This guide is here to tell you all you need to know about daily fantasy sites. From how these sites work to how you can use them to get closer to your favorite sports, it’s all here.
Not only have I shortlisted the best sites below, but I’ve got a bunch of tips that will help you use them to devastating effect. From advice about building the ultimate line-up to picking up some awesome promo offers, it’ll all help you make the most of what there is on offer.
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I have handpicked three of the best sites that should give you a good example of the kinds of things that you should be looking for:
I’ve become a massive fan of Underdog in the past few months. This is because the brand has a great range of pick’ems that you can use on all major US sports like football, basketball, hockey and baseball, and there are also some season-long tournaments too. It works simply by you making between two and five predictions like how many touchdowns Patrick Mahomes throws, and if you get it right, you could get a share of prize pools that sometimes go as high as $1,000,000.
What’s best is that Underdog also has some Puppy tournaments that you can enter from as little as $5 at a time. Plus with the ability to get a welcome offer that gives you $250 bonus cash using promo code DEADSPIN, a ‘special pick’ and a Mystery Pick’em Special, you will have all of the reasons you need to give Underdog a try.
Generous welcome bonus. Easy to navigate platform. Offers a great variety of sports and contests. T&Cs and 21+ apply
I would totally recommend ParlayPlay for anyone who is just starting out. This is because it’s a brand that features two tournament types and they are both seriously simple. You can play Higher/Lower contests just by predicting how two, three or four athletes perform in regards to certain statistics. Then there are those Hit-It competitions where you have to make two predictions on different athletes about who will get closest to a preset statistic.
ParlayPlay also has an impressive range of sports featured including all regular US sports alongside UFC, golf, soccer and even eSports. You can win up to 10x your entry fee on those Higher/Lower contests, and there are even some Free2Play games that are worth checking out to see if ParlayPlay is right for you. Just don’t forget to pick up that 100% matched deposit bonus up to $100 on your way in.
Unique parlay-based DFS contests. Multiple Welcome Bonuses. Available in over 25 US States and Canada (excluding Ontario). T&Cs and 21+ apply
This is another hot new provider that is redefining what we can expect from fantasy sports. OwnersBox features three different competition types including Picks where you have to select whether a player scores more or less than a predetermined statistic, Salary Caps where you just have to assemble your line-up and enter them in contests against other players, and Lightning Line-ups where you are given three line-ups and you just have to pick which line-up will score best.
It’s also worth noting that OwnersBox has one of the best DFS apps for iOS and Android devices, and while there are just the sports of football, basketball, baseball and hockey featured, you’ll have great fun playing against a raucous community for a share of those prize pools.
Unique game formats. Several free and paid contests to join. High salary caps. T&Cs and 21+ apply
Here are the main ways that you usually play at these sites:
Most people enjoy fantasy betting when it lets you build your own line-ups that you enter into tournaments and aim to get more points than other players and then win cash prizes.
So for something like fantasy football, you would be given a salary cap and you’d have to use these funds to build your line-up out of real-life NFL stars. Once complete, you would then buy into a paid tournament where your line-up would compete against the line-ups of other players.
Your line-up would be awarded points dependent on how your featured players performed in real-world football games. If you managed to get enough points, you could win a share of a prize pool.
While the traditional DFS line ups require plenty of maintenance, season-long best ball drafts have grown in popularity in recent years. The idea is simple, you have a traditional snake draft format where you select a number of players for the season ahead. From there, the best possible line-up is automatically taken as your entry.
There are no start/site line-up dilemmas or last minute swaps. The players are drafted at a certain point, usually before the season starts, and everything is is down to the results. The prize pools on offer for these type of contests at sites like Underdog can be significant too, so you’re still in with a chance of a big score by the end of the season.
More and more providers are creating fantasy sports products that offer an even simpler way to play. Many of these will now let you bet on certain players’ statistics such as how many points Giannis Antetokounmpo scores in his next NBA game.
Here, you will get prizes depending on how accurate your predictions are, and while it might not be quite as involved as building your own line-up, it offers you a great way to get closer to your favorite sports.
Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of using any one of the best DFS sites featured below:
You will usually find that most DFS brands tend to opt for the following competition types:
| DFS tournament type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cash games | This is where the top half of the participating players win the same prize and you don’t even need to get the top score to win. |
| Guaranteed prize pools | Also known as GPP tournaments, these are where just 20% or even less of the participants win any money. As well as that, those towards the top of the leaderboard tend to get a larger slice of the prize pool. |
Gone are the days where sites only let you bet on massive sports like football and basketball, as many of these brands now feature well over a dozen sports. This means that you should be able to enjoy building your line-ups for everything from hockey and baseball through to soccer, esports and beyond.
It’s worth noting that many providers are starting to include some of those single-player sports such as tennis, golf, gpp tournaments and even boxing and MMA fighting. Just so you know, I’ve also seen a handful of DFS brands who let you bet on college sports meaning that you’ll get a great way to liven up massive events like March Madness.
Here is a quick look at just a few of the different kinds of deals that you can get from these fantasy sports platforms:
These are simple deals that will give you extra site credit to use depending on how large your qualifying deposit is. For example, a 100% up to $100 matched deposit bonus would give you $10 in site credit if your opening deposit was $10.
Some DFS sites will simply give you bonus cash that you can use however you want on their platforms. Just note that this bonus cash won’t be withdrawable but can only be used to fund your gameplay.
These deals are like bonus cash but they tend to be restricted for certain uses. For example, you might get free tickets to play in certain paid DFS contests or you might get free picks for certain sporting events such as the Super Bowl.
These are long-running deals that work to give you a variety of benefits for the more time that you spend at the DFS sites. Expect to pick up reward points for each game you play, and these reward points can then be collected to rise through the loyalty ranks and pick up rewards like bonus cash and a whole lot more.
Here are the key things to keep in mind when starting out:
While many providers have freeplay contests, chances are that you will usually be spending your own cash to enter the paid contests. Similarly, you will want to have a secure and efficient way of making withdrawals of whatever you win.
Most DFS sites will feature a variety of different payment methods that each have their pros and cons, but here are the most common ways that you can make deposits and withdrawals for fantasy betting:
Here are a few simple tips to help you out when playing for the first time:
You will always have to do your research in order to successfully play. So if you are entering a fantasy NFL tournament, you will need to carefully examine all of the latest football news so that you know the form of the relevant players and teams. Plus keep an eye out for any recurring injuries that could cause big problems for the star players in your line-up.
While it’s not always needed, stacking players, such as a QB and a receiver from the same team is a way to increase your leverage. Each time the QB throws a touchdown, you could be in for double returns if you have the right wide receiver or tight end.
If you’re looking at a GPP entry with a significant prize pool, the chances of having a team that’s identical to several other entrants is high if you’re drafting the most popular players across the board. Having some under-utilised pieces in your line up may help stand out from the crowd and give the differentiation you may need to score the top prize.
DFS lets you play against other people and therefore you will need to consider who you are up against. After all, many major DFS sites have been taken over by pro players who will make light work of their competition. As such, it might be smarter starting off by playing some head to head contests or those that are only open to beginners.
Following on from the above, it’s best to start playing some of the freeplay contests that the DFS site has. Perfect for making those rookie mistakes without it costing you a dime.
As with traditional sports betting, the range of options has really expanded in the past few years. The following leagues are available at the Daily Fantasy Sites in 2025.
Here is a quick walkthrough guide for what you need to do to start playing:
I’ve shown you that there should be very little stopping you from signing up and getting a great way to play. After all, each of the sites featured here has all major US sports as well as some pretty inventive fantasy betting options.
Of course, you have to remember that fantasy sports is only just getting started and we can expect to see many new DFS apps being launched in the near future. So watch this space to see which sites you should be playing at.
It depends who you are talking to. Many legislators agree that daily fantasy sports don’t constitute gambling as there is too much skill involved, however other legislators disagree.
At the moment, my favorites include the likes of Underdog, Parlay Play and OwnersBox. This is because each of these brands offers you a great way to play fantasy football without it turning into a statistical nightmare.
You will usually have to be at least 18 years old to play at these sites. However, this minimum age limit goes up to 19 years in certain states like Alabama and Nebraska.
DFS stands for Daily Fantasy Sports. The idea is usually that you draft a team for the upcoming slate of fixtures based on a maximum salary and compete for prizes against other players.
I guess it’s the sport that gets the greatest coverage from the best daily fantasy sites. After all, sports like basketball and football enjoy a greater amount of tournaments, daily fantasy games and a whole lot more. Other leagues are growing in the DFS space, but these established names continue to dominate.
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