Daily Fantasy Esports Apps Ranked & Rated

As daily fantasy sports continue to entertain sports lovers across the nation, more and more people are looking to find great sites to play fantasy esports. In this comprehensive guide, we have listed the top operator that allows you to draft fantasy teams from esports such as Call of Duty, League of Legends, and many more.

A Complete Guide to Esports Fantasy

While many will be familiar with how regular DFS works, you may be surprised to learn that esports fantasy operates very similarly to other fantasy sports options. Throughout this page, we have explained the different contest modes and games that the top fantasy esports platforms offer, as well as some tips and strategies to improve your selections.

DraftKings DFS: Best Overall Esports DFS Operator

We consider DraftKings to be the premier esports fantasy app due to its broad game offering, dynamic contest modes, and platform reliability. Having first started to offer daily fantasy esports in 2015, it is also the most experienced operator in this particular field. 

Not only this, but DraftKings is now the only major esports fantasy operator in the USA. While sites such as FanDuel and Monkey Knife Fight previously provided these options, the former has discontinued the offering while the latter has recently shut down operations. Below, you’ll learn about the available esports and contests provided by the DraftKings fantasy esports site.

List of Available Esports on DraftKings Fantasy

There are plenty of great esports DFS options available at DraftKings, including some of the most popular games in the world. Whether you’re a keen player of these games yourself or a fan of live-streaming major events, you’ll find endless opportunities to draft teams of your favorite players of your favorite games.

Below, we have listed all of the available esports fantasy sports available at DraftKings:

• Call of Duty
• CS: GO
• League of Legends
• Rocket League
• Valorant
• Dota 2

About the Games

While many of our readers will be familiar with the available esports at DraftKings, we understand that some will be completely new to esports. In the following section, we’ve described each of the available esports at this top operator so you know exactly what to expect.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty is one of the most successful game franchises of all time, with fantasy COD becoming a popular way to test knowledge of the pro circuit. This first-person shooter appeals to those looking for high-speed action, with an array of multiplayer battle modes provided. There are several major Call of Duty esports tournaments held throughout the year, with huge cash prizes up for grabs.

CS: GO

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from Valve is another first-person shooter that is celebrated for its competitive gameplay action. Players must master shooting precision and strategy to become the winner, with several contest options adding heightened stakes to the proceedings such as hostage rescues and bomb defusal. The future of daily fantasy CS:GO looks to be set with DraftKings continuing to support this contest type.

League of Legends

League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game and one of the most popular games in the world. Players battle it out in 5v5 teams, with each choosing a character or ‘champion’ that has unique abilities. The objective is to destroy the other team’s base or Nexus in a strategic battle of wills. Though limited at the present time, we expect more DFS sites with LOL contests in the near future.

Rocket League

Rocket League has become one of the most entertaining and exciting esports for viewers in recent years. The game combines arcade-style soccer and driving, with players controlling rocket-powered cars to score goals with a giant soccer ball. The best players must master steering and precision to become Rocket League champions.

Valorant

Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter from Riot Games that distinguishes itself from similar titles in the genre by requiring teams to either plant and defuse a bomb or defend their base. Two competing teams consist of five players, with the best players displaying diverse skills and strategic prowess to overcome their competitors.

Dota 2

Dota 2, is another multiplayer online battle arena game by Valve that is similar to League of Legends. A follow-up to the genre-defining Defense of the Ancients map on Warcraft 3, Dota 2 is a strategic game that has a large learning curve, making mastership much more impressive to spectators in the know. Fans of Dota 2 fantasy have a plethora of options using the DraftKings platform.

Types of Fantasy Contest Modes

Once you’ve chosen the esports fantasy league that you’re interested in, you’ll be given the option to create or join a number of different contest modes. While there may be some slight variation in the available contest options and how they’re scored depending on the game chosen, there are standard options that will always be available.

For example, a Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) contest promises to pay the entire advertised prize pool to winners whether or not the contest is full. Participants will pay an entrance fee to participate before they can draft their teams. You could also play a Heah-to-Head contest against one other player, with the winner taking the whole prize.

