Understand point spreads in Pick'em games

Add a layer of difficulty and fun to your Pick'em game! Private group commissioners can enable picking against a point spread, instead of just choosing a winner. Yahoo Fantasy uses point spreads provided by the Associated Press that are updated each day. In weeks with Wednesday games, Wednesday's line will be the official spread for all games. For all other weeks, the official spread will be Thursday's line.

What is a point spread?

A point spread is the predicted scoring difference between a game's two opponents. If you choose the team that's favored, they have to win by more than the spread number in order for you to get credit for a correct pick. If you choose the underdog team, they must lose by less than the spread number (or win outright) in order for you to get credit for the correct pick.

Example scenario

If you pick Buffalo and they're favored to beat Dallas by 5 points, Buffalo has to win the game by 6 or more points in order for you to get credit for the win. Otherwise, if Dallas loses by less than 5 (or wins outright), you wouldn't get credit for the win. If Buffalo wins by exactly 5 points, the game is a push, and no users get credit for a victory.

Spread is "off"

If a point spread is listed as "off," this indicates that there is no official point spread set for the game. For example, this could happen when a team's star player is injured and it is unclear whether or not he will play. When the point spread is "off," you're simply picking which team will win the game. If a spread gets messed up, the commish can disqualify the game from being counted in your group.