Red Sox vs. Yankees, Frazier vs. Ali, Lakers vs. Celtics, Packers vs. Bears……..and FanDuel Sportsbook vs. DraftKings Sportsbook. Aren’t rivalries amazing?

But head-to-head is a terrible strategy for a newcomer. Far more sensible are what FanDuel and DraftKings both call “50/50s” — beat half the pool, and you win $1.80 for every $1 (the additional 20. In outright bets which include a limited selection of participants, such as Top Nationality, Group Betting, etc., DraftKings reserves the right to apply Tattersalls Rule 4 on any non-starter. Dead Heat rules will apply except for cases where a play-off has determined a better finishing position. Jamie Calandro discusses how to win head-to-head matchups on DraftKings. This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. Head to Heads are always a piece of the portfolio for successful DFS players, especially the top 1 percent. Even if you’re a high-risk, high-reward player with a focus on larger paydays, H2H contests can provide stability to your bankroll and help keep you afloat during even the roughest of cold streaks. DraftKings FanDuel Yahoo Fanball Head2Head Dream11 SuperDraft. PGA Lineups Euro Lineups Manage Alerts Import Lineups. Injury Report News. PGA Euro History / Current Form. Articles Columns Writers. Head2Head PGA Tour Lineup Optimizer. Create daily fantasy lineups for all.

Both FanDuel and DraftKings are two of the US’s most popular platforms for daily fantasy sports (DFS). Combined, they have roughly 14 million active users across the US. They have established partnerships & sponsorships with the most significant sports leagues in the US, notably FanDuel being the Official One-Day Fantasy Game of the NBA and DraftKings being the Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the NFL.

Even more, both DraftKings sportsbook and FanDuel sportsbook now offer legal online sports betting in a handful of states. Competition between the two DFS giants is only likely to get more fierce as more states legalize online sports betting.

Draftkings

For new players deciding whether to choose the FanDuel sportsbook vs. DraftKings sportsbook can be a difficult task. Both operators have a lot to offer to players, and neither has a clear lead in the competition for DFS players or online sports bets. Luckily, we have created a head-to-head, in-depth comparison of the Fanduel sportsbook and DraftKings sportsbook set up.

So without further ado, we look to answer one of the biggest questions in sports betting; what’s better DraftKings or FanDuel?

FanDuel vs. DraftKings New player offers

19 ratings
Review
Up To $500 Risk Free Bet
  • Convenient banking
  • Massive choice of sports
29 ratings
Review
Up To $1,000 Deposit Bonus
  • The best sportsbook
  • Amazing odds & offers

Both sportsbooks from FanDuel and DraftKings offer a new player welcome bonus

  • FanDuel Sportsbook – Risk-free bet up to $500
  • DraftKings Sportsbook – Risk-free bet + deposit bonus up to $1,000

You can also check out our guide to the best FanDuel alternatives and also our DraftKings sportsbook alternatives guide.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings Sports Coverage

Both FanDuel and DraftKings offer daily fantasy matches and legal sports betting in the US for all major sports leagues. NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, College Football, College Basketball, PGA, and NASCAR are all available using either platform.

However, if you are interested in a wider variety of leagues such as Euroleague Basketball or the Canadian Football League (CFL), DraftKings is the best choice. DraftKings is the only operator to offer fantasy MMA fights and eSports.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings Where You Can Play & Bet?

For daily fantasy sports, Fanduel and DraftKings are available in all 43 US states where online fantasy gambling is legal along with Canada.

DraftKings has a broader international reach, offering accounts to residents of the UK, Ireland, Malta, Austria, and Germany.

If you wish to use FanDuel or DraftKings for mobile sports betting, we’d recommend DraftKings as it currently operates in more states. FanDuel is offering mobile sports betting in West Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, Tennesse, Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania only with retail only available in New York, Iowa, and Mississippi.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings Promotions, and Offers

When it comes to welcome offers, both FanDuel and DraftKings offer a lot of value for new users to get their teeth stuck into.

At DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports, new players can use the DraftKings promo codeSAVE” and get a 20% matched first deposit bonus up to $500*.

