DFS Opto% Data for DraftKings and FanDuel

RotoGrinders is upgrading our daily fantasy sports (DFS) toolkit with a metric that promises to enhance your lineup construction approach.

The tool, called Optimal% (or Opto% ), is a simulation-based metric that estimates the frequency that a player will appear in tonight’s winning lineup. It is currently available for NBA and PGA, and we expect to have it ready for MLB season as well.

Similar metrics have been used by RotoGrinders (and DFS players industry wide) over the years. We’re pleased to now offer our latest version within our award winning product experience in LineupHQ, updated throughout the day.

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The idea behind Opto% is simple: instead of relying on data that does not consider the mechanics of lineup construction to make predictions, the tool uses a simulation of outcomes to build a fleet of realistic winning lineups. This can be used to evaluate players within the context of salary and roster construction.

The play-by-play simulations are based on a variety of factors and yield a more realistic variance in player performance than a simple randomization. The end result is a percentage score that indicates how often a player is likely to help you succeed, and it can be compared to expected ownership rates to help you make exposure decisions.

Opto% is a valuable addition to the DFS toolkit, and you can find it daily in LineupHQ and in our Premium Projections .csv downloads.

By providing a data-driven approach to lineup construction and player evaluation, the tool can help players make better decisions and improve their chances of success. Whether you’re a seasoned DFS pro or a newcomer to the game, Opto% is definitely worth checking out.

How to Use DFS Optimal%

DFS Optimal%, or Opto%, is a calculation of expected winning rosters based on our daily fantasy play-by-play simulations. We use the results of simulation trials to find the highest scoring lineup realistic to be created by you and your competitors. From there, we tabulate the frequency and share the data.

The way you can use it is simple:

- Identify high quality plays by viewing Opto% in descending order.

- Compare Opto% to projected ownership for context on how a simulation of outcomes compares to the expected usage in DFS tournaments.

- When Opto% exceeds ownership expectations, the player has an increased probability of being used less often by your opponents than our estimated probability of success.

- When Opto% is lower than ownership expectations, the player has an increased probability of being used more often by your opponents than our estimated probability of success. You can then make more informed decisions on how closely you want to follow the crowd’s wisdom.

So whether you are using Opto% to fill your roster with high expectation players or using it to strategize an edge for larger DFS tournaments, it is a data-focused enhancement to your daily process that you can use to make decisions in a process-driven way.

Best of luck! Be sure to be on the lookout for Opto% in more DFS sports in the near future.

About the Author

ChrisGimino
Chris Gimino (ChrisGimino)

Chris Gimino is a top mind in the industry and one of the primary contributors at RotoGrinders. Together with our team of experts, his work is powering projections, simulations, ownership, and analytics across 10+ sports for betting, DFS, and fantasy pick’em contests. A multiple-time Live Finalist and shipper of 6-figure wins, Chris delivers actionable tools and advice for RotoGrinders Premium subscribers. Follow Chris on Twitter – @ChrisGimino