Nearly a decade since daily fantasy sports (DFS) gave a jolt to the industry, fantasy sports are arguably in as strong and diversified a position as ever. However, even with how well entrenched season-long, daily and several other variations of real money-based fantasy sports contests are, there still remains room for innovation.
Enter OwnersBox, which aims to give fantasy sports aficionados the best of both worlds. Positioned as a weekly fantasy product, OwnersBox avoids the marathon-like aspects of the season-long game while also circumventing what some consider the pitfalls of daily fantasy sports, especially those played on some of the industry's biggest sites.
There are certainly already season-long fantasy leagues for various sports that base their in-season scoring and transactions in weekly increments. However, OwnersBox, as will be elaborated on further, is the first major site to implement a real-money component that pays out winners weekly, even when a contest is ongoing.
The Basics
OwnersBox is about to transition from its beta phase into it's inaugural launch just in time for the 2020 NFL season. Initially, the site is set to offer contests in the following sports:
- NFL
- NHL
- NBA
- MLB
OwnersBox is accessible through both its web platform and iOS app.
Site/Account Logistics
Account creation:
Users wishing to sign up for OwnersBox must go through the standard account creation process, which includes providing basic identifying information:
- Password
- Username
- First and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Country
- State/Province
OwnersBox will also go through an identity verification process with each prospective sign-up to ensure each site user has only one account.
Deposit/Withdrawal:
At launch, OwnersBox is only able to process deposits and withdrawals by credit card, although the number of available methods is expected to eventually expand.
- A minimum amount of $10.00 is currently required for either deposits or withdrawals.
- Either process can be easily accomplished through the appropriate link under the "My Profile" section of a user account.
- Withdrawals may take up to five (5) business days.
User Ranks:
In an effort to ensure as equitable a competition as possible within the site's contests, OwnersBox has a ranking system for its users based on experience and success level within the site.
Each user will have a "rank icon" next to their username on the site that will correspond to their experience level. Additionally, the color of the rank icon will indicate how "hot" or "cold" site user is running relative to their recent success in two-person (H2H) contests on the site.
The experience component of OwnersBox ranking system is as follows:
- Rookie: 0-9 contests played
- Pro: 10-51 contests played
- Veteran: 52-159 contests played
- Hall-of-Famer: 160-319 contests played
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 2: 320-479 contests played
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 3: 480-639 contests played
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 4: 640-999 contests played
- G.O.A.T.: 1000+ contests played
The success indicator component of OwnersBox ranking system is as follows:
- Blue: 0-4 wins in last 10 Head-to-Head contests
- Yellow: 5 wins in last 10 Heat-to-Head contests
- Orange: 6-7 wins in last 10 Head-to-Head contests
- Red: 8+ wins in last 10 Head-to-Head contests
OwnersBucks:
OwnersBucks is OwnersBox's rewards program for users. OwnersBucks is a virtual form of currency only good for use in OwnersBox contests.
However, OwnersBucks can be converted to real money at a rate that is dependent on the User Ranks as described in the prior section; the higher the user rank, the higher the rate of conversion.
OwnersBucks accumulate at a base rate of 1.0% of the entry fee from any contest entered. Through contest entry, users begin building their OwnersBucks balance.
Depending on the user rank, a certain percentage of a user's OwnersBucks balance is convertible to real money every time they enter a contest. Users activate the conversion process in the OwnersBox platform.
The conversion rates by user rank are as follows:
- Rookie: 1.0%
- Pro: 1.5%
- Veteran: 2.0%
- Hall-of-Famer: 2.5%
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 2: 3.0%
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 3: 3.5%
- Hall-of-Famer Tier 4: 4.0%
- G.O.A.T.: 4.5%
Contest Offerings
OwnersBox will offer weekly, snake-draft contests that can run for as little as one week or as many as four depending on the number of participants. The multi-week contests feature a bracket-style format that progressively eliminates contestants at the conclusion of each head-to-head round.
As is standard with paid-entry fantasy sites, OwnersBox lists all of its available contests in a Virtual Lobby. Contests are grouped by type, sport, entry fee and size.
OwnersBox is offering its users the choice to compete against others in the site's fantasy player pool or do battle with friends and family in private leagues. However, the site goes beyond just the traditional dichotomy and offers an even more nuanced selection:
- Public contests: These contests are accessible through the OwnersBox lobby for each sport the site offers.
- Beginner-only contests: A subset of public contests, beginner-only contests are limited to users that have a Rookie Rank attached.
- OwnersBucks contests: Public contests that are fully funded with OwnersBucks.
- Friends contests: These contests are private, invitation-only contests set up by a site user.
- Group contests: These contests are also private and accessible by invite, and they are open to members of an in-site group the contest creator is a part of.
- Sponsored contests: This option allows a site user to create a contest and cover the entry fees for all participants.
