Welcome to my big list of DFS tools. These tools include lineup optimizers, projections, rankings and any sort of thing that a DFS player may want to utilize to draft their team. In short, this page is a top list of tools for daily fantasy sports players. I add to this list as I come across new and unique offerings. Some of them are free but most are paid. Take your time and check through the following list to find what you are looking for. I’m constantly adding links as I come across them in my daily travels around the web so bookmark this page and check back on the regular.
- NFL
- NBA
- MLB
- PGA
Growing List of DFS Tools – 2023 Update
- FantasyCruncher.com – Probably the best rated lineup optimizer used by the vast majority of professional players in the industry. Easy enough for weekend gamblers like me to use and highly customizable so the professionals can create optimized multi-entry lineups. Paid monthly. Try it free for the 1st week. If you max enter contests this is a must have. See my FantasyCruncher review now published.
- FantasyData – An entire host of tools for DFS including projections, lineup optimizers, rankings, premium content, average draft position, mock drafts, idp rankings, stats red zone stats, snap counts, advanced qb metrics and seriously dozens of more features available for a monthly fee of around $10 with a three day free trial.
- Live Vegas Odds – From the largest offshore US friendly sportsbook
- DailyFantasyNerd.com – Optimizer, Projections and upgraded / premium products. Free basic subscription and $15 / mo w/ 7 day free trial
- FantasyNational – PGA specific stats engine, simulator and lineup generator. $30/mo or $250/year.
- FantasyPros.com NFL– Update now requires payment, no longer free.
- Awesemo – expensive but arguably worth it if you are a serious professional DFS player (or want to be one). Many use this site for their ownership projections.
- One Week Season – premium DFS content from some of the brightest in the game (JMtoWin)
- DailyFantasyFuel.com – free tools, optimizers and matchup-analysis – NHL
- FanSpeak.com – quick and easy lineup builder where you can prioritize a position and build for tourney or cash game.
- Numberfire / usatoday – requires credit card (even with free trial). 7 days free then $19 / mo for DFS players (football)
- LineStar App (fanduel android and apple / fantasyduel) http://fscapp.co (mobile strongsuit) – these are from fantasysportsco.com
- FantasyLabs.com – Tools have gone down hill since newer ownership sometime in 2018. I used to subscribe subscribe to FantasyLabs during football season but no more. My full review of FantasyLabs is now published.
- lineuplab – NFL-Pro is $19.95 / mo, advanced is $29.95 / mo. Other sports cost additional.
- rotoviz.com – looks like you have to pay just to get in the door, but it’s cheap. Only $9 for the season. give them your email address for a free article every day.
- Establishtherun.com – football projections and data
- rotowire.com – free NFL optimizer for the main DFS sites.
- sportsline.com for nhl – free optimizer recommended for NHL players.
- RotoLife – Free Projections NFL
- DFS Forecast – another projections site
- TeamRiseOrFall – yet another projections site
This guy greets you at FantasyGeek.
Just showing that ’cause I thought he was pretty cool.
- http://fantasy.geekewl.com/ (this guy runs a default lineup from the major lineup generators and ranks them weekly to see who’s default optimizer does best. Interesting concept.
- Borischen.co – Data visualized for each position from FantasyPros expert picks
- FantasyPros.com – combined rankings from professionals in the industry
- Vegas Odds and Lines – find the high scoring games and pick the right players from those teams
- Rotogrinders optimizer – free if you register through them for a dfs site. Used by many so be wary of lineups generated.
- 4for4 – $99/year for the DFS package w/ projections, rankings, optimizers, analyzers and a ton of tools
- ESPN projections
- ProFootballFocus – Paid subscription model for projections and player grades.
Fantasy 5×5– NBA tools for Draftkings and Fanduel. Find out who benefits when someone is injured. See who’s playing, visuals of relevant data and more basketball specific DFS tools. See my Fantasy 5×5 review here.
