NFL may not be the most popular sport in Australia, but it’s still the world’s no.1 when it comes to fantasy leagues. With this continuing to gain interest, we have put together our top fantasy NFL betting sites.
We also cover everything you need to know to sharpen your NFL fantasy skills, from advanced draft strategies to key market advice.
Our recommended bookies list is based on a host of factors. We will go into more detail about why they stand out in this piece. We will also cover other important information for online NFL fantasy betting.
Top Fantasy NFL Sites – Draftstars Leading the Way
We strongly believe that Draftstars is the best option for fantasy NFL because of a few good reasons. They offer more than enough fantasy contests and several exciting game modes, meaning that you’ll always have something fun to play.
They are focused on DFS competitions, which makes them perfect for all of you who just want to play a quick game. Unlike many other NFL fantasy providers, Draftstars offers a nice selection of both free and paid contests, so that anyone can find something suitable.
If you like to play fantasy NFL on the go, note that Draftstars has native apps for both iOS and Android, on top of a swift mobile website. All of the special features and game modes are available on small screens as well, meaning that you won’t miss out on anything when playing on the go.
Another recommendation in our top list is PlayUp. Draftstars and PlayUp are part of the same company, which means PlayUp customers can also get access to Draftstars.
As one of the best betting agencies in Australia for general sports betting it means they are the perfect choice for anyone looking to combine fantasy sports betting with general sports markets. Discover more with our PlayUp review.
One reason that Draftstars stands out as a top NFL fantasy betting choice is because they also boast the best sportsbetting app. Placing NFL fantasy sports bets is quick and easy from wherever you are. Scroll below to see what the app has to offer.
The Draftstars app is available for both iOS and Android, is easy to navigate and looks great. It makes fantasy betting quick and simple from wherever you are.
NFL Fantasy Strategies
Both fantasy contests and classic NFL betting require a lot of skill, so we thought that it would be worthwhile to consult our experts and list a few actionable tips. Everything you’ll find here is applicable to every NFL renewal and fantasy contest type. In case you’re new to fantasy NFL, this can help you avoid making common rookie mistakes and immediately lift your game.
Know the scoring settings – Before drafting, you need to check the scoring settings. Leagues and tournaments are different, and you have to be absolutely sure how points are given to determine your draft strategy. If it is a full point per reception league, you want receivers with many targets or pass catching running backs, while a 6 point per touch down pass diminish the advantage of mobile quarterbacks.
Follow the match-ups – All fantasy NFL veterans know it – you should always look at the match-up when deciding which player to start. Find the players with favourable match ups. If a team is missing its number one corner back, pick the opposing team’s best receiver. Or if a team is weak against the run, pick a running back against them.
Check the injury news – Make sure to stay up to date with the latest injury news from the teams. An injury for the right player, can make his back up a screaming value. This is especially the case for running backs and tight ends. Furthermore, make sure that you don’t start injured players as a goose egg will absolutely ruin your chances of winning any money.
Take chances – While it is tempting to stack your teams with the biggest stars, you have to think outside of the box from time to time. If you only pick the most popular players, you’ll never win the big money. This is especially the case in the big tournaments with many participants, as you’ll only get the same points as everyone else gets. If you want to become really successful, you have to take some chances with your team, and pick some of the less popular players. This means you will win fewer times, but also that you will win much more when you finally hit the right week. For this reason, it is also an advantage to make multiple teams each round, so you increase your chances of hitting.
Stack, stack, stack – In a tournament formate, you need every single advantage you can get. One of the best strategies is to try and maximize your points in individual games by stacking. This means you pick a quarterback and either a receiver, tight end or pass catching running back. That way you get points from two positions every time that duo links up.
Most Popular NFL Fantasy Contest Types
NFL is by far the most popular for fantasy sports betting, so it’s no surprise that there are so many game modes available. Daily fantasy NFL is its most popular iteration, so we will focus on it down below. Note that every DFS operator tries to offer new and exciting game modes, that are available only on their platform. For example, Draftstars has an exclusive Rapid Fire mode, which allows you to play super quick fantasy contests.
Even though there are so many options out there, some contest types will be available at almost every NFL fantasy site. Here are the three most common ones:
Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) – Here the operator guarantees a certain prize pool, as long as there is a minimum number of contenders. If you’re into huge prizes, this is the league type for you.
50/50 Contests – All of the contenders who finish in the upper half of the leaderboard will get their stakes doubled.
Head-to-Head – You face a single opponent. All you need to do is draft a better-scoring team.
Super Bowl Fantasy Betting
It will also be possible to take part in fantasy betting for the Super Bowl. There will be a host of different leagues and drafts focused on this showpiece event.
