Baseball: Importance of DFS Pitchers The key to accumulating points in any fantasy sport is ‘opportunity’. You have better odds with the wide receiver who averages 10 targets or the small forward who launches 28 shots a game. There is perhaps no other sport where opportunity is such a discrepancy than MLB baseball. Specifically between the DFS pitchers on your roster and the batters. The Importance of DFS Pitchers in Baseball A simple look at the numbers shows you just how important a quality pitcher is to your DFS success. A batter has to do the most that he can with 4 plate appearances a game whereas a pitcher gets 3 opportunities per inning to accumulate stats – he even gets points for just finishing the inning. A hitter will get doused in champagne for hitting two singles in a 2-4 day. The DFS stats show a pitcher earns pretty much the same amount of points just for hurling two innings. Picking a great pitcher can heavily improve your DFS baseball lineup A Good Pitcher is Good, But a Bad Pitcher Is… Granted, there are variables to consider. For one, you can ‘miss’ on a batter or two since eight of them fill your roster. Taking a pitcher that gets rocked, however, will likely doom you for the day since there are only two on your team. Which brings up another negative point – batters can’t lose points even if they strike out. DFS Pitchers, however, have multiple opportunities to lose points in every inning, depending on how many batters they face. Pitchers get docked for: Allowing hits Allowing runs Walking a batter Hitting a batter If you need to break out the abacus to calculate your pitcher’s ERA for the day, you’ll probably want to log off and start researching tomorrow’s matchups. If the opposing team is going Gas House Gorillas on your starting pitcher, you could legitimately be looking at a -20 or more in a single inning! So How Do You Find Quality DFS Pitchers? Past performances are your farm system when it comes to daily fantasy baseball. Compare which DFS pitchers have been on fire and see when they meet up with teams that are struggling to hit. The sportsbook odds are a good indicator of which pitchers should be in line for a win in the upcoming day. A -285 moneyline, for example, is as good a sign as any that the starting pitcher is a heavy favorite for at least the DFS points earned from a win (on paper). Make sure to look at totals too. Stay away from pitchers where the number is high (wind could be blowing out or other factors). Which brings up another factor: look at who puts up the pitching stats that are going to earn you points. We know how a daily pitcher can lose points, but they also gain points with: Pitching a complete inning Striking out a batter Getting a win Pitching a complete game (bonus for shut out and no-hitter) So you want an innings eater that is going to get his outs from K’s instead of slow dribblers to the second baseman. Two areas to research are the last 3 pitching outings as well as the last 5 years versus the opposing team’s batters. The last 3 outings will tell you if a pitcher is struggling with command or possibly working through an unpublicized injury. The past 5 year data indicates if somebody just has the others’ number – whether that is pitcher or batters. GPP DFS Pitchers Vs. Head to Head / 50-50 Pitchers There are different lineup strategies depending on if you are playing guaranteed prize pool games (GPP) and trying to beat out 50 or 2,000+ other people, or if you’re playing head to head or 50-50 games where you only have to finish in the top .500. Selecting MLB pitchers for 50-50 games is easy – find a stud and put the pieces in place behind him. To be successful at a GPP game however you need to evaluate: Is everybody taking this guy? Is he the best choice or is it a #1 in the rotation slate across the MLB? How many games are on the schedule? Are there any upset specials I can exploit (doubleheaders, getaway day, day-night, weather, star players sitting with rest?) Make sure to make a list of the entire day’s starting pitchers and go over their past 3 performance / 5-years against team. It also helps to check the day’s weather. Make sure to evaluate if stadiums favor the guy on the mound or the guys with the bats. There is no exact science and it is possible to win DFS baseball with a subpar performance from your pitcher as long as your batters come through – but it’s much easier not to have to. Make sure to check out our guide on how to stack lineups for DFS baseball
Best Tools for DFS College Football There are over 120 Division 1 college football teams in the FBS. Each of those 120 teams is allowed 105 players on their roster before the first game. To the layperson that number sounds like a great opportunity for some kids to be a part of the team. There is also the option to add ‘division 1 football player’ to their college resume. For the DFS player however, that means 12,600 players that need to be evaluated to find every weekly edge possible. Best Tools for DFS College Football What’s great about college football (the actual game and the DFS event), is that players can come from nowhere to etch their names in the lore of the sport forever. Barely anybody outside of the state of Texas had heard of Robert Griffin III until about week 5 or 6 of the 2011 season. A few weeks later he was crowned the Heisman Trophy winner. The Robert Griffin III Statue Unveiled It’s that type of parity that makes college football such an exciting DFS game – albeit very challenging. Hardly anybody with a spouse, job, homework, or chores has the time to keep track of 120 different teams – heck it’s hard enough for 32 in the NFL. This is why you must rely on your online tools so that you can do your research efficiently. Here are some of those tools: DFS College Football Las Vegas Odds In the NCAA it’s not rare to see teams favored by 30 or 40 points in a week, especially early in the year. You’ll also see 60 or 70 point over/unders that would take NFL teams 4 weeks to hit. The Vegas odds should be one of the first places you turn to in predicting which offenses are going to have blowout weeks. Quarterback Stats With the college spread offenses of today, QBs are throwing for 4500+ yards in a season and running for another 1500. The TD numbers are ungodly as well with 4, 5, or 6 scoring passes in a game. It’s