DFS Simulation Output Explained: Every Column
Every DFS simulation column has a unit, and most misreadings come from mixing them up. A projection is in fantasy points. Top10% and Cash% are how often something happened in the model. ROI is a modeled return that depends on the entry fee and the payouts. Read the unit before you sort by the column.
The columns
| Column | What it measures | The common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Player cost in a player view; total lineup salary in a lineup export | Using a DraftKings salary on a FanDuel slate |
| Proj | Forecast fantasy points in this site's scoring | Reading a forecast as a result |
| Top10% | How often the lineup had a top-10 finish in the model | Treating it as a points percentile |
| Cash% | How often the lineup finished in the money in the model | Treating a cash as a profit |
| ROI | Modeled return, given the fee and the payout structure | Reading it as a return you will get |
| Sim% | Simulated lineup usage | Reading it as your own exposure |
The NFL lineup export carries most of these beside the roster slots: Salary, Proj, Top10%, Cash%, ROI, Origin, FieldSeats, MetricBasis and Worlds. The last four describe the run the numbers came from, so keep them with the file. Other sports and views show a different set.
A percentage needs a denominator
Say a lineup reaches a score 7 times in 100 simulated slates. That is 7%. The 7 means nothing without the 100, which is why the export records the basis and the number of simulated slates beside each rate. When you compare two lineups, compare them on the same basis.
Cashing is not profit
A made-up example: you enter for 10 and the lineup pays 8. That counts as a cash, and you lost 2, a return of minus 20%. A lineup can cash often and still lose money if its cashes are small ones. Cash% tells you how often. ROI is the column that accounts for how much.
ROI depends on the contest
The same lineup has a different modeled ROI in a different contest, because the field and the payouts change. An ROI figure is tied to the contest it was computed for. It is a model's expectation under its assumptions about the field. It is not a forecast of your bankroll.
Before you sort
- Check the site and slate.
- Note which run the numbers came from.
- Decide which column answers your question: cashing, finishing at the top, or return.
- Then sort.
Where to see it
Simulation results are part of Squirt Squad VIP and Apex. Open the NFL tool for the current slate, read the field guide for the step-by-step workflow, or compare memberships. Simulation results are model outputs and do not promise a finish or a payout.
Related: How to read DFS simulation results · How contest size changes a lineup's results