Again, these will all come with a range of different entry fees, some even free to join. Don’t forget you also have the option of setting up private leagues with friends and family ahead of the next Super Bowl.
The best Super Bowl bookmakers in Australia will also offer conventional betting markets and plenty of game odds. Mixing it up between fantasy betting on normal match betting can be a great way to tackle this event. A bookie like PlayUp makes this kind of approach quick and easy to do.
NFL Fantasy Scoring
In NFL fantasy football, you score points based on the real-life performance of players on your team. It works more or less the same as with any other fantasy sport. Note that different operators may impose different scoring rules, which means that you should read all of the guidelines before playing.
Points are calculated on both the defence and offence, meaning that you should try to draft solid players on both ends of the field. There are usually over 15 statistical categories on either side that can earn you fantasy points. It makes the NFL one of the most complex fantasy sports, so don’t take it lightly and always do the homework before playing. Here are just some of the main categories you should keep your eyes on.
NFL Fantasy Scoring Rules
Offense
Defense
Rushing Yard
Sack
Receiving Yard
Opponent Fumble Recovery
Pass Yard
Safety
Reception
Interception
Rushing TD
Blocked Kick
Receiving TD
Two-Point Conversion/Extra Point Return
Passing TD
Interception Return TD
Interception Thrown
Blocked Punt
Offensive Fumble Recovery TD
Kickoff
NFL Fantasy Draft
We can’t stress enough how important a fantasy draft is. It’s the time when you get players and assemble a winning team. That’s why we advise you to put in extra effort and prepare as well as you can.
The first thing you should do is learn the draft rules. It can be different depending on the operator and the type of league. However, if you decided to play daily NFL fantasy, you’ll most probably pick by snake draft rules. Long-term leagues sometimes use an auction draft as well.
In a snake draft, a contender who has been drafting first in one round will pick last in the following round.
After you know how the draft works, focus on developing a sound NFL fantasy draft strategy. Since the game relies on the stats so much, you should always research a player before picking it. Even if it looks nice and expensive at first, there is a chance that it just won’t fit the team. Don’t forget the golden rule – instead of blindly drafting the best players available, take the most suitable picks that together form a winning team.
NFL Fantasy Draft Tips
The most important thing to be aware of before a draft is the league settings. Is it Superflex, tight end premium, full PPR or maybe all of them? The format of the league determines the value of the different players. In Superflex (where you can start an additional QB) leagues, quarterbacks are the most valuable assets and will go early in the draft. If the league has a tight end premium (which means tight ends are rewarded with extra points for receptions), they are pushed up the boards.
Some leagues even have special and funky settings for kickers or defenses. So the first thing you should do is always to look into how many players start on each team, the scoring settings and then the number of starting spots for each position.
Once you are comfortable with the individual rules of the league, you need to set your draft board. One mistake a lot of people make is reaching on their favourite players. While nothing wrong with this if you just want to have fun, it is generally a bad idea if you want to win. Instead we recommend you follow the average draft position (ADP), especially in the first rounds, and let the value come to you. Let your opponents reach and make mistakes and then exploit the value pockets that leaves you.
Here are some actionable NFL fantasy draft tips to help you level up your game.
NFL Fantasy Tips
Understand the rules of the league and draft based on the league settings
Handcuff the runningbacks in the best offenses to gain a valuable runningback if the starter becomes injured
Rookies are usually great value. Look for rookie WRs drafted in the first round and day 2 runningbacks. Rookies always take a bit of time to get going, but they usually become great contributors in the second half of the season
Always take some sleepers late in the draft. In case there are no more great picks, try your chances with some of the sleepers. With a little bit of luck, they will explode!
In case you’re new to all of this, go through at least one NFL fantasy mock draft. It will help you to sharpen your skills and learn all the technical stuff.
Fantasy NFL Team Structure
Each operator or league can impose different rules about how many players you’ll have to have on your team, which usually depends on the league length and the game mode. But all of them have two things in common. You’ll have to get players to cover all positions, and there is a salary cap which limits the value of your team.
NFL fantasy contests that last for a whole season require 12 or more players. However, if you decide to play daily NFL fantasy, you’ll usually have to get 9 players. There are some exceptions, of course. For example, Draftstars offer a special turbo mode, where you draft only 6 players.
For the most part, this is what your 9-spot lineup will look like.
QB x1
RB x2
WR x3
TE x1
RB/WR/TE x1
DST x1
Most of the players can fill a single position. However, some of them may be listed as dual-position players (DPP). It means that they cover more than one position, which makes them extra useful. DPPs aren’t that common in fantasy NFL nowadays, but if you stumble upon some of them, don’t shy away from making a move.
