NFL Tiers Basics
NFL Tiers on Splash Sports provide a new twist on traditional fantasy football. Unlike season-long fantasy formats, Tiers games allow you to draft a new roster of players every week throughout the NFL season. You can even create contests for specific slates in a week, like the 1 PM EST games, the Monday Night Football game, or choose every available game for that week. However you play, your roster is in your hands. There are no positional requirements in Tier games on Splash Sports, meaning you don’t need a certain number of running backs, wide receivers, or quarterbacks. Fill up your pick sheet with QBs, go with the bell-cow running backs, or stack your favorite QB-TE combo. No matter how you play, your goal is simple: outscore your opponents to win the cash.
Making Your Picks
The process of selecting players within the NFL Tiers format includes how to make picks and any limitations on player choices. For each slate, we’ll break the players up into tiers. For any given Tiers contest, there will be between 4 and 8 tiers. Your Commissioner will determine the number of tiers for your contest. Once you’ve reviewed your contest details and know how many players to pick, it’s time to make your selections! All Tiers contests on Splash Sports use fantasy points scoring (more on that below), meaning the players you choose will earn points based on their in-game performance. It’s crucial to review the scoring settings before making your picks so you’re equipped with the right information to win. There are plenty of different strategies to consider while making your Tiers picks.
One strategy is the QB-WR/TE stack. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy that involves selecting a quarterback and then selecting a receiver or tight end (or both, go crazy!) from the same team. When executed, the stack strategy can push you ahead of your competition. But if your QB has an off game or decides to target a different receiver than you selected, you could be looking at a wasted pick. It’s crucial to analyze each matchup, weigh your options in each tier, and make informed selections to maximize your chances of winning.
Contest Formats and Gameplay Variations
If you want a quick one-week contest or a longer-format challenge, the game can adapt to different play styles. Below is a simple breakdown of the main contest variations so you can choose the format that best fits your schedule and approach.
- Single-Slate Tiers: The most straightforward format. You make one set of picks for a specific slate, such as a single game, a Sunday main slate, or another defined group of matchups. This format is ideal if you want a focused contest with one clear deadline and one scoring period. It keeps the experience simple and fast, while still giving you the freedom to build a lineup around your favorite players and matchup reads.
- Multi-Slate and Season-Long Tiers: It spans multiple weeks or even the entire NFL season. You keep competing over a longer schedule, which adds more planning and lineup management. These formats can also include features such as player-use limits, which make it more important to think ahead before locking in stars.
- Gameplay Variations That Change Strategy: Some contests include settings that change how the game plays from slate to slate. Other contests may vary by the number of tiers or the slate structure itself, which affects how you build your roster. These variations create different strategic paths and give contest commissioners more flexibility.
The different contest formats available in NFL Tiers include multi-slate options and variations in gameplay. The format you choose can shape both your strategy and your enjoyment.
Fantasy Scoring
One must understand how scoring is determined in NFL Tiers contests, including the point system and the process for choosing winners. Every Tiers contest on Splash Sports uses the same fantasy scoring format. At this time, we are unable to offer customized scoring options. Specific scoring details can be found in the “Rules” section of your contest details page. After you’ve drafted your lineup for the given slate, your picks will start to earn fantasy points based on their in-game performance. Different positions receive different points based on their performance, so it’s important to review the contest details to make sure you maximize your scoring opportunities.
In-Contest Communication Features
While the gameplay centers on building a strong lineup, the platform also provides a way for participants to connect during the contest, making the experience more engaging, especially in private or friend-based contests.
- Live Chat Keeps the Contest Social: In-contest chat gives participants a built-in place to talk while the slate is in progress. Instead of switching to a separate messaging app, players can react to big plays, comment on standings, and share quick banter in the same contest environment. That keeps the conversation organized and tied to what is happening on the field. It also makes the contest feel more communal.
- A Better Way to Razz Opponents in Real Time: The chat feature is a simple but effective way to add personality to a Tiers contest. Participants can joke about hot starts, unlucky breaks, or underperforming players without cluttering a group text thread. Because the conversation stays inside the context, it is easier to follow and more relevant to the action.
- Useful for Private Contests and Group Play: In-contest communication is especially helpful when you are playing in a private group. Friends can keep all their reactions and commentary in one place, making it easier to stay engaged throughout the contest. This is a good fit for casual leagues, office groups, or recurring game nights where conversation is part of the fun. It adds a social layer to the contest without changing how the game itself is played.
- Keeps the Focus on the Contest Itself: A key benefit of in-contest chat is that it keeps participant interaction focused on the contest rather than scattered across different apps. That makes it easier to follow along with the discussion while checking your picks and standings. For users who want a more connected experience, the feature provides a straightforward way to stay involved and react in the moment. It supports the social side of Tiers without distracting from the competition.
