Short answer: Most well-known DFS tools, the optimizers and projection sites, are built for before the games. For following your lineups live, once they are locked, your realistic options are the DraftKings app's Scores tab (raw scores only), juggling several stat sites yourself, building your own spreadsheet, or a dedicated live tracker. Here is how they compare.
The options at a glance
| Option | Live fantasy points | Pace vs projection | Multiple entries and exposure | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DraftKings DFS app, Scores tab | No, raw scores only | No | No | Free |
| Multi-tab method (DK plus ESPN, Flashscore) | Partly, DK shows points | No | No | Free |
| Your own spreadsheet | Only what you build | Only if you build it | Only if you build it | Your time |
| Dedicated live tracker, e.g. LiveSlates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free tier, optional paid |
For LiveSlates specifically: live scoring, hot and cold, pace against the field and the optimal lineup are free; pace against your own projection, multiple entries and exposure are on the paid tier.
DraftKings DFS app, Scores tab
Since DK Live was retired, this is DraftKings' built-in live view. It is free and it is right there in the app. But it shows sports scores and play-by-play, not your fantasy lineup, so it will not tell you if you are on pace or which of your players is the problem. Fine for a glance, not for a serious sweat.
The multi-tab method
The old faithful: DraftKings open for your points, plus ESPN, Flashscore or the league site to see why a player is stuck. It is free and it works, but it is several tabs that do not talk to each other, and you are still doing the "am I on pace" maths in your head. Painful across more than one or two lineups.
Your own spreadsheet
Plenty of serious grinders build their own live sheet, pulling in stats and projections. Done well it is powerful and fully yours. The cost is real time, real maintenance, and it breaks the moment a feed changes. Great if you enjoy building tools, a lot of ongoing effort if you just want to watch your slate.
Pre-game optimizers and projection sites
Worth clearing up, because people expect these to help live: tools like optimizers and projection sites (Stokastic, FantasyLabs, LineStar and others) are mostly built for before lock, to help you build lineups. They are not primarily live, in-game lineup trackers. Live tracking, once your lineups are set, is a separate and much thinner category, which is the gap DK Live used to partly fill.
Dedicated live trackers
This is the category built for exactly this job: translate live play into fantasy points and show, in one place, your live total, whether you are on pace, who is hot or cold, and your optimal lineup. LiveSlates is one of these. It shows live scoring, hot and cold, pace against the field, the optimal lineup and a live wire of scores and big moments. On Pro you can import and auto-sync lineups, add your own projections to track pace against them, build your own board from a widget library, and roll up multiple entries for exposure.
It is free to build and track one lineup per slate (NFL and MLB live now, DraftKings only for now), with a no-signup demo. The paid tier covers importing, your own projections, custom boards, and multi-entry exposure for people firing bigger fields.
So which should you use?
- Enter one lineup and check back later? The DraftKings Scores tab is fine.
- Want to actually follow a lineup or two live? A dedicated tracker saves you the tab-juggling and the mental maths.
- Fire a big field and care about exposure? You want either a serious spreadsheet or a tracker that rolls up all your entries live.
Try it
See a dedicated live tracker in action on a replayed slate, no signup, at the NFL demo.
Common questions
Is there a live version of DK Live now? Not as a standalone app. DraftKings folded live scores into its DFS app Scores tab, which is scores only, not lineup tracking. Dedicated trackers fill the live-lineup gap.
What is the cheapest way to track lineups live? The DraftKings Scores tab and the multi-tab method are free. A dedicated tracker like LiveSlates has a free tier for one lineup per slate.
Do optimizers track my lineup live? Mostly no. Optimizers and projection sites are built for before the games, to help you build lineups, not to follow them live.