![Daily Games Intro: Exploring the FanDuel Scoring System](https://footballguys.imgix.net/nfl-action-photos/RudoKy00_H.jpg?auto=format,compress&w=730)
When it comes to winning your fantasy football league the one constant piece of advice that will be offered is to know your scoring system inside and out. The same goes for playing Daily Fantasy Sports on FanDuel, the first thing you should be doing is mastering the scoring system. You need to try to find every advantage possible each week to compete with the competitive players in the DFS world, and knowing the scoring system is one way that you can have some control over the outcome. With only starting 9 players each week (1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 PK, 1 DEF) and having a $60,000 salary cap you have to make each position count to its fullest. I want to take an in-depth look at how the scoring structure breaks down for each position and discuss different strategies for how to allocate your salary cap for each position.
OFFENSE
PLAY | POINTS |
Rushing Yards | 0.1 Points |
Rushing Touchdowns | 6 Points |
Passing Yards | 0.04 Points |
Passing Touchdowns | 4 Points |
Interceptions | -1 Points |
Receiving Yards | 0.1 Points |
Receiving Touchdowns | 6 Points |
Receptions | 0.5 Points |
Kick-return Touchdowns | 6 Points |
Punt-return Touchdowns | 6 Points |
Fumbles Lost | -2 Points |
Own Fumbles Recovered Touchdown | 6 Points |
Two-Point Conversions Scored | 2 Points |
Two-Point Conversions Passes | 2 Points |
QUARTERBACKS
The Quarterback position on FanDuel is a very important one as you only get one shot at the guy who will be touching the ball on every offensive snap. With FanDuel's scoring system of 4 points per passing touchdown the goal is to find a QB that can give you 2+ touchdowns a game and a base of 250 passing yards and to ensure those numbers you usually have to look to one of the more expensive top QB options each week. Another nice option when selecting your QB is to look at the bonuses you can get if your QB gets a rushing TD (6 Points) and the 0.1 points per rushing yard, this makes the running QBs like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson even that much more valuable. Any chance you have to play an angle on FanDuel to acquire bonus points is only going to help your cause in the long run.
RUNNING BACKS
Choosing a running back in redrafts and dynasty leagues can often be tough as injuries seem to hit them harder than any other position. This is where it makes things fun with the DFS games, as at the start of each week you have a fresh start and don't have to worry about injuries to your backfield as you get to start over from scratch. As the weeks go on in the season knowing the RB depth chart of teams can be very beneficial in terms of choosing your FanDuel starting RBs. Some of the scoring rules to watch for are the 0.5 points per reception for all positions (RB, WR, TE). This can be very helpful when trying to decide between a Alfred Morris type and a Shane Vereen type. When you have the tough calls at RB each week lean towards the back that is going to see a few more targets out of the backfield. Also get to know the defense your player is facing, if that defense struggles against the run he has an advantage and may be worth starting over bigger named backs. Generally you want to look for a RB that has a good matchup and has potential to touch the ball 20+ times a game. Touchdowns are one of the biggest things to look for as well when it comes to choosing your RB, for example your starting RB could rush for 20 times and only pick up 60 yards but if he picks up a pair of 1 yard TDs you have an 18 point game from that player.
WIDE RECEIVERS
The ability to start 3 wide receivers each week allows for you to go out more on a limb at this position than any of the others. Being a PPR (0.5 Point Reception) format you have a variety of options at how you can attack the position and if you can hit on all 3 of your WR spots you will be well ahead of the game and your opponents on a weekly basis. Often you can find the better value players at the WR position and your 3rd WR spot can be viewed more as a Flex option to help free up some salary for some of the other positions. The best way to attack this position is to look for the best matchups and then look for players that get the targets on a consistent basis each week. There is nothing worse than putting up a low score from one of your 7 offensive starters (1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE) because you didn't put in the research. Sure injuries can happen in the middle of the game but for one of your WRs to play a full game and only see 2 targets will ruin your entire day at FanDuel. One of the nice bonuses to also pay attention to is the punt/kick return touchdowns (6 Points) which makes players like Cordarrelle Patterson, Randall Cobb, Percy Harvin, and DeSean Jackson even more appealing.