DFS For Beginners: Researching

Big time , I’ve got to make it show yeah

Big time, So much larger than life..”

Heading into your first season of DFS play you may feel a little like Peter Gabriel in his 1986 hit song “Big Time”. However, having a confident attitude and being a super-fan of the NFL is simply not enough to succeed.

Success in all of DFS (including football) requires a few different things: An understanding of the way DFS works, a deep knowledge of the players/teams involved and a little bit of luck. You will hear “luck is when preparation meets opportunity” which, in some cases, can be true but sometimes luck is just pure luck. There’s a little bit of that involved in DFS. The first two items are the ones you can control and those are the ones you should focus on.

DFS For Beginners

In my first article “DFS for Beginners”, I gave a very basic guide to starting DFS and explained how it works. For this article, I’m going to focus on how and where we get the information we use to make decisions. I’m sharing my personal favorites. Why are they my favorites? Because they have helped me become quite successful in NFL DFS. 

First I’d like to go over my mantra in DFS: “Reduce risk, reduce risk, reduce risk”. It is, by far, the single most important aspect to focus on. We reduce risk through knowledge, preparation, recognizing opportunity and knowing when not to play. No source of information is infallible. All give advice that ends up being “bad”. Why? Because they are humans, just like you and I. If they were able to pick THE best lineup in DFS every single week they’d be collecting well over $1 Million each WEEK playing, not appearing on a television show that pays a fraction of that per YEAR. Keep that in mind when you turn to these sources. We use them to gather information as much as for their advice.

Tony’s Top Fantasy Resources

NFL Fantasy Live-NFL Network

This hour-long fantasy football review and advice program is my go-to fantasy program. It features a rotating panel of fantasy football experts and is broadcast 5 days a week. As entertaining as it is informative, it features recurring segments such as “Hype Train”, “Hot Take” and the always hilarious “Sad Tweets”. Unlike other shows/sources, you get the input of many experts, all with unique points of view. The number of experts and the frequency of broadcast makes this my #1 fantasy show on television. As a side note: I’ve become friendly with a couple of the guys on the show and they couldn’t be nicer, more genuine people.

DKLive-App

DraftKings is my go-to DFS app and their resource app, DKLive, is invaluable in my preparation each week. Easy to navigate and contains all of the info you need on your potential fantasy picks. Providing averages, in-depth game stats, weekly leaders and players that are sortable by position it is a great user-friendly resource. Best of all, it’s free!

The Fantasy Show-Espn+, online only

Formerly a property of ESPN2, this Matthew Berry hosted program moved to the ESPN app before the 2018 season. Entertainment is as much a focus as information but, fortunately, there’s more than enough of both to go around. With Daniel Dopp (Secret Squirrel) as co-host, Berry shares deep dive information between hilarious sketches and a cast of characters that is second to none. With Crystal Ball, Staterpillar and Bearer of Bad News (amongst others) Berry keeps the program lighthearted and endlessly watchable. When you look deeper, he also provides some of the most knowledgeable and in-depth breakdowns of fantasy players. A fantasy football legend in his own right and the Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst for ESPN, Berry is a trusted resource for all things fantasy.

Rotoworld-app and website

Rotoworld is a website/app that covers all things sports. However, they also provide an EXCELLENT DFS section under “football”. With every stat imaginable and articles trusted fantasy resources, there isn’t a day that goes by during the season that I am not in their app. It doesn’t provide the entertainment of the above-mentioned programs however for straight facts it’s almost impossible to beat. As you become a more experienced DFS player, you will find Rotoworld to be a life-saver when putting together your weekly DFS strategy. I make my own spreadsheets for every NFL game each week and most of the information comes from Rotoworld. You will be a smarter and better DFS player thanks to Rotoworld!

As a final reminder: no source of information is infallible or correct 100% of the time. If you follow one person and choose everyone they advise you to, you will be let down more often than not. By spreading out where you get your advice you can spot trends, get different perspectives and gather more information to make your OWN decisions on who you want to draft. 

Study hard, draft smart, have fun!

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