How do fantasy points work in NFL leagues?

Fantasy points are earned based on the real-life statistical performance of NFL players. Each stat — rushing yards, receiving touchdowns, passing yards, receptions — converts to a point value determined by your league's scoring settings. Your weekly score is the sum of all points earned by the players in your starting lineup.

What is the difference between PPR and standard scoring?

In standard scoring, players earn points only for yards and touchdowns — receptions don't earn any points by themselves. In PPR (Points Per Reception) leagues, players earn 1 additional point for every catch they make, regardless of yardage. This significantly raises the value of high-target players like slot receivers and pass-catching running backs.

How are fantasy football points calculated for a quarterback?

A QB earns 1 point per 25 passing yards and 4 points per passing touchdown. They also earn 1 point per 10 rushing yards and 6 points per rushing TD. Interceptions cost 2 points each. So a QB who throws for 300 yards (12 pts), 2 passing TDs (8 pts), and no interceptions would score 20 fantasy points in standard scoring.

Do fantasy points reset every week?

Yes. In most fantasy formats, points reset each week and you are matched against a different opponent for a head-to-head matchup. Your weekly score is based only on that week's player stats — previous weeks' performance doesn't carry over. Some formats (like total points leagues) accumulate points across the whole season.

How do I calculate fantasy points manually?

To calculate manually: take the player's rushing/receiving yards and divide by 10, take passing yards and divide by 25, add 6 for each rushing or receiving TD, add 4 for each passing TD, subtract 2 for interceptions or fumbles lost, and add 1 per reception if you're in a PPR league.

Underdog Fantasy Scoring + PrizePicks Fantasy Scoring System Explained

DFS (daily fantasy sports) isn't just DraftKings and FanDuel anymore. Two platforms have reshaped the competitive landscape: Underdog Fantasy and PrizePicks. Both offer a fundamentally different scoring experience than traditional season-long fantasy — and both require you to understand a specific, unique scoring logic to play well.

Here's a complete breakdown of how scoring works on each platform.

PrizePicks: How Fantasy Scoring Works

PrizePicks is a pick'em platform, not a traditional DFS contest. Instead of building a lineup against other players' lineups, you make predictions about whether individual players will go over or under a statistical threshold.

The Core Mechanic

You pick 2–6 players and select whether each player will finish OVER or UNDER their projected stat line. PrizePicks sets the projection — you choose a side.

Example board:

Patrick Mahomes — OVER/UNDER 267.5 passing yards
Justin Jefferson — OVER/UNDER 68.5 receiving yards
Saquon Barkley — OVER/UNDER 72.5 rushing yards

Pick all three correctly, and you win based on your multiplier. The more picks you add, the higher the multiplier — and the harder it is to hit.

PrizePicks Entry Types

Power Play: All picks must hit to win. The most common format. Multipliers:

2 picks: 3× payout
3 picks: 5× payout
4 picks: 10× payout
5 picks: 20× payout
6 picks: 25× payout

Flex Play: You can miss 1 pick and still win a reduced payout (on 3-pick or larger entries). Multipliers are lower, but there's a safety net:

3-pick flex: 1.25× if 2/3 hit, 2.25× if 3/3 hit
4-pick flex: 0.4× if 2/4 hit, 3× if 3/4 hit, 6× if 4/4 hit
5-pick flex: 0.4× if 3/5 hit, 2× if 4/5 hit, 10× if 5/5 hit

What Stats PrizePicks Covers (NFL)

PrizePicks offers projections across virtually every measurable NFL stat:

Passing yards, TDs, interceptions, completions
Rushing yards, carries, receiving yards, receptions
Fantasy points scored (a specific category — see below)
Receiving targets, air yards
Kicker points, field goals made
Defensive points, sacks

The Fantasy Points category on PrizePicks uses standard scoring: 1 pt per 10 rush/rec yards, 1 pt per 25 passing yards, 6 pts per TD, -2 pts per interception. This category is available for most skill positions and is a direct proxy for traditional fantasy output.

Use our PrizePicks fantasy calculator to calculate player fantasy point totals for your PrizePicks picks.

PrizePicks Strategy

Line shopping matters. PrizePicks' projections are set by their internal team and updated throughout the week. Sharp bettors look for lines that diverge meaningfully from consensus projections on other platforms. A receiver projected for 65.5 yards on PrizePicks when every other source projects 80+ is a strong OVER candidate.

