Unique DFS Contest Selection & Strategy
I always get the question, do you play cash or GPP? While this question is valid, it makes me think that people don’t know some of the more unique DFS contests on FanDuel and DraftKings. Both sites have a variety of different contests, but most people only see the $50,000 to 1st GPPs because they’re featured on the home page. So, I figured every week one of my strategy articles could be devoted to unique DFS contest discussion. We’ll go over some of the different contests you might not be familiar with and how to play each one. This week, satellites and five-man FanDuel leagues.
Unique DFS Contests
Satellites
Satellites are affordable ways to earn your path into higher payer contests. But remember, they are usually, if not always, winner-take-all. My favorite part of satellites is they’re guaranteed. What does this mean? This means that no matter how many people end up being in the league, the prize remains the same.
For example, if there’s a PGA satellite paying out a $5,300 Thunderdome ticket, the entry fees would range from $45.00 – $500.00 (roughly). The $45.00 satellite would have 118 people. $45 x 118 people is $5,300. Makes sense right? It’s just another way for DraftKings to fill these contests. But when the leagues don’t fill, aka overlay, the $5,300 dollar prize remains. So long story short, if you see a satellite that doesn’t fill, calculate the overlay percentage; anything over 20-25%, jump in! That’s pure value.
One more point. Every day, I monitor satellite overlay and the entries in them. You know what I find? I FIND THAT NO ONE IS MULTI / MAX ENTERING SATELLITES. Go check out an entry list for any satellite….I’ll wait.
How many (M) symbols do you see next to the entries? Usually, less than 15% of entries in any given satellite have the (M) symbol. I mean I get it, why spend MME money on a league that might pay out something in the next tournament, assuming you win this one. It’s a long shot. But the truth is, be smart, max enter (or at least multi enter) some of these mid-dollar satellites, and you will take them down. I used to love the Thunderdome satellites – $45.00 dollar entry for a $5,300 ticket. Would I ever spend $5,300 on a league if not for a ticket? Probably not. But when you get in for a mere $300 – $500 dollar investment, why the hell not?
Five-Man League (Winner Take All)
What’s FanDuel good for these days? I’ll tell you: Five-man leagues (winner take all). For some reason, DraftKings just hasn’t jumped on board with this yet. On FanDuel, most sports have the five-man winner take all options; DraftKings only has 3x most of the time. I love this format, especially when your research points you towards an underdog. I don’t know why people associate cash games with chalk plays. It doesn’t need to be like that. Just because a team is an underdog doesn’t mean you can’t invest in them for a cash game. In fact, it’s a great strategy. Everyone is playing the favorites in cash; instead, invest in underdogs and spread the same lineup over multiple (winner takes all) leagues. When you’re right (on the underdog), you will see easy, large differential wins.
