What's Up Folks?!?! Here's another MasterClass, for anyone who may be new to this sort of thing, covering "Daily Fantasy" contests... Or DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) as it's often referred.. Daily Fantasy Contests are offered across a plethora of sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, Golf, NASCAR, and much MORE!!), and are a GREAT way to get a shot at BIG PAYOUTS for LOW ENTRY FEES!! I hope you guy's enjoy this, and as ALWAYS... Feel free to drop ANY questions you may have in the comments, and I'll get back to you as quickly as I possibly can to clear it up for ya!!

Different Types of Daily Fantasy Contests

Pretty much every DFS Contest will have a "Salary Cap" (Usually $50,000) that you will have to stay UNDER when creating your lineup. Each player will have a set price that they cost each week. The prices will vary greatly, and may change DRASTICALLY over the course of a season for certain players. Obviously, the better players will cost more against your Cap, and the price for each player will be based on OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY.

These types of contests are offered for most of the MAJOR SPORTS, but can vary a little bit based on the nature of each game, and the options offered by each SportsBook.. For arguments sake, most of the examples provided will deal with NFL Daily Fantasy... As that is our CENTRAL FOCUS here at Sportspicks when it comes to DFS.

• Classic Mode

In Classic Modes, your lineup will be more similar to "Traditional" Fantasy lineups for the given sport... And you can choose players from throughout the ENTIRE League to put in your lineup. In "Classic Modes" for Football Contests... Your lineup will consist of: 1 QB, 2 RB's, 3 WR's, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 D/ST (Defense/Special Teams), for a total of 9 Players... A FLEX player can, USUALLY, play any position (That Earns Fantasy Points) other than QB. Some contests may offer the opportunity to pick a second QB as your "FLEX" player, but MOST only allow 1 QB in your lineup.

• Showdown Captain's Mode

These lineups consist of a "Captain" and 5 other "FLEX" Players, for a total of 6 Players. These contests will only be provided for SINGLE GAME FORMATS (SNF, MNF, TNF, etc.... They are provided for each game played, but really don't have a lot of VALUE unless its a "Featured" Contest).

Your Captain will earn you 1.5x Points, but will cost you 1.5x Salary against your Cap... Example: If a Player normally costs $10,000 towards your Cap, it will cost you $15,000 to make them your "Captain"... But as your Captain, the player will earn 1.5x his normal fantasy points for that contest.

Getting a SOLID Captain, at a GOOD VALUE, is the KEY to being competitive in these contests!!

• Double-Up Contests

Most Contests will pay out roughly 25-30% of the field, with everyone that CASHES receiving at least double their original entry fee... And, naturally, your payout increases the higher you finish in the contest. However, there are contests that will pay out EXACTLY 50% of the field, but EVERY ENTRANT receives the SAME PAY OUT!! These are referred to as "Double-Up" contests, and are a GREAT WAY to GROW YOUR ACCOUNT!! Obviously the payouts aren't nearly as LUCRATIVE, in these contests (As you can only double your original buy-in), but it's MUCH EASIER to finish in the top 50% vs the Top 30%!! This is a much BETTER starting point for Beginners, until you get the hang of things!!

• Best Ball

"Best Ball" Contests are MULTIPLE WEEK contests, and teams are Picked by a "Snake" style draft. The players on your team who score the most points at their respective positions, the previous week, will be your STARTERS for the following week. This process will repeat until the completion of the contest.

In a "Snake" draft, the typical format for the majority of fantasy football leagues, each team has one pick per round, and the picks go in a specific predetermined order. After a round is over, the following round is in the reverse order of the previous round. The Pre-Draft order is usually RANDOMIZED.

• Flash Drafts

Flash Drafts are "IN-GAME" Daily Fantasy Contest, and are usually offered several times over the course of a single game. Typically they are 6 round drafts, and with each pick, you'll be given 3 different choices to choose from.... Example: You may be offered a chance to pick: a combination of 2 or 3 LESSER players (You would get all of their points added together), a MEDIOCRE player at 1.5x points, or a STAR player(Expected to perform at a High Level) on the normal scoring scale... You would choose ONE of these 3 options, and that would be your pick for that round. You would do this a total of 6 times in a single "Flash Draft", and your team would be comprised of the players you selected in each round.

• DFS in College Sports

Some States offer Daily Fantasy on College Athletics, while some DO NOT!! MAKE SURE that... IF you're entering a DFS contest for a College Sport, you are in a State where it is LEGAL!! If you aren't, and you enter one of these contests (And Win), you WILL NOT receive your winnings!!

Here's a List of the States where DFS on College Sports is Legal:

• Alaska
• California
• Connecticut
• Washington, DC
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Hope this was HELPFUL for any of you folks interested in getting into Daily Fantasy for the upcoming Football Season!! Remember.... ALWAYS drop ANY QUESTIONS you have in the comments, and we'll make sure and get them answered to YOUR SATISFACTION!!

EVERYONE Have a GREAT Week and Stay SAFE Out There!!

Good Luck and Good Gamblin!!!!

-Crickett