Note that most operators will allow you to have up to 4 or 5 players from the same team on your roster.
Here are a few tips on what to look for when drafting some of the top positions.
Running Back – In most cases, RBs score more points than wide receivers. Also, they are usually much less volatile, which makes them a sure pick if you’re searching for points.
Wide Receiver – WRs can score a bunch of points but don’t be surprised if they stay cold. Try to get the best or nothing, and always double-check the match-ups.
Tight End – Elite TEs can be difference-makers, so don’t hesitate to pay top dollars in the first few rounds. However, avoid getting a mediocre one later on, unless the price is discounted.
Quarterback – QBs are almost as valuable as RBs, but not as much, so feel free to pick them at later rounds. Also, there are a bunch of great options available, meaning that you can end up with a great deal even if you wait a bit.
Trading Players
Many contest types allow you to trade players and in that way further improve your NFL fantasy team. If you have drafted right, there will be no need to trade. But in some cases, switching one or two players may be useful. We’ll always suggest you to thoroughly prepare for the draft and in that way avoid having to fix the team later. Don’t fool yourself that trading will solve all of your problems. It’s just a way to polish things up when necessary.
Another scenario is where you’re trying to get a low-value player you believe will outperform later on. If you have a strong gut feeling, we always suggest you go for it. Fantasy NFL should be fun and exciting after all! But don’t forget to double-check the stats before letting go of your current prospects. Trading is always a double-edged sword.
How to Start Fantasy NFL Betting?
Since there are so many possibilities, NFL fantasy football may look overwhelming for complete beginners. But don’t worry, once you get the hang of it, everything is pretty straightforward. Fantasy sports are still not a common ground for most players, so operators tend to have a bunch of how-to material on their sites to help you along.
If this is your first encounter with fantasy NFL, this is how the process will look regardless of the fantasy sports site you pick.
Once the game starts, just relax and follow the leaderboard
How Does Draftstars Compare?
Draftstars isn’t the only place where you can play fantasy NFL in Australia, but we still believe they are the best. Let’s put them against a couple of other solid options, and just see how they match up.
Draftstars Vs Official NFL Fantasy
NFL offers their own fantasy platform where you can enjoy a few great contest types. They do have some obvious advantages, such as a plethora of fresh news and predictions, mobile apps and a highly reliable platform. However, official NFL fantasy comes with a few disadvantages as well. For example, there are no paid contests and all contests require a season-long commitment. These are all major downsides so we just can’t recommend it over Draftstars.
Draftstars Vs DraftKings
DraftKings is a reliable operator that brings a few great features, such as a plethora of fantasy NFL contests and usually hefty cash prizes. The thing we didn’t like is that most of the things still aren’t available in Australia. For example, Aussies can’t use their native apps for Android or iOS or any of the local payment methods, such as POLi or BPAY. On top of that, customer support for Australia is way worse than we used to see at other top betting sites around here.
More Fantasy Sports Betting
Once you understand fantasy betting on the NFL it’ll make it much easier to enjoy other fantasy sports as well. Draftstars have a huge choiceof different fantasy sports to consider as other options. We have detailed guides on many of them.
After rating and reviewing the best Australian bookies, we think that Draftstars is the top choice for fantasy NFL betting. They have a huge range of games and tournaments that cover a host of wagers, from free-to-play games to paid-for leagues. Their top app helps you do all this quickly and easily from your mobile device.
After doing a comprehensive research, we concluded that Draftstars is by far the best NFL fantasy site for Aussie. Click the button below to learn more.
Draftstars is the bestNFL fantasy betting site for Aussies. They offer a great selection of different leagues and game modes, plus you can always enjoy all of that on mobile. Another option if you like to mix fantasy and conventional sports betting is PlayUp.
How does NFL Fantasy work?
It’s simple. First, you choose a fantasy NFL site and create an account. After that pick a fantasy contest you like and enter the draft. Once the game starts, just follow the leaderboard. Take a look at our step-by-step guide to learn more.
What is the best NFL fantasy betting app?
Draftstars is our top fantasy bookie because you can also use their excellent NFL betting app. It is available for both iOS and Android and is quick and easy to navigate.
Is it expensive to play fantasy NFL?
No, many of the operators offer a plethora of completely free NFL fantasy leagues. Draftstars also has a bunch of contests with buy-ins as low as $2. In case you want to spice things up later down the road, note that they offer high-stake fantasy leagues as well.
What position should you draft first in the NFL fantasy football?
In most cases, the best deal would be to draft elite running back right out of the gate. Getting a wide receiver can also be a smart choice, but it all depends on your plan. Learn more about NFL fantasy draft strategy in the article above.
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