The Winning Mindset

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Having a winning mindset is key to succeeding in DFS, but there are specific strategies that will serve you well, too. Until now, you’ve seen me mention things such as building lineups and researching players, but I haven’t told you what those things mean for a concrete, day-to-day strategy. In the next few chapters, I’m going to explain the basics of fantasy sports and offer some expert advice on how to make it work for you.

One thing I want to emphasize is that to truly succeed in DFS, you have to work at it every single day, just like you work at a job. As I’ve said, I spend hours every day on research before I lock in my lineups in the evening, and that’s exactly what you should be doing if you want your lineups to be in contention. There are many websites that offer the information you’ll need to research players and calculate matchups, but you’re also going to need to develop a routine and the discipline to stick to it every day without fail. Remember, the top players in this industry have made DFS their lives. They spend all day working on their strategies and lineups. If you want to have a chance against them, you need to set aside enough time during the day to build up a solid knowledge base and a trusted array of sources. I recommend devoting at least two or three hours a day to research.

If you’re a new player, I also recommend sticking to a single site, at least at first. Each DFS site is different, and it will be better for your bankroll to master one scoring system and one salary structure, especially while you’re still figuring out what kind of games are best for you. If you’re bouncing from site to site, you will end up spending less time on your lineups than you should, and you will miss out on important nuances of gameplay that give the best players their edge.

Begin by trying the free leagues on a few different sites. Once you find one you like, stay there: learn as much as you can about its scoring system, salary structure, and tournament structure. If you devote all your DFS time to researching players and salaries for one site, you will become a much better player. Once you have a track record of success, then you should feel confident enough to branch out and play on multiple sites.