Handicapping the 2012 DSFC: Who is the Favorite?
The guys at Drafstreet have decided to take their Championship on the road, so that can only mean that it is time to break out another DB730 “odds” column. An impressive group of 20 players are heading to Vegas for a shot at $100,000, and the title of Draftstreet Football Champion. The finalists contain some of the very best players Draftstreet has to offer. We also have a field in which 60% are members of the Rotogrinders community, so there is a good chance one of our own may take the title. Remember these odds are done in good fun, and not only can’t you actually wager on them, if a finalist doesn’t like the number next to your name, please take it out on the big guy at the event wearing a Rotogrinders shirt, baseball cap, and has a Boston accent. Now onto the odds!
The Finalists
KingDevo When I first saw Devo won the first week I was pretty pumped to see one the “Draftstreet Originals” actually made it to their destination final. Then I came to find out that there are actually TWO Devo’s on Draftstreet. How preposterous is that? Nonethelees, “The King” has has a heck of a lot of time to stew on his team, but if current form means anything he may have a shot. It looks like he is coming off his biggest cash ever this past weekend in a $109 GPP, so he might have a decent chance this weekend. Odds to win: 15-1
Team Sleep I don’t really know much about this guy except that he starting to make a name for himself in Daily Fantasy. He is ranked 72nd on Rotogrinders and has over $73,000 in total winnings this year. What makes that even more impressive is the fact that he doesn’t appear to grind baseball in the summer. I certainly think he is going to be in the mix on Sunday. Odds to win: 13-1
jp24money This guy might be one of the longer shots this weekend as he appears to have turned his attention to basketball. He has not had an NFL win since November 12th, so I find it a bit curious to see him not playing the game that may issue him a $100,000 check. With that said, it only takes one team, on one day to finish on top. Odds to win: 30-1
LgndNMyMnd This guy is an absolute beast when it comes to the GPP’s. It always seems like he is near the top of the leaderboard and when you check out his “Big Wins” in his Rotogrinders profile you have to be impressed with his finishes in some large field tournaments. He may not play at as high of stakes as some of the other finalists, but this guy definitely can put together a top notch team on Draftstreet. Watch out for “The Legend”. Odds to win: 15-1
Hixvillehunk This guy became a Daily Fantasy superstar the moment he turned $60 to $60,000 soon after joining Draftstreet a couple of years ago. I think everyone would agree that baseball is his best sport, but with $40,000 of his over $205,000 total winnings coming in the last month, he seems red hot. He has a personality like no other and I’m almost scared to see what kind of damage he may do in Vegas with an extra $100,000 to spend. Odds to win: 10-1
Risingstar This guy made the baseball final on FanDuel this summer and now heads back to Vegas to take a shot at another $100,000 in the Draftstreet Football Final. This guy clearly likes to grind the GPP’s and had a few decent showings in late November. I know this boxing promoter would love a six figure payout for some redemption after his previous final appearance in Sin City. Odds to win: 18-1
Al_Smizzle Here is another high stakes master who likes to take his talents across the entire daily fantasy industry. You don’t accumulate over $90,000 in total winnings if you don’t know what you are doing and this guy is quickly moving his way up the Rotogrinders leaderboard. Definitely someone to keep your eye on this weekend. Odds to win: 9-1
Muntradamus Little surprised to see this guy make the final as he definitely appears to be more of a force to reckon with in baseball where he also qualified for the Draftstreet championship. His wins are few and far between this NFL season, so I definitely think that makes him an underdog. Odds to win: 30-1
dp47 The only man to make both the FanDuel and Draftstreet championships heads back to Vegas where he came off a top 10 finish and $6500 pay day this past Sunday. He has been a top notch player all season long, and I do think he is a slight advantage after going through what he did last week. He is ranked #21 overall on Rotogrinders and won’t be happy this week unless he finishes on top. One thing is for certain is that you’ll definitely find him grinding some Blackjack with Hix on the strip. Odds to win: 10-1
d3player Here is another lower stakes player, but he is also coming off a weekend where he had two monster scores in GPP’s. The timing of the final couldn’t come any better . I’m curious to find what kind of “D3Player” he is. Division III Football? Basketball?….where at? Odds to win: 22-1
