Numbers Game: What Makes FantasyDraft Different?

Every daily fantasy site is different. Since RotoWire is now running daily articles specifically targeted towards FantasyDraft, it seemed only reasonable to spend some time understanding the nuances of the site. With many DFS basketball players familiar with the big three providers, let's see how playing FantasyDraft is unique:

SCORING RULES

Every daily site uses similar scoring rules, but the small differences can have important impacts on each player's value. For example, FantasyDraft awards 1.5 points for a double-double and three points for a triple-double, DraftKings awards the same bonuses but players who reach a triple-double earn both, while Yahoo and FanDuel give no double-double nor triple-double bonuses. Based on that information alone, Russell Westbrook would be worth the most on DraftKings and the least on Yahoo or FanDuel.

All of the main daily sites agree on the value of points, assists, steals and blocks. Here are the differences:

• Three-pointers: FanDuel does not award any bonus for a three-pointer, while the others award a 0.5-point bonus.
  
• Rebounds: FantasyDraft and DraftKings award 1.25 points for each rebound, while FanDuel and Yahoo each award 1.20; a tiny difference.
  
• Turnovers: Yahoo and FanDuel penalize a full point for a turnover, while DraftKings and FantasyDraft penalize 0.5 points.

If you are coming to FantasyDraft from DraftKings, the only difference is the double-double and triple-double bonus points. A triple-double on DraftKings is worth 1.5 more points than on Fantasy Draft. Planning for a triple-double is ill-advised, even if you are starting Russell Westbrook, so these scoring systems are functionally identical.

If you are coming to FantasyDraft from FanDuel, the latter does not award a double-double bonus nor a bonus for three-pointers. FanDuel also penalizes turnovers more and awards slightly less for rebounds. For low-usage, non-shooters, these differences are minor and almost negligible. However, FantasyDraft's format is a boon for guards like John Wall, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, who are high usage players who can shoot threes, can double-double in points-assists and suffer fewer penalties due to turnovers. Elite rebounders (think top-5, not top-10) benefit from the extra double-double points, combined with enough extra 0.05 rebound points to make some impact. Lesser beneficiaries include discount shooters (due to the three-point bonus), followed by low-scoring big men who are double-double threats. Compared to FanDuel, this scoring system is a slight disadvantage to wings, as well as bigs who are poor rebounders.

If you are coming to FantasyDraft from Yahoo, the latter awards 0.05 fewer points in rebounds, takes away an extra 0.5 points for a turnover and does not provide the double-double or triple-double bonus. The biggest difference in player values is that high-usage guards are worth a lot more in FantasyDraft. Anyone capable of 10 assists has the chance at the double-double bonus, along with significantly decreased penalties caused by turnovers. Big men capable of 10 rebounds also benefit, as the double-double in rebounds is worth an extra two points over the same performance in Yahoo.

SALARY DISTRIBUTION

The biggest difference from site to site is how salaries are allocated, as different salary structures change how valuable a player is in each format. Three of the sites use eight-player lineups, while FanDuel uses nine. Comparing FantasyDraft's prices to FanDuel's is slightly more complicated due to the unequal roster space.

We care about four benchmarks, with the first two more important than the second two. First, what proportion of your budget do the most expensive players cost? Second, what proportion of your budget do the least expensive players cost? Third, how much do the sub-elite players cost (players like Goran Dragic, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins, Paul Millsap, and Andre Drummond)? And finally, how much do relatively consistent role players cost (players like Reggie Jackson, Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza, Aaron Gordon, and Clint Capela)?

FantasyDraft's salary cap is $100,000, with the most expensive players generally around $20,000. That means the most you can spend on a player is slightly less than 20 percent of your budget. The minimum salary is $6,000, so each player will cost at least six percent of your budget. The sub-elite tier hovers close to $14,000, and the semi-consistent role players are between roughly $9,000 and $12,000; coming in at 14 percent and between 9 and 12 percent, respectively. Let's compare that to the other sites with eight-player rosters: To compare that to other sites with eight roster spots, I'll use a quick table:

Salary comparison to FanDuel is a little more complicated because the sites have different roster sizes. Instead of looking at how much salary each tier costs, an apples-to-apples comparison requires us to flip the perspective: we must look at what percent of the budget is not used, and divide that by the number of roster spots remaining. In this table, each number represents the average salary per roster spot remaining if you use a player from each tier:

• From DraftKings: Elite and sub-elite players are a bit cheaper, and therefore more valuable, while the steady role players tier is a little less valuable.
  
• From Yahoo: Elite and sub-elite players are significantly more valuable. Meanwhile, there will be significantly fewer cheap value plays available.
  
• From FanDuel: It will feel like you have a lot more money to spend. The difference in funds remaining when you move between the three lower tiers is similar between the two sites; i.e. using a sub-elite player eats up about one percent more salary per roster spot than using a minimum cost player. The biggest difference is in the most expensive players, who eat up a bigger chunk of what's left on FanDuel, but the smaller roster will likely mean one fewer cheap player, not one fewer expensive player.

FantasyDraft allows managers lots of flexibility in roster construction, as there are three slots for guards, three for forward/centers and two utility spots. If a manager felt so inclined, they could start five players at a single position, three others at a second position and ignore the remaining three positions entirely. That kind of flexibility is completely unmatched by any of the other sites.

DraftKings and Yahoo offer identical roster set-ups: one player from each of the five positions, plus one spot for any guard, one for any forward, and one utility. FanDuel's rosters are the most restrictive, requiring that all lineups consist of two players from each position, except only one center.

Takeaways:

No matter what site you are coming from, the flexibility lends itself to lots of opportunity. On any given night, matchups and individual salaries are more important than a player's position. The flexibility means you should always be able to start a player you are happy with, and able to ignore positions that are particularly weak that day. Based on what we learned above, over the long term, you should end up using more starting point guards than any other position, but that won't be true every night.