Baseball is a popular sport for fantasy players. Because of its long seasons, the sport lends itself to statistical averages over counting stats. Understanding how to use these statistics will help you lock in winning lineups in whatever league you choose to play.
First, let’s take a look at the scoring for the two most popular DFS sites, DraftKings and FanDuel. Understanding the similarities and distinctions between these sites will be crucial for your success.
| Hitter Scoring | DraftKings | FanDuel |
| Single | +3 | +3 |
| Double | +5 | +6 |
| Triple | +8 | +9 |
| Home Run | +10 | +12 |
| Run Batted In | +2 | +3.5 |
| Run | +2 | +3.2 |
| Base on Balls | +2 | +3 |
| Hit by Pitch | +2 | +3 |
| Stolen Base | +5 | +6 |
You’ll see that their scoring is pretty similar, as these sites value power and speed over on-base ability. If a player were to get on base three times with a single (3 points), a walk (2-3 points), and a hit-by-pitch (2 3 points), they’d earn you 7 points on DraftKings and 9 on FanDuel. However, you’d have more points in both leagues if you’d had a player go 1-3 with a home run. It’s also worth noting that, in both leagues, a stolen base is worth the same amount as a double. Targeting a player with a combination of both power and speed is important as you pick your lineups.
In order to pick the best players, you must understand the lineup construction for both sites. What’s good about the MLB is that most lineups are predictable because most good players are everyday players, except for catchers and certain platoons. You can set your lineups the night before, but you’ll want to go through and confirm your lineups on game day just to make sure.
Here are the lineup spots you have to fill for each league:
| DraftKings | FanDuel |
| P | P |
| P | C/1B |
| C | 2B |
| 1B | 3B |
| 2B | SS |
| 3B | OF |
| SS | OF |
| OF | OF |
| OF | OF |
| OF |
There are a few differences you’ll notice. One that stands out is that on FanDuel, you have only nine players to choose while on DraftKings you have ten. On FanDuel, you also have the catcher and first baseman folded into one pool to choose from, so you have more options for that lineup position.
Something to notice as you begin building lineups on these sites, too, is that FanDuel classifies players by their primary positions, while DraftKings lists some players like Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians with dual position eligibility, meaning you can slot Ramirez in as your 2B or your 3B, depending on how the rest of your lineup is constructed. This is a valuable little bit of flexibility.
Perhaps most importantly, DraftKings allows you to draft two pitchers while FanDuel allows only one. This distinction is crucial! With two pitchers on DraftKings, you will find it hard to be able to afford two elite pitchers, so choosing one top-end starter and one mid-tier or value pick who is in a good matchup will usually be the optimal strategy for you. With FanDuel, you’ll want to make sure you get your pick right either with the top scoring pitcher of the night or the best point-per-dollar value pitcher.
Another minor difference between the two leagues is that the salary cap differs somewhat. On DraftKings, you have $50,000 to spend on your players, while on FanDuel you only get $35,000. However, since players’ values are adjusted accordingly, the difference is negligible on an overall scale but can differ greatly from player to player.
You’ll see that FanDuel has a utility spot, too. This spot would be a great opportunity for you to add a power-hitting 1B or OF if your team needs a little extra pop. Alternatively, you might want to target another value pick player so that you have more funds to pay for the highest-priced pitcher out there.
“Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.”
–Yogi Berra
Let’s get into the statistics that will help you choose the right players for these positions. Baseball is a long, grueling season of 162 games and is a daily grind both on the field and on the computer as a DFS player. There are going to be ups and downs and plenty of cold and hot streaks to deal with. You’ll need to prepare yourself for an uphill battle. I have found myself in plenty of cold streaks during MLB seasons. There are benefits to playing every day, though, because it makes the research process slightly easier.
To be honest, my best MLB days are when I spend less time doing intense research on any given day and I instead apply what I have learned throughout the season of watching and researching. Then I pick my players with my gut rather than heavy statistical analysis. If you’ve been paying attention during the season and have a great gut feeling there’s no need to second-guess yourself. Lock in the picks you believe in and don’t look back.
If you aren’t quite sold and need to get into the statistics, the key is to look at the numbers behind the numbers. Shy away from the “classic” baseball statistics. Counting stats like home runs (HR’s), runs batted in (RBI’s), and hits (H’s) can be misleading. Similarly, previously popular statistics like earned run average (ERA) and batting average (BA) can be affected by a variety of factors, and bets based on these alone are not advised.
