Leverage
What Is Leverage in DFS?
Last updated October 22, 2026 by Ship It Nation
Leverage is the edge you gain by rostering a play the field is underweight on, compared with how often it ends up in winning lineups. When that play outscores the popular option most lineups chose instead, you gain ground on those lineups, though the rest of your roster still decides where you finish.
Why It Matters
When a low-owned play outscores the popular alternative, you gain on the lineups built around that alternative, while lineups that shared your pick stay level with you. The advantage depends on the difference between their scores, not simply whether both played well, and the rest of your roster still decides the result. The best leverage is a play that is genuinely good and still overlooked, not just a different one. Fading a popular player works the same way: if he falls short of the player you used instead, you gain on everyone who rostered him. Negative leverage is the reverse: if a popular player you skipped or went light on has a big game, everyone who rostered him gains on you.
Go Deeper
Articles that put Leverage to work.
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Example
Say two quarterbacks in the same shootout project within a point of each other, but one is expected at 25% ownership and the other at 6%. Rostering the 6% quarterback with his top receiver is leverage. If his side wins the scoring battle, you gain ground on every lineup built around the 25% quarterback, though the rest of your roster still decides where you finish.
Look for leverage on players connected to the chalk, like the other side of a popular game or a teammate who can steal the popular player's touches.
Heard on the Shows
This term has come up on 113 shows. Each line jumps to that moment of the video.
Common Questions
How do you calculate leverage in DFS?
Most tools compare how often a player lands in simulated optimal lineups with how often the field is projected to roster him. If he shows up in more optimal lineups than his ownership suggests, the field is underweight on him, and that gap is the leverage.
Does leverage matter in cash games?
Very little. In cash games you only need to beat around half the field, so a steady score matters more than being different. Leverage pays off in tournaments, where you have to pass thousands of lineups to reach the top.
Is a low-owned player always a leverage play?
No. A player can be low owned because he's a bad play. Leverage only exists when he is part of winning lineups more often than his ownership suggests, so a low-owned player with no path to a ceiling just makes your lineup weaker.