DraftKings is one of the world’s largest daily fantasy sports operators and played a major role in introducing daily fantasy football to UK and European audiences.
This guide explains how DraftKings UK’s fantasy football contests worked, including the competition lobby, team selection process and scoring system.
Getting Started
Creating a DraftKings account was quick and straightforward. New users simply completed the registration process before accessing the contest lobby.
From the homepage, players could:
- Browse upcoming contests.
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions.
- Deposit funds.
- Enter free-to-play or paid tournaments.
Competition Lobby
DraftKings has always been recognised for its clean, user-friendly contest lobby.
Fantasy football contests could be filtered by:
- Entry fee.
- Prize pool.
- Contest type.
- Number of entries.
- Maximum field size.
- Start time.
DraftKings also offered one of the widest ranges of buy-ins in daily fantasy sports, from beginner-friendly freerolls through to high-stakes tournaments.
Many contests carried memorable names such as Striker, Equalizer and Golden Boot, making them easy for regular players to recognise.
Once you found a suitable contest, simply click Enter to begin building your fantasy football team.
Team Selection
DraftKings football contests used an eight-player roster with a salary cap of $50,000.
A typical squad consisted of:
- 1 Goalkeeper.
- 2 Defenders.
- 2 Midfielders.
- 2 Forwards.
- 1 FLEX player (any outfield position).
Managers were required to select players from at least three different clubs, encouraging balanced team construction rather than stacking one side.
Some players also carried dual-position eligibility (for example M/F), giving managers additional flexibility when constructing line-ups.
Video Walkthroughs
The following video demonstrates the DraftKings UK mobile app and team selection process.
The following video provides an overview of the DraftKings fantasy football interface.
Rules and Scoring
DraftKings used one of the most comprehensive fantasy football scoring systems available, rewarding a broad range of statistical actions rather than simply goals and assists.
Managers earned fantasy points for contributions such as:
- Goals.
- Assists.
- Shots.
- Crosses.
- Tackles.
- Saves.
- Clean sheets.
- Other attacking and defensive actions.
One of DraftKings’ standout features was Late Swap, allowing managers to continue making changes to players involved in matches that had not yet kicked off, even after the contest had officially started. This proved invaluable when unexpected team news emerged shortly before kick-off.
Entries typically closed one minute before the first scheduled fixture, although multiple slates with staggered start times were often available to accommodate fixtures taking place throughout the day.
Our Verdict
DraftKings helped set the benchmark for modern daily fantasy football. Its sophisticated scoring system, flexible roster construction, Late Swap feature and enormous contest selection made it one of the industry’s most influential platforms. Many fantasy football products that followed adopted ideas first popularised by DraftKings.
