pixel

Any Questions? Give us a shout at info@occupyfantasy.com.

CSGO DFS DraftKings & FanDuel Lineup Advice

Home

CSGO DFS DraftKings & FanDuel Lineup Advice

CSGO DFS DraftKings & FanDuel Lineup AdviceCSGO DFS DraftKings & FanDuel Lineup Advice

This is a strategy guide for how to select top plays, lineup advice, contest strategies, and more for CSGO DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel. For further questions, please join our Discord channel by becoming a Twitch subscriber.

This strategy guide is not intended to go in-depth on the intricacies of CSGO, nor is it going to discuss detailed player news. Instead, it's meant to be a high-level road map for FanDuel and DraftKings slates.

BETTING ODDS

The most accurate betting odds for CS:GO matchups can be found on Pinnacle Sports. There are no implied kill totals like League of Legends, and the only important betting aspect is the moneyline:

Moneyline: a team's betting odds to win the game/series

Example: VIT -164 / FAZE +136

The team that is the favorite is the team that’s expected to win. The favorite is listed with a minus (-) sign. In our example, VIT would be the favorite.

The underdog is the team that’s expected to lose. The underdog is listed with a (+) sign. FAZE would be the underdog. 

These signs signify how either side of the wager will pay. The minus side will pay less than the original wager while the plus side will pay more plus the original wager.

In our example, the current moneyline for VIT is -164. A bettor would need to wager $164 to win $100. Since VIT is the team that’s expected to win, a winning wager will pay out less than the original amount wagered.

If a bettor were to bet on FAZE at +136. A $100 wager would win $136. Since FAZE is the underdog, a winning wager would pay more than the original amount wagered.

Betting odds and line movements are important in CS:GO DFS because it is a good indicator of ownership and will allow us to identify leverage spots.

Live in Colorado? You can now bet on CS:GO games and receive a bonus when you sign up with one of our partnered sportsbooks.

Starting Lineups

All CS:GO teams have five players who start and play the entire series. 

As of recent, there are a few rare exceptions, with some teams using 6-player rosters and subbing between maps. If this is the case on any given slate, we will let you know in our CS:GO Daily Plug (or in the Discord if there isn’t a Plug).

CSGO DFS TIPS, LINEUP STRATEGIES

Low-risk CSGO DFS contest selection:

  • The best ROIs will likely be found in single entry 50/50s and H2Hs, so look there first. Try to find H2Hs and small field double ups with inexperienced entrants.

Low-risk lineup construction:

  • In CS:GO low-risk DFS, it’s best to just keep it simple by stacking the favorites. Since moneylines heavily influence ownership, it would be quite risky to play an underdog in a low-risk contest -- if you want to stack an underdog, checkout the high-risk lineup construction below!
    • On a two game slate, stack 3 players from both favorites at all costs. 
    • On 3+ game slates, it’s a good idea to get exposure to multiple teams who are favored in the betting markets. Consider these stacks: 
      • 3-2-1 (3 players from one team, 2 from a second team, 1 from a third team)
      • 2-2-1-1 (2 players from one team, 2 from a second team, 1 from a third team, 1 from a fourth team)
      • 2-2-2 (2 players from three different teams)
    • Due to the variance and nature of CS:GO, if we only 3-3 stack players from two different teams, we risk:
      • One of our teams losing 
      • One of our teams playing in a low-scoring match. 
    • Both of these scenarios would not be ideal for our low-risk lineups.
    • There is actually one exception when it comes to playing an underdog in low-risk contests. In CS:GO, there are two players that are much better than everyone else. They are: s1mple (plays for NAVI) and ZyWoo (plays for VIT). These players are a must play in your low-risk lineups regardless if they are favored or the underdog. This is an extremely specific exception, but it is important that you have these players in your lineups.

