Those participating in fantasy sports now more than ever seek guidance in their pursuit of prize money and bragging rights, and a lack of preparation potentially eliminates opportunities for victory on both a weekly and season-long basis. When it comes to fantasy advice in the ever-shifting industry, STATS’ predictive analytics team continues to set the standard.
According to a Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) study revealed in June, fantasy sports has grown into a $7.22 billion industry with 59.3 million participants in the U.S. and Canada in 2017. That’s a 3.3 percent increase from last year, making for the most players ever recorded in the FSTA’s 14-year history of its study.
The biggest shift in money spent has come over the last two years as Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) become the go-to for many fantasy players. Over a 12-month period in 2012, players spent an average of $5 on DFS compared to $60 on traditional fantasy games. The DFS number skyrocketed to $257 in 2015 and increased again last year to $318. Each of those amounts were double what players spent on tradition sports leagues both years, according to the FSTA.
Success in such games became more dependent on fantasy sports advice, as players spent an average of $54 last year, an increase from $46 in 2015 and a dramatic change from the mere $15 spent in 2012. Those materials range anywhere from traditional print magazines to premium web content, such as STATS’ exceptional fantasy projections.
“With the rising popularity of DFS, there is a greater demand for projections and the standard for accuracy is higher than ever before,” said Sean Koerner, STATS’ director of predictive analytics. “The sky really is the limit when it comes to how much money you can make if you are consistently using the top-notch projections when making lineup decisions.”
STATS has been ranked No. 1 in accuracy for weekly NFL rankings by FantasyPros in both 2015 and ’16, providing unmatched projections as players build their fantasy lineups each week. FantasyPros also ranked STATS as having the most accurate fantasy baseball projections the last three seasons.
STATS’ data science team has perfected a projection model that powers the award-winning fantasy rankings, taking into account every statistic and variable in order to ensure accuracy. Projecting player performance isn’t simply guessing a player will succeed on the field because he did so recently. There’s a science behind it, and the awards justify STATS having the best data in the world.
That includes STATS’ comprehensive player news and analysis generated promptly during a continuous news cycle, thanks to STATS’ acquisition of Automated Insights in 2015. The model has been enhanced while giving clients up-to-the-minute baseball news throughout the MLB season, and 2017 will be the first NFL season clients will experience the same with player and team data.
“We ensure our clients are getting the most up-to-date, detail-oriented, and accurate projections in the industry,” Koerner said.