Then at DraftKings Sportsbooks, new players can claim a sign-up bonus of up to $1,000, awarded as a $500 risk-free bet and a matched first deposit bonus up to $500 by using promo code “WIN

FanDuel is offering a very similar deal to DraftKings in that of a $500 risk-free bet. FanDuel will credit your first bet up to $500 if you lose. The risk-free bet must be made on only one bet slip. So, there is no reason not to bet $500 on your first bet as you have nothing to lose.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports

In the most significant aspects, the daily fantasy games offered by FanDuel & DraftKings are very similar. But, each operator does offer unique features that can affect the player’s chance of winning.

Salary Cap

When using FanDuel, you will find that the majority of contests will have a salary cap of $60,000. This salary cap is higher than a lot of contests found at DraftKings, meaning it is easier to play a star-studded, higher-scoring team when using FanDuel. This model appeals to the casual fan as they can use more household names in their lineups and requires less knowledge of the sport to get the most out of your $60,000 salary.

At DraftKings, the salary cap varies between each sport and specific tournament. This adds another dimension when it comes to drafting your team as the math is different every time. This model makes DraftKings better suited for players who are very knowledgeable on the sport as they will need to find value in their later picks on a depleted budget.

Contests

Both FanDuel and DraftKings offer many of the popular contests. Both offering tournaments of all sizes, including guaranteed payout contests, head-to-head competitions, and 50/50’s, where the top half of players win prizes. However, each operator offers unique contests.

DraftKings players can partake in their Satellite contests; these are small tournaments with low entry costs. If you win a satellite fantasy contest, you’re entered into much larger, featured competitions at no extra cost. This allows players to take part in larger tournaments that otherwise would be too expensive.

FanDuel poses a real advantage when it comes to contests on offer, as FanDuel is continually experimenting with unique contests. The most popular of these being the Home Range Challenge for the 2019 MLB season in which only home runs counted towards a player’s fantasy points; or when FanDuel tried a positionless NBA league, in which players could draft a starting five, regardless of their position. Fans enjoyed these contests as they added some diversity and excitement to the FanDuel platform.

Swapping Players

The major difference between DraftKings and Fanduel is found in the deadline for swapping players in and out of your lineup.

On FanDuel, your lineup is locked in as soon as the first games that are being counted for your current contest begins. Whereas DraftKings offers a late swap, meaning that you can switch out an individual player from your lineup up to the point where the game with that player begins.

This late swap feature is incredibly useful for NBA fantasy betting since teams don’t often announce injuries until right before tip-off. Late swap can also be helpful for NHL, and MLBgames as lineups for the west coast aren’t always announced before games on the east coast begin.

FanDuel Sportsbook vs. DraftKings Sportsbook

When it comes to online sports, DraftKings has a clear upper hand over FanDuel. While both operators offer the same amount of sports to bet on, DraftKings offers a wider variety of leagues to bet on, such as the Canadian Football League and EuroLeague Basketball, and also operates in more states than FanDuel, as mentioned previously.

DraftKings Sportsbook platform includes gambling-specific stats about individual players and teams. For example, this allows you to find information about how a particular team has performed against the spread over its last ten games.

Draftkings Head To Head Golf

FanDuel’s platform includes no stats at all, so you would have to look elsewhere, such as their oddsFire service to find your wagers.

FanDuel vs. DraftKings User Interface

The DraftKings and FanDuel user interfaces are near identical in ways that matter. Both of their DFS lobbies are organized by sport, and both offer filters, making it easy for players to find the exact contest they wish to partake. Both operators allow you to draft players to your roster with just one click of a button.

The mobile apps are very similar between both platforms. On DraftKings mobile app, it is easier to view live contests that you’ve entered. Whereas on the FanDuel mobile app, they have prioritized the social aspect of DFS as they have added a screen for connecting with friends for starting new contests.

For us, the main difference between FanDuel and DraftKings is how you feel when using the app and site. We much prefer the interface on DK and find it a lot better laid out.

If you have not downloaded a sports betting app to your Android device before, check out our Android sportsbook guide.

Why Choose FanDuel Over DraftKings?

  • A consistent fixed salary cap provides a simplified and cohesive experience
  • New, unique, and fun contests are regularly introduced
  • Sportsbook offers competitive odds

Why Choose DraftKings Over FanDuel?