For hitters, the statistic that used to rule baseball was BA. However, the shortcoming with BA is that it doesn’t consider plate appearances that result in walks and hit-by-pitch, both of which get hitters on base the same way a single does. So, doing away with BA and embracing OBP (on-base percentage) is a good first step as you get into lineup creation. While a good BA is .300 or above, a good OBP is .350 or above.
As we’ve discussed, getting hits or getting on base aren’t the most valuable characteristics on these DFS sites. You’ll want to look for players who have power as well. A way to get a more accurate picture of a hitter’s ability to get on base while capturing their power is to consider their OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging). While a player with a great on-base percentage might be appealing, if most of their hits are singles, they won’t be as valuable a pick for you. This is why consulting OPS is a good idea. Since a good on-base percentage is .350 or above and a good slugging percentage is .450 or above, a good OPS is .800 or above.
However, the shortcoming of OBP, and any statistic that incorporates it, is that OBP values all times on base equally, whether it’s a walk with nobody on base or a grand slam that brings in four runs. Slugging percentage (SLG) values power, but not appropriately; isolated slugging average (ISO) only values a player’s average extra bases per at bat; weighted on-base average (wOBA) values certain hits more than others, according to how much those hits actually matter to teams. wOBA is highly regarded in insider baseball circles. This stat will help you find hitters to draft who get walks, singles, and extra-base hits—a variety of ways to rack up points.
Even more popular now, though, is xwOBA. Instead of simply calculating a player’s true outcomes to get wOBA, xwOBA uses Statcast technology to calculate a player’s expected OBA based on their quality of contact (exit velocity and launch angle). A player might be hitting well below his career norm and experiencing some terrible luck at bat, but he may be hitting the ball as hard as ever with similar launch angles—something that won’t be discovered by any other hitting statistics. Consulting xwOBA is a pro move, especially when considering whether to buy low on a struggling hitter. If a player’s xwOBA is significantly higher than his other numbers, he’s ready for a breakout game and should be considered when searching for your value pick of the day.
Another pro move when considering hitters is to look at their batted ball profile. Ground balls in the MLB have a dismal batting average and an almost similar slugging percentage, so choosing a player with a high ground ball percentage (GB%) would be a mistake, even if his batting average is high. The upside on singles, remember, is only three points.
Line drive rate (LD%) is a great sign, as line drives have the highest batting average of the three types of batted balls and a high slugging percentage. A player who consistently hits line drives can rack up a couple doubles for you in a night. However, the highest slugging percentage year in and year out belongs to fly balls, so looking for a player with higher- than-average line drive rate along with a good fly ball rate (FB%) is a good bet. These are the underlying numbers that lead to valuable points in power-driven DFS games.
A way to tell if the player you’re considering is riding a luck-promoted hot streak is by considering their batting average on balls in play (BABIP). Typically, a player with a BABIP much higher than the league average and/ or their career norms is getting some ground balls through holes in the infield, is facing weak defenses, or is simply “hitting them where they ain’t.” Avoid buying high on hot hitters with unreasonably high BABIP’s. Let the fantasy players who just pick the hot hand go after those guys. You’re savvier than that.
It is, however, worth spending a little more to get players who hit at the top of their teams’ lineups. Unless a game goes to extra innings, each team gets a maximum of twenty-seven outs. If the home team is leading going into the ninth, it gets only twenty-four outs. The 1-6 spots are guaranteed to get three plate appearances and frequently get four or even five. However, the bottom third of the lineup typically only gets three or four chances. Each plate appearance is another opportunity for your player to bring in some points for you, so I’d suggest looking high in the lineup when choosing your hitters.
Speaking of players who typically hit at the top of lineups, understanding the value of stolen bases (SB’s) is crucial. Power numbers are highly valued in these leagues, but SB’s can really boost your numbers, too. So, choosing a speedster like Billy Hamilton on a night when he’s facing off against a noted pickoff avoider like Jon Lester would be a low-cost pickup that may pay off in a big way for you.
All of these statistics should be considered when deciding whether or not to pick a hitter for a matchup, but certain gameday factors should be considered as well. Not all games are the same: during a 162-game season, players are frequently tired from long stretches without days off, or are playing through injuries, or are playing in stadiums they may be more or less comfortable in.
