Building your fantasy lineup is still all about making the right calls under the salary cap, but now you’ve got another weapon: Flex Picks. Here’s how to draft like a pro and use those Flex Picks to your advantage.
1. Draft players under the cap
Start in the lobby and pick your contest. Each player in the pool has a salary, and you can’t go over the cap. Think of it like building a championship roster—you need stars and value players, but you’ve got a budget. For MLB lineups you’ll fill 10 roster spots; for NBA you’ll fill 8, with specific positional requirements (see our sport‑specific rules).
2. Leave some cap for Flex Picks
Flex Picks let you turn unused salary cap space into extra points. Here’s how they work:
You can only make Flex Picks if you leave cap unused. If you spend your entire budget, you don’t get to make any Flex Picks.
Up to six picks: You can select up to 6 Flex Picks if you leave enough cap, each one tied to an athlete’s stat projection (e.g., “over/under 20.5 points”).
All‑or‑nothing scoring: You must hit all your Flex Picks to earn any bonus points. Miss one, and the bonus is zero.
Bigger risk, bigger reward: Each additional Flex Pick doubles the potential bonus, and every $1,000 of unused cap adds ~10% to the bonus. Leaving $5,000 on the table with four correct picks can generate X fantasy points vs $1,000 leftover salary with just two picks generates Y fantasy points—but the risk goes up, too.
You can learn more about Flex Picks here.
3. Finalize and edit (but know when it locks)
Once you’re happy with your lineup and Flex Picks, hit SUBMIT. You can edit your lineup until the contest’s first game starts by viewing your lineup My Leagues tab on the lower left. After that, the contest locks—no new entries or swaps are allowed. Plan ahead and double‑check injury news!
4. Strategy tips
Balance stars and sleepers: Pay up for a couple studs, then hunt for undervalued players to free up salary for Flex Picks.
Use Flex Picks wisely: If you’re confident in specific props, leaving some salary on the table can turbo‑charge your score—but don’t overdo it if you’re not sure you’ll hit them all.
Ready to draft? Jump into the lobby, keep an eye on your cap, and let those Flex Picks work for you. Good luck!