Pick'em style fantasy sports games

If you're burned out on salary-cap DFS, I'd look for pick'em fantasy contests where you choose players to go over or under a stat projection, or pick a few players to outperform their projections. No building a lineup around a salary cap, no worrying about whether a star is overpriced.

There are a few different flavors worth considering, depending on whether you want real-money contests, a more traditional fantasy experience, or something casual with friends.

My top picks

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1. PrizePicks

(Best match for pick'em)

Pick 2–6 players and predict whether they'll go More or Less than a projected stat line. It's simple and quick, especially for NFL and NBA.www.prizepicks.com+1

Visit PrizePicks

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2. Underdog Fantasy

A good option if you like player projections and want a mix of pick'em-style games and draft contests. Available formats depend on your state.

Visit Underdog

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3. Sleeper

Best if what you really want is a more social fantasy experience: drafts, leagues with friends, and player-versus-player decisions rather than managing salary-cap lineups.

Visit Sleeper

One important catch

If you're playing from Maryland, don't deposit before checking the contest type. Maryland's rules distinguish traditional fantasy competitions from individual-player over/under pick'em wagers, and the latter aren't permitted under its fantasy-competition framework.www.mdgaming.com+1

Let me narrow it down

What sport do you play most?

NFL / football

NBA / basketball

MLB / baseball

A little of everything

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Real money or just for fun?

Real-money contests

Free-to-play, no entry fee

Either is fine

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What kind of pick'em do you mean?

Pick players to go over/under stats

Pick which player performs better

Pick game winners or spreads

Draft players without a salary cap

[Find my best fit]

If you are burned out on building lineups, stressing over pricing algorithms, and grinding against max-entry sharks in traditional salary cap DFS, "pick'em" style fantasy is a much more relaxed alternative. Instead of managing a budget, you just decide whether a player will go higher or lower than their statistical projection.foxsports.com

The best pick'em style fantasy platforms available include:

• Underdog Fantasy : Widely considered one of the best overall DFS apps. It is famous for its clean interface, clean higher/lower player prop pick'ems, and its massive season-long "Best Ball" tournaments if you ever want to pivot back to a draft style.milehighsports.com+1
• PrizePicks : The pioneer and most recognizable name in the modern pick'em space. It offers a very straightforward "More/Less" format across almost every sport imaginable, with flexible entry options like flex plays that give you a safety net if one pick misses.milehighsports.com
• DraftKings Pick6 : DraftKings’ answer to the pick'em craze. It's a peer-to-peer fantasy format where you select "more or less" on a slate of player stats and compete against other users in a clean, familiar ecosystem.
• ParlayPlay : A great alternative if you want alternative lines and up to nine selections per entry. They also include an "Insurance" feature which lets you still secure a partial payout if a leg of your entry fails, plus occasional free-to-play modes.
• Sleeper DFS : Known primarily for season-long and dynasty leagues, Sleeper also features a smooth embedded higher/lower projection game that benefits from their top-tier social and chat features.

To help narrow down which platform fits you best:

• What sports do you primarily like to play?
• Do you prefer playing against the house (fixed multipliers) or peer-to-peer (competing directly against other users' entries)?