Fantasy Draft Review

Overview

FantasyDraft is one of the newer players to the daily fantasy sports game. Headquartered out of Charlotte, North Carolina, FantasyDraft looks like a contender to form a DFS “Big 3” alongside of FanDuel and DraftKings.

With a unique referral system and a strong slate of professional athlete partnerships, FantasyDrafts has the tools to go from being a rookie site to a crafty veteran in a very short time period.

Currently, FantasyDraft offers betting options for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and the PGA with NCAA basketball and football on the horizon. While it doesn’t have as many sports to choose from as its major competitors who also offer soccer, NASCAR and combat sports, this could actually draw players in that have a preference for betting on the major sports leagues without having to view a crowded lobby.

One big factor that separates FantasyDraft from its competitors in the space is its “6 Degrees of Pay” referral construct. Essentially the way it works is for every person you refer, you get money any time they play a fantasy game with real money. You then also get money when someone that THEY refer plays a real money game, and so on and so on up to six degrees of people removed from you. This method ensures that players are sharing FantasyDraft with as many people as they can.

Play at FanastyDraft?

Absolutely. Right off the bat you’re hit with great sign-up and referral bonuses. The interface is easy on the eyes and simple to navigate, which is always a plus. The NFL season is in full swing now, and they have a lot of great contests to join at all price points.

A ton of pro athletes are promoting the site, and not that that alone means it’s trustworthy, but at this stage of the game, we have to believe they have done their due diligence prior to putting their name on the line. Additionally, the sponsored players play in the games from time to time, giving players the opportunity to compete against some top pros.

Speaking of pro players, while researching your teams, you can check player profile that has the most extensive and easy to read stats out there. As far as stats go, the in-game stats update within mere seconds of plays being completed, making your games very quick and easy to keep tabs on.

FantasyDraft prides itself on what it calls a #PlayersFirst approach. They aim to accomplish this by larger payout zone, multi-entry capping, lower contest fees, flexible lineups, “6 degrees of pay”, and “play with the pros”. (Details on these below.)

If you’re into daily fantasy sports, then you will want to give FantasyDraft a spin, no doubt.

• Larger Payout Zone: A minimum of 25% of players win in FantasyDraft guaranteed contests. A larger Payout Zone means more chances to win.
• Multi-Entry Capping: FantasyDraft levels the playing field by maintaining a low entry cap in their contests.
• Lower Contest Fees: Lower contest fees mean more of your entry fees go toward the PayoutZone.
• Flexible Lineups: FantasyDraft gives you the freedom to choose more of your favorite players.
• 6 Degrees of Pay: Earn commissions from the contest fees paid by players you refer, and the players they then refer – across 6 total tiers.
• Play With the Pros: Play against pro athletes and sports personalities, both active and retired, and see how you stack up.

Bonus Details

FantasyDraft has some great bonuses to try, setting themselves apart from the rest of the daily fantasy space.

• Welcome Bonus

  FantasyDraft offers one of the best sign-up bonuses in all of daily fantasy sports. With a minimum deposit of $10, the site offers 4% cashback on all entry fees for the first 90 days. Think of it as the daily fantasy sports equivalent of rakeback bonuses for online poker sites. No bonus code is required to receive this cashback bonus.

• Referral Bonus

  FantasyDraft’s 6 Degrees of Pay referral system is both unique and enticing. For every person you refer to the site, you get a commission every time they play. If that person recruits a person, you then get commission on both of them up to six people down the line on your original recruit. People can make serious money just by referring friends to play.

Currently, there aren’t any reload bonuses in place, which is something that will need to be rectified going forward. The big money can really come with the referrals, however, assuming you are able to get your friends to get others to sign up as well.

Banking Options

FantasyDraft is based in the United States and as such, accepts funds in U.S. dollars. The site accepts the following deposit options:

Withdrawals can be done via PayPal or by way of check. If you’re withdrawing the funds into your PayPal account, you can expect the transaction to be processed in 2-3 business days. Checks will take 7-10 business days to process, however.

