Before legalized sports betting was available across the US, there was Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). Companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings made a name for themselves by running hugely successful DFS competitions across a wide range of sports.

These days, both companies are also offering full sports betting experiences, but among the parlay bets, the pick ‘em contests and the Moneyline markets, you can still take part in a huge variety of DFS contests that cover all of the main pro leagues and college sports. Since March means March Madness, it is a good time to check out what DFS options are available for college basketball’s big tournament.

Fantasy Sports and March Madness

The principle behind fantasy sports is long-established. You pay a fee to enter a competition, which will usually be focused on a single game or a tournament, or even all the relevant games taking place that day. You then choose from a list of available players, each with nominal value, putting together a fantasy roster, while keeping within your fantasy spending cap.

Each player will score points for achievements during a game, such as points, assists and rebounds. The team with the highest number of points will earn the lion’s share of the available pool.

Since the mid-2010s, fantasy sports contests have included March Madness. You can find a huge variety of March Madness-related competitions on modern apps, ranging from single games to entire tournaments, to suit a range of bankrolls, with prizes ranging from $50 up to several thousands.

If you want to try something similar, there are many free to enter contests out there, where you predict the outcome of matches in a given tournament. For example, World Sports Network offers 5800 USD for a winner that predicts all the brackets.

Player Pool

When you’re playing March Madness fantasy sport, the Player Pool and the Game Set are the key parts to understand if you want to get the most out of the contests.

All players expected to be on the roster for any team scheduled to compete in the Game Set will be included in the Player Pool. A Game Set is a collection of games used in a DFS contest. Each real-world event is associated with a certain Game Set. As a result, the rules of fantasy sports are dependent on the availability of a Game Set rather than each particular event, and you can find contests that are based on one or two games as well as those based on the entire March Madness tournament.

In most cases, once a Game Set’s Player Pool has been set, the Player Pool will not be changed. If a mistake in the Player Pool occurs that has a major effect on the contest, the DFS operator may on rare occasions change the Pool details, and entrants will need to re-enter their DFS rosters.

Survivor Pools

Companies that offer DFS will also usually provide a variety of other contests associated with March Madness, such as their version of the Survivor Pool. To take part in this competition, you can pick a team to win a game on that day and if that team wins, you continue to the next day. Go all the way to the end of March Madness without picking a loser and you are likely to be in line for a big prize. Sometimes these pool competitions require you to pick more than one team in a day, for example in the Elite 8, when players have to pick two teams on the Saturday and Sunday.

Bracket Contests

The Bracket Contest is a well-known way for basketball fans to enjoy March Madness and your favorite DFS operator is likely to offer Bracket Contest options for players to enter. As with a regular bracket, you have to pick the winner of each game all the way throughout March Madness. Players pay a fee and can usually enter multiple teams. If your bracket is the winner, you could win a major prize. This type of fantasy sports contest brings together the charm of the traditional Bracket Contest and the possibility of winning thousands of dollars, if your basketball expertise is good and luck is on your side.

March Madness special offers

It is also a good idea to look out for the various offers associated with March Madness that are open for players to claim at this time of the year. These can range from special bonuses for signing up to a DFS site to mega awards of several thousands of dollars if your fantasy team is the most successful throughout the tournament. Major competitions such as March Madness are a good opportunity for operators to attract new customers, which can lead to many player-friendly special offers.