When it comes to playing NFL DFS, the best strategy is to have no strategy. Stick with me now. I know the headline promised DFS strategies, and you’ll get them. Ultimately, though, it boils down to one simple thing: pick the best players. There are many ways to build a winning DFS lineup. Depending on the slate, the contest, and the website, they’re all plausible and realistic scenarios.
You can stack receivers with your quarterback, correlate a running back and a tight end, go starts and scrubs, play the chalk, take some long shots, and do everything else in between. The best DFS strategies mean understanding and reacting to the slate. Don’t be married to anything specific and be nimble. Now, let’s dig into some DFS strategies and thoughts that I employ.
What!? Your fantasy football league wasn’t hosted on Fantrax last season!? Once you see how Fantrax stacks up to the competition, we think you’ll be singing a different tune in the 2025 season.
DFS Strategy
Be Realistic
What do you want to gain from playing DFS? Do you simply want to make your football watching experience more enjoyable? Add some drama and potentially win a little cash? Is this meant to be a lottery ticket? Or is this an investment and a grind?
Regardless of your answer, the approach should ultimately be the same. We always want to be profitable and finish in the green with each contest entered. However, the type of contests that you play, the slates you play, and the frequency will be dictated by your answers to the above.
In order to make this an enjoyable endeavor, you have to stay true to yourself. That’s the only way this is going to be a positive.
Establish a Bankroll
Whether it’s for the week or the season, you need to establish a bankroll. Ultimately, what are you comfortable losing from a dollar perspective? It needs to fit within your budget and your finances. That’s a personal situation, and no one can answer that question or opine on it other than yourself.
Based on the bankroll, it will determine what contests you enter. Should you cash in a contest, this should dictate the level you make withdrawals as well.
Be Consistent
Don’t get too high or too low. You have your bankroll and your contest plan, so now stick with it. Whether you win or lose, it should endure. Now, if something happens on the positive side that allows you to alter your bankroll, that’s a different story, but do it within reason. Your approach needs to stay the same no matter what.
Not only should your level of play stay the same, but the same can be said for your roster construction. Of course, you can learn, adjust, and tweak, but don’t overreact. Stay level-headed when building your roster and stick with the same approach.
Play What You Like
While we want to be profitable, this is all about having fun. No one is forcing you to do anything here. Play on the websites you enjoy and the contests/slates you like. Of course, large player formats (GPP) have a lower cash rate and are more volatile than cash games. In cash games, half the field doubles their money, so they are necessary in building and maintaining a backfield.
When it comes to cash games, the strategy is generally to build a safer lineup and stay more towards the middle ground. Ultimately, you want a higher floor while minimizing your risk. In GPPs, it’s all about that upside. Either way, the goal is to build the lineup that will score the most possible points.
If it’s about being profitable, those cash games are key. However, if it’s all about having fun, play those lottery tickets.
Do Your Research
At the end of the day, DFS comes down to picking the best collection of players that will score the most points in any given slate of games. We know that this isn’t an easy endeavor, and it requires doing your research.
The basis of that research is what you are already doing for your seasonal leagues. From a DFS perspective, the next step is to understand the salaries. Applying that to your research – matchups, recent performances, trends, utilization – is what generates success.
Know the Format
This doesn’t only apply to seasonal leagues. You have to be aware of the format with respect to the contest, but also positional eligibility and salary cap considerations. Scoring should also come into play here, PPR or not.
Have Fun
Winning cash and having fun are often synonymous. Unfortunately, when it comes to DFS, we can’t win every time. That’s why we can’t lose sight of having fun.
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
