When I first started playing DFS,I was hand building lineups. Even with numerous hours of research, numerous lineup filtration, numerous rule settings, and numerous deleted lineups, I always felt like there was a missing piece to take down a GPP contest. When I started using the NFL optimizer, I found that it was saving me time, energy, and worry that my lineup would not be “good enough”. The NFL optimizer is a tool that ANYONE can use for DFS success. He or she just has to understand its functionality and how to properly utilize it.
STEP 1: REVIEW PROJECTIONS
Here at DFS Karma we have collaborated with some of the best minds in the DFS industry and use Saber Sim’s lineup generator. A great attribute that this optimizer features is being able to see different scenarios, or possible outcomes your player has. This is crucial whether you are playing GPP or cash entries. What I will typically do is leave it on the “average” filter and scan through that, but it is nice to see what my highest owned players project at their highest upside. You can see from the screenshot below that on average Alvin Kamara is projected for 26.25 points. Not to get on a roll, but you can also see stat projections which I also love using for player prop bets which we can discuss in another article.
In the next screenshot you see how we changed to the 95th percentile, and Kamara is now projecting for 45.75 points. What this is saying is that 5% of the time, after running thousands of simulations for this game Kamara is projected to get 45.75 points. (So you’re saying there’s a chance… sorry I love that movie)
STEP 2: CHOOSE BUILD SETTINGS
The next great thing about this NFL optimizer are the advance settings. They help you avoid having to set so many rules when constructing a lineup. They have a correlation setting which will essentially start stacking right away, and anyone that knows DFS knows stacking wins. You also have an ownership level which you will want to adjust based on the contest you are in. If you are in a cash contest, you are not going to have this very high. You just need to beat half the field, so you can afford to have the high owned guy that everyone else does. Chalky players are chalky for a reason. On the other hand, if you are trying to take down the Milly Maker and set your mom off on early retirement, (spoiler alert, if I hit big it is going to my mom #mommasboy) than you need to make sure you have some differentiation in your lineups and are not just playing the chalk plays. Last setting is the smart diversity feature. You want to be diverse, but you do not want to hinder your lineups to gain diversity. What the smart diversity feature does is pulls into account those players that did have upside after running the simulations, rather than playing a player of same price, but have no relevance in the game.
STEP 3: DIAL-IN EXPOSURES
ITSSSSSSS TIMEEEEEE (insert Bruce Buffer voice). This is the last step! You get to see your thoughts, predictions, and game scripts that you ran through your head turn into lineups. One thing I could not stand with other lineup optimizers was if I wanted to lower or raise ownership on a player I would have to run the build all over again. This would sometimes move other ownership %’s that I did not want touched. The NFL optimizer lets you adjust your player ownerships without having to re-run the build, and does not affect other players ownership %’s. You can check out the tabs at top and see what game stacks, team stacks, and stack types you have. Remember how I said you do not need to re-run the build if you want to add more ownership to a player? The same thing holds true if you want to increase or decrease ownership on a team/game stack. Just type in the ownership % you want and watch the optimizer automatically fix it for you.
Final Thoughts
The NFL optimizer is a great tool to help increase your bankroll and make you a better player in DFS. It’s versatile for different types of contests. It provides you projected stats so you can feel more comfortable in your player props. The advance settings take away the thousands of rules you normally had to make only to get a sub optimal lineup. Lastly, if you make a change it automatically regenerates lineups without having to re-run the build! Hopefully this article was informational and helpful to you. If you ever have any questions feel free to DM me on twitter @party_marty13 and I’ll be sure to get back with you asap!