because of this potential that quality QB’s should be your first and second contracted slots. Heck, hitting on both your quarterbacks (12 total TD’s, 1150 yards in a single game) is often enough to win a head-to-head or 50/50 game by itself. Message Boards / Social Media This kind of goes against finding info fast and easy, but visiting team message boards is often the most reliable way to get breaking CFB player news. If you want NFL news you can click on a player and be inundated with up to the second info about what he had for brunch. College football news is harder to come by. Although you need to search a bit, it could be the ‘insider info’ that earns you a W for the week. Twitter has become an even better resource than Internet bookmarks with 128 different fan message board sites to peruse. It’s probably best to create a Twitter account solely for your college football DFS news. You won’t have to sift through Jim Gaffigan one-liners just to see who is starting at tailback for Ohio State. Follow beat writers, athletic departments, student and local newspapers. You’ll be caught up on the latest news in only 140 characters. Double Check Your Lineup With Experts Expert opinions should allow you to compare most of your weekly plays based on their matchups, specifically the opposing defense that a team is playing. There’s a conundrum when it comes to filling out your roster, however. DFS games now have projections for every player which makes scanning and selecting them like a grocery list very appealing. However, you have to remember that your opponents are probably doing this too. A tip to really feel good about your team is to pick players based on your own research. Then if you want, double check them against expert projections. You’ll have some variety to your team compared to your opponents. Additionally, you just might stumble across the next RGIII that even the experts missed – in college anyway. If you are also interested in football in general, make sure to check our Guide: DFS Football – How To Guide
DFS Bankroll Management If you want to enjoy success on the DFS scene, then you will need to have the ability to pick winning line ups. There really is no two ways about it. Drafting the right players – at the right time – is the only method for guaranteeing victory. But an effective bankroll management strategy will ensure that the financial side of things takes care of itself, leaving you to spend more time researching your picks and setting your line ups. So what are the basic rules of effective bankroll management? How can it help you to achieve long term daily fantasy success? DFS Bankroll Management: The Playbook Basic Bankroll Management Rules for Daily Fantasy Sports DFS players have a number of different options available to them in terms of entering contests. You can enter different tournaments with the same line-up, try various contests with a revolving selection of picks, or adopt a multi-entry strategy where you go in deep to the same contest with a number of entries (same picks) in an attempt to maximize winnings from a successful draft. Any of the above strategies are fine, and it really is up to your unique personality as to which you go for. The good news is that all are receptive to the basic tenets of clever bankroll management. But of course you need your picks to really come to the party if your multi-entry policy is to be a success. Risk high, reward high. By entering a single contest with a variety of different line-ups, the equation changes: risk low, reward high. That’s because you significantly increase your chances of finishing in the money by reducing the number of opponents you are up against. The same is true when entering multiple contests with different line ups: risk low, reward medium. By increasing the pool of players that you are picking from, you raise your chance of selecting those all-important high point scorers. By entering more contests, you lessen the risk of the ‘fluke factor’, which is where another team manager drafts a line up seemingly at random that ends up winning. Hey, we’ve all been on the receiving end of that play. There is no harm in entering a single line up into multiple tournaments, but utilising this strategy requires ultra-effective bankroll management. DFS Bankroll Management: Doing the Math Doing the match is an important part of successful bankroll management It all comes down to striking that age-old balance between risk and reward. If you have $250 in your bankroll and you enter a $250 contest then your risk is at its ultimate, but your reward will be obvious. If you choose to enter a series of $5 contests then clearly your risk is spread, and the idea here is to accrue consistent profits over a longer period of time. A Few Calculation Examples The most efficient way to conduct your DFS spending is utilizing a set percentage for every contest entered. If you want to enjoy prolonged success in daily fantasy, this is the way to go. Here’s the reason why: If you enter $5 contests alone, you will have 50 ‘buy ins’ and thus 50 chances to win from your $250 budget. Let’s say these are the Double Up tournaments where the top 50% of players can double their stakes, and you go on to win half the time. That means your return would be $10 (the prize money for each contest) multiplied by 25 (the number of wins from your entries), which equals $250. So, with just a success rate of 50%, you can break even on your initial budget. Thus, if you achieve just a 51% success rate in your contests entered then you turn a profit….achievable, right? Of course, GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) contests generally attract a wider pool of entrants than Double Ups, so your risk is greater there. But if you have a bankroll management strategy in place, at least you can mitigate your risk. If you go in hard with a $250 buy-in contest, then the rewards are clear to see. But your risk is 100%, and you will thus need a 100% success rate to return a profit. A risk of 51% against 100%? It’s a no brainer, surely? So, unless you have a decent stack of funds ready to deposit into your DFS account, the latter ‘all in’ approach could see you parked on the bench and out in the cold for a while! The Nature of Probability Everybody has had some losing or winning streaks in the past Do you want to hear