HOW FANSTRAND
READS THE GAME.
Methodology updated July 18, 2026
Fan Stakes: game significance, not betting odds
Fan Stakes is Fanstrand’s relative measure of how much a matchup matters in its current sports context. It is not a win probability, betting line, sportsbook rating, financial product, or recommendation to wager. A higher score means the game carries more standings, rivalry, ranking, or postseason significance than a lower-scoring game in the available slate.
The 247-point Fan Stakes scale
The maximum is 247 points. The model can assign up to 120 points for live game status, 30 for shared division or conference position, 18 for season timing, 11 for record closeness, 20 for team strength, 35 for rankings, 10 for a recognized rivalry, and 3 for broad broadcast availability. Not every sport or matchup can activate every factor.
Fanstrand Index: current player impact
The Fanstrand Index is a 0–100 composite that normalizes current production against players in the same league and comparable role. Where the leaderboard calculation is shown, current production carries 70% of the score and category range carries 30%. Sport- and position-specific statistics change the inputs, while the visible calculation explains the weight and rounding applied to the selected player.
Team and postseason projections
Team outlooks begin with official results and gradually reduce the influence of the prior-season baseline as the current season grows. Current player form has a deliberately small effect, capped at four percentage points, and quality results against winning opponents can add a separate sample-weighted adjustment. Fanstrand projections are independent estimates, not official league, committee, or sportsbook probabilities.
Data sources
Fanstrand currently uses publicly available schedule, score, roster, and statistical services including MLB Stats, ESPN public scoreboards and roster services, the NHL public feed, and Open-Meteo forecasts. Provider availability, corrections, rate limits, and publication timing remain outside Fanstrand’s control. Source names describe where information was retrieved; they do not imply sponsorship, approval, or endorsement by any league, team, network, or data provider.
Refresh frequency and possible delays
The visible game board typically checks for updates about once per minute while the page is active, with short edge caches used for reliability. Matchup Reads are generally refreshed within about ten minutes, team hubs within about fifteen minutes, rosters within about thirty minutes, and leaderboards within about one hour. Outdoor forecasts are refreshed repeatedly as game time approaches. These are operating targets, not guarantees: official feeds can publish late, revise results, or become temporarily unavailable. Fanstrand labels delayed feeds and keeps retrying automatically.
Corrections and questions
Official sources remain the authority for schedules, scores, records, and statistics. If a Fanstrand calculation or displayed value appears incorrect, email hello@fanstrand.com with the league, team or player, and the page where you saw it.