NFL DFS Glossary — Every Term, Defined Once
DFS writing assumes a vocabulary that nobody teaches in one place. This glossary defines every term used across this site — tools and guides — in plain language, with cross-references to where each concept is actually used. Terms you'll meet in every article, forum and podcast, defined the way a patient friend would.
Quick answer: The core dozen: cash game (pays ~half the field, build floor), GPP (pays the top steeply, build ceiling), floor/ceiling (worst/best realistic score), value (pts per $1,000), the 2x rule (cash break-even heuristic), chalk (heavily owned), punt (cheap roster spot), stack (QB + his pass-catchers), bring-back (opponent pass-catcher), FLEX (RB/WR/TE seat), ownership (% of field rostering a player), late swap (editing after kickoff).
Contests and money
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cash game | Contest paying ~half the field about double: 50/50s, double-ups, head-to-heads. Build for floor. |
| GPP | Guaranteed Prize Pool — tournament paying the top ~20% steeply regardless of field size. Build for ceiling. |
| 3-max / single-entry | GPP formats capping entries per player, reducing the volume-player edge. |
| Rake | The platform's cut of the entry fees — why the average player loses by default. |
| Bankroll | Money set aside for entries. The discipline unit of the hobby. |
| Freeroll | Free-entry contest with real (small) prizes; where beginners should literally start. |
Players and lineups
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| FLEX | Roster seat fillable by an RB, WR or TE (DraftKings: 1; FanDuel: 2, no DST). |
| DST | Defense/Special Teams — the team-defense slot in DraftKings NFL formats. |
| Punt | Deliberately cheap player at one slot to fund studs elsewhere; buys ceiling, risks floor. |
| Stack | QB rostered with his own pass-catchers so big plays score twice. |
| Bring-back | Pass-catcher from the opposing team added to a stack, hedging blowout direction. |
| Chalk | The obvious, heavily-owned play of the slate. |
| Contrarian | Deliberately low-owned choice, aiming to differentiate in GPPs. |
Numbers and math
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Projection | An expected-points estimate for one player. The optimizer's fuel. |
| Value (pts/$1k) | Projection ÷ (salary ÷ 1,000) — the standard efficiency unit. |
| 2x rule | Cash heuristic: a player should project ≈ 2× his salary in thousands; a lineup ≈ 2× cap-in-thousands. |
| Ceiling | A high-percentile outcome (P95 in this site's simulator). |
| Floor | A low-percentile outcome (P5) — what cash builds maximize. |
| Median | The 50th-percentile outcome; the honest reading of a projection. |
| Ownership | Share of the field rostering a player. Zero-sum leverage in GPPs. |
| Optimal | The highest-total-projection legal lineup under given inputs. A math claim, not a forecast. |
| Knapsack | The constraint problem every optimizer solves: maximize value under slots + budget. |
| Late swap | Editing a lineup slot after other games have started (offered by DraftKings NFL). |
Slang you'll meet in threads
- Slate — the set of games available in a contest (main slate, single-game, late slate).
- Lock / lock window — the deadline after which lineups freeze; also the verb for forcing a player into optimizer lineups.
- Fade — to deliberately avoid a popular player.
- Ship — to win a GPP ('shipped the tournament').
- Sweat — watching games with money on the line.
- Dead money — entries with no realistic path to cashing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does '2x value' mean exactly?
What's the difference between floor and ceiling?
Why is ownership a 'thing'?
What is a 'late swap'?
Is 'chalk' bad?
More tools used in this guide
Turn any salary + projection into points per $1,000, the points needed at your target multiplier, and a surplus/deficit verdict.
Build the highest-projected legal lineup under DraftKings ($50,000) or FanDuel ($60,000) rules — exact solver, lock/exclude players, CSV import, no signup.
Monte-Carlo simulate any 9-man lineup: floor (P5), median, ceiling (P95) and the odds of clearing your target score — deterministic and instant.
More guides
The honest beginner's path: cash vs GPP, the value multiplier, why 50/50s teach more than milly makers, and the bankroll rules nobody enjoys reading.
The complete workflow: bring projections, lock your stack, read the alternatives, and avoid the four mistakes that make optimizer output worthless.