This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
I am going to be specifically focusing on League of Legends, but the general information I provide here goes for all games. The scoring for other games will obviously be different but the general principles of daily fantasy are the same. Please read the contest rules provided by DraftKings for more information.
DraftKings users can construct a team of eight players using a salary cap format of $50,000. Each player you choose from has a set price. You must roster at least one person from each position: top, jungle, mid, ADC, support, and team, plus two flex roles where you can use anyone. It is important to note that these prices influence the game greatly. It is hard to fit in all the top players making bargains a huge deal. You expect the top players to play well each week and as such they will always be priced highly. But who are the value plays that have an easier match up you can use to fill out your roster? You need to consider the pricing when looking at who to select on any given day.
Here are some general rules I follow when playing Daily Fantasy eSports (DFeS) and how to start playing:
1. Let's talk about bankroll management, or how to manage your money once you've made a deposit. Once you've made a deposit, no matter how much it is, it is strongly advised to only play 10% of your bankroll on a given day. So for example, if you deposit $50, your first day you would only play $5. This keeps you from burning through your bankroll too fast and keeps you in the game. Now, if you play that 10% and lose it, you would go from $50 to $45 making your 10% for the next day only $4.50. You can use this 10% rule whether your bankroll increases or decreases.
2. PLAY 50/50 TOURNAMENTS! We all have dreams of winning huge sums of money playing daily fantasy, but let's be real, it's not that likely. Sure it could happen, but the best way to steadily increase your bankroll is to play 50/50 tournaments. In this format you only need to place in the top 50% of all competitors. Contrast that to a tournament where the top prize is huge, but steadily decreases with less spots to even finish in the money. 50/50's are the best way to steadily increase your bankroll.
3. This one goes hand in hand with No. 3. If you can, play in 50/50's with large player pools. On DraftKings you can play in 50/50's with 10 people or 100 people, but give yourself the better odds to finish in the top 50% by playing with more people. The variance will be less and although it's still the top 50%, it's easier to take top 50 out of 100 than top 5 out of 10.
4. Don't get discouraged if you aren't cashing in tournaments. It's really difficult to win or even cash in tournaments on a consistent basis. The player pool is much larger making the competition stiffer. That's why I recommend playing 50/50's to start.
Last but not least - HAVE FUN. It's what it's all about. If you're having a rough go of things getting started, there's no shame in taking a break for a couple days to adjust your strategy.
Alright here is my general advice for roster construction in Daily Fantasy League of Legends;
1. Usually it is wise to pay up for AD carries and mid laners in favorable matchups. On an individual player basis kills are worth the most points (3). The two roles who rack up the most kills on average are mid lane and ADCs making it wise to pay up for these players in your daily contests.
2. On the other hand, it is almost never worth it to pay up for top laners, junglers or supports. Supports won't be picking up many kills and I'd rather save at the position to use funds to pay up for a team's carry over a support. Look for bargain priced supports when drafting good matchups who can outproduce their price on a given week. The same can be said for top laners and junglers, as they are more likely to pick up assists than kills in most cases. Some top laners or junglers may pick up more kills than others on a given day, but their price will most likely reflect that upside. If a carry jungler is priced around $8.5k but a more supportive jungler is $6.5k in a good matchup, I'd rather use option B and use the extra $2k to spend on an ADC or Mid Laner who will most likely pick up more kills than their jungler anyway.
3. Top laners are the most volatile position in daily. The reason for this is you have a select group of carry top laners, like Huni, who will most likely be priced very high every week. You have to decide if you want to build around a top lane carry with kill potential for a high price or use a top laner who may play a more team fight centric role and use the savings on mid laners and ADCs.
4. Never pay up for a team unless you're happy with your roster and can afford them. If the choice comes down to it, always pay up for your players and use a cheap team who has a chance to win the game. If the top team plays a weak team for instance, you expect the top side to win easily, but they'll be priced high and the point total differential between them in a stomp and a mid tier team in a close game with another mid tier team won't be as large as you think. Never look for a team to carry your daily lineup, it's akin to picking a defense in daily fantasy football.
5. As far the flex role goes, in general you would want to try to pick up a second ADC or mid laner. However, that's not always possible due to price. Taking a look at junglers who have a chance to outperform their salary or top laners in good match ups can also make sense in the flex role. I'd avoid using a second support unless you really need the savings to pay up elsewhere.
I hope this general information helped. Remember to check out the links above for DraftKings' contest rules and information. Good luck!
