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IrelandDaily fantasy sports took off originally on the backs of American users and American sports such as baseball and their version of football. Since that time, however, games have emerged that allow players to compete in one-day contests in sports as diverse as golf, MMA, and NASCAR.
With those kinds of sports available, it should come as no surprise that footie is not only an option in daily fantasy, but a robust one. It would be silly to expect anything less from the most popular sport on the planet. Still, daily fantasy games are a relatively new breed and may be unfamiliar to many.
Players first must choose the style of contest they want to compete in. Most sites offer a wide variety of play types and entry costs. Some of the most common games are:
Users must also choose which real-life league they want their players to come from, whether that bet the Premiership, Champions League, La Liga, etc.
Daily footie squads are most often composed of 8 players, and often times must be made up of players from multiple teams (three is the most common number). The players must be from the following positions: one keeper, two defenders, two midfielders, two forwards, and one flex player, who can play any position except goalie.
Eligible athletes are assigned a monetary value that is based on their reputation and current form, ranging from around $2,500 to over $10,000 for stars such as Messi and Ronaldo. From there, daily fantasy users must determine which players to add to their squad based on the costs, drawing from a strict $50,000 salary cap.
Once a team has been assembled and the real-world games begin is when players must pay attention to what their players are doing on the field. While there can be some differences in the way points are awarded, a typical rule set looks like this:
For field players:
For goalies:
There's also a few useful notes about particular, unique scoring situations new players are sure to want to know before diving into their first game. Like, America’s Major League Soccer (MLS) awards primary and secondary assists much like ice hockey. In MLS contests on sites such as DraftKings both assists are recognized and worth the same number of fantasy points.
Offensive statistics registered by goalkeepers (goals, assists, etc) DO NOT count towards their point total, something certainly worth noting. If a keeper or defender does not play at least 60 minutes (not counting injury time) they become ineligible for clean sheet and lone goal bonuses. Those bonuses are also dependent upon their team’s final scoreline (so a keeper that leaves with a clean sheet in the 80th minute does not get the five points if his replacement allows a goal, for example).
Goalkeeper wins are based on the full-time score. Keepers must play at least 60 minutes to be eligible for the win, while penalty shootout statistics do not count for any players. Also worth considering, own goals do not count as goals scored for field players, but do count as goals against for keepers and factor into clean sheet and one goal allowed stats.
Armed with the above knowledge, those looking to test their footie knowledge with daily fantasy soccer should be confident their on their way to positive return.
