The popularity of Daily Fantasy Sports continues to grow, which means many traditional Fantasy players are crossing over every day. We decided to share some dos and don’ts for Daily Fantasy Baseball beginners, so you won’t blow through your deposit in a day or two!

It’s important to note that there are several different Daily Fantasy Baseball sites, and there are a few different games usually on each site!


But, for the most part, we’re going to talk about the standard games, which involves filling out a lineup with a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, three outfielders and either one or two starting pitchers.

Notice there’s usually not a spot for a relief pitcher. This is because relievers aren’t guaranteed to play on any given day, so they’re tough to rely on.

It’s also very important to look at the scoring details for individual websites. For instance, FanDuel rewards four points for a win for a starting pitcher, which cancels out four earned runs (-1 point each). Even though DraftKings rewards just as many points for a win, they deduct two points (instead of one) for earned runs. The takeaway here is that getting a pitcher that has the best chance to win on FanDuel is more important than on DraftKings. But getting a pitcher with a low ERA is smarter on DraftKings, even if he’s up against a tougher opposing pitcher.

9 Daily Fantasy Baseball Beginner Tips

Do Your Most Research on Starting Pitchers

Sure, you only start one pitcher in your DFS lineup, but it happens to be a pivotal position. I listed several reasons here why pitchers matter more in Daily Fantasy Baseball. They will cost you the much, and they have the best chance of scoring you the most points on any given night.

This is obviously a different gameplan from traditional Fantasy leagues, where pitching is usually more volatile. But that’s because hitters have 700 or so chances to tally points in regular leagues, whereas a pitcher only gets 30-36 starts a year.

Don’t Pay Attention to Batter vs. Pitcher Stats

When you look for Daily Fantasy Baseball tips for your lineup, you’ll often find discussions on batter vs. pitcher stats (BvP). For a while, I considered this important information until Derek Carty explained how the sample sizes are just too small to really use them as predictors. Plus, I realized that the more and more a pitcher faces a hitter, the more they both make adjustments against each other, changing  any future faceoffs.

Do Keep Track of Your Money

It’s always a good idea to start a spreadsheet and track the games you play and the money you spend. You might find that you do really well on certain days, like Fridays, but worse on Thursdays – and you realize it’s because there are many more lineup options for Fridays because every team plays, unlike Thursdays. Plus, you’ll notice some trends in the types of games you play.

Don’t Play on 10 Different Sites

With that said, it might take playing on a few different sites before you decide which one has the games, scoring system and layout that you like best. But if you’re playing regularly on a bunch of sites, you might get the scoring systems confused, or consider a player that’s a bargain on one site a bargain on another when his price is much higher in comparison.

Do Use Twitter

Twitter gives you the best chance at finding out a player in your lineup is hurt and won’t play tonight. That means you have to go back in and replace him before game time! You can also find the team’s lineups tweeted out every day within an hour or two from gametime.

Don’t Get Excited By Hot Streaks

As I mentioned before with BvP, hot streaks are just too small of sample sizes to really work as good predictors. While a hitter might have more confidence in his hitting, you have to also realize his Daily Fantasy Baseball price is adjusted accordingly to. So now you’re paying more for an expensive player.

Do Worry About Long Cold Streaks

While targeting a player with a short 0-for-15 cold streak might be a good idea – because the price might be cheaper and he’s due to regress upward, you should steer clear of players with long cold streaks. This could be an indicator of an injury that’s bad enough to affect his hitting, but not bad enough to land him on the 15-day disabled list.

Don’t Play Tournaments Early On

If you want to win money, take the slow route, which means playing in 50/50 or Head-to-Head games. You only have to beat about 50-percent of the field, and you can double your money. Sure, they’re not as sexy as the big-money tournaments, but your chances of winning – especially in the early going of your DFS career – is much better.

Do Pay Attention to the Weather

One of the worst feelings you’ll get is when you find out your starting pitcher’s game got postponed because of rain. You’ll lose his points and likely lose your games. Check the weather before you fill out your lineups, and avoid starting hitters in games where there’s more than a 50-percent chance of precipitation. Avoid starting pitchers in games where there’s more than a 30-percent chance of precipitation. (We’re harder on pitchers because they could pitch three innings, have the game delayed, and get replaced on the mound. Hitters will be able to still get at-bats, however.)

For more information on Daily Fantasy Baseball, you can check this DFS Glossary to help you out.

Being a Daily Fantasy Baseball beginner doesn’t mean you have to lose before you win. By using some of these tips, you should be able to stretch your money out for a while – and even bring some home!