Betting.us Editor-in-Chief Blake Roberts skillfully uses his background in statistics and sports knowledge base to create insightful betting guides. Blake was born in Morgantown, WV, and he has a community college degree in Statistics. His stamping grounds are the live betting platforms of West Virginia.
Best Fantasy Baseball Sites for 2024
By Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief at Betting.us
Updated: April 23, 2024
Best Fantasy Baseball Apps for May 2024
We not only pick legal fantasy baseball apps for you, but we do you one better by leaving out apps that have received bad user feedback. Other factors determining quality are the number of contests, flexibility of rules, and promptness of payouts.
| Fantasy Baseball Site | Sign Up Bonus | Promo Code | Highlights | Rating | Secure Link | Eligible States | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OwnersBox | Up to $500 1st Deposit Bonus | Check Here | Comprehensive scoring system Lightning Lineups baseball Free $5 entry on signup | ★ out of 5 | Play Here! | AL, AK, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MD, MA, MN, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY, DC | Valid only for new players over 21 years of age. |
| DraftKings | Up to $500 In DK Dollars | Check Here | Daily fantasy baseball contests 20% deposit match Immediate contest payouts | ★ out of 5 | Play Here! | AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org(CT). 18+ in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. |
| ParlayPlay | Up to $100 Deposit Match | Check Here | Insurance for incorrect picks Free $5 ticket Beginner-friendly mobile app | ★ out of 5 | Play Here! | AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KS, MA, MN, NE, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, WI | Valid only for new players over 21 years of age. |
We know what sets apart daily fantasy sites from the rest, so we only chose sites that meet our standards. We use multiple steps to evaluate the fantasy baseball platforms, including the number of contests, the range of buy-ins, app quality, and the speed of payouts.
Taking all those things into consideration, we picked the top-performing websites. Playing there, you don't have to worry about legality either because each of these brands runs a geolocation check on new users to determine if they are eligible to join.
OwnersBox – Best Site for Fantasy Baseball
Available in Canada and 29 US states and counting, OwnersBox is one of the premier sites for fantasy baseball. When you join, you are greeted with a free ticket worth $5 just for signing up. A welcome bonus is also available, but you need to put some money in to benefit from it.
OwnersBox is the brand that introduced Lightning Lineups to the industry, and since then, it has been one of the most sought-after features. They even claim that Lightning Lineups have better payouts than parlays on average because your submission only requires predicting one outcome – your team outscoring everyone else.
DraftKings – Daily Fantasy Baseball
DraftKings has been around for quite a while, and that is apparent when you realize the company website is available in 45 states. The brand has used strategic partnerships, such as the one with Jared Carrabis[4], to increase its presence in the US.
Most websites don't have daily fantasy baseball, but this one has. That means you can draft a team not only at the beginning of the season but at the beginning of every contest, of which you will find many. What's more, winnings are paid out right after the contest ends, while most sites will have you waiting anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.
ParlayPlay – Beginner-Friendly App
What stood out for us while using this website is that it is made with beginners in mind. For example, to reveal information about past performances of a player, you just click the lightbulb icon next to their photo. Another thing beginners usually like is the insurance feature.
You can have one incorrect pick and still win. Entering insurance contests mitigates the risk of losing, which is great for newbies. The sign-up bonus of $5 in free tickets is another great way to prop up players new to the game. After the last update of the Pick Builder, it is even easier than before for beginners to draft players.
Best Daily Fantasy Baseball Sites by Category
| 🥇 #1 Fantasy Baseball Site | OwnersBox |
|---|---|
| 🥇 Best Bonus | DraftKings |
| 🥇 Newest Site | ParlayPlay |
| 📱 Best Fantasy Baseball App | DraftKings |
Fantasy baseball sites are a great way to immerse yourself in the world of sports and connect with other fans. We want to make sure that you make the most out of your time spent playing, so we run a series of checks. We put to the test the security settings, app usability, payment methods, and other vital features.
Recommended Fantasy Baseball Website for May 2024
If you want to play short-format fantasy baseball contests, there's hardly any analog to the website we recommend in this section. The brand has been operational for many consecutive years and has established itself in the United States as one of the best providers of daily fantasy baseball sites.
OwnersBox
Up to $500 1st Deposit Bonus
Check Here
Best daily fantasy baseball contests
AL,
AK,
AR,
CA,
CO,
FL,
GA,
IL,
KS,
KY,
MD,
MA,
MN,
MO,
NE,
NH,
NJ,
NM,
NY,
NC,
ND,
OH,
OK,
OR,
PA,
RI,
SC,
SD,
TN,
TX,
UT,
VT,
VA,
WV,
WI,
WY,
DC
Bet Here!
