The short answer fits in one line. Divide a player's projected fantasy points by his salary, then multiply by 1,000. The result is points per $1,000, and it is the standard way to compare a cheap receiver with an expensive one on equal footing.
Most players write that number as a multiple. A player who projects for 15 points at a $5,000 salary is "3x value." That one number does a lot of work. It also has limits, and the limits are where good lineups pull away from average ones.
The basic formula
Value equals projected points divided by salary in thousands.
A $5,000 player projected for 15 points gives you 3.0 points per $1,000. An $8,000 player projected for 20 points gives you 2.5. The second player scores more, but each dollar spent on him buys less.
This matters because of the salary cap. Every lineup works with the same budget, so the real question is never which player scores the most. It is which group of players scores the most for the money. Points per $1,000 is the fastest way to start answering that. If salary caps are new to you, How Daily Fantasy Works covers the basics.
Two receivers, one flex spot
The numbers below are made up for illustration. Picture a DraftKings style football slate with a $50,000 cap. You have $5,900 left for your flex spot and two receivers in mind.
| Receiver (example) | Salary | Projection | Points per $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiver A | $5,900 | 16.5 | 2.80 |
| Receiver B | $4,200 | 13.0 | 3.10 |
Receiver B has the better value. But if you take him and the extra $1,700 has nowhere to go, you just gave up 3.5 projected points. Salary you leave unused scores zero.
Now change one thing. Say dropping to Receiver B lets you upgrade your tight end, from a $3,500 player projected for 7 points to a $5,200 player projected for 11.5.
| Option (example) | Players | Salary | Projected points |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Receiver A and the cheaper tight end | $9,400 | 23.5 |
| Two | Receiver B and the better tight end | $9,400 | 24.5 |
Same money, one more projected point. The cheaper receiver wins here only because the savings bought something. That is the real lesson. Value is about the whole lineup, never one player in isolation.
Targets change by site and sport
There is no single number that means good value. It depends on scoring rules and salary scales.
- Site. DraftKings classic football uses a $50,000 salary cap and full point PPR scoring. FanDuel classic football uses a $60,000 cap and half point PPR scoring. A bigger cap spreads salaries out, so the same projection works out to fewer points per $1,000 on FanDuel. A target borrowed from one site will mislead you on the other. Our FanDuel vs. DraftKings comparison walks through more of these differences.
- Sport. Basketball players score far more fantasy points per game than football players, so basketball targets run much higher. Baseball and hockey scores swing wildly from night to night, which makes any single projection a rougher guess.
- Contest type. In cash games you want players likely to clear a solid baseline. In tournaments you want players who can blow far past it.
A common rule of thumb in DraftKings football is about 3x for cash game plays, with tournament plays needing a real path to 4x or more. Treat numbers like that as starting points. Better targets come from looking back at what winning lineups scored on the slates you actually play. The football hub has more on how scoring shapes roster building.
Why value alone falls short
Value is a filter. It is not a lineup. Here are four reasons to keep it in its place.
- Projections are guesses. A cheap player projected for 7 points at 3.5x can easily score 2. The range of outcomes matters as much as the middle of it.
- Cheap value gets popular. When a backup steps into a starting role at a low salary, a huge share of the field finds him. That is fine in cash games. In tournaments it makes separating from the crowd harder, as Playing Against the Chalk explains.
- Stars can break the math. An expensive player at 2.6x can still be essential if nobody else on the slate has his ceiling.
- The formula ignores teammates. Two receivers with good value on different teams do nothing for each other. A quarterback and his own receiver rise and fall together, which is why stacking matters.
A simple way to use it
Sort the player pool by points per $1,000 at each position and circle the best few at each spot. Build a lineup that spends nearly the whole cap. Then build a second version that swaps one value play for a star. Compare the two projections, think about which risks you can live with, and play the one you trust.
Value shows you where the cheap points are. Your job is deciding which of them are worth the risk.