Same
  • Fantasy contest and sports betting on international sports leagues
  • Satellite contest allows players to enter larger tournaments they otherwise would be unable to
  • Offers late swap for more customization
  • Sportsbook platform is available in more states and offers more in-depth statistics

Both these sportsbook and DFS operators are absolute powerhouses in the US online gaming market. The FanDuel and DraftKings market share take up around 70% between them. DraftKings Inc. (DKNG) Stock Price has been climbing steadily over the past few months and is only expected to keep rising as sports betting gets legalized in more states.

So when it comes down to FanDuel vs. DraftKings sportsbook and who is the best? Our money is firmly on DraftKings sportsbook all day long.

This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.


On DraftKings, there are mainly two types of contests available, the Head-to-Head (H2H) or 50/50 contests and the Guaranteed Price Pool Tournaments (GPPs). Depending on the type of contest you enter, the team of players you select should vary.

H2H contests are simple, you beat the one person you play against, and you nearly double your entry fee. In 50/50 contests, if you finish in the top half of the field, you nearly double your entry. When selecting players for these contests, be very conservative. You do not have to have a perfect lineup. The goal is to get solid production from all of your players. You should target players that are very consistent from week-to-week.

In GPP contests, you have to go big, or you will be going home empty handed. These contests only pay out if you finish around the top 20 percent. You should select lineups for GPPs with a much different approach compared to your H2H and 50/50 teams. In his most recent article, Joel wrote about some GPP strategies. Your main goal is to be a contrarian and go for players with a ton of upside that will not be heavily owned. When you use this strategy, you will hit on underused and over performing players; however, you will also land a ton of duds. GPP contests are not for the weak-hearted. You must prepare to fail more than you will succeed, but when you do succeed, you can win a ton of money.

Below, I look at some players that I feel best fit each strategy. For the H2H and 50/50s, you should target the most consistent players, and the GPP selections should be guys that are capable of huge games and the occasional dud. These selections are for the early part of the season, not just the first game.

Quarterbacks

Quarterbacks are the easiest for me to classify. Generally, I move all of the pass heavy quarterbacks into H2H and 50/50s and all of the running quarterbacks to my GPPs. Rushing yards and touchdowns provide a ton of fantasy value for quarterbacks, however, they can be very sporadic. This makes running quarterbacks very valuable in GPPs, because of their high variation from week to week.

H2H and 50/50 Targets

Peyton Manning ($10,100) – Manning is a very consistent player and makes a great H2H and 50/50 play. His very high salary does worry me, so only play him if you can find a lot of value at other positions. You should be able to do this week one, but it will be harder after that.


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Drew Brees ($9,700) AT HOME – Brees plays much better at home. In 2013, he averaged 32.2 fantasy points per game at home and 18 fppg on the road. When Brees is playing at home, get him into your H2H and 50/50s.

Draftkings Head To Head

Matt Ryan ($7,900) – Ryan is a solid value at $7,900 and should be a pretty consistent performer in 2014. If you can't afford Brees or Manning, Ryan provides a reliable quarterback option at a more reasonable price.

GPP Targets

Cam Newton ($8,400) – Newton is the ultimate GPP play at quarterback. If you can get him into your lineup when he scores a rushing touchdown, you will have a nice foundation for success. If he runs for two touchdowns, you will be looking really good.

Johnny Manziel ($6,300) – This is, of course, contingent on Manziel becoming the starter at some point. If Johnny Football can start a game, he has the potential for some big point totals. He will certainly struggle some and put up major duds, but his running ability should create some very strong performances.

Running Backs

The running back position DraftKings is very similar to that of season long fantasy. The first ten or so running backs are very consistent, but after that, there's ton of uncertainly. For this reason, I tend to spend on the running back position in H2H and 50/50s; however, the best running backs have very high salaries, so you may have to go for some of the second-tier guys. I like to go for more value plays in GPPs, and mix in a couple high salaried running backs (just in case they go off).