Valid only for new players over 21 years of age.
What Is Fantasy Baseball – Getting Started
Fantasy baseball is an engaging online contest where participants act as the managers of virtual teams that they have assembled themselves. Their teams consist of real MLB players who earn points based on their real-life performance. Your objective is to put together a team that will earn more points than the competition.
Daily fantasy baseball sites are available in the majority of the US states, but there might be specifics due to local gambling laws. To stand a good chance of winning, you need to have basic baseball literacy. This will help you track the activity of your team and understand who's winning in the league and why.
How to Play Daily Fantasy Baseball
Everyone who is considered of legal age in their place of residence can join in and play. The real question is, can you expect a lot from your participation, or are you joining just for fun? As a game of skill, fantasy sports will test your knowledge and managing skills to the limit.
On paper, even if you don't have previous experience, you can create your team and end up winning a contest. Yes, it's enough to follow the rules and draft a quality team. Then, depending on the league's rules, you will either have or not have the ability to make adjustments to your team throughout the season. Of course, you can always join a daily fantasy contest, which will be over in a day.
The Draft
The draft is a foundational step for the performance of your team. In it, you choose which players to put on your team. If you are in a draft league, you will need to select a new team from scratch every season. In a dynasty league, on the other hand, your players from last season are automatically transferred at the start of the new season.
A common draft pattern is to prioritize high-impact players when you first start forming your team. That means picking the starting pitchers and power hitters first and then filling the rest of the positions. There are no hard-and-fast rules about how many players of a kind you will have to choose, but here's an informed guess based on the average values we've seen in our practice:
- 1 Catcher
- 1 First Baseman
- 1 Second Baseman
- 1 Shortstop
- 1 Third Baseman
- 3 Outfielders
- 2 Utility Players (any position)
- 5 Starting Pitchers
- 2 Relief Pitchers
Scoring Formats
Another important thing to clarify is the scoring rules. You can't be sure of the points system unless you check the scoring format, so our advice is to do that before you commit. Points are awarded for achievements home runs and stolen bases, to name a few. The performance of players is evaluated based on such statistics, and the point total for the team is recalculated after every gameday.
You need to keep an eye on the players who can earn you the most points – that's to say, who perform the best in the areas that are valued the highest. We took the scoring format of one of the established fantasy baseball websites in the US for you to use as a reference.
- Singles – 3 pts
- Walks – 2 pts
- Hit By Pitch – 2 pts
- Doubles – 6 pts
- Triples – 9 pts
- Home Runs – 12 pts
- RBIs – 3 pts
- Run Scored – 2 pts
- Stolen Bases – 4 pts
- Strikeouts – - 0.5 pts
- Caught Stealing – - 1 pts
- Picked Off – - 1 pts
- Outs – 1 pts
- Strikeout – 3 pts
- Win – 6 pts
- Shutout – 3 pts
- Save – 6 pts
- Hit Allowed – - 0.5 pts
- Walk Allowed – - 0.5 pts
- Hit Batter – - 0.5 pts
- Earned Run – - 3 pts
As you see, optimizing your lineup is crucial for consistently outperforming the competition. Power hitters can earn extra due to extra-base hits being valued high by the scoring system, but don't forget to include players with good on-base skills because walks and being hit by pitches also affect your score.
Before Gameday
Gameday is an important event only if you are allowed to make changes to your team. If you are stuck with the same players in the same positions every time, you don't need to do anything on gameday. However, if that is not so, you need to make sure that your lineup is optimized for the matches that will follow.
Ensure that your best players on matchups and recent performances are in your starting lineup. In theory, this will maximize your point-earning potential. If you want to watch the games and study the players, you will need to familiarize yourself with the schedule. If you are in a re-draft league, you might even need to draft a new fantasy baseball team for every game day.
The Waiver Wire
Simply put, the waiver wire is a system that manages player transfers. Leagues are different from contests in that not all participants have all players available to them at all times. This rule determines the process of how unowned players can be claimed. Teams can submit claims for an unowned player, and then those given the highest priority by the system end up taking the player.
Player Trades
These types of trades involve players changing teams after an agreement on both sides. Trades can be made in leagues and not short-term competitions. In a season-long format, there will come a time for you to part ways with one or more players on your team.
Before you get new blood on your team, you will need to find a trading partner who is willing to trade. You'll have to identify teams with complementary needs and negotiate favorable conditions. If you play your cards right, player trades can be an effective tool that boosts your team's performance.
Fantasy Baseball League Types
Fantasy baseball sites organize different league formats for their users to accommodate different skill sets and strategies. Understanding the differences is vital if you want to stay competitive and be able to prepare for drafts and manage your team properly.
