Rules / Data / Lineups
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers about the salary file, legal roster construction and the numbers used to compare players before a lineup is finalized.
Which file do I upload?
The DraftKings salaries CSV for the slate you are entering. One file loads the complete player pool, and nothing is uploaded to a server — it is read in your browser.
What roster does it build?
The classic slate: QB, two RB, three WR, TE, one FLEX (RB, WR or TE) and a team defense. All nine required slots must be filled.
Can I pick individual defenders?
No. Like every major site, defense is drafted as a whole team unit, not as cornerbacks or linebackers.
What is the salary cap?
$50,000. Used and remaining salary stay on screen after every change, and an illegal lineup is marked in red until it returns under the limit.
Why are cheap players ranked low?
Players priced below roughly $4,800 often carry backup-level roles, so their plausibility is discounted heavily on purpose. Team defense remains exempt from that offensive-player assumption.
Can I sort by more than one thing?
Yes. Choose My blend and rank two to five categories in preference order. Each category is normalized so different measurement scales can contribute to one blended result.
What are WCS and BCS?
WCS is the lower-end projection for a difficult outcome, while BCS is the upper-end projection when opportunity and efficiency break well. Together they frame the expected range.
What does DSPP mean?
DSPP means dollars spent per projected point. Divide salary by the weekly projection; a lower number is more efficient, but workload and plausibility still matter.
Can I change an Auto-build lineup?
Yes. Auto-build creates a starting point under the cap. Remove or replace any selection, then watch salary and legality update as you make the lineup your own.
Does it guarantee a win?
No. Every figure is an estimate within a range of possible outcomes. Use the board as research support, not as a promise of contest results.
More answers
Longer explanations for the questions that come up once you have used the board for a few weeks.
Why does my lineup total differ from another site's projection?
Different providers weight recent games, opponent strength and expected snap share differently, so two honest models can disagree by several points on the same player. TuttleMath deliberately runs conservative, typically landing 12 to 28 percent below a best-case projection, because a model that constantly prints ceilings is useless for judging risk. The Var column exists so you can see exactly how far a given projection sits from that player's own season average.
Should I always take the lowest DSPP?
No. DSPP measures cost efficiency only, and the cheapest points per dollar often belong to players with unstable roles. Use DSPP to build a shortlist, then check plausibility, salary level and the WCS to BCS spread before deciding. In cash games favour a strong floor; in large tournaments a wide ceiling with an acceptable price can matter more than raw efficiency.
How many games should I include in the average?
Early in the season, use everything available — the sample is small and cutting it further only adds noise. By midseason a three to five game window usually captures role changes without overreacting to one outlier performance. If a player changed teams, returned from injury or took over a starting job, shorten the window so the average reflects the current job rather than the old one.
Does the optimizer stack players from the same game?
Auto-build optimizes for projected points under the cap; it does not force a quarterback and receiver pairing. If you want correlation, lock the pairing you want first and let the remaining slots fill around it. Stacking tends to help in large-field tournaments and hurt in small cash games, so the choice is deliberately left to you.
What happens when late news breaks?
Re-export the DraftKings salary file and upload it again. Pricing and availability are refreshed from your file, so a fresh export after inactive lists are published keeps the board aligned with reality. Nothing is cached between uploads, which means there is never a stale roster hiding behind the numbers.
Can I use this for showdown or other roster formats?
The builder currently enforces the classic slate roster: QB, two RB, three WR, TE, FLEX and a team defense. Showdown captain rules and other formats are not yet supported, but the projection columns are still useful for comparing the same player pool by hand.
Is any of this gambling advice?
No. Next Man Up is a research and math tool. Nothing on the site guarantees a result, and every figure is an estimate within a range. Play within a budget you are comfortable losing, and treat the board as one input among several.
What do I get during the seven-day trial?
Full access. The trial is not a stripped-down demo: uploads, plausibility, blended sorting, Auto-build and cap tracking all work exactly as they do on a paid plan, so you can judge the product on a real slate before paying for anything.