PrizePicks for NFL 2026:
Less Picks, Guarantee Picks and Team + Player Combos

What's New at a Glance

Four features are worth knowing before your first NFL lineup. Here's the short version before we go through each one.

Less Picks on Demons and Goblins

Quick refresher. On PrizePicks, a Demon is a harder pick that pays more, and a Goblin is an easier pick that pays less. Both show up as alternate projections on the same player stat. Until August, you could only pick More on them.

On August 21, PrizePicks announced that "Red Demon picks and green Goblin picks are no longer More-only." On select projections, you can now choose either side. The launch covered several MLB and WNBA stat types. PrizePicks' updated guide now lists the feature on "select stats across NFL, MLB, and WNBA."

How it works

The key idea: the same alternate line can be a Demon on one side and a Goblin on the other. PrizePicks' own example uses a player with alternate lines of 24.5 and 17.5 points:

• 24.5 points: More is the Demon (hard), Less is the Goblin (easy).
• 17.5 points: Less is the Demon (hard), More is the Goblin (easy).

So a Demon is no longer just a "this player goes off" bet. If you think a player has a quiet day, picking Less on a low alternate line is now a Demon, with Demon-style payouts.

That matters because, in PrizePicks' words, "adding Demons to your Lineup is the only way to reach PrizePicks' maximum 2000x payout, though the exact payout depends on your picks." Before, the only route to that ceiling ran through optimistic picks. Now a pessimistic read can get you there too.

How to use it for NFL

• Fade a role, not just a player. A Less Demon fits best when you have a concrete reason: a backup getting fewer snaps than people expect, a tough matchup, or a game where the script points away from that player.
• Watch the icon. PrizePicks shows the Demon or Goblin icon next to More or Less so you know which type of pick you're making. Check it every time. It's easy to grab the Goblin side of a line you meant to Demon.
• Check the payout before you submit. Mixing Demons and Goblins changes the multiplier. PrizePicks tells you to check your payout before submitting, and you should.
• Don't chase the 2000x. The max payout is a ceiling, not a target. A lineup built just to hit the top number is usually one built to lose.

PrizePicks says you can mix Demons, Goblins, standard Player Picks and, when eligible, Team Picks in the same lineup.

Guarantee Picks (Formerly Max Discounts)

On July 16, PrizePicks renamed Max Discounts to Guarantee Picks. The promo itself is the same. In PrizePicks' words, it's "0.5 projections on yards, points, strikeouts, and more stat types."

The mechanics:

• The projection is set at 0.5 for a limited time. Pick More, and the player needs to record just one of that stat for the pick to hit.
• "Each Guarantee Pick can only be used in one Lineup."
• They're limited-time offers and usually expire once the game locks.
• You'll find them in the Explore tab under Player Picks, or in the specific sport's tab.

How to use them

Since you get one use per Guarantee Pick and it disappears at lock, the main decision is which lineup to put it in. A few rules of thumb:

• Pair it with your highest-conviction picks. A near-certain leg doesn't rescue a shaky lineup. It's most valuable alongside picks you already like.
• Check that the player is active. In the NFL, inactive lists come out shortly before kickoff. A 0.5 line on a player who doesn't suit up is a 0.5 line that isn't going to hit.
• Grab it early. They usually expire once the game locks, so if you see one you want, decide before kickoff.

New: Team + Player Lineups for the NFL

This is the big one, and it launched today. PrizePicks announced "two new ways to make your NFL picks," also covering college football, MLB, WNBA and more:

• A lineup with up to 4 Team Picks (winners, spreads and totals) plus Player Picks.
• A Team Picks-only lineup with up to 6 picks.

Before this, Team Picks were much more limited. Users "could only combine 1 winner, spread or total pick with 2-5 players," and as of August, Team Picks covered only NBA, WNBA and MLB.

The fine print

PrizePicks' "What You Need to Know" section lays out the rules:

• "Combined Team + Player Pick Lineups are Power Play only – all picks must be correct to get a payout."
• Eligible Team Picks are winners, spreads and total points (over/under).
• Up to 4 Team Picks plus 2 Player Picks in one lineup, or up to 6 Team Picks with no Player Picks.
• Your 2 Player Picks must be from different teams.
• You can't combine a team's spread and its game-winner pick in the same lineup.

Other parts of the same announcement describe the combinations a bit more loosely. Before you build, confirm in the lineup builder what it will actually accept.

