“Daily fantasy” now covers four quite different products. They share player stats, but they pay differently, they're regulated differently, and they reward different skills. Knowing which one you're playing decides which tools are worth paying for.
Salary-cap DFS
The original format, run by DraftKings and FanDuel. You build a lineup of real players under a salary cap (for example $50,000 on DraftKings NFL), and your lineup scores points based on those players' real stats. You compete against other players' lineups, and the operator keeps a share of entry fees, called the rake.
Contests split into cash games, where about half the field wins a fixed amount, and tournaments (GPPs), where a small share of the field wins and first place can pay a fortune. The skill is in projections, finding value under the cap and, in tournaments, building lineups that differ from the field. That's why this format has the deepest tool market: projections, lineup optimizers, ownership projections and simulators.
Salary-cap DFS is available in most states. A handful, including Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Washington, are off-limits to the major operators. Check your state.
Pick'em
On apps like PrizePicks, Underdog, Sleeper, Betr and Dabble you pick whether players will go more or less than a stat line, combine two to six picks, and win a multiple of your entry if they hit. It's fast and simple, and it became the fastest-growing part of fantasy from 2021 to 2024.
It's also the most contested legally. Regulators in several states argued that fixed-payout pick'em against the house is sports betting. Since 2025 most operators have moved to peer-to-peer versions, where your entry competes with other players' entries for a prize pool, and pick'em is unavailable in a growing list of states.
The skill here is price comparison. The best pick'em players compare each line to sharp sportsbooks, remove the vig to get a fair probability, and only play picks priced better than break-even. Our pick'em EV calculator shows the break-even rate for any payout table, and pick'em tools automate the line comparison.
Best ball
Best ball is a draft-only format, mostly for the NFL. You draft a full roster once, never set a lineup, and your best scorers count automatically each week. Big best ball tournaments on Underdog, DraftKings and Drafters run all summer with large prizes for the final weeks of the season.
The skill is drafting a portfolio: average draft position, stacking teammates, timing for the playoff weeks and spreading exposure across many drafts. Best ball tools track ADP and your exposure across every draft.
Sports prediction markets
The newest entrant. Exchanges such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and the prediction products from DraftKings, FanDuel, Underdog and PrizePicks let you buy yes/no contracts on games and player stats. They're regulated federally by the CFTC rather than by state gaming regulators, which is why they're available in states where DFS and sports betting aren't.
That federal-versus-state question is being fought in court right now, with appeals courts split and several states actively enforcing against them. Availability can change quickly; our state pages track it.
Which format fits you
- You like building and research: salary-cap DFS, starting with cash games.
- You want quick entries and know player props: pick'em, with a line-comparison tool.
- You love drafting and don't want weekly work: best ball.
- You trade or follow markets: prediction markets, where available.
Whatever you play, set a bankroll first. The bankroll calculator is a good starting point.