something that gamblers and DFS players like to sweep under the rug? Everyone endures losing streaks, and do you know why? Because the laws of probability say so. Imagine if you placed a $1 wager on 100 different coin tosses. Would you expect to win 50% of the time, given that there is an equal chance that the coin will land on either heads or tails? No, of course not. It could be 50:50, or it could be 55:45, 75:25, or even 100:00 one way or another. And remember, that’s an example with just two variables. Think about daily fantasy and how volatile each gameweek can be, and you will then have a better understanding of why losing streaks occur. Eventually, you should regress to the mean. This is where effective bankroll management becomes so essential, however. We’ve all drafted line ups that look a dream and end up a nightmare; other times our picks have a habit of surprising us for the better. Managing your money wisely will cater for both of these eventualities. Top Tips for Successful Bankroll Management Decide how much you are willing to lose….and stick with it. If you follow our weekly guides to picking the best teams, then hopefully the concept of losing will not enter your vocabulary! But hey, this is daily fantasy sports and so we’re taking a gamble: a losing streak can be a reality. If you want to become successful in DFS, you will have to set up a proper Bankroll Management for yourself So it makes sense to set a daily, weekly, or monthly budget and stick to it. That way you can calculate the maximum amount you stand to lose, assuming that you don’t return any prize money from contests entered. Calculate a percentage of your bankroll you are willing to lose per contest. Nobody likes the idea of losing. But sport is so unpredictable that we have to accept this as a possibility once in a while. By managing your bankroll in percentage terms, you will have funds in place over a longer period of time. This helps you to get through the bad days and enjoy your successes! Know Thy Enemy. Try and think about your DFS ventures as a business investment. If you play in Double Up contests against 49 other players, then your chances of winning are statistically greater than if you enter a 1000 player league. So when considering entry fees and your bankroll, be smart in calculating how much you are willing to pay. If you are want to learn how to make the most of the salary cap, read our guide: Masterclass: How to Make the Most of the Salary Cap
DFS Golf – Betting Guide Betting on DFS Golf is easy enough, but mastering the art is far less straightforward. Not to worry though, as we will be producing plenty of content in the coming weeks and months to help you with your draft. Like anything in life, you will improve with practice, and before long you will be winning contests in your sleep. For now, here’s a quick guide to getting started. How to Play DFS Golf After signing up for a DFS account, you will need to deposit to get started. Don’t worry – this is a piece of cake, and only takes a couple of minutes. Happily, your personal data will be encrypted using the most rigorous SSL security technologies too, so you don’t need to worry about any fraudulent activity. Once you’ve deposited some funds into your account, you will be itching to draft your first line up. To get started, click the ‘Lobby’ button in the top left hand side of the screen, and you will be taking to a list of all the available contests. Draftkings has plenty of DFS Golf contests Next, simply click the Golf tab to see a list of the available contests. Now you have two choices: you can either click on a tournament and create a line up that way, or instead click the ‘Create a Line Up’ button and you will be taken to the available roster. Creating Lineups for DFS Golf You’ll notice the salary cap has been put in place, usually $50,000, and you will need to draft your six-man squad while keeping within the confines of this budget. Are you going to spend big on the best players around or take six from the ‘midfield’ of the player list? The choice is yours…. Once you have drafted your line up, you can save the entry. Afterwards you can add this roster straight into your chosen contests. You have to head back to the Lobby and find ones those that meet your needs in terms on entry fee, prize money, field size, or your chosen preferences. DraftKings My Lineups Overview When you have one or more tournament, just click the Enter button next to the name, select your saved line up (or draft a new one if you wish) and away you go! DFS Golf Strategy There is no fast-and-loose way to win big money with DFS golf; it really is a case of trial and error. We recommend to enter a few Head-to-Head and Double Up style contests to begin with. This enables you to learn the ropes without losing too much of your bankroll. Moreover, you will be able to pick up some winnings along the way! As far as drafting your squad of six golfers is concerned, that’s the hard part. Hopefully these pointers will help though: Learn the Points System Inside Out Each DFS platform has quirks in their scoring systems. DraftKings, for example, awards 8pts for an eagle and 3pts for a birdie, and yet only takes away -0.5 for a bogie and -1 for a double. So clearly they want to reward those who are capable of breaking par. This information should help you to create a shortlist of players you want to take forward. Do Your Research Which players are in form? Which have a history in this particular tournament? Who has the game to tame that specific course? Is it long and forgiving off the tee or is it a stretch that requires accurate ball striking and great angles? These are just some of the questions you will need to ask pre-draft. You can find the relevant information in a variety of places online. Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems Managing the salary cap effectively is key to long term DFS success. Some managers prefer to take a couple of the expensive big names and combine them with some undervalued picks at the lower end of the scale. Some other managers opt for a tactic of picking half-dozen players from the mid-range price point. How you go about your draft is up to you, but remember this key point: the more players you have in your line up that make the cut, the more chance you have of winning the contest.