The banking options for FantasyDraft are on par with their DFS counterparts and are fairly simple and seamless. FantasyDraft’s interface does a good job of making everything pretty easy for the user.

Sports Available

The following sports are available at FantasyDraft:

• Football
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Hockey
• Golf

FantasyDraft offers many different contests for each (covered further below). All of the teams in FantasyDraft are built based on a salary cap system. In the daily fantasy sports realm, FantasyDraft tends to offer a bit more leeway for drafting more high-quality players with their monetary system assigned to players. You must draft a player from at least 3 different teams.

The more big name players you can draft the more fun the game becomes for most. When FantasyDraft says they have a #PlayersFirst mentality, it definitely shows in the way you are able to construct your teams.

You are free to join all sorts of contests and build teams that you can use in as many contests as you’d like.

Daily fantasy sports has been ruled a game of skill, and as such, you don’t have to worry about any legality surrounding the games.

Fantasy Football at FantasyDraft

Currently, FantasyDraft only offers NFL football, with NCAA football expected to be available at a later date.

You get a salary cap of $100,000 dollars that you use to draft a 9-player team. Any NFL player that is eligible and expected to play in that given week can be drafted. You can draft players from all over the league, but you have to draft a player from at least three different teams.

A FantasyDraft football team is made up of the following positions:

• Quarterback (1)
• Running Backs (2)
• Wide Receiver (2)
• Tight ends (1)
• Flex (2)
• Defense (1)

A difference you might notice is that other sites offer three wide receiver slots and one flex position.

You score points based on how your players perform that week. The scoring for NFL players breaks down as follows:

Offense

(Note that negative yardage affects a player’s score. For example, a player with -3 net rushing yards will score -0.3.)

• Passing Yards (PaYds) – 0.04 points per passing yard
• Passing Touchdowns (PaTD) – 4 points for each passing touchdown
• Interceptions (INT) – -1 point for each interception
• 300+ Passing Yards (300+Pass) – 3 bonus points for each player that passes for 300 or more yards
• Rushing Yards (RuYds) – 0.1 points per yard rushing
• Rushing Touchdowns (RuTD) – 6 points for each rushing touchdown
• 100+ Yard Rushing (100+Rush) – 3 points for each player that rushes for 100 or more yards
• Receptions (Rec) – 1 point for each reception
• Receiving Yards (RecYds) – 0.1 points for each yard receiving
• Receiving Touchdowns (RecTD) – 6 points for each receiving touchdown
• 100+ Yard Receiving (100+Rec) – 3 bonus points for each player that has 100 or more receiving yards
• Kickoff Return Touchdown (KRTD) – 6 points for each kickoff return touchdown
• Punt Return Touchdown (PRTD) – 6 points for each punt return touchdown
• Fumbles Lost (FumLst) – -1 point for each fumble lost
• Own Fumbles Recovered Touchdowns (FRTD) – 6 points for each fumble that is recovered for a touchdown
• Two Point Conversion Pass (2PT-Pass) – 2 points for each two point conversion scored with a pass
• Two Point Conversion Scored (2PT-Score) – 2 points for each two point conversion scored by running or catching the ball

Defense

(Note that all points scored while your DST is on the field (i.e. points vs. defense or special teams) will count as Points Allowed. Points scored against an offense (e.g. interception returned for a TD) do not count as DST Points Allowed.)