Thunderfats This guy definitely has the best screen name of any of the finalists. I can tell Draftstreet can’t wait for the banner ad that say “Thunderfats won $100,000 playing Daily Fantasy Sports on Draftstreet”. He also won in an unorthodox fashion with the 100% total team stack from Oakland & Tampa. That was also the week Doug Martin went crazy. Odds to win: 35-1
ELEL Here is another guy who reemed the benefit of a 53 point Doug Martin game with only 5% ownership amongst all teams. He looks fairly new to Daily Fantasy, but I give the guy credit for being active the last couple weeks. If he can find lightning in a bottle again and hit another 50 point guy at 5%…he is going to be $100,000 richer. Odds to win: 25-1
stlcardinals84 All things are well in the world for StlCardinals. His Northern Illinois Huskies are playing in a BCS game, his baseball team is coming off an improbable playoff run, and he is headed to Vegas to play for 100 grand. This guy is an absolute monster and has run his ranking up 13th on Rotogrinders. I have mucho respect for this guy as he grinds multiple sports (watch out for him in College Football….very tough) on multiple sites and definitely has to be considered one of the favorites. Odds to win: 10-1
naturalslugger This guy has been at it a while and has to be one of the longest standing Grinders members in the field as he joined the community in April 2011. Looks like his preference is to grind the large field 50/50 and that is a great way to build a bankroll. The strategy in cashing in those is sometimes much different than what one would use when playing in a top heavy tournament payout like we have this weekend. It will be interesting to see the way he approaches it. Odds to win: 20-1
rickmilitar The mystery surrounding Rick Millitar will continue as I was informed he is NOT going to be in attendance at this weekends final. This guy is arguably one of the top players ever to play on Draftstreet and there is not a buy in level or game type this guy doesn’t play. He has over $800,000 in total winnings this year on Draftstreet, so with a win on Sunday, it might not be impossible to hit that $1 million mark. He is an incredible talent and one that everyone has to keep their eye on. Odds to win: 8-1
MongolianBeef Kind of a random screen name (was Moo-Shoo Pork not available?), but if he wins this weekend he could skip the Chinese buffet and order a fat Filet instead. This guy doesn’t have a ton of winnings and also likes to grind those large field 50/50 contests, so I think he will have his work cut out this weekend. Odds to win: 23-1
nyyb89 Here is a guy who ONLY plays GPP’s and is coming off a nice November where he had his largest score ever taking down a $215 GPP. He has been playing a good number of 20 man games the last few weeks, so I’m guessing he will have a good idea what the winning score will be. Don’t think anyone would consider him the favorite, but wouldn’t be shocked if he is in the conversation late Sunday afternoon. Odds to win: 18-1
therayray This Jersey guy makes another trip to Vegas this year after he had a forgettable performance in last years FFFC. He may have finished last that day, but I think his game has drastically improved since then. He is looking for redemption from a year ago and with an earnings graph looking like Apple Stock from 2001-2012, I wouldn’t be shocked if he pulled it out. Odds to win: 19-1
dinkpiece Drew epitomizes what makes Daily Fantasy great. He started playing the game like a lot of new players, mostly competing in the smaller stakes games and being careful with his bankroll. Over time he has refined his game and morphed into whale among a sea of fish. You rarely see him in a game below $100 buy in and he has been on fire this football season. With a season total winnings over $435,000 (including a $90,000 month of November), this guy is one of the very best in the entire industry, and it would only be fitting for him to take down Draftstreet’s biggest prize as he has arguably been the best player on their site. Odds to win: 6-1
IllinSquad This guy is pretty new to Draftstreet and Daily Fantasy and will be mixing it up with some of the best. Nothing is impossible, but certainly going to have his hands full this weekend considering his lack of experience. Odds to win: 30-1
Final Prediction
After my first podcast interview with this guy, I knew two things. He clearly is smarter than I am, and I was going to do my best to avoid ever playing against him. Drew Dinkmeyer is my pick to be your 2012 Draftstreet Football Champion and take home $100,000.
Final Order 1) Dinkpiece 2) LgndNMyMnd 3) DP47 4) RickMillitar