Randomness turns one optimal lineup into a pool of hundreds of different good lineups. Each lineup is built on projections nudged up or down, so different players win the salary comparison in different lineups. Smart Randomness sizes the nudge to each player's own volatility. Manual Randomness applies one flat percentage to everyone.
Before you start
- Open the sheet with Build and stay on the Basic tab. See The Basic tab.
- The Floor and Ceiling columns in the Player Pool show each player's range. See Read the player grid.
Step by step
- Under Randomness on the Basic tab, leave Smart Randomness on.
- Click a tier: Minimum, Moderate, or Aggressive.
- For a flat percentage instead, turn Smart Randomness off and type a percentage in Manual Randomness.
- Click Build in the footer.
Every control
| Control | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Randomness | On uses the tiers. Off uses the manual field, or builds the exact top lineups when the field is 0. | On |
| Minimum | A small nudge. Lineups stay near the projected optimum. | Selected |
| Moderate | A medium nudge. A wider pool with more of the field's non-obvious plays. | |
| Aggressive | The largest nudge. Lineups reach deep into each player's range. | |
| Manual Randomness | A flat percentage, 0 to 100, applied to every player's projection. | 0 |
| Divide Between Players | Splits the manual percentage across the players in a lineup. | Off |
How it works
Smart Randomness
A safe running back and a boom-or-bust receiver can both project at 15 points, but they should not be shaken by the same amount. Smart Randomness scales the nudge to each player's volatility. The tier sets how much of that range the build uses: Minimum a small share, Moderate about half, Aggressive the full range.
The Player Pool's Rdm % column shows the percentage each player gets. Type over any cell to override one player.
Manual Randomness
With Smart Randomness off, every player takes the flat value from Manual Randomness. A value of 20 lets every projection move up to 20% in either direction. Divide Between Players spreads that budget across the lineup, so each player moves less.
Randomness off
Smart Randomness off with Manual Randomness at 0 builds the exact top lineups your rules allow, up to 500 lineups. Each lineup is the highest-projected lineup that is still available after the lineups before it, on the unchanged projections. Every setting still applies: exposure caps, Min Unique Players, stacks, group rules, and sport rules. The same settings and projections give the same lineups every time.
An exact build can take longer than a Smart Randomness build, because every lineup must be proven the best one left. If the rules leave fewer lineups than you asked for, the build says "No more lineups satisfy the rules". If time runs out first, the build keeps the lineups it built, the first lineups of the full build in the same order, and says "This Randomness Off build ran out of time after {built} lineups".
Above 500 lineups, the build uses Smart Randomness at the selected tier. When you enter a lineup count above 500, or set Manual Randomness to 0 above 500, the Smart Randomness switch turns on and a message says so. A new build tab, a playbook, or a template that leaves more than 500 lineups turns the switch on too, and so does a Hero Chat change to a count above 500. If you turn the switch off above 500 and leave Manual Randomness at 0, the build tells you with "Due to speed and the level of constraints, we've automatically turned on Smart Randomness for this build." For an exact build, set the count to 500 or fewer and turn Smart Randomness off.
Randomness never changes the projections in the grid or the projection the lineups are scored on. It only changes which lineups the optimizer finds. Exposure caps, stacks, group rules, and sport rules still apply.
Guidance by contest type
| Contest | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cash, 50/50, double up | Minimum, or off for your exact top lineups (up to 500) | You want the highest floor, not diversity. |
| Single entry GPP | Minimum or Moderate | One lineup close to optimal with a little leverage. |
| 3 to 20 entry GPP | Moderate | Enough variance to spread across a few different game scripts. |
| 150 entry and large field GPP | Moderate or Aggressive | A wide pool that reaches into ceilings, paired with a max exposure cap. |
| Showdown | Moderate | The captain choice already differentiates lineups. |
Tips
- Combine randomness with the Exposure tab. Randomness makes the pool diverse, the cap makes sure it stays diverse.
- If a pool feels samey at Moderate, raise Min Unique Players before you raise randomness.
- Do not use Manual Randomness above 30. The pool starts to include lineups far below the optimum.
Troubleshooting
The pool has many near-duplicate lineups : the tier is too low for the count. Move up a tier or raise Min Unique Players on the Basic tab.
Lineups project far below the optimal : Manual Randomness is high, or Aggressive is combined with a small pool. Lower the setting or use Min Total Projection under Constraints to set a floor on the lineup's total.
Randomness is off, but the build used Smart Randomness : the build asked for more than 500 lineups. Set the lineup count to 500 or fewer for an exact build.
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