Masterclass: How to Make the Most of the Salary Cap If you want to be a successful DFS manager, you will need to learn how to use the salary cap. The guys at DraftKings and FanDuel are clever souls. They want to make picking a winning line up as challenging as possible. At the end of the day, if we had an unlimited amount to spend on our teams, then where would the fun be in that? Setting up Premier League Lineups. Here are some tips to understanding where and when you should be investing in different areas of your line up to stay under the salary cap: #1 – Finders Keepers What is great about the daily fantasy points scoring system is that goalkeepers take on extra importance. Here it’s not simply a case of hoping for a clean sheet or minimal goals conceded. With the addition of points from shots saved and a tiered clean sheet system (keepers get five, defenders three), clearly a decent shot stopper should be high on your shopping list. Petr Cech ist still one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Obviously, clean sheets are the key metric when considering goalkeeping options. If your chosen net-tender can go without conceding – and brings a couple of saves into the bargain – then you are looking at an 11 plus point game, very handy in helping you to climb the standings in your contests. As such, you need to draft a reliable goalkeeper. #2 – In Defence of the Defence By their very nature, defenders are the lowest scoring category in fantasy daily football – indeed, only one (Hector Bellerin of Arsenal) was featured in the top ten point scoring players last season. The reasons for this are simple; they score just three points compared to a goalkeeper’s five for a clean sheet, and they very rarely score/assist goals at the other end of the pitch. For many fantasy managers, defenders remain the party poopers. Leighton Jones in Action. But, the unique scoring system of daily fantasy sports means they take on added importance here. Points accrued for crosses (very handy for attacking full backs), passes intercepted, and tackles won mean that within DFS your defenders can become reliable points-scorers and the backbone of your line up, if you will. So don’t leave your defensive picks to the end like the freaks and geeks in the playground; ensure they play a prominent part in your strategy. #3 – Midfield Magic According to one fantasy football provider in the UK, players categorised as midfielders accounted for 11 of the top 20 highest point scorers in the 2015/16 season – that’s 55%. So by that logic, your midfield is the most important section of your line up. Clearly the more attack-minded midfielders offered more than their more defensive counterparts. Riyad Mahrez, Mesut Ozil, and Dimitri Payet all appeared in the top ten in 2015/16. So, those who score/assist goals are highly valued in daily fantasy sports. Riyad Mahrez was the best Premier League in 2015/16. As a consequence, managers should perhaps be investing a healthy slice of their salary allowance on their midfield three. #4 – Goals, Goals, Goals You probably didn’t need us to tell you this, but those consistent goalscorers are like gold dust for daily fantasy managers. Take the 2015/16 season: all five of the English Premier League’s top scorers – Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku, and Riyad Mahrez – were also featured in the top six point-scorers in fantasy football (only Mesut Ozil gate-crashed the party thanks to his exceptional assist stats). So when it comes to selecting your line ups, finding those goal-minded strikers that are able to take advantage in each particular gameweek should be your first priority. #5 – Balance is the Key for the Salary Cap Of course, if no salary cap was in place then managers could pick all of the ‘big hitters’, sit back with a margarita and wait for the prize money to roll in. But daily fantasy sports isn’t as simple as that. The challenge of finding the right balance in your line up is the fun part. Besides picking the right players at the right time, you need to find those little golden nuggets hidden away in the dirt: the Gylfi Sigurdssons, the Sadio Manes, the Odion Ighalos – basically those guys who are completely undervalued by the salary system. Here is a breakdown of how many of the top 20 scoring players each team had in their squad: 4 – Arsenal (2nd), Tottenham (3rd) 2 – Leicester City (1st), Everton (11th), Swansea (12th), Watford (13th) 1 – Manchester City (4th), West Ham (7th), Stoke (9th), Sunderland (17th) The conclusion? The so-called lesser teams are just as capable of producing fantasy football heroes as the big names. Don’t be afraid to give them a second look in your line ups – especially if you want to stay under the salary cap.