High-risk contest selection:

  • Satellites, satellites, satellites -- look to play contests that award tickets to future contests first and foremost. This is especially useful for cross-sport contests (satellites for non-CSGO DFS contests), as they are slower to fill and usually come with overlay.
  • Stick to Triple Ups, Single Entry GPPs -- especially later posting ones with less than 500 entrants -- and 3-Max tournaments unless you plan on making 20+ lineups which you can do with our lineup builder!
  • Do not enter a contest unless you can enter the maximum number of lineups allowed.
  • For CSGO DFS, we have found that single-entry GPPs are the best high-risk tournaments to play.

High-risk lineup construction:

Stacking

  • In every lineup on DraftKings, make sure you are implementing stacking. Extensive CSGO DFS analysis (that can be found here) shows that 3-2-1 (3 players from one team, 2 players from a second team, and 1 player from a third) and 2-2-1-1 (2 players from one team, 2 players from a second team, 1 player from a third team, and 1 player from a fourth) stacks are far and away the most profitable for high risk contests. 
  • On two game slates, consider 3-3 stacking from two different games. 3-2-1 stacking is also viable where you would stack 3 players from one game and have a 2-1 gamestack in the other game.
  • On three game slates, consider 3-2-1 stacking. A 3-2-1 stack means we will have exposure to all three games. We do not recommend any other type of stack on three game slates. 
  • On 4+ game slates, consider 3-2-1 stacking or 2-2-1-1 stacking in large-field contests. 2-2-1-1 stacking is viable because it allows us the opportunity to hit on the top scorers from four different games, thus increasing our upside.
  • Never stack two teams playing in the same game. This is extremely uncorrelated and has ended as the optimal lineup construction less than a handful of times. Thus, the golden rule in CS:GO DFS is to never play more than 3 players from a single game.

CPT/MVP Selection

  • When it comes to the CPT/MVP spot, it is usually advised that your CPT comes from your heaviest stack (i.e. if 3-2-1 stacking, CPT a player from the “3”). However, in large field tournaments, there lies some leverage in playing a CPT from the “2" -- it is a rare occurrence to see the CPT come from a "1" and the only acceptable time to do this is with one of the aforementioned superstars (s1mple or Zywoo)
  • On DraftKings, teams have around 2-3 players that can be considered for CPT selection. There are exceptions to specific teams, but these players are generally the three most expensive players. Consider mixing and matching your CPT selection for your lineup needs. We will make note of CPT selection in our CSGO DFS Daily Plug.
  • On FanDuel, there is not a salary multiplier for the MVP slot. We generally recommend using the best player -- who is usually the most expensive player on the team -- as your MVP. We can also use HLTV to help identify the best player by looking at their “Rating." For larger-field contests, consider fading the best player at MVP to minimize lineup duplication.

Projected Ownership

  • There is one main variable that is incredibly indicative of ownership: moneylines. That is, favorites will see a lot more ownership than underdogs. This is something we can easily capitalize on to gain a huge edge over the field.
  • Avoid using two high-owned teams together in high-risk lineups. If you do use two favorites for some reason, use a 2-3-1 stack (meaning CPT from “2”) or cheaper, low-owned players in your CPT/FLEX positions.  A cheaper CPT on DraftKings will also help differentiate your lineups. 
  • Considering the variance of CSGO and e-sports in general, it is extremely valuable to target players on teams who are underdogs. 
  • However, there are many instances where there are coin flip matches in CSGO (moneylines are similar, relatively even odds of winning). On DraftKings, the team that is cheaper in coin flip matches garners more ownership. There is leverage in playing teams that are priced more expensive in coin flip matches.
    • Example: VIT -120/ FAZE +100
    • This is a relatively coin flip match. However, let’s say FAZE players are more expensive and VIT players are cheap. We have found that VIT will be way more popular than FAZE  because they are cheaper and are favored in the betting markets (despite just barely having a better than 50 percent chance of winning). FAZE, on the other hand, would be an afterthought for most DFS lineups. Even though the matchup is relatively even, the field would rather play the cheap team to slot in expensive players from other teams. In our example, there lies massive leverage in playing FAZE.

