Rules & Scoring

(Last Updated 10/29/2026)

NFL Snake Showdown

In snake showdown drafts, entrants draft a lineup via a live draft. After the draft is completed, there is no lineup management. Prizes are paid based on cumulative fantasy points scored by each entry.

Entry and participation in each snake showdown draft must be made only as specified in the Terms of Use and these Contest Rules. Failure to comply with the Terms of Use and these Contest Rules will result in disqualification and, if applicable, prize forfeiture.

Scoring

Scoring Notes

• Kickers are only eligible for extra points and field goals made. Non-kickers are not eligible for these scoring categories.
• The following scoring plays will result in Points Allowed by your Defense/Special Teams ("DST"):
  • Rushing TDs, Passing TDs, Offensive Fumble Recovery TDs, Punt Return TDs, Kick Return TDs, FG Return TDs, Blocked FG TDs, Blocked Punt TDs
  • 2 Point Conversions
  • 2 Point Conversion/Extra-Point Returns
  • Extra-Points
  • Field-Goals
• A fumble recovery will be awarded to a Defense/Special Teams if the team's offense recovers a fumble by the opposing defense (e.g. after an offensive turnover).

Lineup Requirements

Lineups will consist of four (4) selections and must include selections from at least two (2) different NFL teams. After the conclusion of the draft, if a player in an entrant's lineup switches teams, leaving the lineup with only selections from one (1) NFL team, such lineup will be voided.

The four (4) lineup positions are:

The highest scoring selection at each lineup position are automatically the entrant's starting lineup, and the non-starting selection makes up the entrant's bench. Fantasy points for the selection on the bench do not count toward an entrant's fantasy point total.

Player Pool

The Player Pool will consist of NFL Defense/Special Teams ("DST") as well as players expected to be on an active roster for any NFL team at the time the pool is created and may include players that are not on an NFL team at the time the pool is created. Players in the Player Pool will receive fantasy points for the team they play for, regardless of any trades or transactions that may occur.

The Player Pool may include DSTs and players from games that are not eligible, or become ineligible, to accrue fantasy points for the contest (for example only, players in a game that is canceled within twenty four (24) hours of the start of the contest’s Scoring Period (as defined below)). In the event you draft any DST(s) or player(s) that is, or becomes, ineligible to accrue fantasy points for the contest, such DST(s) or player(s) will remain in your lineup but will not accrue any fantasy points.

Note: DraftKings reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to exclude certain positions (i.e. Quarterbacks) from the Player Pool.

Draft Start Time

Snake showdown drafts will begin once the required number of entrants enter the draft. There will be a two-minute countdown period between the time the snake showdown draft fills and the time the countdown begins for the first pick of the draft. The draft order is randomly determined once the draft fills. Entrants are permitted to withdraw entries prior to the draft filling.

Pick Clock

Snake showdown drafts are fast drafts. Entrants have thirty (30) seconds to make each pick.

Draft Requirements

To be eligible for prizes in snake showdown draft contests, an entrant must take at least one (1) of these three (3) actions:

1. Edit the DraftKings default pre-draft rankings.
2. Add a player or Defense/Special Teams ("DST") to their draft queue during the draft.
3. Make a manual draft pick during the draft.

Failure to take at least one of these actions will result in an invalid entry. Invalid entries will remain in the contest while not accruing fantasy points. Entry fees for invalid entries will not be refunded.

Pre-Draft Rankings

DraftKings provides default pre-draft player rankings. Entrants can create a personalized draft ranking by editing the DraftKings default pre-draft player rankings. The last saved version of an entrant's draft rankings are automatically imported once the draft starts. Entrants can edit their draft rankings at any time.

Changes made to pre-draft positional limits will apply to all drafts with the same Game Set, inclusive of any ongoing drafts.

Auto-Draft

When auto-draft is enabled or if an entrant does not make a selection before their clock expires, DraftKings will auto-draft for the entrant based on the following logic and in the following order:

1. The highest ranked undrafted player or Defense/Special Teams ("DST") from an entrant's draft queue will be automatically selected.
2. If there are no undrafted players or DSTs in the entrant's draft queue and the entrant edited the DraftKings default pre-draft rankings, the highest ranked player or DST from the entrant's edited draft rankings will be automatically selected.
3. If an entrant did not edit the DraftKings default pre-draft rankings, the highest available ranked player or DST from the DraftKings default pre-draft rankings will be automatically selected.

Entrants can add players and DSTs to the "excluded" list. Players and DSTs on the excluded list will be auto-drafted only when required to create a valid lineup (i.e., if the player on the excluded list is the last remaining player from a team and is needed in the entrant's lineup in order for the lineup to have players from at least two (2) different NFL teams). Players and DSTs on the excluded list can be manually drafted and can be auto-drafted from the entrant's draft queue.

