Back to home
GLOSSARY
Daily fantasy sports has its own vocabulary. Here’s a plain-language cheat sheet covering DFS basics, contest types, NFL positions, and what each RocketDFS game actually is.
DFS Basics
Core daily fantasy sports concepts. Start here if you're new.
- DFSDaily Fantasy Sports
- Short, single-day or single-event fantasy contests — instead of drafting a team for a whole season, you build one for tonight, this weekend, or a single game.
- Daily vs Season-Long
- Season-long fantasy is what most people picture: you draft players in August and manage them through January. Daily fantasy resets every week (or even every game). No commitment, no benchwarmers, no draft night.
- Lineup
- The group of players (or, in Team Fantasy, the single NFL team) you submit for a contest. On most DFS sites you assemble a lineup under a salary cap.
- Salary Cap
- A budget you spend to fill your lineup. Each player costs a virtual dollar amount and your roster total can't exceed the cap.Example: $50,000 cap, QB costs $7,800, RB costs $6,200, and so on.
- Stack
- Picking multiple players from the same real-life team so their scores correlate — e.g. a QB plus his top receiver. If they connect for a touchdown, you score for both.
- Fade
- Deliberately not picking a popular player. Useful in large tournaments where you need a different result from the crowd to win.
- PropsProposition Bets
- Predictions about specific player or game outcomes rather than the final score — e.g. 'Will this QB throw for over 250 yards?'
- Late-Swap
- Swapping a player in your lineup after the early games kick off, as long as that player's own game hasn't started yet. RocketDFS games lock at first kickoff and do not support late-swap.
Contest Types
The shapes contests come in and how prizes are paid out.
- GPPGuaranteed Prize Pool
- Big tournament with a top-heavy payout — the winner takes a large share, the top ~20% earn something, everyone else gets nothing. High variance, high upside.Example: $10 entry, 10,000 players, $1st place wins $20,000.
- 50/50
- Half the field wins, half loses. Winners roughly double their entry fee. Lower variance than a GPP — good for steady players.Example: $10 entry, 100 players, top 50 each get $18.
- H2HHead-to-Head
- A one-on-one contest against a single opponent. Winner takes (most of) the combined entry fee.
- Freeroll
- A contest with no entry fee that still pays real prizes. Great for trying a format risk-free.
- Rake
- The platform's cut of each entry fee. RocketDFS keeps 10% — 90% of every entry goes straight to the prize pool. (0% rake during launch week.)
Game Mechanics
Common terms used inside contests and lineups.
- Lineup-Builder
- The traditional DFS format on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel — pick individual players under a salary cap. RocketDFS deliberately doesn't ship a lineup-builder; we focus on faster, more varied formats.
- Super Bowl Squares
- A classic 10×10 grid where each square represents a pair of last digits for the final score. After all 100 squares fill, the numbers 0–9 are assigned to the rows and columns at random. You win if your square matches the actual digits at the end of a quarter.
- Stat Prediction
- Predicting that a specific statistic will hit a specific value — e.g. 'Patrick Mahomes throws for over 300 yards' or 'this team scores 4+ touchdowns.' Used in Fantasy Bingo and Stat Rankings.
RocketDFS Games
Our six game formats explained in plain language.
- Draft Baron
- Predict the first 32 picks of the NFL Draft — which player goes where, and whether teams will trade up or down. Scoring updates live on draft night.
- Free Agent Frenzy
- Pick destinations and contract types for top free agents during the NFL free-agency window. Leaderboard updates as deals break.
- Team Fantasy
- Pick one NFL team per week — not individual players. Your score is the combined fantasy points of every player on that team's offense and defense. No salary cap; each team can only be used a limited number of times per season.
- Fantasy Bingo
- A 5×5 bingo card of player and team stat predictions. Real-time game events fill your card; complete rows, columns, diagonals, or a full blackout to score points — the top finishers split the prize pool.
- Stat Rankings
- Rank the top 10 weekly leaders for a stat category (passing yards, rushing TDs, sacks, etc.). Score points for exact ranks and partial credit when you're close.
