FanDuel Fantasy Football: Contest Types and Payouts

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Updated on December 31, 2014 2:24PM EST

FanDuel offers a ton a different contest types with a variety of payout structures. Some are very simple, while others are more complex. I'll do my best to explain the different types and how the payouts vary.

50/50 Leagues and Multiplier Tournaments

Aside from head-to-head contests, 50/50 leagues and multiplier tournaments are by far the simplest type of contests. 50/50 leagues are exactly what you would think: Finish in the top 50 percent of the league and you cash. Everyone who finishes in the money will receive the same payout. The other simple contest types are the Multiplier tournaments (Double Up, Triple Up and Quintuple Up). Finish in the money and double, triple or quintuple your entry fee. The chart below looks at each contest type, the percentage of the field paid out, the payout and the percentage of entry fees that are paid out. The 50/50 league provides the best odds; 90 percent of the entry fees are paid back to the winners.

Leagues – Top Heavy Payouts

The other league options are slightly more complex. The payouts are more top heavy and winners are awarded by their finishing position. The person who finishes first gets paid more than the person who finishes second, etc. The chart below looks at different league types, depending on the size of the league, the number of entries paid out and the percentage of payout for the top finishers.

Large Guaranteed Prize Pool Tournaments

If you are into daily fantasy for a life-changing cash out, these are the contests you should be playing. However, it is very hard to win these or even finish in the money, so your cash can go away very quickly. To cash out, you need to beat at least 80 percent of the field. The chart below includes all different types of fantasy football tournaments on FanDuel, the entry fee, the percentage of entries paid out and the payouts for the top three finishers as a percentage of the total payout.

Head to Head Matrix

Head to Head Matrix contests are the safest way to play on FanDuel. Basically, you cannot lose your entire entry fee, unless you finish dead last. In a 21-person Matrix, first place wins 1.8 times their entry fee and 15th place receives 54 percent of their entry fee back. The table below shows the payouts for each finishing position in a 21-entry matrix.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.