This is a free article from our MLB premium DFS strategy series. See the rest of our premium DFS strategy articles here.

We are getting the 2016 MLB DFS season started off right with this short beginner's series detailing everything you need to know in order to get acclimated to MLB DFS. This article will examine the new formatting and scoring system that FanDuel users will experience in the new season.

You've hopefully already read our first article in this FanDuel strategy series, so now let's delve a little further into the two major rule changes that took place this offseason at FanDuel to see how they can possibly effect your game theory.

No More Negative Points for Hitters That Make An Out

This is a critical change for 2016 because unlike DraftKings, FanDuel has always penalized you by .25 points if your hitter made an out of any kind. Now that the playing field across both sites is leveled, you can start to take more riskier players into account when constructing your lineups for cash games and large field tournaments on Fanduel.

There are a few examples here of players who will gain marginal value from this rule change. Those profiles are boom or bust power hitters, light hitting leadoff guys and one trick pony rabbits (speed guys).

Boom Or Bust Power Hitters

Say for example Mark Reynolds is at home in Colorado and getting a start this season versus a left handed pitcher. You can feel better if you decide to use him in a tournament and he whiffs 4 times because at least with the new scoring system, he gets a zero and not a sever -1 he would have gotten you last year.

The way to rationalize that is simple; the upside is certainly there for him to go yard, or at least have a good day at the dish and put up a good return on investment. Now with a capped floor for hitters, you can make those kinds of decisions with less guilt and greater ease.

Leadoff Hitters With High Volume Of At Bats

Then you have guys like Kevin Kiermaier or Alcides Escobar that will see a high volume of at bats atop their team's lineup, but are not necessarily going to provide any power potential. These are usually salary cap budget busters players, but you still want to have a shot at them helping you and not hurting you.

You almost always inevitably need to find a couple of spots in your DFS lineup to get some salary cap relief and leadoff hitters are typically where you can look for that on a daily basis (at least start your search there). Now that you don't have to worry about their weak bats and negative points, you'll be able to focus more on their ability to score runs and steal bases (two very undervalued categories in DFS).

Rabbits That Are One Trick Ponies 

Similarly, guys like Billy Hamilton and Jarrod Dyson who are terrible OBP guys won't kill you as much on their 0-4 days with the new Fanduel scoring system. But they will conversely reward you that much more on their good days with hefty amounts of steals that come in bunches, and the high point totals that accompany them.

Just like in season long formats, there is a time and a place to use a rabbit or one trick pony, but that depends on each individual team and the roster / lineup construct. If you are already using a high risk power hitter or two in a tournament lineup, you may want to compliment them now with a speed guy to double up on that boom or bust potential. This new scoring certainly opens up some different construct theories and all kinds of DFS possibilities.

Scoring Changes For Hitters And Pitchers

Check out the table below for a basic visual on the new scoring system on FanDuel.

To sum it up simply, you now get three points for each total base and three points for every other offensive event except for a stolen base (you get 6 point per theft). It definitely will be nice to see higher scoring totals in general, but this does not change much if anything strategically; merely a cosmetic change for the fans.

Look for us to get much deeper into the DFS strategy for hitters and pitchers, as well as lineup construct theories for tournaments and cash games. Also be sure to check out all of our premium MLB content including our daily updating expert DFS picks, sample lineups, top players to avoid, top stacks, premiums tools and much more.