Some fantasy players see DFS as a separate fantasy format, unrelated to redraft and dynasty fantasy football. However, that characterization isn’t entirely accurate. While it has some merit, there are takeaways that fantasy owners can carry over from DFS to both redraft and dynasty leagues.
For this article, I’m going to focus on regular weekly DFS contests, like FanDuel and DraftKings. Although there are other DFS formats, I feel that those weekly contests have unique takeaways and provide the most value for dynasty owners. Also, they are the most popular style of DFS, so they provide the broadest reach. I’ll split this article into the two main types of weekly DFS: cash games and GPP contests.
Cash Games
Definition
In both cash games and GPP contests, DFS players follow the same general principle. You can choose from a list of players, each with a different price. Every entrant in the competition receives the same total budget to spend on their entire lineup. On FanDuel, each owner gets a $60,000 budget to fill a nine-player lineup, while on DraftKings, it’s a $50,000 budget. While there are a few differences between the two major sites, their regular contests are very similar.
In terms of pricing players, players projected to score higher usually have higher prices, but there is always some variation. Finding value based on price and constructing an optimal lineup while remaining under the salary cap is the main point of weekly DFS contests. You need to find players that the site’s algorithm mispriced, and you need to choose the right combination.
Cash games are similar to regular weekly fantasy leagues. In a cash game format, you play against either a massive field or a single opponent, but the goal is the same in each type. Whether it’s against one opponent or many, you want to finish in the top half of the entrants in your contest. If you finish in the top half, you receive double your entry fee, minus a small rake to the site. Therefore, like a typical fantasy league, you want to set a healthy and balanced lineup, with a mix of upside and floor.
Application to Dynasty Leagues
The best application of cash game DFS contests to dynasty leagues consists of the process of roster-building. In both format types, owners must use limited resources to form a coherent and stable lineup. Additionally, fantasy owners must identify mispriced assets that they value differently from the market. In dynasty leagues, undervalued players and future draft picks make the best trade targets. Those biases allow you to exploit the other owners in your league and form the best team possible. While it’s slightly different from taking advantage of a DFS site’s algorithm, the general principle remains the same.
The other main advantage of cash game DFS contests is that they provide exposure to all players, not just those that are redraft-relevant. Often, deep dynasty sleepers are players that you wouldn’t normally roster in a redraft league but are minimum price at DFS sites. Therefore, playing weekly DFS contests allow you to learn about these players, especially at the wide receiver position.
Last season, Russell Gage was a frequent play in DFS cash games because of his high PPR floor and low DFS price. Eventually, Gage locked down the WR3 role for the Falcons and became an interesting dynasty stash. While I might have learned about Gage eventually, I first heard about him from the DFS world, allowing me to get a leg up on my fellow dynasty owners.
GPPs
Definition
A GPP, or a guaranteed prize pool contest, is like a cash game in that everyone gets the same budget to fill the same-size lineup. However, unlike a cash game, in a GPP contest, the payouts are extremely stratified. The top finishers receive a majority of the total payout, and most of the field gets no prize money.
Fields are often thousands of entries, and in the biggest contests, the prize for finishing first overall can reach into the millions. Therefore, when playing a GPP contest, the only goal is to set a lineup with maximum upside, as finishing with a slightly above-average lineup is the same as ending with the worst lineup. The floor is irrelevant, and the ceiling is everything.
Application to Dynasty Leagues
Like in cash games, there are many players that you might start in a GPP contest that you would never use in a regular redraft league. High-upside speedster wide receivers make up a majority of this pool, with Mecole Hardman a typical example from 2019. As Hardman rarely did anything outside of catching long touchdowns, he provided upside in specific weeks, perfect for a GPP contest.
Sometimes, playing GPP contests allows dynasty owners to find out about breakout players before the dynasty community. While most dynasty owners had heard of Hardman, there are players like him that are DFS-relevant but off dynasty radars. Sometimes, those same players break out into the mainstream, even if their burst is short-lived. Breshad Perriman is a good example of a player that was a GPP DFS tout that then gained some dynasty value.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the main point of this article is that playing more fantasy football will always help you learn and improve as a fantasy owner. Some people see DFS formats as a completely separate game from weekly leagues, but it’s the same general idea. As a relative DFS novice myself, I’ve always wanted to become more involved in the DFS community for the reasons I’ve laid out above.
Also, we could benefit from learning from the DFS sharks, as they put up massive money behind their picks and statements. Throughout this offseason, I’ve incorporated Vegas odds and betting lines into my content. I want to try and do the same with DFS, and I certainly plan to reference FanDuel’s and DraftKings’ pricing throughout my redraft content in 2020. Even if it only gets me thinking more about fantasy, that’s still worth it.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