There might be different rules on how waivers and trades should be approached. The whole player experience changes by the rules set down by the different types of leagues. We described in a few words the most common types of leagues you would find on fantasy baseball apps.
Draft
In this type of league, teams are selected through an online or live draft that takes place just before the start of the season. The fate of your team is decided at this very stage, so it's worth knowing player rankings and having a draft strategy. You will need to react to the picks of other participants.
Draft Only
Draft-only is a format that favors players who like the long-term commitment that comes with not being able to make changes to your team. This type of league involves no trades or waiver wire pickups. You could argue that players with more experience have a strategic edge here because a deep understanding of the sport is definitely rewarded in draft-only leagues.
Best Ball
In a Best Ball league, you draft a team but don't manage it every step of the way. Instead, the best-scoring players are started automatically every time. This is decided based on their performances in the categories where points are awarded.
Custom Scoring
Playing on fantasy baseball apps sometimes allows you to join leagues with custom scoring featuring unique point systems. Those are defined by the league commissioner to bring a unique spin to an otherwise commonly known format. It's worth studying how points are distributed across the list of statistics because this will impact player values and lineup strategies.
Dynasty
In a dynasty league, you keep most or all of your team members from last season. It goes without saying that you need to think ahead in time when drafting a team. These leagues are a test for participant's ability to handle immediate competition while thinking about future developments.
Legal Situation – States with Legalized Fantasy Baseball Betting
Fantasy baseball sites operate in a framework that's separate from the one for sports betting. The big difference between the two is that fantasy sports is recognized as a skill-based activity as opposed to a type of gambling.
In April 2013, the groundwork for a blooming industry had already been set when Major League Baseball invested an undisclosed amount in one of the leading brands. And so, a precedent was set with a professional sports organization investing in a DFS operator, which only furthered the popularity of the activity. With wide recognition and practically no legal hindrance, fantasy baseball is playable in almost all states.
- Alabama - Legal
- Alaska - Legal
- Arizona - Legal
- Arkansas - Legal
- California - Legal
- Colorado - Legal
- Connecticut - Legal
- Delaware - Legal
- Florida - Legal
- Georgia - Legal
- Illinois - Legal
- Indiana - Legal
- Iowa - Legal
- Kansas - Legal
- Kentucky - Legal
- Louisiana - Legal
- Maine - Legal
- Maryland - Legal
- Massachusetts - Legal
- Michigan - Legal
- Minnesota - Legal
- Mississippi - Legal
- Missouri - Legal
- Nebraska - Legal
- New Hampshire - Legal
- New Jersey - Legal
- New Mexico - Legal
- New York - Legal
- North Carolina - Legal
- North Dakota - Legal
- Ohio - Legal
- Oklahoma - Legal
- Oregon - Legal
- Pennsylvania - Legal
- Rhode Island - Legal
- South Carolina - Legal
- South Dakota - Legal
- Tennessee - Legal
- Texas - Legal
- Utah - Legal
- Vermont - Legal
- Virginia - Legal
- West Virginia - Legal
- Wisconsin - Legal
- Wyoming - Legal
- DC - Legal
Pursuant to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, fantasy sports that meet certain conditions are legal[3]. To set it apart from sports betting, the law explicitly forbids betting on a single player or game. This is why fantasy baseball contests involve picking multiple players and estimating the relative outcome of multiple games on gameday.
It would be best if you remembered that while the federal may allow daily fantasy sports, the state has the right to ban it. Our legal team did the heavy lifting for you by checking where it's safe to play and on what sites. As long as you use our state filters, you will get relevant results and won't need to worry about legality.
How to Pick the Best Fantasy Baseball Sites
You may have noticed that we ranked our recommendations, starting with what we think to be the top choice. But what does it mean to go for the top-rated site? Based on our research, the top site is where the best security measures and bonuses meet ease of access and the most convenient banking options.
We base our final decision-making process on these four factors because they determine, to a large degree, the user experience. The final selection of top fantasy baseball sites guarantees you rewarding welcome bonuses, secure payments, and tailor-made apps.
Security and Licensing
To verify the legitimacy of fantasy baseball apps and sites, you have to scroll all the way down to the tab with more information. There should be a valid license number issued by the local gaming authority. Clicking it should lead you right to the website of the authority, where more information ought to be provided.
American Gaming Association
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Massachusetts Gaming Commission
In addition to being licensed, the platforms we recommend spread awareness of the dangers of excessive gambling. They can expedite your self-exclusion should you find yourself experiencing the negative effects of betting too much on daily fantasy baseball.
