The Super Bowl is the last chance to win playing DFS this football season. Use these strategies and don’t let that chance go to waste.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) lets you put your NFL knowledge to the test during the NFL regular season, but the stakes reach their peak on Super Bowl Sunday. As players battle to cement their legacies on the field, you have the chance to prove your expertise — and win cash money — by picking a winning lineup. Below, we offer some key DFS tips to help you dominate the competition.
Super Bowl DFS Basics
The first and arguably most important thing to know when playing DFS on Super Bowl Sunday are the rules for the contest you're playing. Whether you're a fantasy football veteran or a newcomer, an in-depth understanding of the type of game you're playing and the rules can make the difference between victory and defeat. Below we outline common DFS games and highlight key areas where rules may vary from contest to contest.
Pick'em contests
Similar to prop games, the basic premise in pick'em DFS is to select players and choose whether they will score more or less than their projections in a given statistical category (i.e. touchdowns, yards, receptions). While conventional DFS involves drafting a roster of players and scoring based on their collective fantasy production, pick'em games may be as simple as picking two players and winning if they both hit.
In simple terms, the objective in a pick'em contest is to accurately predict player statistics. Typically, you're playing against the house — meaning you don't have to worry about beating another competitor — by picking anywhere from a two- to eight-player entry where you need each player to go "higher" or "lower" than their stat line.
Similar to a proposition (prop) game, you can beat the house and collect a cash payout by winning every player projection. Depending on the platform, sometimes you don't have to win every pick to still receive a payout, so make sure to read the fine print.
The number of picks you make on your contest entry, and the degree of difficulty of each, will determine what's called a payout multiplier. This is the number you multiply by your entry price to calculate overall payout. An entry with multiple picks and a high degree of difficulty can generate payout multipliers up to 100 times your entry money. Obviously, these are harder to win.
Lineup games
In a traditional DFS game in which you draft a lineup, how the lineups work is one of the most important rules to monitor before playing. The number of roster spots and how many players you can have at each position are the two areas where you will often notice a big difference between contests. Also important is whether one of your players can be named a captain, which is a player you designate to have their fantasy points multiplied by a pre-determined value before lineups are locked at kickoff.
In a game like the Super Bowl, there are only two teams playing so you won't have as many players to choose from as in a full week of NFL games. Creative lineup selections can be beneficial if those players put up big numbers, or disastrous if they don’t. That's partly what makes Super Bowl DFS action a delicate balancing act between reaching outside the box and opting for the safer, more consistent scorers.
Scoring systems
Another area where rules can differ from contest to contest is the type of scoring system used. Just like there are different fantasy football scoring systems for season-long leagues, such as full-PPR, half-PPR, and no-PPR, similar scoring rules can exist in a one-day contest. A scoring system that awards points per reception can come with completely different strategies than a scoring system that doesn’t, making it important for players to know the scoring conditions they are playing in.
Another area where scoring systems differ is in the awarding of bonus points for players hitting specific statistical targets. For example, a DFS contest may award bonus points for a quarterback who throws for over 300 yards or a running back who rushes for over 100 yards. This will not always be the case but can impact player selection strategies.
In pick'em games, the platform or contest you choose may have a wide range of potential statistics from which to select players. Sleeper Picks, for example, offers an extremely wide range of different statistical categories during the Super Bowl, as well as an array of "alt lines." These alternative totals give you the chance to increase or reduce your payout multiplier with a higher or lower projected statistic.
Salary caps
Along with lineup and scoring rules, the salary cap number in each traditional DFS contests may differ significantly. For example, a DFS contest for the Super Bowl could have a salary cap of $60,000, where each player is worth a specific amount determined by that DFS site. That number could be drastically different depending on where you're playing and how many players are in a lineup based on contest rules. Again, make sure you do your homework before playing.
Naturally, the salary cap figure for star players who have the best projected stat lines will be higher than the cap figure for role players on each offense. Your mission is to find the right mix of high-priced players you expect to deliver and low-priced hidden gems you think will exceed expectations to help you pile the points onto your competition.
Super Bowl DFS Strategies
When it comes to how to play fantasy football in the Super Bowl DFS market, there are several strategies to consider. Each of these methods to lineup building can help maximize salary cap efficiency along with your chances of finishing on top.
Handcuffs
One strategy in the Super Bowl is to use the handcuff strategy at a key position group. In season-long fantasy football, a handcuff is the act of selecting a starter at his position and his backup, allowing you to play the backup in the event the starter can’t play. In DFS, a variation of the handcuff is an option as you can pick both a starter and his backup.
For example, you could take the Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco at running back and Kareem Hunt as his backup if you expect them both to contribute in the Super Bowl. You could also take both DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown from the Eagles. This is a good strategy to consider if you expect the Super Bowl to be one-sided, with one team doing most of the scoring and therefore putting up most of the fantasy point accumulation.
QB/Receiver stacking
Consider stacking quarterbacks and pass catchers from one team if you expect that team to convincingly outperform the other in the big game. How many receivers you pair with the quarterback you’ve selected depends on how many receivers you think will be effective and what your salary cap situation allows.
When the quarterback you drafted throws a touchdown to a receiver you selected, you get double points — for both the passing touchdown and the receiving touchdown. You also get points for the yardage from that play for both your quarterback and receiver.
The potential for doubling up on points makes stacking a popular DFS strategy, even if it is feast-or-famine. One bad game from the quarterback likely tanks your chances of victory.
Logical player correlations
In a general sense, making sure to build a lineup that is logically sound is important. If you expect one team to control the clock with their running game, it makes sense to draft that team’s running back. On the other hand, it might not make sense to draft the quarterback from the opposing team, as one team dominating time of possession would reduce the number of chances their opponent will have to attack through the air.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a salary cap in Super Bowl DFS contests?
Yes, there is a salary cap in traditional daily fantasy sports contests for the Super Bowl. Participants have to select a lineup that is under or equal to the salary cap for their contest in order to enter.
How does scoring work in Super Bowl DFS?
The exact scoring rules vary for each Super Bowl DFS game type and individual contest. The basic gist of the scoring system is that players earn points for yards, touchdowns and other statistical contributions to the game. In pick'em games, you must pick players based on whether they will score more or less than their projected statistics.
When can I join a Super Bowl DFS contest?
You can use Sleeper Picks to play pick'em style DFS for the Super Bowl. Sleeper Picks offers a wide range of player totals across many categories.
Level Up Your Super Bowl DFS Experience with Sleeper
Before the action gets going in this year’s Super Bowl you can make your DFS picks with Sleeper Picks. Do you think a quarterback is going to have MORE passing yards than expected? Or do you think a running back will have LESS rushing yards than everyone things? You can put those predictions and more to the test with Sleeper Picks. Create a Sleeper account or download the Sleeper app to get in on the Super Bowl action.