All of these factors can impact a player’s performance, so glancing at the schedule for all the players you’re considering for your lineup is worth your time. If they’re at the end of a grueling road trip and playing in a ballpark that they have had unusually bad numbers in, they’re probably not going to produce for you. However, buying low on a player who just got a day off and is playing in their home park where they hit better is a good bet.
Weather affects how a baseball travels when it’s hit, so it’s crucial for you to understand these four factors: air pressure, wind, temperature, and humidity. Air pressure depends on the elevation of a region and its current weather. It is usually the most important factor in determining how far a baseball will travel. At higher elevations, air has a lower density, causing baseballs to travel farther. Air density can also change based on weather patterns affecting that region.
Wind can either add or reduce the friction the baseball experiences during flight. Air flowing toward the baseball in flight slows the forward motion, while wind flowing with the baseball, called blowing out, helps it fly longer distances—a pretty basic concept. Temperature is also very important. When air heats up, it expands. This warming and expansion lowers the density of the air, and, as I pointed out above, low air density helps baseballs fly farther. Keep in mind that 70 degrees Fahrenheit is not the same in every location. Even at the same temperature, humid air will be less dense, so baseballs will travel a little farther.
The best conditions for baseballs to fly far are in ballparks with high elevation when the wind is blowing out, during warm and humid weather. For instance, Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies, is notoriously hitter-friendly because of its high altitude, while Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners, is a pitcher-friendly yard because of its dense marinelayer air. So, considering where your players are playing that day is very important.
“Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.”
–Babe Ruth
One of the most popular gameday factors professional DFS players argue about is BVP: the success of certain batters versus certain pitchers. Before we get to specific batters and pitchers, let’s talk about right handed and left-handed splits (RH/LH splits). Hitters have trouble with breaking balls thrown by same handed pitchers, so right-handed hitters typically have a hard time against right-handed pitchers, and left handed hitters have trouble with left-handed pitchers. Typically, right-handed hitters will hit better versus lefties than righties. However, this rule isn’t always true. There are some exceptions. So, considering each hitter’s success versus pitchers of right- or left-handedness is a good strategy when putting together your lineup. Picking the right pitcher is key for your DFS success, but first, let’s take a look at pitcher scoring:
| Pitcher Scoring | DraftKings | FanDuel |
| Inning Pitched | +2.25 | +3 |
| Strikeout | +2 | +3 |
| Win | +4 | +6 |
| Earned Run Allowed | -2 | -3 |
| Hit Against | -0.6 | N/A |
| Walk Allowed | -0.6 | N/A |
| Hit Batsman | -0.6 | N/A |
| Complete Game | +2.5 | N/A |
| Complete Game Shutout | +2.5 | N/A |
| No Hitter | +5 | N/A |
| Quality Start | N/A | +4 |
The two scoring systems aren’t as different as they might seem. Pitchers who throw a lot of innings, strike out a lot of hitters, and don’t give up a lot of earned runs are highly valued. DraftKings goes into detail about the different things that can subtract points from a pitcher’s performance, while FanDuel’s scoring system essentially lumps pitcher performance into one question: did they allow any earned runs?
The main differences are the way in which wins (W’s) are valued and the extra points FanDuel provides for a quality start. A pitcher like Felix Hernandez in his prime or, more recently, Jacob deGrom might consistently throw quality starts but miss out on W’s because of his inept offenses. Due to the scoring differences on FanDuel, you can choose the heavy Vegas favorites and pitchers going against teams with low run totals, hoping your pitcher gets the six points for the W and the four points for the quality start. On DraftKings, since the W is only four points and there is no bonus for a quality start, the emphasis should be on predicting pitchers who will have high strikeout performances.
We must also discuss pitcher stats. It’s important to separate “classic” statistics from more effective ones for pitchers, as well as hitters. Historically, pitchers were defined by four statistics: wins (W’s), innings pitched (IP’s), earned run average (ERA), and saves (SV’s). As pitcher usage has changed and as we’ve identified the factors that can affect pitcher success, people have developed statistics to help separate pitcher performance from defense, ballpark, and random luck. Instead of just focusing on W’s, IP’s, and ERA because they’re directly valued by these scoring systems, let’s take a look at the underlying statistics that predict the outcomes.
