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Best "Pick 'Em" Games for Sports Fans

Pick 'em games let you test sports knowledge by predicting outcomes, player props, or matchups without the complexity of full fantasy lineups. They're built for quick daily engagement, social competition, and real stakes via DFS platforms. You're not drafting entire rosters or managing weekly lineups. Just pick 2-8 player props, hit submit, and see if you're right.

January 25, 2026

Daily Fantasy Pick 'Em Platforms

The real-money prediction platforms:

Underdog Fantasy (Pick 'em & Rivals)

Rated 10/10 by Props.com for its blend of fantasy props and traditional DFS. Available in 41 states, Underdog offers Higher/Lower props (over/under on player stats) and Rivals (head-to-head matchups with point spreads).

The interface is mobile-first, letting you build 2-8 leg tickets. Hit all legs and you can win up to 100x your entry. Their Best Ball Mania contests feature a $10 million prize pool, with the winner taking $3 million — one of the largest payouts in DFS.

How It Works:

Pick 2-8 player props (McDavid over 0.5 points, Matthews over 1.5 shots, etc.)
All picks must hit to win
Payouts scale: 2-leg pays 3x, 8-leg pays 100x
Daily contests across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL

Perfect For: Sports fans who understand player performance but don't want to manage full fantasy rosters.

If you're into daily games like Wordle, try Gridzy Hockey — a quick NHL grid puzzle you can finish in two minutes (or spend 20 minutes obsessing over).

Sleeper Picks

Sleeper's pick 'em mode requires selecting 2-8 player props. You need every selection to hit, mirroring a parlay bet. Prizes top out at 100x for an 8-for-8 ticket.

Sleeper also runs customizable leagues, letting you compete with friends without switching apps. The only gap is that daily drafts are NFL-only, limiting multi-sport pick 'em variety.

Why Sleeper Works: The same app handles fantasy leagues, pick 'em contests, and group chats. Everything in one place.

Boom Fantasy

Launched in 2016, Boom offers multiple formats:

Toss-Ups: Over/Under props on player stats
Favorites: Head-to-head player matchups
Longshots: High-risk, high-reward props
Pick & Spin: Unique format with payouts up to 500x

Hit It lets you pick stat ranges (0-200 passing yards, 200-230, etc.) and still win 2x if you get one range correct, adding a safety net.

The Appeal: More format variety than Underdog or Sleeper. Different contest types keep things fresh.

Predictem

A free pick 'em hub where expert handicappers (Kevin West, Rich Crew) post daily picks across NFL, NBA, MLB, college sports, and horse racing. They emphasize Points Per Play efficiency metrics to identify value, and provide game previews with point-spread analysis.

No entry fees, but you can compare your picks against proven cappers. Think of it as a free education in sports prediction before you risk real money on DFS platforms.

Perfect For: Learning how professionals analyze games without spending money.

Need a daily brain game but want it sports-themed? Gridzy is a new NHL grid every day at 6:00am ET — perfect for your morning coffee scroll.

Traditional Pick 'Em Pools

No-stakes prediction games:

ESPN Streak for the Cash

Classic format where you pick winners straight up or against the spread. ESPN's Streak rewards consecutive correct picks with leaderboard glory and monthly prizes. Perfect for casual fans who want zero financial risk.

How Streaks Work: You're building consecutive correct picks. Get five in a row, feel invincible. Miss one, start over. The tension builds with each correct prediction.

Prize Structure: Monthly winners get prizes, but most players compete for bragging rights and leaderboard position.

Office Pools

The original pick 'em format. Everyone picks winners for the week, highest score wins. Usually run through Yahoo, ESPN, or custom spreadsheets.

Variations:

Straight up (just pick winners)
Against the spread (pick winners with point handicaps)
Confidence pools (rank picks 1-16, more points for harder picks)

Social Element: Office pools create workplace competition and conversation. Better than discussing weather.

Daily games are fun because they become rituals. Add Gridzy Hockey to your routine and see if you can go 9/9 on today's NHL grid.

DFS Pick 'Em Platform Comparison

Ranking by features and availability:

Best Overall: Underdog Fantasy

Available in 41 states
Best mobile interface
Largest prize pools ($10M Best Ball Mania)
Multi-sport coverage
Higher/Lower props easiest to understand

Best for Friend Groups: Sleeper

Custom leagues built-in
Group chat integration
Easy to organize private contests
NFL-focused limits multi-sport options

Best Format Variety: Boom Fantasy

Five different contest types
Safety net options (Hit It)
Payouts up to 500x
Smaller user base than Underdog/Sleeper

Best for Learning: Predictem

Free to use
Expert analysis included
No financial risk
Compare your picks to professionals

Beginner Pick 'Em Strategy

How to start winning:

Start with 2-leg tickets. The variance on 8-leg parlays is brutal. You might hit once in 100 tries. Two-leg tickets pay 3x and you'll hit them 25-30% of the time with decent research.

Focus on player props you actually know. If you're a hockey fan, stick to NHL props initially. McDavid over 0.5 points is safer than guessing on NBA player you've never watched.

Avoid 8-leg parlays until you understand variance. That 100x payout looks tempting but the math is brutal. You need to be correct 8/8 times. One bad pick ruins everything.

Research Sources:

Check injury reports before submitting
Look at recent performance trends (last 5 games)
Consider matchups (weak defense = more points)
Weather matters for outdoor sports (NFL)

Bankroll Management: Only play with money you can afford to lose. Set daily/weekly limits. DFS is entertainment, not income.

Social and Competitive Angle

How pick 'em creates community:

Leaderboards make competition visible. You're not just playing against the house. You're competing with thousands for top spots and bragging rights.

Friend leagues let you compete with people you know. Trash talk in group chat after your 5-leg ticket hits while theirs busted. This is the appeal.

Group chats amplify every win and loss. Screenshot perfect tickets, share bad beats, celebrate lucky bounces. Social element makes victories sweeter and losses more tolerable.

Pick 'em mirrors daily fantasy without the lineup crunch. You're not optimizing salary caps or choosing between three similar players. Just pick over/under on stats you understand.

The Verdict

Underdog Fantasy leads DFS pick 'em platforms with 41-state availability, $10M prize pools, and intuitive Higher/Lower props across all major sports. Sleeper Picks excels for friend groups with integrated leagues and group chat. Boom Fantasy offers most format variety with five contest types and 500x payouts.

Gridzy Hockey is Shurzy's daily NHL grid game where you pretend you're "just messing around" and then suddenly you're 15 minutes deep arguing with yourself about whether some 2009 fourth-liner qualifies as a 40-goal guy.

You get nine guesses to fill a 3×3 grid, you can't reuse players, and every pick is either a genius flex or instant regret — so yeah, it's basically hockey trivia with stakes.

New grid drops every day at 6:00am ET, which is perfect because nothing says "healthy morning routine" like panicking over who won the Lady Byng in 1998. If you think you know puck, prove it.

Go play Gridzy right now!

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