• Sack (SACK) – 1 point for each sack
• Interception (INT) – 2 points for each interception
• Interception Return Touchdown (TD) – 6 points for each interception returned for a touchdown
• Fumble Recovery (FR) – 2 points for each fumble recovered
• Fumble Return Touchdowns (TD) – 6 points for each fumble returned for a touchdown
• Kickoff Return Touchdowns (TD) – 6 points for each kickoff returned for a touchdown
• Punt Return Touchdowns (TD) – 6 points for each punt returned for a touchdown
• Blocked Kicks (BLK) – 2 points for each blocked kick
• Blocked Punt or FG Return TD (TD) – 6 points for each blocked punt or field goal returned for a touchdown
• 2 PT Defensive Score (2PT-Def) – 2 points for each defensive two point
• Safeties (SAF) – 2 points for each safety
• 0 Points Allowed (PA) – 10 points each time your DST does not allow any points
• 1-6 Points Allowed (PA) – 7 points each time your DST allows between 1 and 6 points
• 7-13 Points Allowed (PA) – 4 points each time your DST allows between 7 and 13 points
• 14-20 Points Allowed (PA) – 1 point each time your DST allows between 14 and 20 points
• 21-27 Points Allowed (PA) – 0 point each time your DST allows between 21 and 27 points
• 28-34 Points Allowed (PA) – – 1 points each time your DST allows between 28 and 34 points
• 35+ Points Allowed (PA) – – 4 points each time your DST allows 35 or more points

You can track your scoring live, as it updates within seconds.

Fantasy Baseball at FantasyDraft

Fantasy baseball at FantasyDraft hands you a $100,00 salary cap to field your team. The $100,000 will get you 10 Major League Baseball players’, given that they’re eligible and available to play on that given night and you have picked from at least three different teams.

Your 10-man roster will break down as follows:

• Pitcher (2)
• Infeilder (3)
• Outfielders (3)
• Utility (2)

What makes this lineup different from that of other DFS sites is that it doesn’t force you to pick each specific infield spot, but rather any three infielders you want.

Fantasy baseball scoring is pretty straightforward.

Batting

• Run (R) – 2 points for each run they score
• Single (1B) – 3 points for each single they hit
• Double (2B) – 5 points for each double they hit
• Triple (3B) – 8 points for each triple they hit
• Home Run (HR) – 10 points for each Home Run they hit
• Run Batted In (RBI) – 2 points for each RBI
• Walk (BB) – 2 points for each time they are walked
• Hit By Pitch (HBP) – 2 points for each time they are hit by a pitch
• Stolen Base (SB) – 5 points for each stolen base
• Caught Stealing (CS)  – -2 points each time they are caught stealing

Pitching

• Win (W) – 4 points for a win
• Innings Pitched (IP) – 2.25 points for each complete inning pitched (0.75 points for each 1/3 inning pitched)
• Hits Against (H) – -0.6 points for each hit they give up
• Earned Run Allowed (ER) – -2 points for each earned run allowed
• Walks Against (BB) – -0.6 points each time they walk a batter
• Hit Batsman (HBP) – -0.6 points each time they hit a batter
• Strikeout (K) – 2 points for each strikeout they throw
• No Hitter – 10 bonus points for a no hitter
• Complete Game (CG) – 2.5 bonus points for a complete game
• Complete Game Shutout (CGSO) – 2.5 bonus points for a complete game shutout

Hitters do not receive or lose points for plays on defense. Things like errors, double plays, or passed balls have no effect on the scoring.

Fantasy baseball updates live within seconds for easy game tracking.

Fantasy Basketball at FantasyDraft

Fantasy basketball puts you in the seat as the general manager with $100,000 to spend. With your money, you have the chance to pick eight players from the NBA from at least three different teams. FantasyDraft continues to differentiate itself from a roster standpoint and doesn’t always hold you to specific positions like other sites, but rather general ones.

Your eight-man roster breaks down as follows:

• Forward/Center (3)
• Guard (3)
• Flex (2)

The scoring for basketball is as straightforward as it gets.

• Point Scored – 1 point for each point scored
• 3-Point Basket – 0.5 bonus points for each 3 point shot made
• Assist – 1.5 points for each assist
• Rebound – 1.25 points for each rebound
• Steal – 2 points for each steal
• Block – 2 points for each blocked shot
• Turnover – -0.5 points for each turnover
• Double-Double – 1.5 bonus points for a Double-Double*
• Triple-Double – 3 bonus points for a Triple-Double*

* A player can have EITHER one double-double or one triple-double bonus in a game

Like with the other games, fantasy basketball updates in real time.