In-contest communication adds a useful layer to Splash Sports Tiers by making contests feel more interactive, especially for groups that enjoy competing and talking through the action in real time.
Settings to Consider
Drop Your Worst
Let’s face it, there’s always a dud in your lineup. Whether it’s an unexpected injury, your star wide receiver gets locked down by an elite cornerback, or your QB pick does his best Nathan Peterman impression for a game, the Drop Your Worst setting ensures that one bad pick won’t ruin your lineup.
Drop Your Worst is exactly what it sounds like. Your worst pick won’t count toward your overall score. We’ll automatically exclude that pick from your score, so you don’t need to worry about manually tallying your score either! Commissioners can choose to include 1 or 2 dropped picks for Tier contests. This information will be available on the contest details page, so make sure to review the rules and settings before making your picks.
Player Use Limits
These are designed to keep multi-week and season-long NFL Tiers contests from turning into repeat-the-same-stars exercises. The contest can cap how many times that player may be used over the course of the contest. That means every selection carries more long-term value, because saving a top option for the right slate can matter as much as picking the best player in the moment. It also encourages broader roster planning, since you may need to spread usage among several strong players rather than relying on a single obvious favorite. The limit applies within the contest format itself, so once a player reaches the maximum number of allowed uses, they are no longer available in later slates of that contest. The exact cap depends on the contest settings, so it is important to check the Rules or contest details before submitting picks. For players entering a longer Tiers contest, this feature adds another layer of strategy: you are not only choosing who you think will score well this week, but also deciding when to deploy a player across the full contest schedule. That makes lineup management more thoughtful, more competitive, and more rewarding for careful planning.
Deposits and Payouts
Deposits and payouts are part of the real-money side of NFL Tiers on Splash Sports. Here’s a clear 5-part breakdown of the process, focused on how to fund your account and how winnings are handled.
- Make a Deposit Before Joining a Contest: Before you enter an NFL Tiers contest, add funds to your Splash Sports account so you can pay the entry fee. The platform is designed for real-money play, so having money available in your account helps you join contests without delay.
- Use the Built-In Payment Flow: Deposits are handled directly on the platform, with Paysafe supporting a safe, seamless funds experience. That means you can complete the funding process in the app or on the site instead of managing payments elsewhere.
- Enter Contests With Funds Ready: Once your account is funded, you can join any contest and pay the entry fee. Keeping money in your account makes it easier to register quickly when you find a slate you want to play.
- Receive Payouts Automatically When You Win: It handles payouts to winners, so successful contest results are processed through the platform rather than the Commissioner manually collecting and distributing funds. This keeps the payout process streamlined for participants.
- Withdraw Winnings Safely and Efficiently: After your winnings are credited, you can withdraw your money. The platform emphasizes safe, efficient withdrawals, so the process is designed to let you access your funds without extra hassle.
NFL Tiers on Splash Sports are designed to keep both deposits and payouts simple. Fund your account, join your contest, and let the platform handle the rest so you can focus on making picks and competing.
Handling Player Injuries or Absences
If a selected player gets injured or does not play, that pick simply earns zero points for the slate. There are no automatic substitutions, late swaps, or replacement picks after the deadline, so once your lineup is submitted, it is locked for that contest period. That makes pre-lock injury checking one of the most important parts of preparing your entry. Before the slate starts, review the injury report, monitor final status updates, and pay close attention to players listed as doubtful or out.
If that player ends up missing the game entirely, the result is still the same: no points are awarded for that spot in your lineup. If the player is active but leaves early due to injury, the contest is based on the points they earned while on the field, and any remaining opportunity is lost once they stop playing. In formats that include a Drop Your Worst setting, a non-performing or zero-point player may be excluded from your total if that is your lowest score for the slate, which can soften the impact of bad news before kickoff. However, that feature does not change the fact that the selected player still counts toward your lineup decision at lock. Because NFL Tiers does not allow in-contest substitutions, the best way to protect yourself is to make conservative final decisions when there is meaningful injury risk. Choosing healthy players with stable workloads and avoiding last-minute surprises can help reduce the chance that an unavailable player costs you a competitive edge.
Start Playing
Join an NFL Tiers contest on Splash Sports today! We have guaranteed contests running all season long, plus you can create a contest and compete against your friends for cold, hard cash. Draft a new lineup every week without the stress of managing a roster through the whole season, dealing with injuries, or trying to negotiate trades with that stubborn manager. Just pick a new team each week, outscore the field, and win cash. Download the Splash Sports app and start competing!