A popular pitcher statistic you should look at is their walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP). Looking at a pitcher’s WHIP instead of their ERA helps to figure out exactly how many hitters a pitcher puts on base each inning, instead of just the ones that score. This way, if a pitcher is just skating out of innings where he’s on thin ice, the WHIP will show you that he was lucky. A good WHIP is around 1.0, and some relievers’ WHIP’s can dip below that if they’re truly dominant.
It’s also crucial to understand the differences in the FanDuel and DraftKings scoring systems in the way they value pitchers. DraftKings punishes walks and hits at the rate of 0.6 points per, so a pitcher with a great WHIP is much more valuable on that platform than on FanDuel, which values pitchers with a less impressive WHIP but better run support from their offense to ensure that six-point W.
Just like it’s important to look at hitters’ batted ball profile, it’s also worth your time to look at the batted ball profile that pitchers give up. While a pitcher might have a lot of W’s, a low WHIP, and a great ERA, if he’s giving up a high LD%, you can predict that his good luck will soon run out.
Likewise, it’s a good idea to consider a pitcher’s GB%, LD%, and FB% side by side with the ballpark they’re scheduled to pitch in. As we discussed, certain ballparks are bandboxes that surrender more home runs and extrabase hits than the norm. If a pitcher has been very successful but surrenders a high FB%, choosing him when he’s pitching in Coors Field or any other hitter-friendly ballpark would not be a wise choice.
Because a pitcher’s success is dependent on his defense, it’s also a good idea to consider a pitcher’s batted ball profile alongside his defense’s statistics. If he is a sinkerball pitcher who gets lots of ground balls, running a high GB% of 40 percent or more, he should be successful as long as he has a competent defense behind him.
However, that same pitcher may surrender an extra handful of hits if his starting shortstop is out with an injury or if his defense is really bad. On FanDuel, that won’t matter so much if the team hits well and can get that pitcher the W, but on DraftKings, those ground-ball singles will add up at -0.6 points per. You also want to avoid pitchers with a high walk rate, as a high walk rate will lead to a higher pitch count, which will lead to a shorter outing and more runners on base—both of which could lead to the end of your pitcher’s night.
Since some hitters really struggle against same-handed pitchers, there are certain pitchers out there who are absolutely death to same-handed hitters. Most pitchers who make a career off of this are LOOGY’s (left-handed one-out guys), lefty relievers who come out of the bullpen to face one to three left-handed hitters late in the game, but there are some starters who are especially effective against same-handed hitters. Some starters are so good against same-handed hitters that managers will even sit their best hitters against them. So, as you take a look at your matchups, identify starters whose LH/RH splits line up well against the lineup they’re facing that day.
There are some personal factors to consider, as well. Some hitters simply “see” certain pitchers better than others and can hit hundreds of points higher against those pitchers than their career averages, even over a large sample size. This is important to consider; however, the sample size is critical. If a player is 1-for-2 against a pitcher with a HR, the statistics would say that they are a good bet to do well against that pitcher on that day. But this reasoning is foolish—only take batter versus pitcher (BVP) statistics seriously with a sample size of at least twenty or thirty at bats. However, if a certain pitcher absolutely carves up several hitters in a weak lineup over a stretch like that, consider giving him a bump in your projections that day.
Another personal factor to consider is comfort. Pitchers are unique in baseball, as the game revolves around them. Certain pitchers throw significantly better in their home ballparks because they feel comfortable there, even if that ballpark is typically a hitter-friendly bandbox. So, before you move past a pitcher because they’re throwing in a small park, take a look at their home/road splits. You may find a hidden gem there.
Take a look at the weather forecast for the day, as well. On Twitter, you can follow @KevinRothWx. He is a meteorologist who provides initial weather reports as well as updates throughout the day. If there is rain headed toward the area and the ballpark doesn’t have a roof, there may be a rain delay. Managers typically don’t want a pitcher to get ready for a game, start pitching in the first inning or two, then sit around during the delay and get cold, only to have to warm back up and continue the game after the rain stops and the field is cleared. Often, after these rain delays, managers will put in a reliever instead, which would end your pitcher’s day.
The weather doesn’t even have to threaten the game for it to be an important consideration for you, though. As we said, baseballs fly a little farther when the temperature rises, when the wind blows out, and when it’s humid. The Cubs’ historic home park Wrigley Field is one example of a stadium that is very different during the summer when the wind is blowing out. That combination of heat, wind, and humidity turns routine fly balls into home runs. When considering wind alone, though, 5-10 mph winds shouldn’t change your decisions much, but winds at 15-20 mph should factor in. Choosing a pitcher with a high FB% and a high HR/9 (home runs given up per nine innings) is dangerous, especially in hitter-friendly conditions.
