friday, in a series opener at Busch Stadium, Kyle Gibson starts for the St. Louis Cardinals (77-75) versus Ben Lively and the Cleveland Guardians (89-65), with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 p.🍒m. ET.Keep reading to see how to watch...

    Big Ten Games This ♔Week – Odds, Predictions, Picks

    You will see 12ꦛ ܫgames featuring a Big Ten team on the Week 4 college football slate.[lasso rel="routy" id="898311"]Week 4 Big Ten GamesIllinois Fighting Illini at Nebraska CornhuskersTime: 8:00 PM ETDate: Friday, Sept. 20Spread: Nebraska (-8)Total: 43Moneyline: Cornhuskers -325, Fighting...

    ACC Games This Week – Odds, Predictions, Picks

    ACC teams will take the field across 12 games on the Week 4 college football schedule. That includes the James M༺adison Dukes versus the North Carolina Tar Heels at Ke𒉰nan Memorial Stadium.[lasso rel="routy" id="898311"]Week 4 ACC GamesStanford Cardinal at Syracuse...

    more fantasy-football news