A Very Milly Christmas: Interview with shrek4224 Following His $1M DraftKings DFS Win
It’s safe to say that fellow RotoGrinders member Brian Marocco (shrek4224) had a very merry Christmas. Known as Mr. Marocco to his students, the high school math teacher used the two-game slate to beat out 106,872 other lineups for $1M on Christmas Day. We caught up with one of DraftKings’ newest millionaire winners to talk about the big win, his process, and how he’s found success in DFS over the past year.
When did you realize you had a shot at $1M? What was the sweat like?
If I’m being honest I don’t actually like sweating DFS. On Sundays. I usually don’t even watch the first round of games. When the last game was moving along, I had some friends message me on Discord and ask if I was paying attention. My sisters, nieces, and brother-in-law had just left the house, so I decided to go look at the leaderboard—at this point we’re in the 4th quarter—and I saw that I had a chance. My friends let me know that I needed Kyler because the other guys in front of me didn’t have him, so my wife, my daughter and I started watching. From there, everything that Kyler did pushed me up the leaderboard, but I still thought I was duped because there were two other lineups with the same point total. Then Murray had a big play that put me in solid 3rd with roughly four minutes left in the game. That’s when I realized I actually had a shot at a milly and my stomach started to really hurt. I’m still in shock that I was able to have a winning unique lineup on a two-game slate.
Did you sleep Christmas night?
I tried but I tossed and turned until I gave up. I eventually ended up on the couch and watched some TV. It just didn’t really set in. Last night [Sunday] I slept like a baby, and today [Monday] is the first day where I am so excited and all of it is actually sinking in.
Did you buy any extra Christmas gifts?
The first thing I bought was a game-worn Tom Brady New England Patriots jersey.
How long have you been playing DFS?
So I started DFS in December of 2018 — I was actually talking about this last night with my wife. One day I was watching football and saw a DraftKings commercial. Like many people my age, I had been playing season-long fantasy football for years and loved it, so I decided to give DFS a shot. I put $20 in and lost it all right away and initially thought that maybe this wasn’t for me. But I stuck with it, got hooked and found RotoGrinders. I started listening and reading guys like Andy Means, Dean, and David Potts over the years, all of whom have been so helpful and generous with information.
You’ve had a lot of recent success, even before Christmas. What do you think was the turning point for your DFS game?
I got to work from home due to Covid, which gave me a lot of time to develop my process and reign in my skills.
Which tools, articles, or shows do you find most helpful when preparing to build your lineups?
This lineup was built using LineupHQ. One of the things I use most, and I can’t even tell how much time I’ve spent inside of it, is Results Database. I use ResultsDB to study trends and prepare myself to adapt when things change. I also heavily use Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ, and I love SlateIQ.
Let’s talk a bit about your lineup construction on Christmas Day.
Well, I max-entered 150 lineups. Like most people, I was heavily invested in Jonathan Taylor but I did make sure to have a portion of lineups that had Davante Adams, Kyler, Nick Chubb without Taylor in it. And then, in those lineups without JT, I put in two Indianapolis pass catchers, figuring if he underperformed there’s a good chance that those points would go elsewhere to Indy’s pass catchers like Pittman and Hilton.
What was your biggest decision?
So I used LineupHQ to build my 150 lineups, felt comfortable with everything and submitted them. After that, the news came out that Zach Pascal had been added to the Covid list. When that happened I made the decision that I was going to lock T.Y. Hilton into spots where I could fit him.
How did your family feel about you making lineups on Christmas morning?
My wife has been very supportive, but my teenage daughter was a little annoyed because I did have to stop us at one point when we were opening gifts.
What other sports do you play?
I love UFC and NBA, and I dabble in golf.
So what’s next for you in life and in DFS?
So as of today I’m officially a retired mathematics teacher. Next month I’m headed to Scottsdale for DraftKing’s Tournament of Champions. It’s another two-game slate during Conference Championship Weekend, which should be right up my alley. So that’s next on my list — focusing and refining my two-game slate approach.
Good luck to Brian next month at DraftKings Fantasy Tournament of Champions (FTOC) as he battles other DFS heavyweights like ChipotleAddict, papagates, theWhistlesGoWoo, and BigT44 for a shot at another $1M!