- Block Pools
- Super Bowl squares for every NFL game. Claim a square on a 10×10 grid; payouts settle live each quarter once the pool is full.
NFL Positions
Position codes you'll see on rosters and contest cards.
- QBQuarterback
- Throws the football. Scores from passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing.
- RBRunning Back
- Carries the ball on running plays. Scores from rushing yards, receptions, and touchdowns.
- WRWide Receiver
- Catches passes. Scores from receiving yards, receptions, and touchdowns.
- TETight End
- Hybrid receiver / blocker. Scores from receptions and touchdowns.
- OGOffensive Guard
- Interior offensive lineman. Blocks for the QB and RB.
- OTOffensive Tackle
- Outside offensive lineman. Protects the QB's blind side.
- FBFullback
- Lead blocker for the running back and short-yardage runner.
- EDGEEdge Rusher
- Outside pass rusher (DE or OLB). Tries to sack the quarterback.
- DTDefensive Tackle
- Interior defensive lineman. Stops the run and pushes the pocket.
- LBLinebacker
- Second-level defender. Stops the run, drops into coverage, blitzes.
- CBCornerback
- Covers wide receivers on the outside. Earns interceptions and pass break-ups.
- SSafety
- Deep defender. Last line of defense against long passes and runs.
- KKicker
- Kicks field goals and extra points. Scores from successful kicks.
- PPunter
- Punts the football on fourth down to flip field position.
NFL Teams
The three-letter codes used for every NFL franchise — e.g. KC = Kansas City Chiefs.
- BUFBuffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bills — AFC East.
- MIAMiami Dolphins
- Miami Dolphins — AFC East.
- NENew England Patriots
- New England Patriots — AFC East.
- NYJNew York Jets
- New York Jets — AFC East.
- BALBaltimore Ravens
- Baltimore Ravens — AFC North.
- CINCincinnati Bengals
- Cincinnati Bengals — AFC North.
- CLECleveland Browns
- Cleveland Browns — AFC North.
- PITPittsburgh Steelers
- Pittsburgh Steelers — AFC North.
- HOUHouston Texans
- Houston Texans — AFC South.
- INDIndianapolis Colts
- Indianapolis Colts — AFC South.
- JAXJacksonville Jaguars
- Jacksonville Jaguars — AFC South.
- TENTennessee Titans
- Tennessee Titans — AFC South.
- DENDenver Broncos
- Denver Broncos — AFC West.
- KCKansas City Chiefs
- Kansas City Chiefs — AFC West.
- LVLas Vegas Raiders
- Las Vegas Raiders — AFC West.
- LACLos Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Chargers — AFC West.
- DALDallas Cowboys
- Dallas Cowboys — NFC East.
- NYGNew York Giants
- New York Giants — NFC East.
- PHIPhiladelphia Eagles
- Philadelphia Eagles — NFC East.
- WASWashington Commanders
- Washington Commanders — NFC East.
- CHIChicago Bears
- Chicago Bears — NFC North.
- DETDetroit Lions
- Detroit Lions — NFC North.
- GBGreen Bay Packers
- Green Bay Packers — NFC North.
- MINMinnesota Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings — NFC North.
- ATLAtlanta Falcons
- Atlanta Falcons — NFC South.
- CARCarolina Panthers
- Carolina Panthers — NFC South.
- NONew Orleans Saints
- New Orleans Saints — NFC South.
- TBTampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — NFC South.
- ARIArizona Cardinals
- Arizona Cardinals — NFC West.
- LARLos Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Rams — NFC West.
- SFSan Francisco 49ers
- San Francisco 49ers — NFC West.
- SEASeattle Seahawks
- Seattle Seahawks — NFC West.
Contest Status Badges
What the OPEN / LOCKED / ENDED labels mean.
- OPEN
- The contest is accepting entries. You can join, edit your picks, or back out before lock.
- LOCKED
- Entries closed — usually at kickoff. Your picks are final and the contest is now scoring live.
- ENDED
- The contest is complete and payouts have settled. Final standings and prize details are visible on the contest page.
Missing a term? Let us know and we’ll add it.71 terms defined.