DraftKings Fantasy Sports offers a variety of contests of different types and game styles to enjoy. They are all available to enter directly from the DraftKings Lobby.
New to Fantasy Sports? Get ready for a thrilling experience! You may be wondering how to enter a contest with your device.
View the step by step guides below on how to enter a DraftKings Fantasy Sports Contest via mobile or desktop devices.
How to enter a Fantasy Sports Contest via the DraftKings App
- Login to the DraftKings Fantasy Sports app.
- Tap on Lobby, and choose your preferred Sport.
- Select a Game Style
- Here you can make a selection from the game styles listed. Please note not all sports offer the same options, contest rules, or scoring. Read the contest Rules & Scoring for more information.
- Choose the game set
- Each contest slate lists the games or matches and the start times, as well as the number of games the contest represents.
- Filter the lobby to find a contest
- You can sort and filter the contest options to find the one you want to play. You can choose from popular options such as multi-entry limit, entry fee, total prize pool, and field size. You can even filter only to display contests that can be entered with DK Crowns or Tickets.
- Select your athletes; then start building your dream team of athletes.
- Alternatively, you can reserve your entry into the contest. This allows you to add a lineup at a later stage before the contest starts. However, when picking athletes, don’t forget to stay under the salary cap.
- Once you’re done creating your lineup, click Submit.
- Enjoy the game!
- As the games start and the excitement builds, watch your score in real-time in the game center as you sweat the games.
View this process in the visual below.
How to enter a Fantasy Sports Contest via a desktop or laptop
- Log into DraftKings Fantasy Sports.
- Enter the Lobby, and choose your preferred Sport.
- Select a Game Style
- Here you can make a selection from the game styles listed. Please note not all sports offer the same options, contest rules, or scoring. Read the contest Rules & Scoring for more information.
- Choose the game set
- Each contest slate lists the games or matches and the start times, as well as the number of games the contest represents.
- Filter the lobby to find a contest
- You can sort and filter the contest options to find the one you want to play. You can choose from popular options such as multi-entry limit, entry fee, total prize pool, and field size. You can even filter only to display contests that can be entered with DK Crowns or Tickets.
- Select your athletes; then start building your dream team of athletes.
- Alternatively, you can reserve your entry into the contest, allowing you to add a lineup at a later stage before the contest starts. However, when picking athletes, don’t forget to stay under the salary cap.
- Once you are done creating your lineup, click Submit.
- Enjoy the game!
- As the games start and the excitement builds, watch your score in real-time in the game center as you sweat the games.
View this process in the visual below.
Frequently asked questions
What should I know before choosing a contest?
There are many different contest types and game styles to choose from in every sport. Visit the DraftKings Fantasy Sports Lobby to find the contest for the sport you like best and select Enter new lineup.
- Alternatively, if you choose to create your lineups in advance of selecting a contest, you can use Bulk Entry to enter multiple contests at once from the lineup page.
- Read the contest rules for your sport and contest type on our Rules & Scoring overview page.
- Review the payout structure of the contest to know what your prize will be if you win!
What should I know before picking my athletes?
Build your lineup using the athletes you want within the contest. Once you’ve created a lineup, select ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the screen. You can review and edit any of your lineups on the Upcoming tab. You have the following options for the contest:
- Salary Cap Contests: create a lineup by selecting athletes listed in the athlete pool. Each athlete listed has an assigned salary and a valid lineup must not exceed the salary cap.
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- Important Note: Athlete salaries are determined based on historical statistics and aspects of an Athlete’s upcoming matchup may be factored into their salary. Athlete salaries listed are a function of the salary cap Fantasy Sports contest format and are not intended, and should not be relied upon, as any indication of real-life salary valuations of the individual athletes.
- Tiers Contests: create a lineup by selecting athletes listed in the athlete pool. Each athlete listed has an assigned tier, and a valid lineup must include athletes from each tier. The number of tiers may vary based on the game set.
- Snake Draft Contests: Snake Draft is where you and other Customers take turns drafting athletes to their lineups, one by one. An athlete can only be drafted once in a contest, and you need to draft athletes from multiple positions depending on the sport.
- Once the contest has been filled, the Snake Draft will begin two minutes after the contest fills.
- You compete against a limited number of other Fantasy Sports Customers, ranging from 3 to 12 Customers.
- In Snake Drafts, you draft athletes one by one. An athlete can only be drafted once in a contest, and you need to draft athletes from multiple positions depending on the sport.
- Snake Draft Contests include multiple games, while Snake Showdowns are Snake Draft Contests for one game.
- Snake Draft Contests are typically shorter in duration and are completed in one day.
- Best Ball Contests: Draft athletes in a snake draft type of contest against other fantasy Customers. Best Ball Contests are longer in duration, typically spanning between multiple weeks to a full league season. The standings for Best Ball Contests are determined by the cumulative sum of their Fantasy Points each week.
- As an example only: If your lineup scores one hundred (100) points in week one (1), and one hundred twenty (120) points in week two (2), your total fantasy points in the contest standings is two hundred twenty (220).
- Single Stat Contests: Create a lineup with any 3 athletes in the athlete pool to accrue the specific stat. The athletes do not hold a salary and the valid lineup will include any assortment of 3 athletes.
If a contest offers multi-entry, you can upload a CSV file to enter more than one lineup at once. For instructions on how to use a CSV upload for entering a contest, please see how do I upload or edit multiple lineups at once?
Can I watch the stats update in real time?
Yes! The real fun starts when the contest begins. Watch your Fantasy Points accrue in real-time while sweating the games, the standings in the GameCenter will display your current share of the prize pool.
- Important Note: Live scoring updates are strictly for the enjoyment of DraftKings Customers. The official scoring validation process begins once all games within the contest are final. This process ensures that DraftKings scoring matches official stat providers when contest results are finalized and paid out. DraftKings does not make judgments on scoring rulings.
What are Guaranteed Contests?
Guaranteed contests will run (with prizes unchanged) even if they don’t reach capacity before the contest start time. Non-guaranteed contests that do not reach capacity by contest lock time may be merged with other similar unfilled contests or may be canceled and entry fees refunded.
The entry fee and prize pool for a contest will not change once the contest is created. Therefore, each contest has a maximum amount of total entries accepted. Contests that have yet to reach capacity will be available for entry up until the contest lock time.