3 Tips On How To Win DraftKings' Week 1 $10 Million DFS Tournament
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- DFS, or Daily Fantasy Sports for those of who aren't familiar, is quickly becoming all the rage. And with the NFL season quickly approaching, you need to know how to play.
Of course, Fan Duel and DraftKings are the biggest sites to play DFS. Personally, I prefer DraftKings because I like their three-WR, Flex, PPR (point per reception) format, not to mention their $10 million ($2 million for first place) Week 1 tournament.
How much is the entry fee you ask?
Oh, that perked your ears up, didn't it? Just $20.
For $20 I can win $2 million?
Correct.
How do I play?
Simple. DraftKings requires you to pick 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 DEF for Week 1, with a budget of $50,000. Scoring (can be viewed on their website) is your typical PPR scoring, with some yardage bonuses.
How difficult is it to win?
Extremely, obviously. There will be hundreds of thousands of players in this tournament style contest, but that's why I'm here. To help, duh.
So here are three tips when you are constructing your lineup for the $20 entry, $10 million Week 1 DraftKings tournament.
3. Vegas knows
Check the lines and use them! Pick players from the top over/under point totals. The top-four projected scoring Week 1 games are Packers-Bears, Broncos-Ravens, Giants-Cowboys, and Eagles-Falcons. Players from those games are likely good choices.
For example, Tony Romo at $7,300 and Eli Manning at $7,400 against each other are probably better QB value plays than Andrew Luck for $8,300 at Buffalo or Drew Brees for $8,000 at Arizona.
2. Opportunity
Injuries and depth charts. Monitor this carefully and you will find bargains.
DraftKings set their values well before the preseason games began, hence why Arian Foster still costs $7,600 and Jordy Nelson costs $8,400. You can get Alfred Blue, the expected Texans' starting RB, for $3,600. Or the Packers' No. 2 wideout in Davante Adams for just $4,400.
Furthermore, a situation like the Atlanta Falcons backfield is interesting. While both of their running backs, Devonta Freeman ($4,300) and Tevin Coleman ($4,800), continue to compete for the starting gig, they're both cheap options. If one emerges as the clear-cut starter expected to receive the bulk of the workload, you have yourself a bargain.
1. Multipliers
If you're going to beat hundreds of thousands of people and actually win this thing, you need to pick upside-players. In other words, players that have the capability of having monster games. They may have risk associated with them, but you're going to need to score 220-plus fantasy points.
A more calculated way to look at this, is use the 5x multiplier philosophy. Make sure any player you draft can realistically score FIVE-times the amount of points as his price, placing all other factors into your decision.
For example, Randall Cobb is $8,000. With Jordy Nelson's injury, Cobb because the No. 1 wideout on arguably the NFL's best offense, playing the Bears in what Vegas projects to be a game that sees 50-plus points. Can Cobb conceivably score 40 points (8,000 x 5 / 1,000)?
40 fantasy points = 10 catches, 150 yards, two touchdowns (don't forget the 100-receiving yard three-point bonus).
Certainly.
On the flip side, DeAndre Hopkins costs $7,400 and his team, quarterbacked by Brian Hoyer (yuck), is facing another ball-control team in the Kansas City Chiefs. This should be a low scoring game, and while Hopkins is the Texans' No. 1 wideout, can he really put up 37 fantasy points? I'd say that's a stretch.