Auto-draft can be enabled or disabled in the draft settings. When auto-draft is enabled, auto-draft will make the selection at the beginning of an entrant's turn in the draft, and the entrant will not receive push notifications for the draft. For clarity, in the event an entrant has disabled auto-draft, but has not made a selection prior to the end of the entrant's turn, auto-draft will make a selection for the entrant at the end of the entrant's turn.

On certain occasions, DraftKings may "disable" players from being eligible for selection by auto-draft, including, but not limited to, players that are no longer eligible to score fantasy points. These disabled players can be manually drafted, but they will not be eligible to be auto-drafted regardless of an entrant's draft rankings or draft queue.

Draft Cancellations

DraftKings may cancel a completed draft prior to the start of the contest in its sole and absolute discretion, including, but not limited to, when necessary to protect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the contest.

If for any reason the draft does not finish before the contest starts, or cannot run as originally planned, then the draft will be canceled and entrants refunded. In the event a draft remains unfilled, DraftKings will cancel the draft and refund the entrants.

If a completed draft is canceled, the entrants will be informed with entries refunded. For more information, please see the Terms of Use.

DraftKings may disqualify and void any entry(ies) at any time, including after the contest has started, in its sole and absolute discretion, including, but not limited to, in instances where an entry corrupts or affects the fairness, integrity, security, or proper conduct of a contest.

Disqualified or invalid entries will not earn fantasy points or be eligible for prizes, and entry fees will not be refunded.

Scheduling Changes

The policies in this section are meant to cover how DraftKings will deal with disruptions to games due to any extenuating circumstances. However, because of the unpredictability of scheduling disruptions, DraftKings reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to amend these rules based on how specific situations may play out.

The "Scoring Period" for NFL Snake Showdown contests is defined as the timeframe between the scheduled start date and time (as of the contest's posting) of the game for the contest's Game Set and 11:59 pm prevailing eastern time on the first Wednesday after the scheduled start date (as of the contest's posting) of the game within the contest's Game Set.

Canceled Game

In the event that the game in the contest's Game Set is canceled before such game starts, DraftKings will cancel the contest and refund entry fees.

Rescheduled Game

In the event the start date of the game in the contest's Game Set is changed after the contest is posted, and the change is made LESS than twenty four (24) hours before the start of the contest's Scoring Period:

1. If the game starts before the end of the contest's Scoring Period, and the game is not interrupted (as reported by DraftKings third party stat provider), fantasy points accrued in the game will count for contest scoring.
2. If the game starts before the end of the contest's Scoring Period, but the game is interrupted (as reported by DraftKings third party stat provider) and not resumed prior to the end of the contest's Scoring Period, only fantasy points accrued prior to the interruption will count for contest scoring.
3. If the game starts outside of the contest's Scoring Period, DraftKings will cancel the contest and refund entry fees.

In the event the start date of a game in the contest's Game Set is changed after the contest is posted, and the change is made MORE than twenty four (24) hours before the start of the contest's Scoring Period, DraftKings may, in its sole and absolute discretion:

1. Continue with the contest, and score the contest based on any fantasy points accrued by players in the rescheduled game.
2. Cancel the contest and refund entry fees.

The start date of a game is deemed to be changed once the start date of the game is updated by DraftKings' third-party stats-provider.

Interrupted Game

In the event DraftKings third party stat provider reports that the game in the contest’s Game Set is "interrupted" after the game starts:

1. If the game was declared interrupted PRIOR to the end of the game’s first half, and the game does not resume prior to the end of the contest's Scoring Period, DraftKings will cancel the contest and refund entry fees.
2. In the event the game was declared interrupted AFTER the end of the game’s first half:
   1. Any fantasy points accrued in that game prior to the end of the contest’s Scoring Period will count for contest scoring.
   2. If the game is resumed before the end of the contest’s Scoring Period, any fantasy points accrued in that game after the interruption (but before any subsequent interruption where the game is not resumed before the end of the contest’s Scoring Period) will count for contest scoring.
   3. If the game is resumed after the end of the contest’s Scoring Period, fantasy points accrued in that game after such interruption will not count for contest scoring.

Scoring and Stat Corrections

Live scoring updates are strictly for the enjoyment of DraftKings' customers. DraftKings' official scoring validation uses statistics deemed official by the NFL prior to payout.

On occasion, the NFL or DraftKings third-party stats provider may issue a stat-correction after DraftKings’ scoring validation process has been completed. After DraftKings’ scoring validation process is completed, scoring will not change regardless of any statistics or scoring adjustments made by the NFL or DraftKings’ third-party stats provider at later times or dates.

If a correction needs to be made after the scoring and validation process is finalized due to an error with the data feed or the scoring and validation process, while extremely rare, DraftKings may, in its sole and absolute discretion, for any reason or no reason, reverse and/or recalculate the scoring and validation process.