Fantasy Hockey at FantasyDraft

Again, FantasyDraft differs from its competitors in hockey. With a salary cap of $100,000, you can choose eight total NHL players (from at least 3 different teams), one fewer than some of its competitors. Again, FantasyDraft doesn’t get as specific when it comes to positions.

• Center (2)
• Wing (2)
• Defensemen (1)
• Utility (1)
• Goalie (1)

Scoring for the NHL is divided into two categories; skaters and goalies.

Skaters

• Goal – 12 points for each goal
• Assist – 6 points for each assist
• Shot on Goal – 2 points for each shot on goal
• Shorthanded Goal Bonus – 5 bonus points for each short handed goal
• Shorthanded Assist Bonus – 3 bonus points for each short handed assist
• Hat Trick Bonus – 8 bonus points for player getting a Hat Trick
• Blocked Shot – 2 points for each blocked shot

Goalies

• Wins – 5 points
• Saves – 0.5 point for each save
• 0 Goals Allowed – 15 bonus points
• 1 Goal Allowed – 10 bonus points
• 2 Goals Allowed – 5 bonus points
• 3 Goals Allowed – 2 bonus points
• 4 Goals Allowed – -2 points lost
• 5 Goals Allowed – -4 points lost
• 6+ Goals Allowed – -8 points lost

Again, points update within seconds for easy game tracking.

Fantasy Golf at FantasyDraft

While FantasyDraft doesn’t offer as many sports as its competitors do, one sport it offers that many of its competitors doesn’t is golf. With a salary cap of $100,000, you can pick seven golfers from the PGA tour and your best six will count towards your final score.

Scoring for PGA is divided into three categories – Per Hole, Tournament Finish and Streaks and Bonuses.

Per Hole

• Double Eagle – 25 points for each double eagle
• Eagle – 10 points for each eagle
• Birdie – 5 points for each birdie
• Par – 1 points for each par
• Bogey – -1 points for each bogey
• Double Bogey – -2 points for each double bogey
• Worse than Double Bogey – -3 points for each hole worse than double bogey

Tournament

• 1st – 25 points
• 2nd – 20 points
• 3rd – 15 points
• 4th – 13 points
• 5th – 12 points
• 6th – 11 points
• 7th – 10 points
• 8th – 9 points
• 9th – 8 points
• 10th – 7 points
• 11th – 15th – 6 points
• 16th – 20th – 5 points
• 21st – 25th – 4 points
• 26th – 30th – 3 points
• 31st – 40th – 2 points
• 41st – 50th – 1 points
• 51+ – 0 points

Tournament finish scoring will be awarded to each golfer tied for each finish position. They will not reduce or average down points. For example, if four golfers tie for 7th place, each will receive 10 points for the 7th place finish. Per hole scoring will not count for holes played as a result of a playoff. Once the playoff is complete, the final tournament finish scoring points will be applied to each golfer based on the results of the playoff and their subsequent finish position.

Bonuses and Streaks

• Streak of 3 Birdies or better (MAX 1 Streak Per Round) – 3 points
• Streak of 4 Birdies or better (MAX 1 Streak Per Round) – 4 points
• Streak of 5+ Birdies or better (MAX 1 Streak Per Round) – 5 points
• Bogey Free Round – 5 points
• Hole In One – 5 points

A score of birdie (1 under par) or better on a hole counts towards the birdie streak.

For Example:

• Hole 1 : par 4 : score 3 = birdie
• Hole 2 : par 3 : score 1 = eagle + hole in one
• Hole 3 : par 5 : score 2 = double eagle

Golfers are awarded points for a 3 BIR STRK if they scored birdie or better on three holes in a row

Only one of the Birdie streaks can be awarded in a round.

