Daily Fantasy Baseball Beginner Guide 2026

Where you can play in 2026

There are many fantasy platforms in the market, but if you want to keep it simple, start with the big four most beginners use:

• DraftKings: Need to select tournaments carefully to succeed here.  This site has the largest community so you can end up versus tough competition.
• FanDuel: Has a strong set of play-types and is always expanding with strikeout lineups where you pick only starting pitchers who will get the most strike outs
• Yahoo: Smaller community especially for baseball with an interface similar to Fanduel so playing on both is easy.  Tournaments allow for more opportunities to win.
• RTSports: Great vibrant community that will chat during games and the slate.  For those who love the experience of being with your opponents during games, this is a good site.

All four offer:

• daily fantasy baseball contests
• beginner-friendly entry fees
• both tournament and cash-style contests where half of the people playing win cash

Each has its own contest lobby layout and scoring format, but the basic ideas are the same everywhere. You create an account, choose a contest, draft a lineup under a salary cap, and watch the scores update while the games are played. Simply put, it is Draft, Score and Win.

How contests work 

While each site has its own names for contests, most of them fall into a few simple categories.

Cash Games: 50/50s and double-ups

About half of the entries win, usually doubling your entry fee. These are great for getting some excitement during the games without as much risk.  You will win more often on these, but you also won’t win a lot. A must way to start.

Head-to-head

You face one opponent. It is you versus one other lineup. We don’t ever recommend these type of contests.  The opponent is almost always a very skilled player and even if you win the first time which may be their intent, you will lose until you get much better.  Stay away from these types of contests.

Guaranteed prize pool tournaments

Commonly called GPPs, these pay out to a smaller percentage of top scores but with much larger prizes at the top. I call them “tournaments” as that is what they are called in every other kind of hobby or sport that is a game of skill.  The GPP term was invented by one of these operators and it stuck.  

These are fun, but they are very difficult to win as many participants will enter the maximum number of lineups.  This is truly a lottery ticket. Stay away from these kinds of contests unless it is your goal to take lottery ticket type shots at winning a “boat load” of money.

Single-entry contests

These are your best type of contests once you get some practice in with cash games.  Everyone is allowed only one lineup. This means that there may be experts in your contest but they will only have one lineup.

When in doubt at the start, lean toward 50/50s, single-entry contests, and low-entry fees. You want to learn without pressure.  Also, you will likely lose money at first until you find the rhythm of how to play and how much effort to put into it.

How scoring generally works

Exact scoring systems vary by platform, and you should always read the rules inside the contest lobby before entering, but the basics are similar everywhere.  You can read reviews on each platform so you can get some pointers on where you can get advantages and things to avoid.  The point here is to make sure you review the scoring system closely and determine the advantages within the slate for those scoring rules. 

For instance, on DraftKings, hitters receive five points for a stolen base.  So, I like to review stolen base percentages for opposing teams of players who steal a lot of bases.  They become very valuable and it is an easy and fun research part of playing this game.

Bankroll management is the secret skill

The least exciting topic is the most important one. Bankroll management is how you decide how much to play and where you play it.  I started playing a very long time ago and wasn’t doing any money management at all.  In the last handful of years, it has been necessary as the quality of the competition is better.  

Set a budget up front. Decide what you are comfortable losing in a month as entertainment cost, then play within that. Avoid chasing losses emotionally. It is normal to have bad nights, even with smart lineups, because baseball has variance.

A simple beginner approach is:

• Put most entries into 50/50 or double-up style contests at $1-3 depending on what you can afford to lose
• Play a small amount into tournaments for upside, I generally play 9-1 so if I have three $3 50/50 entries, I will have a single $1 tournament entry with a different lineup.
• Track results so you can see progress over time

It is important to note that there is a different strategy for tournaments than for 50/50s and you should play differently to win both.

Avoid these common beginner mistakes

Here are some things that can lead you to lose a lot of money and have to stop playing DFS.  Most new players run into the same issues. Identifying those will help you adjust so you can keep playing and having fun.

Entering only big tournaments

Large tournaments are exciting but full of experienced players who will enter 150 times which is the maximum allowed by most laws.  Know that playing multi-entry tournaments is a lottery ticket only.  A big win is possible, but consistent losses are more likely without playing multiple entries as well.

Ignoring late lineup news

A batter who is not starting or a scratched pitcher scores zero. Always check confirmed lineups as close to first pitch when possible. Lineups come out three hours before the scheduled start time so you can look then.  Occasionally a starter will pull something or not be ready anytime up to 30 min before the game so check your pitchers then. The platforms are great about giving you indicators and some have alerts to help you.

Overreacting to one game

Chasing stats is a bad idea.  A hitter has a three home run game, look at why.  Was he facing the right type of pitcher in the right ballpark?  Hitters do fall into streaks and you should not ignore that but there are many indicators on any given night that need to be looked at to be successful.  

• Batter vs. pitcher data
• Vs. handedness (vs. LHP or vs. RHP)
• Pitcher makeup and success
• Ballpark ratings
• Defense and especially for stolen bases

Responsible play matters

Daily fantasy baseball is meant to be fun. Treat it like a night out, not a financial strategy. It makes the games more fun to watch.  If you ever feel pressure, stress, or the need to play a larger entry fee level to “win it back,” stop and take a break for a week or more to make sure it is fun again. All four platforms offer responsible gaming tools like deposit limits and time reminders. Use them to help you.

Final thoughts

Daily fantasy baseball is so much fun and I play every Tuesday and Friday as those are full-slate days.  I play on four platforms: DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo, and RTSports.  Each gives you something different and after I look at the matchups, I decide which platforms to play on.  For the most part, I focus on DraftKings to play for money and RTSports.com to play for fun.  I mix in the others when I am doing both or there is a player or two who is priced at a great value. 

Start small. Focus on learning how contests work. Build lineups around solid pitching first and strong offensive teams in good ballparks vs. the opposite handed pitcher. Pay attention to news and lineups. Most of all, enjoy the games more all season long. 

People Also Ask

What is daily fantasy baseball?
A game where you pick MLB players for a single day’s games and score points based on real stats.

Is daily fantasy baseball hard for beginners?
There is a learning curve but simple strategies can help beginners compete.

How much money do you need to start playing DFS?
Many platforms offer contests for a few dollars or even free beginner contests.

Do you need baseball knowledge to win at DFS?
Basic baseball knowledge helps and learning stats over time improves results.

What is stacking in daily fantasy baseball?
Using multiple hitters from the same team to benefit when that team scores a lot of runs.