One way to mostly eliminate weather and park factors, though, is to pick guys who have high strikeout rates. Strikeout rate represents the frequency with which a pitcher strikes out hitters, as determined by total strikeouts divided by total batters faced. It’s the most accurate tool for judging a pitcher’s ability to strike out hitters. When you choose pitchers who get a high percentage of their outs through strikeouts, it doesn’t matter what their defense is like, what the weather is like, or what ballpark they’re throwing in. Strikeout rates are remarkably consistent from start to start and year in, year out, as well. If you hone in on a pitcher with historically high strikeout rates who’s facing a lineup that strikes out a lot, you’ve got yourself as close to a sure bet as you can get.
However, pitchers with high K/9 rates cost a little bit more, so if you have an expensive lineup, you may want to focus on a couple other helpful statistics. One is SIERA (skill-interactive ERA), which gives more of a “true” ERA by weighing balls in play differently based on their effect on the game’s outcome. Another is HC% (hard contact rate), which—as you might guess—tells you the percentage of balls off the bat that are hit at a certain velocity or higher. So, if you’re looking at the slate and can’t afford a great K/9 pitcher but you can identify somebody with a low SIERA and HC%, that might be your value pick for the day.
Choosing a value pick with a pitcher who is undervalued by the market can open up some buying power for you to pick up a stronger lineup. Sometimes, it’s a good decision to choose a pitcher who has just been brought up from the minor leagues because he’ll be undervalued by the market due to his limited track record. However, it’s important for you to take a look at a couple factors with players fresh from the minors.
Take a look at the league they were just in. Different minor league levels have different leagues within them, and their park factors vary widely. A pitcher who posted an ERA above four in a hitter-friendly league might be able to come up and throw competently in the big leagues, especially if his raw stuff (fastball velocity, secondary pitches) is good enough to get big league hitters out.
It’s also important to make sure those pitchers are “stretched out.” This means that they’re used to throwing six or seven innings per start, which is crucial as far as point accumulation goes, especially on FanDuel where each inning is worth three points. You don’t want to pick up a guy who will get pulled after only two or three frames.
Here’s something to consider that’s so basic people usually overlook it: draft pitchers on days they’re throwing in National League parks! Without having to face a designated hitter that day, you’re virtually guaranteed two free outs and potential strikeouts against the opposing pitcher before they get pulled for a pinch hitter. Those pitcher-on-pitcher K’s would amount to 5.5 points on DraftKings and six points on FanDuel.
Now that you know what to look for with hitters and pitchers, you should consider what to do if you’re running out of salary cap space and you’re caught between a high-powered offense and a top pitcher. My advice in that case would be to choose the pitcher. Pick the option with the lowest statistical variance. While a top pitcher might get shelled once or twice in a season, good hitters will frequently go hitless in games throughout the season. So, between the great handful of high-priced hitters and the top pitcher, go with the pitcher. Take the more consistent outcome.
You may hear people talking about “stacking.” Stacking is one of the most used and most talked about tournament strategies. Stacking is a great option to bet a strong lineup against a weak pitcher. Understanding that pitchers tend to do poorly with runners on base and that pitchers have bad days, taking as many batters from one team as the site allows gives you the advantage to compound the scoring of your team exponentially.
If you stack a few hitters in a lineup, big innings and rallies will catapult your lineup to the top of the leaderboard. The goal of a stack is to select the optimal grouping of three to five players from a team in hopes to blow up a starting pitcher early in the game and get into the opposing team’s weaker bullpen arms. It’s important to recognize the difference between FanDuel and DraftKings here, though. On FanDuel, you can only take up to four hitters from one team, while DraftKings allows you to choose up to five.
Stacking can pay off in a couple specific ways. The standard strategy is to stack power hitters who hit opposite-handed from the starting pitcher they’re facing, since we know that players hit opposite-handed pitchers better than same-handed ones. The idea is that you can add points quickly with rallies with multiple extra-base hits.
