Sleeper vs Underdog

Sleeper and Underdog both offer player pick'em and Team Picks event contracts in one app. The clearest split is best ball: Underdog runs paid best ball tournaments, while on Sleeper best ball is a setting for free leagues. Their pick'em payouts, state lists and payment options differ too.

By the DFS Directory team. Checked Nov 2, 2026.

Which one fits you

Sleeper

Pick Sleeper if your season-long league already runs there. Its leagues are free, and Player Picks sits in the same app.
Pick Sleeper if you're in Massachusetts and want peer-to-peer fantasy pick'em. Sleeper lists Player Picks there, while Underdog surrendered its Massachusetts fantasy license in September 2026.
Pick Sleeper if you're new to pick'em and want small pools. Beginner Pools hold 20 entries with a $1 maximum entry fee.

Underdog

Pick Underdog if you want paid best ball. Its tournaments run from $3 to $1,000 per entry, and Daily drafts pay out the same day.
Pick Underdog if you deposit with Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Underdog's app listing names all three; Sleeper's Player Picks deposits exclude Mastercard.
Pick Underdog if you want several team picks in one entry. Underdog advertises parlays; Sleeper's FAQ says Team Picks currently go one pick per entry.

How pick'em pays

Sleeper Player Picks is peer-to-peer: you pick 2 to 8 players higher or lower, and your entry joins a pool of up to 5,000. First place in the pool wins 100x your entry, and hitting the required number of picks pays your entry times your VS Score regardless of the pool. Underdog Pick'em takes up to eight picks from at least two teams and pays up to 500x, and in Pick'em Champions your entry goes into a contest with other players. Underdog's minimum entry is $1; Sleeper's regular pools allow up to $500.

Best ball

Underdog's best ball tournaments run from $3 to $1,000 per entry. Its drafts page lists Best Ball Mania for the 2025 NFL season at $25, with 672,672 entrants and $2 million to first, and Daily drafts use 4-player lineups. On Sleeper, best ball is a Lineup Type you switch on in league settings, it's head-to-head only, and Sleeper's leagues have no fees or subscriptions.

Where you can play

On iOS, Sleeper lists Player Picks in 30 states plus DC, including California, Florida, Massachusetts and Texas, and in Canada outside Alberta and Ontario. It excludes 20 states, among them Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Underdog says it is live nationwide. In September 2026 it gave up its fantasy licenses in Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania but kept its CFTC-regulated products there. Its California page lists Predictions, Pick'em and Drafts.

Team Picks

Both sell event contracts on team outcomes, spreads and totals. Sleeper's are Kalshi markets reached through Sleeper Markets LLC, a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant; Team Picks currently go one per entry, and only some can be paired with Player Picks. Underdog's trade on its own CFTC-regulated exchange, UDX, with entries from $1 to $2,000, and it advertises parlays and entries that mix team and player picks.

Money, ages and owners

Sleeper takes Player Picks deposits by bank, Visa, Discover, Venmo or PayPal, caps deposits at $1,500 per 24 hours and limits withdrawals to $10 minimum, $1,000 per transaction and $5,000 per 24 hours. Underdog's app listing names Apple Pay, Amex, Visa, Mastercard, bank deposit, Google Pay, Venmo and PayPal. Sleeper's Player Picks age is 19 in Alabama and Nebraska and 21 in Massachusetts and Virginia; Underdog lists 19 in Alabama and Nebraska and 21 in Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia. Sleeper is a brand of Blitz Studios, Inc., and IG Group agreed in July 2026 to buy Underdog.

Side by side

Sleeper and Underdog compared
	Sleeper	Underdog
Contest types	Peer-to-peer pick'em, Prediction market, Season-long, Pools	Pick'em, Peer-to-peer pick'em, Best ball, Prediction market
States	31	35
Sports	NFL, CFB, NBA, CBB, WNBA, MLB, NHL, Golf, MMA, Boxing, Soccer, Tennis, Esports	NFL, CFB, NBA, CBB, WNBA, MLB, NHL, Golf, MMA, Soccer, Esports
Minimum age	18+	18+
Min deposit	—	$10
Payouts	ACH / bank transfer, Debit card, Check	PayPal, Trustly (online banking), Venmo, Debit card, Paysafe, Apple Pay
New-user offer	100% match on first Player Picks deposit, up to $100	New customers play $5, get $50 instantly; sign up with code UDPROMO (Underdog's App Store listing instead advertises a Gimme Pick plus up to $1,000 in bonus funds on a first deposit)
Canada	Yes	Yes
Founded	—	2020
Owner	Blitz Studios, Inc. (private); prediction markets via subsidiary Sleeper Markets LLC (CFTC-registered FCM)	Underdog Sports Holdings, Inc. (private); IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) agreed Jul 30, 2026 to acquire 100%, pending US regulatory approvals
	Visit Sleeper(opens in a new tab)	Visit Underdog(opens in a new tab)

The table is built from each listing's published details. See the Sleeper and Underdog profiles for their sources and check dates.

Sources and corrections

Last checked Nov 2, 2026. We wrote this page from the sources below, and each listing links its own. If something about Sleeper or Underdog has changed, let us know.