This esports daily fantasy contest is one of several versions of a 50/50 contest, where the top-scoring half of the participants win a share of the prize. These contests can be created and played between friends or with total strangers. You can also join free fantasy esports contests, whereby DraftKings Dollars are awarded as prizes. 

You will notice that each contest may vary in regards to how you draft your teams of real-life players. Often, you will need to build your team within a salary cap limit, with Captians priced higher. Alternatively, you could pick your teams using the Snake draft method, whereby players take turns picking in a round-robin fashion.

When choosing your game, you’ll likely have one of two contest options available: Classic Mode or Showdown Mode. We’ve described these in further detail below:

Classic Mode

The Classic mode contest is offered for all of the available esports. Players will be given a $50,000 salary in which to draft their teams of real-life players of a game. Each player will be priced according to their current statistics and recent performances. Players earn points by completing certain achievements, with the top-scoring participants winning a share of the prize pool.

Showdown Mode

The Showdown mode is similar to Classic mode in that players have the same salary to draft their teams. However, you will need to assign one of your players to the role of Captain. While this will make them more expensive, they will score 1.5X the fantasy points. There are also varying lineup position requirements.

DraftKings Highlights and Summary

We strongly recommend DraftKings above all fantasy esports apps due to the fact it has the largest selection of esports on the market. Not only this, but this award-winning platform has one of the most reliable mobile apps. It is easy to create an account and the immense popularity of the site means that you’ll always be able to find a contest.

How To Play Fantasy Esports

Like all fantasy sports, fantasy esports allows fans of a number of popular video games to become virtual managers of their dream teams of real-life players. To begin, you will need to create an account with DraftKings and fund your account. Then, head to the esports section and select a contest.

Build your roster from players who will be competing in an upcoming event or tournament within a salary cap. You will need to employ a good strategy to choose a good mix of high-priced favorites and low-priced overlooked competitors. You will need to consider each player’s statistics and recent form when building your roster.

You will usually need to draft players from at least two different teams and events, and you can make adjustments to your team until shortly before the first game starts. You will then earn points based on the kills, assists, achievements, and more of your rostered lineups, with the top-scoring managers winning prizes.

Helpful Tips, Strategies, and Resources for Esports Fantasy Players

Just like any fantasy sports roster draft, the best thing you can do to improve your chances of winning is to research. You will want to analyze the statistics of the player field, paying close attention to their recent performances. If a map has been decided and announced, check both teams’ and players’ win percentages for the maps. There are many great sources of information for those needing it since eSports in the US has become a big past time.

You may also be able to see which game mode is being played, which is also incredibly important to how some players may compete. Identify particular strengths and weaknesses of these players that will need to be taken into account when considering who they’re up against. 

Choose players from a team with strong dynamics, and consider stacking players from one team as you’ll be able to earn points from assists. You will also want to create a well-rounded roster with a mix of proven favorites and up-and-coming talents that will be affordably priced. 

Be sure to check injury or illness reports up to the event and adjust your lineups accordingly. As for the games, you will want to stay in the loop about patches and updates, as these can have a huge impact on gameplay. This is especially true for titles such as League of Legends and Dota 2.

There are a wealth of resources that you can refer to before making your picks. These include the official websites of the games, news websites, blogs, forums, and podcasts. DraftKings also releases regular blogs from pundits that can include expert picks or game analysis.

The Legality of Fantasy Esports

Many states consider fantasy sports to be a game of skill, which separates it from sports betting’s legal definition as a game of chance. Therefore, it is widely available across the USA. You will be able to sign up with the DraftKings fantasy esports app in 44 states. 

The minimum sign-up age will depend on which state you’re located in. The only states that DraftKings is not available in are Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Hawaii. Interestingly, sports betting on esports is not yet widely available in the USA, with only 14 states offering some form of wagering on the sport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you looking for fast answers to your queries about the best platforms for esports betting in the USA? If so, then see below. We have addressed a number of points related to this topic, including the legality of the activity, the process of fantasy esports gameplay, and the available games.