DFS Guides
This page lists every Splash Play DFS guide. The NBA, NFL and MLB sections explain our simulators, projections, ownership estimates and lineup tools for DraftKings and FanDuel. The last section covers methods that apply to every sport: reading a simulation, checking a projection and reviewing a lineup before lock.
NBA DFS guides
- NBA DFS Simulator: What a slate simulation does, what Cash%, Top10% and ROI mean, where a simulation stops, and how to run one.
- NBA DFS Ownership Projections: What an ownership estimate is, what moves it, and how to use it beside a projection on DraftKings or FanDuel.
- NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer: What an optimizer does, where it stops, and two ways to build DraftKings and FanDuel lineups with SPAGS projections.
- DraftKings NBA Projections: What changes in DraftKings scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- FanDuel NBA Projections: What changes in FanDuel scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- Best NBA DFS Simulators in 2026: The Buyer's Shortlist: Best NBA DFS simulators in 2026, compared on minutes, late news, lineups and price.
- NBA DFS Research Walkthrough: Projection to Simulation: An NBA DFS research walkthrough with one worked example: a teammate is ruled out, minutes change.
NFL DFS guides
- NFL DFS Simulator: What a slate simulation does, what Cash%, Top10% and ROI mean, where a simulation stops, and how to run one.
- NFL DFS Ownership Projections: What an ownership estimate is, what moves it, and how to use it beside a projection on DraftKings or FanDuel.
- NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer: What an optimizer does, where it stops, and two ways to build DraftKings and FanDuel lineups with SPAGS projections.
- DraftKings NFL Projections: What changes in DraftKings scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- FanDuel NFL Projections: What changes in FanDuel scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- NFL DFS Cash Games: What 50/50s, double-ups and head-to-heads pay, why floor and cash rate matter, and how to read a lineup for cashing.
- NFL DFS GPP Strategy: How tournament payouts change lineup building, where ceiling, correlation and ownership come in, and how to read results.
- NFL DFS Showdown: Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night: How to approach NFL DFS Showdown slates for Thursday, Sunday and Monday night football: what changes with one game.
- NFL Showdown Captain Mode: How to Choose a Captain: How the 1.5x Captain slot works on DraftKings, how to choose a Captain, and the mistakes that sink single-game lineups.
- DraftKings Showdown Optimizer: How DraftKings Showdown lineups are built: one Captain at 1.5x salary and points, five Flex.
- FanDuel Single Game Lineups: How FanDuel single-game NFL lineups work: one MVP at 1.5x salary and points, five AnyFlex players, a $60,000 cap.
- Best NFL DFS Simulators in 2026: The Buyer's Shortlist: Best NFL DFS simulators in 2026, compared on price, lineups and what you get without building.
- NFL DFS Slate Analysis: A Repeatable Walkthrough: A five-step NFL DFS slate analysis you can repeat every week: set the slate, question one projection, check ownership.
MLB DFS guides
- MLB DFS Simulator: What a slate simulation does, what Cash%, Top10% and ROI mean, where a simulation stops, and how to run one.
- MLB DFS Ownership Projections: What an ownership estimate is, what moves it, and how to use it beside a projection on DraftKings or FanDuel.
- MLB DFS Lineup Optimizer: What an optimizer does, where it stops, and two ways to build DraftKings and FanDuel lineups with SPAGS projections.
- DraftKings MLB Projections: What changes in DraftKings scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- FanDuel MLB Projections: What changes in FanDuel scoring, how to read a projection, and where to get SPAGS projections for your slate.
- MLB DFS Research Walkthrough: When the Lineup Changes: An MLB DFS research walkthrough with one worked example: a hitter drops from second to seventh in the order.
Methods for every sport
- How Splash Play's DFS Projections and Simulations Work: What a Splash Play projection, ownership estimate and simulation result each mean, how the pieces fit together.
- How to Read DFS Simulation Results: How to read DFS simulation results: floor, ceiling, cash rate and Sim%, what each one measures.
- DFS Simulation Output Explained: Every Column: What each DFS simulation column means: projection, Top10%, Cash%, ROI and Sim%, the unit behind each one.
- DFS Ownership vs. Projections: How to Use Both: A projection forecasts fantasy points and ownership estimates the crowd: how to read the two together.
- What a DFS Projection Means (and What One Game Can't Prove): A DFS projection is the middle of a range, not a prediction.
- DFS Projection Updates: How to Check What Changed: How to tell whether a DFS projection is current: the three times that matter, how to compare two snapshots.
- How to Build a DFS Player Pool: How to build a DFS player pool you can explain: who is out and why, the difference between excluding and limiting.
- DFS Late News: What to Do When a Player Is Ruled Out: A DFS late news workflow: confirm the report, find which lineups it touches, re-check the projections.
- DFS Lineup Review Checklist: 6 Checks Before You Enter: A six-point DFS lineup review checklist: player identity, eligibility, salary, availability, stacks and exposure.
- DFS Correlation Explained: Why Stacks Work: Why a quarterback and his receiver score together, what a stack does to a lineup's range, and what it can't promise.
- DFS Variance Explained With a Worked Example: The same average, a very different spread, and what that means for cash games and tournaments.
- DFS Simulation Sensitivity: Change One Thing at a Time: How to test a DFS assumption properly: change one input, rerun, compare the same metric, and keep both results.
- What a Small DFS Sample Can and Can't Tell You: Why a small DFS sample is a question, not an answer, and how to read a short run of results.
- How Contest Size Changes a DFS Lineup's Results: The same DFS score finishes differently in a 100-entry contest and a 100,000-entry one.
- How to Import SPAGS Projections Into an Optimizer: Export SPAGS projections from Splash Play in Stokastic format and import them into your optimizer: which file to use.