FanDuel 2017 NFL Single Entry Series: The Final Chapter
The conclusion of FanDuel’s NFL Single Entry Series presented by RotoGrinders took place on December 10, 2017. The six finalists qualified by placing in the top two spots of varying qualifiers available at $5, $30 and $100 price points.
The SES qualification period occurred during Weeks 9-13 of the NFL season, with players’ best four scores totaled over the five-week period to determine the finalists. guhrose (618.54 total points) and smore81 (589.66) clawed their way to the top of the $5 NFL Spike standings. RG member bacon003 (616.28) nabbed the top spot in the $30 NFL Sweep series, followed closely by moneyteam10 (592.16). The $100 NFL Cover 2 qualifying spots were claimed by furrygoat33 (603.44) and tnt12345 (577.94).
In Week 14, the six finalists competed in an online live final for the following prizes:
In a close battle, moneyteam10 ultimately claimed the $10,000 first place prize with a strong team effort, captained by DeAndre Hopkins and Todd Gurley. Mike Mann, aka moneyteam10, answered some questions for the RotoGrinders community about his winning lineup and DFS journey. You can find his story and championship fantasy team below.
Mike Mann is a 31-year-old who resides in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. In DFS, he plays NFL, NBA, MLB and the occasional NHL contest. Mike has been playing daily for four or five years now. Outside of DFS, Mike had this to say: “I am a big Seattle Seahawks fan. I am married and have four boys. I am a driver trainer at a transport company. Outside of family and work, my time is spent on sports. I love DFS and year long. I love to play golf and watch my kids play soccer.”
Mike learned about the Single Entry Series through Sirius XM, as he’s a regular listener of the RotoGrinders show on the Fantasy Sports channel. Mike is no stranger to the single entry tournaments on FanDuel, so it’s no surprise he competed weekly for the top prizes. I asked Mike about the five-week-long qualification period and he said he didn’t look at the leaderboards at all until after he qualified. “I knew I was doing alright, as I was cashing every week,” Mike said. “Looking back, I’m glad I wasn’t aware, as I would have been a lot more nervous.”
Mike was the only finalist to roster DeShone Kizer, Todd Gurley and Robbie Gould, who all made very solid fantasy contributions. This is Mike’s first-person account of his Week 14 lineup build: “My roster came together nicely. I really wanted to get DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen in first. I plugged Giovani Bernard in at $5100. With Mixon out, the value was too good to pass. I knew Gio would be chalk, but I didn’t care. I went back and forth on a receiver/quarterback combo all week, but in the end, I really wanted DeShone Kizer and Josh Gordon. I loved their matchup at home against a weak Green Bay secondary. Todd Gurley was my favorite running back of the week and I had to get him in there. I missed on the tight end this week – I was hoping that Evan Engram would have a better game. I went with the kicker, Gould, knowing that he played indoors on a weekend where the weather was pretty bad elsewhere. Finally, I thought the Chargers defense would do well against a banged up offensive line vs. Washington.” All of this resulted in the winning score of 153.56 points.
Of course, the best part of a live final sweat is the guaranteed winnings you know you’ll be receiving after the slate ends. The worst part is waiting. So Mike, what was the Sunday sweat like for you?
“Like most Sundays, I’m always nervous until kick off time. My wife would tell you I pace for hours, trying to make the proper decisions. After the 1 PM (Eastern) games, I knew I had it. I was only a few points back of first place. First place only had Keenan Allen and I had Gurley and the Chargers on top of that. After I had reached the top spot, I just wanted things to hold and I hoped nothing crazy would happen.”
What’s on the horizon after a big win like this? “As much as my wife doesn’t want to hear it, I would love to make a career out of DFS. DFS is my passion. For now, my goal is to try and continue to be profitable on a daily basis.”
Congratulations to moneyteam10 and the five other Single Entry Series finalists. You can follow Mike on Twitter @mikemann20.