For Example:

• Golfer gets 4 birdies in a row; they receive 4 BIR STRK points, but will not receive 3 BIR STRK points.
• Golfer gets 4 birdies in a row, and then later in the round gets 3 birdies in a row. They would receive 4 BIR STRK points only.

In cases where a golfer starts on the back nine (hole #10), a birdie streak would be awarded based on hole #10 being their first hole of the day. For example, if they birdied physical holes #17, #18 and #1, that would count as a 3 BIR STRK.

Birdie streaks can be awarded for rounds that are played over more than one day. For example, Round 2 starts on Friday and is completed on Saturday. Birdie streaks can be won for Round 2 even though it was not played all on the same day.

Birdie streak points are awarded in addition to Per Hole Scoring.

Types of Contests

FantasyDraft offers six different types of contests to choose from or create. They are as follows:

• Leagues
• Tournaments
• 50/50
• Guaranteed
• Head-to-Head
• Beginner

You can filter the contests based on the contest type, entry fee, prize pool, number of entries and when the contest is suppose to kick off.

Leagues

Leagues will include all kinds of contests with varying entry fees, sizes and payouts. Anyone and everyone can enter these contests, and they will have some of the largest payouts. FantasyDraft pays deeper than most sites, so you have a little bit of breathing room between just missing out and the PayoutZone.

Tournaments

Tournaments come in many different varieties. In many cases, there will be multiple qualifier contests leading to a final contest, which pays out the big money. There are many different kinds of tournaments, so you want to make sure you’re jumping into the right one. The interface is very easy to navigate, so finding the right one should never be a problem.

50/50

In a 50/50 contest, you are competing to finish in the top half of the field. Finish in the top 50% and you win; the prize is divided equally among the winners.

Guaranteed

A guaranteed contest will run regardless of the number of players or lineups that are registered. The published payouts will be paid regardless. If you see a guaranteed contest that isn’t close to full around game time, consider entering another lineup or two for greater value.

Head-to-Head

Head-to-Head is simply a one-on-one matchup where there will be one winner and one loser.

Beginner

If you’ve never played daily fantasy sports before, then beginner contests are for you. The field consists of FantasyDraft players with fewer than 50 contests played.

Customer Support

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find the support tab listed under the Help Center. As is the case with most sites, they suggest you take a look at the FAQ section prior to contacting the site directly.

In the case of FantasyDraft, they have a number of “how to” videos hosted by top professional athletes in order to give you some assistance. If that doesn’t work, you can fill out the form and send them a message and they will create a ticket and a staff member will get back you.

There is no direct e-mail address or phone number listed, so the message system appears to be the only way to contact support. During a test run, I sent a message around the midnight hour and received a response within twelve hours.

FantasyDraft FAQ

The FantasyDraft FAQ section is quite extensive, but I’ve picked out some of the more pertinent ones.

Summary & Verdict

If you enjoy daily fantasy sports, or fantasy sports in general, I would definitely recommend FantasyDraft. One thing that stands out immediately from the other DFS sites is the roster flexibility. With a salary cap that gives you a bit more room to breathe and roster spots that are less specific, you can get a lot more creative with the teams you put out on the field.

Both the software and interface are very smooth, clean and easy to use. The deposit and withdrawal process isn’t a hassle, which is always a plus.

Their 6 Degrees of Pay referral system is certainly intriguing and can be worth it if you get the right group of people to the site. A smart idea would be to refer a friend and have them refer a friend and so on, and then start a league and invite them all to play. That way, you’re getting a piece of almost everyone in the league.

The one drawback I see is that it is lacking a few sports. Personally, I am a combat sports fan and practitioner, and I would love to see MMA and boxing on the docket at some point. The site also doesn’t see the same traffic as, say, DraftKings, but FantasyDraft is still growing, so I expect to see more populated tournaments in the future.

All in all, I give FantasyDraft the green light if you’re looking for a new place, or even an additional place, to get in on the daily fantasy sports action.

Explanation needs a little more clarification as it’s a little hard to follow