Ranking the Best DFS Strikers Goals…they are the only currency that matters in football. And they are of added significance in daily fantasy too. With each strike earning ten points, it’s the highest scoring ‘event’ in any single match. The second highest, assists, are also an activity which good DFS strikers can contribute to. Harry Kane – Striker for Tottenham Hotspur Drafting the right attacking players for your line up is crucial. We will discover in this article, there is more to it than simply picking the most expensive dfs strikers. Here are seven things to consider before drafting your line leaders: Current Form of Your DFS Strikers Scoring goals and creating them for others requires confidence. It comes from playing well and getting into the right positions on the pitch at the right time. You may remember back to the first half of last season, when Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy scored in eleven consecutive matches to break a longstanding record. That feat is hugely impressive, and was only possible because of the confidence that Vardy had in front of goal. Every time he got a sniff of a chance he would take it. It’s amazing how a player in form tends to get lucky bounces and deflections that go their way. Leicester City’s top striker Jamie Vardy So always keep your eyes peeled for strikers that are scoring clusters of goals, or are putting in the kinds of performance that suggest a good run is just around the corner. Who’s Playing Who It really does make a difference when picking your strikers to draft those who are playing against more generous defences. An example from the 2015/16 season would be Aston Villa, who conceded 76 goals in 38 games. We know that they are conceding an average of two goals per match. That helps to inform us that if we draft a striker that happens to be playing against Villa in that Gameweek, then we stand a better chance of picking up points. Given the flexible nature of drafting line ups in fantasy daily sports, you can switch your DFS strikers every week. This is perhaps the most important area to consider pre-draft. Team Selection Some strikers love playing with certain teammates because they have an almost pathological understanding. Watch how Olivier Giroud peels away from his marker when Mesut Ozil is in possession of the ball in anticipation of a through ball. Another example is Jamie Vardy, who makes sure he is waiting on the shoulder of the last man for the quick counter attack when Danny Drinkwater receives the ball in space. Olivier Giroud and Mesut Özil are playing for Arsenal London Often a striker will thrive when he has his lieutenants around him, so make sure you take the time to study which combinations are successful so that you can take full advantage in your draft. Schedule The nature of the English football schedule dictates that players will occasionally need to be rested. Teams have to prevent them from suffering injuries or burn out. Drafting a striker only to see him left on the substitute’s bench due to a fixture pile-up, is a severely frustrating experience for daily fantasy managers. This unique situation is exacerbated further by the Champions League/Europa League. A number of English football’s standout sides will be in action. So, you have to be thinking like a smart DFS manager. If you recognise, for example, that Manchester City has a key Champions League match on the following Wednesday, then the chances are that Sergio Aguero will be rested for the weekend’s Premier League match. Sergio Agüero is one of the best strikers in the Premier League With this kind of insight, you can be one step ahead of your competing managers. Styles When drafting your attacking players it makes sense to examine the opposition’s defence beforehand. What are their key characteristics both individually and collectively? And what kind of striker would they not enjoy playing against? There are numerous examples of Premier League defensive pairings that have specific weaknesses. At Chelsea, for instance, their usual central defensive partnership is John Terry and Gary Cahill; both of whom are tough in the tackle, strong in the air and would run through the proverbial brick wall for their team. But they both lack in one component: speed. As such, a pacey striker is a good pick against them – as evidenced by Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick back in April. Some teams struggle to defend against crosses, so tall DFS strikers that attack the ball are a good option here. These are just two examples of how contrasting styles can help to inform your draft decisions. History of DFS Strikers When Tottenham’s Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick against Bournemouth way back on October 25, 2015, smart daily fantasy managers were already pencilling March 20, 2016, into their diaries. Why? Because that’s when these two teams played their reverse fixture. Certain strikers thrive against specific teams, mainly due to the reasons outlined in the ‘Styles’ and ‘Who’s Playing Who’ paragraphs above. It is well worth your time to track these patterns and make a note of them. So what happened when Tottenham played Bournemouth in March? Kane scored twice in a 3-0 win, of course. That was an easy 20 points in the bag for canny DFS managers that had done their homework! The Statistical Approach for DFS Strikers Statistics have played a key role in sport, dating back to the 1990s when Billy Beane revolutionized baseball with his ‘sabermetric’ approach to the game; as captured in the book and subsequent movie Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt. Data analysis has made its way into football too, and it is this approach that many daily fantasy managers take when drafting their line ups to ensure that typically undervalued players aren’t missed when selecting line ups. You don’t need to be a stat hound to know who is scoring goals – this information is readily available on the Internet. But how can we pre-empt who will score next week, and the week after? This is where a statistical angle comes in handy. ‘You can’t score if you don’t shoot,’ so the old adage goes. Five of the eight top goalscorers in the Premier League last season recorded more shots on goal than any other player. Each worth a handy 1pt in daily fantasy, of course. So the logic is that strikers that are getting their shots away are more likely to score than those who don’t. And then we can drill down further into the stats: where are these shots coming in from? An attacker that is receiving plenty of ball in the penalty area is far more likely to be scoring goals. Players trying their luck from long distance are far less efficient. Other metrics including key passes, aerial duels won, and successful dribbles also contribute to perfect DFS strikers. Make sure to also check out our Guides on: How to pick the best Midfielders for your team How to pick the best Defenders for your DFS team
