It’s 8 a-side again as DraftKings make changes to their fantasy football rules and scoring

You may not be aware of this but prior to their UK launch in February DraftKings switched from 8 a-side daily fantasy football to an 11 a-side format. The thinking behind it was obvious – UK players were accustomed to traditional 11 a-side versions of the game so why change what isn’t broken? This decision did not sit too well with many players from across the pond, who appreciated the various nuances associated with the original rules. A small number of scoring changes were also introduced to coincide with the switch.

After approximately four months of daily fantasy sports action from both UK and North American based players alike, DraftKings, having canvassed their esteemed customers, taking the appropriate feedback on board, have decided to make some sweeping changes.

The end result? You guessed it – DraftKings have introduced a number of changes ahead of their Copa America and Euro 2016 contests that includes reverting back to the 8-man game.

If you are a regular visitor to Fantasy Football Portal you will know we have looked at the key features of the DraftKings fantasy football product in detail – notably their late swap option, the flex picks, that goalkeeper win bonus and the influence crossing has on the outcome of contests.

The new roster requirements are fairly straightforward – you need to pick 1 goalkeeper, 2 defenders, 2 midfielders and 2 forwards as well as a utility player who can occupy any outfield position, while staying within the $50K budget. The late swap feature remains intact meaning that lineups may be edited at any time leading up to matches kicking off with individual players only becoming “locked” at the scheduled start time of their team’s match.

Goalkeepers will continue to pick up a 5 point win bonus while players who receive a yellow card will be penalised an additional 1/2 a point. However, the most contentious issue that has plagued the DraftKings soccer product is the impact the one point per cross has had – resulting in an imbalance in the value of certain players. Full-backs, for example, had a huge advantage over centre-backs due to the upside that their crossing potential gave them.

This has now been reduced to 0.75 points per cross but deliveries from corners, free-kicks and open play will all continue to count. Whether the quarter point reduction is sufficient to level the overall playing field remains to be seen but a 3-man lighter line-up will certainly mean that following key strategies such as those highlighted in Your #1 Guide to Becoming a Successful Fantasy Football Manager will be as important as ever!

Check out all the latest Copa America and Euro 2016 contests at DraftKings now