Why PrizePicks is pushing this

This isn't a one-off. Allwyn, PrizePicks' parent company, said in its second-quarter results in late August that it is "enabling players to combine PlayerPicks with a TeamPick within a single line-up, integrating prediction markets alongside DFS." PrizePicks' standalone net revenue grew 3% year over year in the quarter on a constant-currency basis. Expect the company to keep pushing combined lineups.

How to use Team + Player lineups well

The appeal is obvious. You can finally put your whole read on a game into one entry. The risk is just as obvious. Every leg must hit.

• Build around one read. If you like a team to win comfortably, a Team Pick on that team plus a Player Pick that benefits from the same script is a coherent entry. Picks that each need a different game script are not.
• Mind the "different teams" rule. Your two Player Picks can't come from the same team, so you can't stack a quarterback with his own receiver here. Think about pairing a player with a player on the opposing team whose stats rise in the same game script.
• Fewer legs, more often. A six-leg all-or-nothing entry pays well because it rarely hits. If you're adding legs only to raise the multiplier, stop.
• Use the spread like a pro. Since you can't pair a team's spread with its winner pick, pick the version that actually reflects your view. If you think a favorite wins but it's close, the winner pick fits. If you think it rolls, the spread does.

If you're new to reading spreads and totals, our guide to using Vegas lines for DFS covers the basics.

Flex Friday Protected Play Is Back

One promo worth putting on your calendar: PrizePicks brought Protected Plays back to its weekly Flex Friday promo as of June 5. How it works:

• Starting at 12 a.m. ET every Friday, opt in through the Rewards tab to claim your free Protected Play for the week.
• Use it on one Flex Play lineup. Flex Play lineups require 3-6 picks.
• If your Flex lineup doesn't hit, your losses come back to your account as Bonus Lineups.

Two notes for NFL players. Friday has no NFL games on most weeks, so check in the app whether the Protected Play has to be used on the day you claim it, or use it on other sports. And since combined Team + Player lineups are Power Play only, the Flex Friday protection doesn't apply to them. Check the promo's terms in the app for exact eligibility.

How Underdog Compares

Underdog has been busy too, just in a different direction. In July it launched UDX, its own exchange for event contracts inside the Underdog app. It had previously worked with Crypto.com and later Kalshi. Underdog acquired a Designated Contract Market and a Derivatives Clearing Organization in March, and combined with its existing Futures Commission Merchant registration, Underdog says it now runs the whole stack itself.

Then on July 30, IG Group agreed to acquire Underdog for $1.1 billion upfront. Closing is expected in late 2026 or early 2027, pending regulatory approvals, and IG says Underdog will operate as a commercially standalone business. According to IG, Underdog had nearly 1 million monthly active users.

For a pick'em player, the takeaway is that both apps are now part fantasy, part prediction market. The pick'em payout structures still differ, and that's where most of your edge or leak lives. Our payout comparison and Underdog vs PrizePicks breakdown walk through the differences. Availability for both companies varies by state, so check your state.

A Week 1 Game Plan

Week 1 has the least information of any NFL week. Roles, snap counts and play-calling tendencies are mostly guesses until we've seen real games. Here's how we'd use the new tools:

1. Start small and simple. Two- and three-pick entries before six-leggers. The new features don't change the fact that Week 1 data is thin.
2. Use Guarantee Picks as anchors. When one drops on a player you know is active, put it in your best-researched lineup.
3. Try one Team + Player lineup built on a single game read. Keep it to a few legs and size it smaller than your Player Picks entries, since it's all-or-nothing.
4. Save Less Demons for real fades. If you have a specific reason a player's role is overrated, that's your spot. If you don't, skip it.
5. Plan your Flex Friday entry. If you'll be playing NFL anyway, a protected Flex lineup is the lowest-risk way to do it.

And keep the bankroll basics. Our 1% bankroll rule applies to pick'em entries the same way it applies to salary-cap contests.

The Bottom Line

PrizePicks enters the 2026 NFL season with more ways to build a lineup than ever. Less on Demons and Goblins lets a fade reach the top payouts. Guarantee Picks are still the 0.5-line promo you know, just renamed, and still not an actual guarantee. The new Team + Player lineups put game and player reads in one entry, but they're Power Play only and depend on Team Picks being available in your state.

Used with a clear read and modest sizing, these are useful tools. Used to inflate multipliers, they're an efficient way to lose money faster. Check your state, check your payout before you submit, and start small while Week 1 sorts itself out. For our full take on the platform, read our PrizePicks review.