DFS Soccer Midfielders The midfield battleground can have some really interesting implications for DFS soccer line ups. There are so many different types of soccer midfielders out there – from the artistry of the creative playmaker, to the more pragmatic work of the tough tackling defensive shield. Getting the right balance, and within the salary cap in your DFS draft is essential. DFS Soccer Midfielders – Point Scoring System The points scoring system dictates that all midfielders have their place. Of course, the more attacking options are the better option, generally. They have the opportunity to return higher totals, with goals and assists being the most valued currency in DFS soccer. But the addition of points for interceptions, tackles and crosses means that the kinds of player that are usually overlooked by fantasy managers are suddenly of interest. Here is a quick guide to the loose labels we can apply to midfield players, and what they can bring to your team: DFS Soccer Midfielders – The Spotter N’Golo Kante has signed a contract with Chelsea London Examples: N’Golo Kante, Francis Coquelin, Nemanja Matic The job of ‘the spotter’ is to break up opposition attacks with interceptions and well-timed tackles. Their key attributes include strong positioning, tackling and movement, and the ability to make simple passes to more creative players in order to build attacks. Former Leicester City and now Chelsea star, N’Golo Kante, is a prime example. He averaged 4.5 interceptions per match in 2015/16 (4-5 daily fantasy points) and 5.1 tackles (5pts). The French ace doesn’t offer much in an attacking sense, but he does average approximately 10pts per match – you’d need an alternative to score every game to make up that tally. So Kante is a great example of why it pays to open your mind when selecting midfield players for DFS Soccer line up. DFS Soccer Midfielders – The Quarterback Cesc Fabregas, former FC Barcelona Midfielder Examples: Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere You know about the quarterback in American Football, right? They are the one that receives the ball in the first phase of play. It is up to them to then deliver a pass in such a way that their team can build a substantial attack. This role has become more prominent in ‘soccer’ as the deep-lying playmaker has taken on added significance. This position is tasked with creating attacking moves by receiving the ball from the defence and recycling possession, so assists are possible in teams which play a more direct style of passing. Also, the deeper lying nature of the role means that defensive duties such as winning tackles and making interceptions, are also key. Let’s use Cesc Fabregas as an example. He assisted six goals last season, scored four himself, averaged 2.8 tackles won per match and 0.6 interceptions. When you consider all of the avenues for point scoring that players like Fabregas offer, they are clearly a sound daily fantasy option. DFS Soccer Midfielders – The Box-to-Box Man The young and talented Dele Alli Examples: Aaron Ramsey, Dele Alli, Yaya Toure This is quite an old-fashioned role now, and in truth perhaps doesn’t exist in the Premier League in its original form. But clearly the principles of contributing to both attacking and defensive plays still exists in the lies of Aaron Ramsey and Dele Alli, who are just as likely to find the net themselves as creating for a teammate. When their opponents are in possession, you will find the box-to-box merchants tracking back and making tackles too. Goals, assists, shots, tackles, interceptions….this type of player has the potential to earn points across the board. DFS Soccer Midfielders – The Creator Mesut Özil, Arsenal London Examples: Mesut Özil, Kevin de Bruyne, Juan Mata These players are beloved by fantasy daily sports managers simply because they are consistent point scorers. Mesut Özil, for example, assisted 19 Arsenal goals last season – that’s 114 DFS points straight off the bat! The Creator usually operates in an advanced central role, which means that they are in prime position to get their passes away. They can also take shots and contribute with goals of their own. They generally won’t pick up points for ‘bread and butter’ defensive duties, but that is of no concern. Creators are generally set piece takers too; another exciting angle for point scoring. DFS Soccer Midfielders – The Wide Boy Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal London Examples: Dimitri Payet, Riyad Mahrez, Alexis Sanchez More often than not, out-and-out wingers are classed as midfielders in daily fantasy and this is very handy as they deliver a wonderful cocktail of goals, assists and crosses. There are two types of Wide Boy, generally speaking: the traditional and the contemporary. The traditional winger will play on their ‘correct’ flank. Right footer on the right, and their job is to take on their marker and deliver crosses into the box. Jesus Navas and Theo Walcott are two such examples. Then there is the other type; the wrong footer, so a left-footed player occupying the right wing and vice versa. The objective here is for the winger to cut inside on their stronger foot and get their shots away. The vast majority of Riyad Mahrez’s 17 goals for Leicester last season came in this fashion. The contemporary winger is, often, the higher point scoring option of the two. If you also want learn how to pick the best defenders and strikers for your DFS lineup, check out the following guides: How to Pick DFS Defenders How to Pick DFS Strikers