H2H and 50/50 Targets

Le'von Bell ($6,700) – Bell had an extremely consistent year in 2013. He played 13 games and scored at least 10 fantasy points in 12 of those contests. He is helped by his pass catching ability (45 receptions). With DraftKings point-per-reception format, running backs that catch passes on a regular basis are very reliable.

Chris Johnson ($5,100) –Johnson is a steady player at a reasonable price. He should have a pretty pedestrian season in 2014, but it should be very consistent week-to-week.

GPP Targets

Jamaal Charles ($9,000) – Charles is a consistent player, but at $9,000 he's too costly for H2H and 50/50 contests. However, his high price may benefit you in GPPs, forcing you to use lower salary players that may be under owned. Charles showed his big game ability last year with a 62.5 point game in Week 15. If you didn't have him in your lineup that week in a GPP, you had almost no shot of finishing in the money.

Chris Ivory ($4,300) – Indications out of Jets camp say that Ivory will be their goal line back. If he retains this position, he will be a perfect GPP play. He will have some terrible games of under 10 yards rushing and no touchdowns, but he may mix in a couple two touchdown performances. This will make his ownership very limited. If you can get him into your lineup for one of his big games, you will have an advantage over your competition.

C.J. Spiller ($6,200) – Spiller is the ultimate running back play for GPP contests. He has some very bad games (nine games under 10 points in 2013) and some solid performances (three games over 20 points). Because of his big-play ability, he can accumulate fantasy points very quickly.

Wide Receivers

I split wide receivers into two groups the short-pass/high-reception guys and the big-play/lower-colume players. The players with high receptions tend to be more consistent and make for better H2H and 50/50 plays, while the big-play receivers make better GPP plays.

Draftkings Head To Head

H2H and 50/50 Targets

Antonio Brown ($7,500) – Because Brown catches a ton of passes (110 in 2013), he makes a great H2H and 50/50 play. Brown scored more than 10 fantasy points in all 16 of his games last year.

Draftkings Head To Head Nfl

A.J. Green ($7,400) – Green is very consistent for a wide receiver, scoring at least 10 fantasy points in 15 of his 16 games. He brings a nice blend of big-play ability and high reception totals. I would not rule him out of your GPP contests.

Kendall Wright ($5,700) – Wright proved last year that he can be a consistent player, scoring between 9.9 and 18.8 fantasy points in 11 of his 16 games, and scoring less than 9.9 points only three times. He only had two touchdowns last year, so his ceiling is limited for GPP contests. However, if he can combine his high reception totals with a few more touchdowns, he could become a viable GPP play.

Brandin Cooks ($4,500) – Cooks is only a rookie, but I expect him to get close to 100 receptions this year. He should become the top short option for Brees, in an offense that loves to throw short.

GPP Targets

Dez Bryant ($7,800) – Dez had a monster season last year, but he did also put up some stinkers. Out of his 16 games, he produced four games of less than 10 fantasy points.

Cordarrelle Patterson ($5,800) – Patterson is the perfect example of a guy that you want in GPPs, but do not want in H2H and 50/50s contests until he can prove to be a reliable pass catcher. He had some monster games last year, but he also had a ton of duds. He is the ultimate big play type of guy.

T.Y. Hilton ($5,500) – In 2013, he had games of 40.1, 34 and 29.5 fantasy points, but he also had nine games of less than 10 fantasy points. The Colts added Hakeem Nicks and will get Reggie Wayne back from injury; those players should move Hilton back to his role as Andrew Lucks' big-play receiver.

Tight Ends

Outside of the top four or 5 players at the position, tight end is a very touchdown dependent position. This makes most tight ends very inconsistent. You must decide if you want to go with a stud tight end or go with a value option. Below are a couple of value options that should be considered based on the contest you enter.

H2H and 50/50 Target

Greg Olsen ($4,700) – Olsen is consistent for a mid-priced tight end. He scored more than 10 fantasy points in 11 of his 16 games last year. However, he scored more than 20 points only once, so his upside is limited and he does not make a great GPP play.

GPP Target

Vernon Davis ($4,800) – Davis had some monster games last year, including a 41 point game in Week 6 against the Cardinals (reminder - play tight ends against the Cards this year), but he had some duds of five, 1.2 and zero fantasy points as well.

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.