However, it’s a good idea to throw in some less-owned players from a stack in order to be different, especially if you believe you are attacking a popular stack. Same-handed hitters from that lineup could work because starters will be pulled if they give up too many runs early. An opposite-handed long reliever could likely take their place. This is an especially strong strategy for tournaments, as few people will have that hitter in their lineups. Taking a lesser-owned player is a good way to climb the rankings, as not many other players will get points off that player.
You typically can’t afford the best four or five hitters in a strong lineup, but you can get the best two and choose a couple of the cheaper hitters in a lineup who have a good chance of being involved in the rally, especially if they have either some power or speed attributes.
You can also take a gamble by stacking against a highly owned pitcher in a tournament, because if your hitters have success, not only will you rack up points for their success, many other players in the tournament who own that pitcher will sink to the bottom of the leaderboard.
There’s one extreme way to use stacking to your advantage. In GPP tournaments, you can stack every team in baseball, enter them all in, betting that one will make up for the losses of the rest. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though. Extreme multi-stacking can cost you a lot of time and money and still not guarantee you success. Even players rolling out hundreds of entries do not come close to covering every possible scenario. It just can’t be done. So, my suggestion is to find that one spot that you feel best about and hit it hard.
You can also play what’s called a full-game stack. Let’s go back to our example of Wrigley Field on a hot humid day with the wind blowing out. If both pitchers throwing have a high FB% and HR/9 numbers, it would be a savvy play to take as many hitters from both teams as you can afford. Just make sure you don’t take the pitchers, too.
Although stacking is very popular now, it’s not the only way to put together a strong lineup. If you have four hitters you can afford who are in the same lineup and in matchups they can benefit from, great. If you only have two that you really believe in and two you believe in that are on a different team, by all means set up a couple mini-stacks. Some of my most successful lineups have come from looking at the slate and choosing players across three or four teams. As with everything in DFS, there are so many different paths to success. Stacking absolutely works for some players, while for others, it may not be the way to go.
It’s important to look at Vegas lines as well and understand what they mean in terms of fantasy output. Vegas lines represent what people are betting on, and they typically move for two reasons. They sometimes move when something major happens that changes the expected outcome of the game, and Vegas has to move the line so that they don’t take a huge loss on the game. For instance, a new starting pitcher announced to replace a scratched one will shift the line. Second, if a large chunk of money comes in on one side, Vegas will adjust the line to balance out the action. Incorporating the Vegas line into your research is very important, as people have a lot of money invested in these outcomes. They’ve done the research for you, so why not give it a look? Target the pitchers that are the highest favored in their respective games by Vegas and have the lowest total run line. Along those same lines, look at the hitters on the teams with the highest projected run totals when searching for the right teams to stack. Unless it’s a “pick ’em” game, which is a rare situation where both teams are considered just as likely to win the game, you’ll see one team “laying” money and one “getting” money. The favored team will be given a negative number while the underdog team will be represented by a positive number. These numbers typically range from -105 to as high as -275, which means that if you bet on the -105 favored team you’ll need to wager $105 to win $100 on top of getting your wager back. A great way to use this information is to target the starting pitcher from teams that are highly favored and pick them on FanDuel, as you’re likely to get that six-point W.
Another way to use Vegas to your advantage is by checking the over/under total. Gamblers bet on how many total runs will be scored—if the runs go over that mark, then it has “gone over,” and if the runs don’t reach that mark, then it has “gone under.” Run totals typically fall between 7.5 and 9.5. When building your teams, take a look at pitchers starting in games with a low over/under and hitters in games with a high over/under.
Vegas will let you know what the favorited pitchers and lineups are, but also what certain parks are going to play like on that given day. As we’ve discussed, park factors can result in widely varied outcomes. This also applies to the Vegas lines. If you have some good research that a lineup will be successful at a pitcher-friendly park on a given day, don’t be discouraged by a low over/under line—trust your gut.It’s also a good idea to take a quick look at prop bets. Prop bets are unique, as they’re made on individual statistical accomplishments from certain players. You probably don’t need to spend much time looking at them, but for instance, glancing at the prop bets might help you identify a pitcher likely to rack up a high number of strikeouts on a given day, which could be really useful to you.
As you can tell, research is very important to succeed in DFS games. You have a tremendous amount of help available to you from all these resources, and you should consider it as just that: help. If you have a great gut feeling about a player, trust it. But you also have lots of information available at your fingertips if you’re not sure. Take it or leave it and do as much research as you need in order to feel comfortable locking in your picks for the day.
