Fanduel is currently the top dog in weekly fantasy sports. Fanduel boasts the most users and the most money paid out. They have grown from their inception, paying out $10 million their first year in operation (2011) up to $400 million this year. On any given week, they estimate over $6 million in prize money available. That’s a lot of hooch! Fanduelhas succeeded by being ahead of the curve when it comes to weekly fantasy. They offer a website that is extremely easy to navigate and is very user friendly. This is but one of the reasons that Fanduel has garnered such a large base of users. The other main reason is their exposure. Fanduel has been featured in articles in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and the list goes on. This coverage has done nothing but bolster their reign as the king of weekly fantasy.
Fanduel offers a wide array of games in all the major sports (NFL, MLB, and NBA) as well as NHL and some college sports. One sport you may notice missing is PGA events. In fairness, they offer so many other game options, this isn’t likely to be a deterrent to any but the most avid of golf nuts. They have all the standard weekly contests such as GPP, tournaments, and 50/50 contests. Entry fees for these games can range from free to over $1000. If you can’t find a contest to suit your fancy here, then you are just too picky.
While Fanduel may not cover EVERY sport or contest there is out there, they do offer something that most of their competitors do not. Fanduel offers first time players a 100% money back guarantee up to $100. This is almost unheard of in today’s society and is a great way to give Fanduel a shot risk free.
FanDuel Action Fanduel is a great forum for the weekly fantasy player. There seems to be quite a bit of action year round and with all the contests offered, it’s easy to see why. The large number of users and games available leads to a lot of prize money available. They are currently boasting over $1 million paid out weekly which is more than any other site. With such an innovative and welcoming site coupled with this breadth of contests, it will be hard for any of their competitors to unseat the current king.
FanDuel Registration Registration couldn’t be easier with Fanduel. Simply click the join now link and you will be directed to provide some basic information. After following a few brief steps you will be up and running in no time. I was drafting my first team after signing up in a matter of minutes. Don’t forget to tell them who sent you. EnterRUFFINOS as your promo code for a first deposit bonus!
FanDuel Promo Code When you enter our promo code, RUFFINOS, during sign up you will receive a 100% bonus up to $200 on your first deposit. This is much more than other sites offer. The highest free money bonus I’ve seen elsewhere is around $200. With this ridiculous amount of free money being offered at Fanduel, you’d be crazy to not give them a shot!
Depositing Depositing couldn’t be any easier on Fanduel. Simply click the add funds link and you will be directed to a screen that allows you to pick your deposit amount. Deposits can be made via PayPal or major credit card as is standard for most weekly fantasy sites. Once you have made a deposit into your Fanduel account, the funds will be available to play with instantly.
Contest Selection Fanduel offers arguably the most contests on a weekly basis. They advertise over 12,000 one day competitions. You can sort the contest lobby by sport, contest type (GPP, tournaments, 50/50, etc.), and even start time. One nice feature that is missing from some other sites is the ability to filter by entry fee. This allows you to only browse the contests which are within your budget. Even with so many games available, they give you the tools to find the perfect game with ease.
Drafting Teams Selecting players on Fanduel is a breeze with their well-organized draft application. You can filter players by position and even narrow players down by looking at individual games taking place that weekend. They even include player updates courtesy of RotoWire so you can get all the last minute updates while tweaking your lineup.
Scoring Scoring is pretty well par for the course on Fanduel. They employ a half point PPR system with no bonuses for players reaching pre-determined yardage totals. Otherwise, scoring is very similar to their competitors’ sites. As is the case when playing on any of these sites, I advise you check the scoring page to become familiar with their system prior to drafting.
Withdrawing Your Cash Withdrawals are as smooth a process as everything else is on Fanduel. Simply click the link and follow the prompts on their cashier screen to make your withdrawal. You can then select your preferred method of receiving your loot. You can have the money deposited to your PayPal account or, if you don’t like trees, get a check in the mail.
User Experience Fanduel is currently the king of weekly fantasy football and it’s easy to see why. They offer an intuitive site that provides exactly what is needed without overwhelming the user. That’s an impressive feat considering the massive number of contests on a weekly basis. There are large payouts and a variety of sports offered, so everyone is likely to find a game for them here. The most glaring exclusion is the lack of PGA events. That being said, pretty much any other sport you would want is represented. It would be nice to see multi-week competitions too, like the survivor format contests offered elsewhere, but in my mind that is not enough of a reason to not play on Fanduel. They also offer the aforementioned 100% money back guarantee for first time players, which lends confidence to potential players. Another source of confidence is Fanduel’s willingness to share their financial information. This information tells us two things: Fanduel is making a TON of money so they likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and they keep their operating revenue separate from player accounts so your money will never be used for their business purposes. Add it all up and you have an impressive site that is a great place to get your feet wet in weekly fantasy football.
Web Design Fanduel is laid out in a way that makes it extremely easy to operate. Even with over 12,000 games on a weekly basis, they make it easy to sort through the plethora of options to find the perfect contest. Every page is clean and neatly organized making them easy to read and not too distracting with an abundance of information.
Mobile Application Fanduel does have an app available for iPhone, however as an avid Windows Phone user I have not tried it. I have used their mobile site, though, and can say it is the best in the business. They have nearly every feature available on the full site available on mobile. It is nearly as easy to navigate on a mobile device as it is on the full website, which is very impressive.
Player Support Should the need arise, Fanduel offers a great support team to help you with any issues. There is a FAQ section with quick links to find answers to basic questions. They also offer support via email, chat, and even phone. What’s most impressive here is there is almost always someone online to assist with problems. With such a large user base, you would think support would suffer to keep up. At Fanduel that is not the case.
Legal Simply stated, as with all other weekly sites, yes. Fanduel falls in the category of a “game of skill” and is legal to play as long as your particular state allows it. This classification separates them from gambling sites and is therefore allowed under federal law.
FDP Rewards Program Much like other sites, Fanduel rewards frequent players. They offer Fanduel Points (FDP) which can be redeemed for entry into various contests. Not only can you use FDP in place of cash to enter into any paid contest (provided you have enough FDP, that is) but they also offer exclusive free-rolls for players who have accrued a certain amount of FDP over the course of the month. Occasionally they even offer special events that will help you rack up FDP even faster! Keep an eye on their Promo tab for these special events.
FanDuelWebsite Experience Design – 9/10 – Website design is stellar. Other than a few navigation updates, everything works well.
Functionality – 9/10 – Website offers all the functionality you need on a daily fantasy sports website.
Mobile Functionality – 10/10 – FanDuel has nailed it with their mobile application. You can perform all necessary functions.
Ease of use – 10/10 – Super easy to use and find what you need. The website is intuitive and built well.
Available information – 8/10 – Nice amount of player news and information. However, there could be some more advanced statistics.