How do I build a DraftKings NFL lineup?
Open the NFL lineup builder with DraftKings selected and it fills all nine slots under the $50,000 cap, using full-PPR projections and honoring DraftKings' requirement that your roster span at least two different games.
Full PPR is the whole argument
A reception is worth a full point here. A back who catches six passes has banked six points before he gains a yard, which is why third-down backs and slot receivers clear their salary on DraftKings in weeks where they would miss on a half-point site. The projections feeding the optimizer are scored under DraftKings rules, so that value shows up in the pool rather than in your head.
What the optimizer enforces
QB, two RB, three WR, TE, FLEX, DST. Tighter than FanDuel's cap on the same roster shape, so the salary you free up by finding one underpriced receiver goes further.
DraftKings will not accept a roster drawn from a single game. The optimizer treats that as a hard rule, so no build ever comes back illegal.
Six players from one game, captain at 1.5x salary and 1.5x points. Lock your captain or let the optimizer test who returns the multiplier best.
A lost fumble is minus one on DraftKings. Worth knowing when you are deciding how much volume risk a running back is worth.
Defense scoring has a catch most people miss
DraftKings and FanDuel use the same points-allowed brackets for defenses, so a shutout pays ten on both. What differs is what counts as points allowed.
DraftKings counts only what a defense surrenders while it is on the field. A pick-six thrown by your own offense does not go on your defense's tab. The same game can land your DST in one bracket on DraftKings and a different one elsewhere, which is why a defense worth streaming here is not automatically worth streaming everywhere.
Pick your builder
Common questions
- What is the DraftKings NFL salary cap?
- $50,000 across nine slots: QB, two RB, three WR, TE, FLEX, and DST. The optimizer never returns a roster that breaks it.
- Why do my lineups always include two different games?
- DraftKings requires it. A classic NFL roster must include players from at least two separate games, so the optimizer treats that as a hard constraint rather than a preference.
- Does it use full PPR scoring?
- Yes. DraftKings awards a full point per reception, and the projections behind the optimizer are DraftKings-scored, so pass-catching backs and high-target slot receivers price in correctly.
- Can it build Captain Mode showdown lineups?
- Yes. The single-game builder applies the 1.5x CPT multiplier to both salary and projected points across a six-player roster drawn from both teams.