DFS Soccer – Draft the Best Defenders Often, DFS managers will plunge the majority of their salary cap into getting their midfield/attack and utility options in the best shape, with their defensive line-up coming almost as an afterthought. The tragedy of this approach is that they could be missing out on some really easy points, with defenders bagging three for each clean sheet and a host of others for chipping in defensively and in attack. In many ways, defenders have more opportunities to accumulate points than most other players on the pitch. After you have read this article, you will know what a good defender can bring to the DFS party. Daily Fantasy Strategy: Dynamite Defenders Understanding the intricate nature of how a defender scores their DFS points will help you to make the most of this section of your draft. For guidance, here are the top five point-scoring defenders in the 2015/16 EPL: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham) Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) Christian Fuchs (Leicester) Hector Bellerin in Action You may have noticed something of a theme here! Yes, Arsenal London contributed three of the best defensive DFS points-scorers. Coincidence? Not at all: the Gunners kept more clean sheets (16) than any other team in the EPL, and with three points earned for each in daily fantasy sports, that is a nice accumulation. But is there more to a good daily fantasy defender than just keeping clean sheets? Examining Key DFS Attributes for Defenders The best place to start for our investigation is with Bellerin. He topped the scoring charts for defensive players last season, so understanding what he did well will prove to be a good indicator of success. Hector Bellerin’s Statistics Goals Bellerin managed just one goal for Arsenal last season, so clearly being able to find the net – hardly a defensive modus operandi anyway – is not that important in terms of daily fantasy point scoring. If your chosen defence does score the odd goal along the way then great. Assists Here is an area in which he excelled compared to other defensive options. Bellerin conjured up five assists last season – that is 30 points according to the DraftKings points system – and so this will have made a huge difference to his overall tally. Shots Remember, each shot is worth one point for DFS managers and a shot on target earns an additional point. Bellerin fired in 18 shots in 2015/16, so clearly defenders who are able to get forward and get involved in the final third of the pitch will be of benefit to daily fantasy managers. Tackles Incredibly, the meat-and-potatoes of defending that is tackling is not an area in which Bellerin is that strong. He averaged just 1.6 successful tackles per match last season, compared to the 3+ that most defenders made. We may extrapolate from that then that tackling is not all that important a stat to DFS managers. Interceptions Another area in which Bellerin was significantly below the league average was interceptions: he made 1.9 per match compared with a divisional average of around 2.8. In conclusion…the surprising thing we learn about Hector Bellerin is that, statistically at least, he is better at attacking than he is defending. This is an interesting angle in for DFS managers. Daily Fantasy Defenders Checklist: Goals Assists Shots Crosses Clean Sheets DFS: Identifying Defenders of Promise Clearly from the checklist above we have identified that the modern, marauding full back is a better option for DFS managers than rugged centre backs. Full backs still pick up those all-important clean sheet points, but can add to their tally through probing attacking play. From that ‘top five’ outlined above, Bellerin, Monreal, and Fuchs fit this template. Other options that would have been well worthy of consideration in your drafts in 2015/16 include Manchester City’s Aleksandar Kolarov (three goals, three assists, 15 clean sheets), the Tottenham pair Kyle Walker (one goal, three assists, thirteen clean sheets) and Danny Rose (one goal, three assists, thirteen clean sheets), and West Ham’s left back Aaron Cresswell (two goals, four assists, nine clean sheets). And despite an injury-ravaged season, this man is surely still the optimum defensive pick in your daily fantasy line ups: https://youtube.com/watch?v=eqpjKeg9D_MVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Best of Leighton Baines 2015 ● Free-kick Compilation ● Plus Penalties |HD| (https://youtube.com/watch?v=eqpjKeg9D_M) Hopefully, using your new found insight, you will be able to identify the defensive stars of 2016/17. Take full advantage of your new knowledge in your daily fantasy drafts.
Sports Betting Deposit Options When getting ready to place a bet with online sports betting, there are a lot of options. Here we break down the most popular sports betting payment options. Check out our basic overview of the most popular sports betting payment options below. If you are looking for more detailed information, feel free to check out our detailed payment reviews of every sportsbook featured on our site. Betting Deposit Options There are tons of different betting deposit options. Obviously there are some major differences between them and some are providing lower fees, faster transaction times and higher deposit limits. Below you can find a selection of some of the most common betting deposit options. Best Betting Deposit Options There are some things you want to look out for when choosing a betting deposit option. Some key aspects are obviously more important than other, but that’s up to you to decide. We’ve summarized the key aspects below without any particular order. Fast Transaction Times Low or no deposit fees at all High Maximum Deposit Low Minimum Deposit Exclusive Sign Up Bonus Offers EWallets: Skrill, NETELLER, ecoPayz, PayPal etc. EWallets are electronic accounts allowing people to make electronic commerce transactions online. You can use them for deposits and withdrawals. These wallets work like a separate online bank account and you can simply transfer money from your bank account to your eWallet account. There are many options to choose from. The most popular eWallets are Skrill and NETELLER. Both companies have been around in the e-commerce industry for a long time and are a popular choice for online betting customers. Almost every European licensed sports betting operator is accepting both eWallets and the eWallets themselves are often times providing special promotions for online gaming customers. Convenient Exclusive Skrill, ecoPayz & Neteller Deals Due to our cooperation with eWallet Optimizers we are able to hook you up with some highly favorable deals for Neteller, Skrill, and ecoPayz. You can benefit from exclusive cashback, bonus payments and instant VIP upgrades. Make sure to check out our special deals with instant VIP status and much more for Skrill and NETELLER right here: sports betting cashback. Check our Exclusive Betting Cashback Deals Credit and Debit Cards Credit cards and debit cards are an easy way of depositing money to a sports betting website. Almost every website allows deposit via credit or debit cards. Visa and MasterCard are the two most commonly used credit cards. Several sites do also accept American Express, Diners Club, and other cards. Make