NBA DFS Tools and Lineup Builders
- FantasyCruncher.com – If you multi-enter NBA GPP’s then you need FantasyCruncher. It makes building multiple optimized lineups slick. It’s simple enough for weekend players like me to use and highly workable for you pro’s who build lineups. Paid monthly. Try it free for the 1st week. If you max enter contests this is a must have. See my FantasyCruncher review now published.
- Basketball Monster – Somewhere around $90 per season of basketball and it adjusts downward as the length of season shrinks. Players of NBA dfs seem to love this site.
- Next Man Up tools from hashtag basketball – Freeand looks interesting. You can see what other players average when a selected player is out.
- FantasyPro’s NBA is pretty solid and free.
- Haslametrics.com
- Vegas NBA Lines – let the books do the heavy lifting for the over/under.
Baseball MLB Optimizers and Lineup Tools
- SaberSim – Baseball simulator – play thousands of events and make projections.
- FanGraphs – Baseball stats. An absolute ton of MLB data at your fingertips. Free or become a member and remove ads for $3 / month.
- Rotoballer – Batter v Pitcher
- Baseball Savant – Stats, daily matchups and tons of data
- Pitcher Analysis and Tracking – Brooksbaseball
- FantasyInsiders – Another paid service with daily research, discussion and projections for fantasy MLB
- The Bat – Rotogrinders / Derek Carty’s Projection System for MLB – Seasonal pass for $175
PGA – Golf
- FantasyNational – currently the most golf centric set of tools
- FantasyCruncher – news and tools for PGA DFS
eSports Stats and Tools
News and Player Info
- r/ff – the fantasy football sub on reddit.
- Rotoworld NFL – latest injury reports and player specific updates.
- RotoWire – last minute news and info.
- NFL Weather
Types of Tools:
- Lineup optimizers / builders
- Projections
- Matchup Analyzers
- Player rankings / ratings
- Bankroll Trackers
- Excel lineup optimizers
- Algorithm’s for specific metrics (e.g. Red Zone Target Algorithm)
- Lineup importers
- Paid lineup services
About These Tools
Not these tools, but better.
A good DFS optimizer is a tool in your handbag that helps you build lineups faster than doing it on your own. An optimizer is like upgrading your car to a race car. If you are a good driver they will get you to the finish faster but you still have to be a good driver.
In short, a line-up optimizer is only as good as the projections used as inputs.
Optimizing the lineups are the easy part, it’s coming up with the best projections and player selection that wins the money.
These lineup builders are designed to help you build optimal lineups in less time. But remember,they are only as good as you make them. I highly doubt that over time using the default team generated by any of the tools will be a winner. Instead these are designed to give you the information you need to help build the best possible team you can.
Should you use one of these tools/service?
My opinion is that you should not buy lineups. I’ve been tracking results on some of these sites over time and what I have found is that they don’t have a winning record. Of course do your own research but I would not recommend anyone spend money on a lineup. If the lineup is awesome then the guy you bought it from would have played it himself.
Now, should you use these tools and lineup optimizers? This is a different question because these tools help you build out your lineups. I will say that you can’t just go click the button on any sites optimizer and have it spit out a winning lineup for you. That will not, has not and will probably never work over the long haul. You have to put in the work to build your team. The optimizers can help you do that faster. You can use tools to help you build teams, find value and target players and stacking combinations that you might not have thought of.
My #1 favorite free tool I always is the always up to date NFL Odds and Lines.
Let the bookies do the heavy lifting. They do have skin in the game so you can expect them to give you excellent insight into what the true experts think about the upcoming game.
Don’t just think buying access to any one optimizer, projections service or even the touts selling lineups that you will easily win money. It’s not going to happen. You still have to build your team, find value and put in your own research. These tools will help you speed this process up once you find the ones that suit your playing style.
I am looking to review the more popular and promising tools over the coming weeks. I will give you my honest opinions and ask for yours as well. I want to create a quality list of recommended tools and lineup builders that visitors lucky enough (or smart enough) to land on my site will find truly helpful and worthwhile.
Below are the tools I’ve reviewed and my ratings:
Keep On Reading
- DFS Tips and Strategies
- DFS Sites
- Daily Fantasy sports 101 Home Page
- Fanduel vs Draftkings for Football
