Picks: NFL
Picks is the additional skill layer on top of the main roster and tournament game. Each tournament you name a lineup and one Captain, and you earn a Picks Bonus on top of your normal tournament rewards.
TL;DR
- Your lineup fills five slots: QB, RB, TE, WR, and Flex
- Max 2 players from the same team
- Choose one of your picks as Captain for a score multiplier
- A salary cap applies. The cap and each player's salary are shown in the app.
- You need all 5 slots filled by the end of the tournament to qualify for any Picks rewards
- Picks rewards sit on top of your normal tournament rewards. They do not replace them.
Lineup slots
NFL Picks uses fixed positional slots. Each slot takes a specific position, in this order:
| Slot | Takes |
|---|---|
| QB | A quarterback |
| RB | A running back |
| TE | A tight end |
| WR | A wide receiver |
| Flex | Any position besides QB |
Locks
Each pick locks the moment that player's team kicks off. Until then, you can swap them out for someone else.
Captain follows the same rule. Choose one of your picks as Captain and their score is multiplied. You can change Captain at any point before that Captain's game starts. Once it starts, Captain is locked.
Salary cap
Your lineup must fit within a salary cap. Each player carries a salary, and the better the player the higher it costs.
The cap and current salaries are shown on the Picks selection screen. They are set per tournament, so check them each week rather than assuming last week's numbers.
Divisions and Skill Rating
Picks uses a Skill Rating ladder. Each tournament your Picks score is compared to your division's average. Score above it and your rating rises. Score below it and it falls.
The division you reach sets your reward tier, so climbing unlocks a larger share of the Picks Bonus.
Loaned picks
You can pick any player in the active tournament, including ones you do not hold. A pick that will not pay a Picks Bonus is called a loan. A loaned pick still counts toward your Picks score and your rank, but it pays no Picks Bonus and may carry a rating penalty in higher divisions.
A pick is loaned if any of these are true:
- You do not hold the player
- Their contract on your roster has run out
- The player is benched
- You picked them after the tournament's roster snapshot was taken
- You hold some shares but not enough to clear the ownership threshold
The ownership threshold is a percentage of your roster value, capped at a fixed dollar amount. Both are set per tournament and shown in the app.
Releasing a picked player
If you release shares in a player you have picked, the weight behind that pick falls to whatever you have left. Signing back does not restore it.
- See Tiebreakers and Edge Cases for how mid-tournament releasing works.
Common mistakes
- Leaving a slot empty. A lineup with fewer than 5 picks earns no Picks rewards at all and is dropped from the finished leaderboard
- Forgetting to name a Captain and missing the multiplier
- Filling the Flex slot early with an expensive player and running out of cap
- Building a lineup around wide receivers, then finding only the WR and Flex slots will take them
Related
- Tournaments and Rewards: the main tournament rewards Picks sits on top of
- Roster: the players available to pick from