sure to use the provided payment options in order to confirm the gaming operator is accepting your specific credit card. The funds deposited via credit cards are available on sports betting sites immediately and you are good to go. However, keep in mind that most sports betting providers will not allow you to withdraw money to your credit or debit card. Bank Transfer and Wire Transfer Another popular deposit and withdrawal option is the bank wire transfer. People who don’t own eWallet accounts or credit cards can deposit money to sports betting providers directly through their bank accounts. Virtually every online gaming website accepts such deposits. It is also an option for people who feel uncertain providing their personal data online. Unlike eWallet and credit card money transfers, funds deposited via bank wire may take some time to become available on the site. Checks Checks are a pretty easy way of depositing money. You simply have to post a check. Once it is cleared, the relevant amount will be credited to your online account. Overall, it’s an extremely secure method as you don’t have to share any of your banking or card information online. It’s not a particularly popular option due to the time it takes, but it’s available at many sites nonetheless. Other Sports Betting Payment Options Every bookmaker accepts a lot of different payment options. There are many sportsbook that accept rather new and unconventional transfer methods like Bitcoin for example. However, some of them have rather limited options. You can find all offered payment options in our overview. Show All Sports Betting Payment Options Featured Articles PGA Tour Championship Starts Today! Sarah Karlsson | 2019-08-22The PGA Tour Championship starts today with some major changes to the format. With $15 million to the winner, we take a look at the action.Tiger Woods Out of Northern Trust Sarah Karlsson | 2019-08-09Tiger Woods is out of the Northern Trust after one round. Let's look at what this means for him, as well as the rest of the FedEx Cup field.Egan Bernal: Tour de France Winner Sarah Karlsson | 2019-08-02Colombian Egan Bernal is the first Latin American Tour de France winner. It's is his first major win, but it certainly won't be his last.Stage 19: Chaos at the Tour de France Sarah Karlsson | 2019-07-27Stage 19 finished quicker than expected, thanks to Mother Nature. We enter the final stage of importance with a rider in the Yellow Jersey . GET UP TO $270 IN FREE BETS & BONUSES! Claim Now New Customers Only | 18+ | T&Cs Apply Join our Tipster Leaderboard! Social Media Follow @VIPBET
Value Bets in Sports Betting When you start placing bets on sports, it is almost certain that you will come across the term “value bets”. Sooner or later you are going to read about it and how it helped punters to become successful. We want to show you what a value bet is. We will also help you to understand if a bet is a value bet. [maxcollection id=”2″] What is a Value Bet? Basically, you need to find a bet priced for less than it is actually worth. Value is a term used in investing, but it has become a common term in the world of sports betting. Professional punters often time make their living from finding value bets. If you see that the real probability for a certain outcome is higher than the odds a bookmaker is providing, then you have found yourself a value bet. Value Betting in Detail First of all we need to take a look at the odds to find a value bet. Odds offered by bookmakers should reflect the probability of a certain result. A Value Betting Example Let’s say we have two basically equal teams competing in a basketball game. The percentages for a victory are split in half: 50% for one team to win and 50% for the other one. The ideal odds for both teams would be 2.0 each. However, we have to keep in mind that bookmakers also need to take their fair share. It is almost certain, that bookmakers won’t give you these odds of 2.0 for both teams. That’s only the case if they are running a special promotion. Sportsbooks are relying on this commission to generate profit- this is how the sports betting industry works. Therefore bookmakers are inclined to provide odds which don’t offer value bet situations. Most bookmakers charge a commission on their odds ranging from 2% up to 8%. Let’s say a bookmaker is providing odds of 1.90 for each team in our example. If you decide to place a €10 bet on each team, you are obviously going to win one of them eventually. Your winnings will be €19 in total. Even though you have won your bet, you have lost €1 overall by doing so. This €1 loss is the commission the bookmaker charged. Pinnacle – Best Odds Guaranteed! So How Exactly Do I calculate Value Bets? Let’s have a look at another example: Germany is playing in the Quarter-Finals of the EURO 2016 against Italy. The sportsbook of our choice this time is Coral Sports, providing the following odds: Germany to win outrightDrawItaly2.252.93.8 Odds of 2.25 for a German victory imply that there is a 44% probability for this event to occur. If you think that the real probability for Germany to win the match outright is actually higher than that, you have found value bet spot. This is basically what you have to do to find a value bet. You need to compare the odds offered to your calculated probability and find spots where the odds are in your favor. Often times you will have to compare the odds several bookmakers are offering, because there are differences in the evaluation of certain games. Almost every sportsbook calculates their own odds, allowing you to find some value bets. Related Articles Champions League Final Betting Tips Kirill | 2020-08-21Get the best betting tips for the upcoming match of the year!Lyon vs Bayern Munich Prediction & Betting Tips Kirill | 2020-08-17Can Lyon stop Bayern in the Champions League 2019/20 semifinals?Man United vs Copenhagen Predictions Kirill | 2020-08-09Will Man United qualify for the semi-finals against the Danish side on Monday?Leicester City vs Manchester United Predictions Kirill | 2020-07-24Find out which team will come out ahead in the big Champions League showdown on Sunday. errorBest Sportsbooks Ladbrokes£50 Free BetReviewClaim Now Coral4x €5 Free BetsReviewClaim Now Betsafe£30 Free BetReviewClaim Now 10Bet50% up to €200ReviewClaim Now Bwin£50 Sign Up BonusReviewClaim Now Bet365£200 First Deposit BonusReviewClaim NowVIP-bet Tipster CompetitionDo you have what it takes? Join & Win €1500! Newsletter Submit your email and receive our daily freebet offers! [wysija_form id=”1″] VIP-bet.com Tweets by vipbetcom Activity Feed