OwnersBox is currently offering contests with the following entry fees:
- $1
- $3
- $5
- $10
- $25
- $50
- $100
- $250
- $500
- $1,000
As alluded to previously, the amount of participants in a given contest drives the length of it. OwnersBox structures its contests in the following manner:
- 2 Teams - Contest will run for 1 week
- 4 Teams - Contest will run for 2 weeks
- 8 Teams - Contest will run for 3 weeks
- 16 Teams - Contest will run for 4 weeks
Draft Formats
Once a user enters a contest and that contest fills to capacity, a live draft can begin either immediately afterwards or at a specific date and time.
Drafts are conducted in the traditional "snake" format that season-long fantasy players are familiar with. As with those formats, the order of selections is reversed for each round. The snake draft ensures there is no overlap whatsoever in players selected, unlike in in traditional DFS contests, where the same player can be selected by an unlimited number of users.
Each selection has a one-minute time limit. If that time limit is exceeded, the system makes an auto-pick selection. Each fantasy team consists of 10 total players, irrespective of sport.
Roster Format
OwnersBox roster formats vary by sport:
NFL Rosters: 1 quarterback (QB), 2 running backs (RB), 2 wide receivers (WR), 1 tight end (TE), 1 kicker (K), 3 defensive positions (DEF)
NBA Rosters: 2 point guards (PG), 2 shooting guards (SG), 2 small forwards (SF), 2 power forwards (PF), 2 centers (C)
MLB Rosters: 1 catcher (C), 1 first baseman (1B), 1 second baseman (2B), 1 shortstop (SS), 1 third baseman (3B), 3 outfielders (OF), 2 pitchers (P)
NHL Rosters: 5 Forwards (F), 3 Defense (D), 2 Goalies (G)
According to OwnersBox's official rules, if a player's real-world position changes after a draft has been completed, the new position will only be reflected in new contests.
Roster Logistics
- Each contest participant is allowed two lineup "swaps" per week in multi-week contests.
- Participants who've used both their swaps in a given week but still wish to make a player move and have no remaining game opportunities left for that position can submit a waiver request to add a player. If successful, that move will count against the following week's swap allotment, however.
- Waiver priority is determined by reverse draft order.
- Deactivating injured or suspended players in one's lineup does not count against one of the two allowable swaps for that week.
"Game Opportunities" Concept
OwnersBox contest strategy is driven heavily by the concept of "game opportunities", i.e. the number of real-world games an athlete in one's lineup has a chance to participate in during each seven-day week a contest is running.
Contest participants must pay close attention to the schedule of an athlete's team each week a contest is running to attempt to maximize the number of game opportunities. Contestants must also keep daily track of whether an athlete in their lineup has a game that day in order to make a start/bench decision on that player.
As with any fantasy contest, only athletes with an active designation within a contestant's lineup will accumulate fantasy points for that day.
On any occasion during a daily sport's season where there are no games scheduled league-wide, OwnersBox will remove the calendar day from the official contest week in order to ensure contests have seven days of game opportunities.
OwnersBox has set a maximum allowable amount of game opportunities per roster position per week, in order to prevent contestants from gaining an unfair advantage through lineup manipulation. The following are the maximum allowable game opportunities per roster position per week:
NFL:
- Quarterback - 1 game opportunity
- Running Back - 2 game opportunities
- Wide Receiver - 2 game opportunities
- Tight End - 1 game opportunity
- Kicker - 1 game opportunity
- Defensive Position - 3 game opportunities
NBA:
- Point Guard - 6 game opportunities
- Shooting Guard - 6 game opportunities
- Small Forward - 6 game opportunities
- Power Forward - 6 game opportunities
- Center - 6 game opportunities
MLB:
- First Baseman - 6 game opportunities
- Second Baseman - 6 game opportunities
- Third Baseman - 6 game opportunities
- Shortstop - 6 game opportunities
- Catcher - 6 game opportunities
- Outfield - 18 game opportunities
- Pitcher - 3 game opportunities
NHL:
- Forwards - 16 game opportunities
- Defense - 10 game opportunities
- Goalies - 4 game opportunities
Social/Community
OwnersBox aims to deliver a robust social component within its core products. As a promoter of modestly sized fantasy contests, the site is intent on facilitating interaction between contest participants as a way to enhance the overall camaraderie and entertainment aspect of playing fantasy sports.
OwnersBox features that support these goals include:
Group creation:
Users can create groups of fellow contestants within OwnersBox. Groups consist of the Owner (Creator), Administrator (designated by the Owner) and Members. Groups owners and administrators can invite or remove members and can also create private contests for the group to partake in.
Messenger function:
This feature allows site users to chat with designated friends or within pre-set groups they're members of within the site.
User leaderboard:
Tracks user performances sitewide, allowing contestants to see where they stack up in relation other OwnersBox users.
