(Courtesy of Rotoworld)
Leading fantasy news site Rotoworld is debuting NHL and NBA toolkits this season that allow players to build smarter lineups using a lineup simulator.
Rotoworld, an NBC Sports-owned platform, released a similar daily fantasy sports toolkit for the NFL back in August. Rotoworld’s algorithms analyze various statistics to help FanDuel, Yahoo!, and DraftKings players simulate up to 150 potential lineups based on player projections, team statistics, and news.
The lineup optimizer tool gives users their own personal twist on the algorithm-based results by giving them the ability to exclude any player, lock a player into place, or set a maximum percentage of lineups that use a player. The toolkit’s “Next Man Up” feature lets users select any player and statistically re-simulate how the game will turn out with that player removed.
Custom projections is another feature included in both the NBA and NHL toolkits. The projections can be based off a player’s last one, three, five, 10, or 20 games, all current season games, head-to-head matchups, home vs. away splits, and games with similar odds. Search preferences can be saved as a custom projection and can be exported to the optimizer tool for use in any contest.
In preparation for the leagues’ respective 2018/19 seasons, the NHL DFS toolkit will be released Sept. 26 and the NBA kit will be available Oct. 9. The 2018 Rotoworld NHL DFS toolkit is priced at $49.99 while the NBA product is $79.99.
SportTechie Takeaway
The fantasy sports industry is expected to continue to grow exponentially due to the recent legalization of sports betting in the U.S. As a result, many companies are developing algorithm-enhanced products that can help fantasy players make informed decisions regarding drafting, betting, and building lineups.
DraftKings recently partnered with iSport Genius in a collaboration that provides users with data-driven analysis when using the DraftKings online sportsbook. In a similar vein, CBS Sports announced in August that it would offer fantasy players solicited advice via the voice-enabled Google Assistant system.
