At the best DFS sites, you can be certain that your gameplay will be legal, safe, fair, and exciting. These high-quality platforms provide contests for a range of sports, though football remains the most popular option for most users. You’ll be able to customize your experience to suit your needs, with varying buy-ins for all budgets.
In this guide to the best daily fantasy sites for football, you will be able to easily sign up for top-ranked platforms. We have provided some helpful information for newcomers, including a quick overview of what fantasy sports are and some common leagues available at the top platform, DraftKings.
| DraftKings | Get up to $1,000 deposit bonus | Start Betting! | T&Cs apply. Must be 21+ and physically in the state | |
| Ownersbox | Up to $500 First Deposit Match | Start Betting! | T&Cs apply. Must be 21+ and physically in the state | |
| Parlayplay | Up to $100 Deposit Match | Start Betting! | T&Cs apply. Must be 21+ and physically in the state |
Daily Fantasy Sports Sites 101
While fantasy sports competitions have existed for decades, daily contests haven’t been widely available since the first DFS apps came to market roughly 10 years ago. A fantasy sports competition sees competitors join a pool of players, where they are to draft teams of players from one league into a team. Unlike online sports betting, daily fantasy sports is classified as a game of skill, resulting in these contests being legal to enter in many states.
Contestants will then earn points based on the real-life performances of their chosen players. The top-scoring participants at the end of the competition will win a share of a cash prize. These differ from traditional fantasy sports in that contests only last between one day and one week rather than a whole season.
Most fantasy sports apps will allow you to create your own contests with friends, or you can simply join a league with strangers. The top daily fantasy sites will even provide special bonuses and perks when you join, such as free contest tokens.
Football Contest Overview at the Best DFS Sites
The most popular sport to compete in at the top daily fantasy sports apps is football. While many sites will only provide contests for the National Football League (NFL), it’s possible to find options for other leagues or college divisions. It’s your goal to build a roster that includes various positions.
These positions often include quarterbacks, running backs, kickers, wide receivers, tight ends, and defenses. Usually, you will need to draft teams within a standard salary cap, with players priced differently according to their stats. However, each contest mode has different requirements, which can see variations in the required positions or drafting process.
Football contests at the best DFS sites will also vary regarding how points are scored. To help inform your picks, you’ll be able to rely on up-to-date statistics provided by the platforms. There are also several tried and tested strategies that you can use, which we’ve explained further down the page.
Overview of Fantasy Football with DraftKings
DraftKings is one of the best platforms for DFS fantasy football in the USA. It is available in 44 states, meaning most players can sign up legally. It also provides the most extensive array of competitions for daily fantasy football, and the site works closely with the NFL to ensure that its stats are accurate.
Types of DraftKings Football DFS Contests
You can choose from over 20 contest modes at DraftKings, so it’s no wonder why this is our top-ranked option for the best DFS football sites. Whether you want to play short-term contests or season-long modes, you’ll be able to pick the perfect option for your tastes and experience levels. We have highlighted the top modes below.
DraftKings Classic NFL
The NFL Classic contest requires players to draft a team of nine players within a salary cap of $50,000. You must meet certain requirements regarding filled positions, with points scored for the achievements of both your offense and defense. Buy-ins start from as low as $1 and public contests will be grouped according to experience.
DraftKings NFL Tiers
An NFL Tier contest utilizes a different drafting process than standard salary cap contests. Players in the pool will be grouped in tiers according to their stats. You must fill your lineup with players from each tier. You will then earn points similarly to the standard classic mode.
DraftKings Snake Mode
A snake mode draft again has a different drafting process, where contestants take turns drafting players. When all contestants have picked their players, the order of selection is reversed. This continues until the draft is finished. While this is the standard drafting mode for season-long contests, there are daily contests with this option.
DraftKings NFL Captain Modes
This DFS football rule is available in several contests, whether it’s salary-capped, tiered, or snaked. It allows players to assign one player the role of a Captain. While they will be priced more highly, they will earn 1.5X more points for their achievements.
DFS Tips & Strategy
There are several helpful tips that you should consider before drafting your teams at the best DFS sites. Firstly, we can’t understate the importance of research. The most successful players will keep up to date with league news, paying particular attention to injury reports, game updates, and historical match-ups.
Other important elements that come into play are home team advantages and whether players are on winning streaks. Keep an eye out for players who have been underpriced despite their recent stats, as these players are great options to pick without blowing your salary.
You will also want players who are guaranteed time on the field, as this will allow you to earn more points from them. If they are injured, they may not play or have limited field time. Take the time to understand how scoring systems work for different contest modes as some players will score better than others according to each system.
Keep an eye out on news and injury reports provided by DFS apps or league sites right up until the time the contest closes and make adjustments to your lineups accordingly. Like any form of online gaming activity that requires spending, be sure to set a weekly budget.
Guide to DFS Roster Construction
When you draft your football team at the best daily fantasy sports sites, we suggest that you always pick at least one highly-priced player. Make sure you consider who your players are coming up against that week. You’ll want to choose offensive players that are against weaker defenses and vice versa.
Of course, you’ll want to balance your lineup with highly-priced players and valuable picks that are matched up with weaker opponents that week. We also suggest that you stack your teams with a quarterback and wide receiver or tight end from the same team to generate more points.
Helpful Daily Fantasy Sports Resources
There are a number of helpful resources that you can consider before making your picks at the top daily fantasy sites. Always consider the official website of the NFL as being the best source for player and game information. You may also consider podcasts and opinion sites hosted by experts and former players.
The best DFS apps such as DraftKings will also provide blogs about football, with expert insights and picks provided. While there are tools that automatically draft lineups, we suggest that you use these only to create a lineup foundation and adjust from there. Using forums such as Reddit can also be a great way to gauge how others will pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have completed this guide to the best DFS sites, we hope that you’re ready to join a platform and start your football fantasy play. If you are looking for fast answers to your queries about the activity, you’ll find commonly asked questions answered below.
What is the best daily fantasy sports site?
The DraftKings DFS platform is the top-ranked option on our list of the best DFS betting sites. Not only is this one of the most experienced providers, but it also provides a wide array of contest modes to suit all players’ tastes and budgets. It also has a strong relationship with the NFL.
What is the top contest choice for playing fantasy football?
While the best DFS websites will provide a number of contest modes, we believe that classic-style contests are the best for beginners. These tend to have salary caps, with players priced according to their individual stats. You’ll need to draft players to strict position requirements, with points earned from their performances.
Which states have legalized daily fantasy sports?
You can play at the top daily fantasy sports sites in 44 states across the USA. The only states that have explicitly outlawed DFS are Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. However, some daily fantasy platforms may not service other states for other reasons.
Is daily fantasy football a form of sports betting gambling or a game of skill?
Most states consider DFS to be a game of skill rather than sports betting or gambling. Therefore, the best daily fantasy sites can operate in states that have not legalized online gambling. In some cases, though, states have deemed the activity to be gambling and it is therefore not legal.