Correlate your picks. If you're picking a QB's passing yards OVER, picking his primary receiver's receiving yards OVER creates a correlated slate — both outcomes are driven by the same game event. This isn't always available in power plays, but it's worth seeking out.

Avoid capped markets. Some PrizePicks projections are deliberately set in the middle of their player pool's distribution to generate equal action on both sides. These are hardest to beat. Look for projections where public data clearly points one direction.

Underdog Fantasy: How Scoring Works

Underdog Fantasy started as a best-ball platform but has expanded to include a pick'em product similar to PrizePicks called Underdog Pick'em.

Underdog Best Ball Scoring

Underdog's signature product is best ball — a format where you draft a full season roster and the platform automatically starts your highest-scoring players each week. You never have to set a lineup.

Underdog uses half-PPR scoring as its standard:

0.5 pts per reception
1 pt per 10 rushing yards
1 pt per 10 receiving yards
1 pt per 25 passing yards
6 pts per rushing/receiving TD
4 pts per passing TD
-2 pts per interception
-2 pts per fumble lost

The best-ball mechanic: At the end of each week, the platform automatically tallies your roster and starts the highest-scoring combination of players at each position slot. You can't make a wrong lineup decision because you don't make any lineup decisions.

This format heavily rewards roster depth and upside. Boom players — receivers who might post 4 fantasy points one week and 35 the next — are more valuable in best ball than steady floor players.

Underdog Pick'em Scoring

Underdog Pick'em operates almost identically to PrizePicks. You select over/under projections on individual player stats. The multiplier structure is similar, and the available markets (yards, TDs, fantasy points, etc.) overlap significantly.

Key differences from PrizePicks:

Underdog sometimes offers different projection lines on the same player, creating line-shopping opportunities
Underdog has a Rival mode where you directly compete against another user's picks
Underdog's interface integrates tightly with their best-ball product, making it easy to cross-reference your roster holdings when making pick'em decisions

Underdog Tournament Scoring

Underdog's flagship best-ball tournaments (including "Best Ball Mania," which has offered $10M+ prize pools) use slightly modified playoff scoring:

During the regular season (weeks 1–14), the standard half-PPR settings apply. In the playoff rounds (weeks 15–17), only players whose teams made the actual NFL playoffs are eligible — meaning late-round upside plays on playoff-bound teams are a strategic priority in your draft.

DFS vs Pick'em: The Fundamental Difference

Traditional DFS platforms (DraftKings, FanDuel) pit your lineup against dozens or thousands of other lineups simultaneously, with a salary cap you must stay within. The skill is in roster construction under constraint.

Pick'em platforms (PrizePicks, Underdog Pick'em) are one-on-one with the house's projection. You're not competing against other players' rosters — you're betting on whether a player performs above or below a line. The skill is in identifying mispriced projections.

Both require fantasy scoring knowledge, but pick'em requires more pure statistical analysis and projection accuracy, while traditional DFS rewards roster construction creativity.

Which Platform Is Right for You?

Use PrizePicks if: You want a simple, accessible pick'em experience across NFL, NBA, MLB, and other sports. The Flex Play safety net makes it less volatile for casual players.

Use Underdog Best Ball if: You love the draft but hate setting lineups every week. Best ball removes the in-season management burden while keeping the draft strategy element.

Use Underdog Pick'em if: You want a pick'em experience with competitive lines and direct head-to-head rivalry options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PrizePicks real money fantasy sports?

PrizePicks is available in most US states and operates as a fantasy sports platform, not a sportsbook. Availability varies by state — check their site for current state eligibility.

Does Underdog Fantasy count as a sports bet?

Underdog operates as a daily fantasy sports platform. Their pick'em product is legally classified as fantasy sports in the jurisdictions where they operate, not as sports betting.

What happens if a player doesn't play on PrizePicks?

PrizePicks will void any pick where the player doesn't reach a minimum statistical threshold (typically defined in their terms). A voided pick reduces your entry size — a 3-pick power play becomes a 2-pick power play if one player is scratched.

Can I use fantasy football calculators for DFS platforms?

Yes — our PrizePicks fantasy calculator is specifically calibrated for PrizePicks' standard fantasy points category. For DraftKings and FanDuel, use our dedicated DraftKings calculator and FanDuel calculator.