Salary Usage

  • In high-risk contests on DraftKings, it is a good rule of thumb to use $49,000+ in your lineups.  Sometimes, there may be exceptions, but generally good players are priced appropriately and are more expensive than bad players. Leaving too much salary means your lineups will have limited upside.
  • On both DraftKings and FanDuel, for contests with less than 1000 entrants, we encourage you to use as much salary as you like, as long as you are following our stacking advice. The field does not generally stack 3-2-1 or 2-2-1-1 and duplication will be minimal if you are targeting the correct teams.
  • On DraftKings, for large-field contests (1000+ entrants), consider leaving salary to reduce duplication. We still recommend that you follow our stacking rules. However, using $49,000 or more is still preferable.
  • On FanDuel, for large-field contests, consider leaving salary on the table to reduce duplication. Continue to 3-2-1 stack. For minimal duplication, consider using no more than $59,500 in your high-risk lineups.

Scoring

  • On both DraftKings and FanDuel, our CPT/MVP spot has a 1.5x multiplier. It is important we hit on this selection in our high-risk lineups.
  • On DraftKings, there is a Rounds not Played Bonus and a Match Sweep Bonus. The bonuses are in line with what a player would average if a third map were to be played. There is no need to prioritize teams that have a better chance to sweep their best-of series.
  • On FanDuel, an unplayed map is worth 15 points for the winners and 0 for the losers. Players, on average, score more than 15 points a map. A third map is more valuable than a 2-0 sweep. Match results are hard to predict, but look to target competitive matches on FanDuel to maximize upside. 

Uniqueness in Larger Contests

  • If you have tickets, max enter contests, or ignore our advice about entering GPPs, you need to be more diligent with your lineup building to avoid being duplicated by other users in your contests.
  • Through our lineup research, we've discovered a couple roster constructions that will be duplicated heavily in large-field (1000 or more entries) high-risk contests:
    • 3-3 stacking the biggest favorites on the slate.
    • 3-3 stacking a large favorite and ANY other team on the slate where your CPT is part of the large favorite 3-man stack.
    • Using more than $49,500 in salary ($59,500 on FanDuel) with a 3-3 stack where at least one of the stacks is a favorite.
  • Instead, here are ways to get more unique lineups in large-field high-risk contests:
    • CPT An Underdog -- Playing an underdog at CPT is probably the easiest way to get unique in CSGO DFS. Underdog FLEX ownership is already suppressed, and even more so at CPT. Understand the risk in doing this and don’t allocate more than you’re willing to lose. However, considering the leverage this strategy has, when it does happen, you will see your lineup shoot up the leaderboard with a chance for a massive payout.
    • Using a 2-3-1 stack -- using your CPT as part of your 2-stack and not your 3-stack (or even the rare 1-3-2 stack with the aforementioned superstars, s1mple and Zywoo).
    • Fading the superstars -- It is no secret that s1mple and ZyWoo are very good at CS. As a result, they consistently see massive ownership in every CSGO DFS slate they play. If you have the risk appetite, fading them will give you massive leverage over the field. However, it is quite rare that they don’t end up in the winning lineup, so this strategy is not for the faint of heart.
  • REMINDER: The bullet points in this section are for LARGE-FIELD high-risk contests.

In-Game Leader (IGL)

Every CS:GO team has one in-game leader that calls the shots. Essentially, they are the team captain responsible for formulating a plan before each round, directing their teammates during each round, and trying to gain as much information as possible about the opposition. Naturally, since the IGL is doing all of these things at all times, their fantasy upside can be extremely limited and thus can be thought of as a last resort when making DFS lineups (they are almost always the least expensive player on their team, too). There are some exceptions in the current pro CS scene with some IGLs having a perfectly fine ceiling due to their calling style. If there is ever a slate where this may be the case, we will make note of it in the CSGO DFS Daily Plug.

To check the IGL of each team, you can visit Liquipedia and search a team by typing their name in the box. Each team’s designated page will have a roster, where the IGL is denoted with a crown icon.

These are the basic CSGO DFS lineup rules -- adhere to these and you'll be ahead of the field.