Best Bonus Offers
With fantasy baseball, you don't have to invest much to experience real-money betting. The highest-rated websites on our page even let you participate in one of their low-buy-in contests for free when you sign up. You will need to meet certain wagering requirements when playing with bonus money.
Top Fantasy Baseball Apps
We know how important it is to have a reliable fantasy sports app at your disposal when you participate in more than one contest. Should you need to make daily changes, check statistics, or monitor what the competition is doing, a mobile app is the easiest way to do it.
We only recommend apps that give you the full functionality of a fantasy baseball site. We also factor in customer feedback and how our own team feels about the user experience. These apps are free to install and can be found in major stores – the App Store and Google Play.
Available Payment Methods
One of the things that makes playing online fantasy baseball such a seamless experience is the convenient banking solutions. If you choose to receive money by check, remember that one can be sent only to the address you have provided. eWallets, bank transfers, and even checks are among the available options. What's different about these payment methods is the waiting time and transaction limits.
- Apple Pay
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Discover
- PayPal
- Venmo
You should keep in mind that all legit site operators will ask you to verify your identity prior to withdrawing any money. This is done only the first time you request a withdrawal, so don't worry about being slowed down later on by the same procedure twice.
Pros and Cons of Playing Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy sports have a huge following and allows users to have fun with wild punishments for the last-place finisher[1]. But the thrill of playing with friends and playing professionally for money are not the only things that make this worthwhile.
We listed the most commonly known pros and cons of playing on fantasy baseball sites to help you come down on one side of the fence or the other about it. Baseball competitions tend to be really flexible and engaging to users, but there's always the potential for losses and facing stiff competition.
- No season-long commitment
- Daily payouts
- Pick from your favorite baseballers
- Dynasty leagues are available
- High engagement
- Potential for losses
- Many statistics to consider
- Season starts in April
Responsible Gambling
The urge to keep playing for money is something that can escalate into a condition known as "problem gambling". This is something that affects not only you but also the people around you. Signs of problem gambling are spending more money than you can afford, always thinking about wagering money and neglecting your duties because of that.
If you find yourself in a situation where you exhibit one or more of these signs and can't control the urge to gamble, then it's time you seek professional help. Don't hesitate to reach out via the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER). Gamblers Anonymous also has a simple program that has proven to be successful[2]
FAQ
If you find it difficult to understand how fantasy baseball sites work and where to find the best of them, please review the following section. We will review the key moments we have already outlined and break down the information we have presented. If there's anything else you want to ask, feel free to get in touch with our team.
What are the best fantasy baseball sites in the USA?
While calling a site "the best" certainly involves a fair bit of bias, there are hard-and-fast measurements that can tell you which fantasy baseball sites are worth your time and money. The best-rated platforms meet certain criteria for legitimacy, fairness, and mobile accessibility. They have contests of the DFS type and such that go on all season long.
Is it legal to play online daily fantasy baseball in the US?
There are secure sites for fantasy baseball that are licensed and secure. They meet the criteria laid out in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006, namely, not to organize contests where the winner is decided by the outcome of a single match or the performance of a single player.
Can you play online fantasy baseball from all states?
Not all, but you will find plenty of states with legal fantasy baseball sites. The key to the popularity and legality of this pastime is the fact it is not considered a form of gambling. The contests and leagues are set up in such a way that nobody can make it to the top spots by simply relying on blind luck.
Can I claim a bonus to play at fantasy baseball apps?
There are two known types of fantasy baseball bonuses for new players. One of them is the sign-up bonus, which becomes available to players as soon as they create an account. The deposit match comes into play when you deposit for the first time. It gives you a sum of money, the size of which depends on how much you deposit.
What payment methods to use to play fantasy baseball?
When you make a payment to or from your fantasy baseball account, you will have a number of options to choose from. Venmo, Discover, and even checks are a possibility with the best DFS brands. Most players find the most convenient payment methods to be Apple Pay and PayPal, even though fees may be included.
Conclusion – Best Fantasy Baseball Sites for 2024
Daily fantasy sports have come a long way, and now they are almost everywhere. I want to point out that fantasy baseball – in particular – is offered by all major platforms. That wasn't really a concern for me when I was looking for a good site to play.
Blake Roberts, a Morgantown native with a background in statistics, takes the position of Editor in Chief at Betting.us. He combines his love for sports and his knowledge of statistics to produce high-quality sports betting reviews. Blake enjoys evaluating online betting sites and believes that keeping a professional mindset in gambling is of utmost importance.
We are excited about the development of daily fantasy baseball just as much as the next player. If you want to stay updated on the latest developments, do come and check our page from time to time. We re-evaluate our selection of sites and always keep an eye on new platforms.