How To Win One Billion Dollars In NFL DFS
Okay, I have to admit, the title of this article is a bit misleading because I actually have no idea how to win one billion dollars in NFL DFS. But you have to admit, you clicked on this article because you were intrigued, right?!
DraftKings recently announced their One Billion Dollar Perfect Lineup contest for Week 1 of the NFL season. If you draft the perfect lineup, you win the one billion dollar first prize. The perfect lineup means you’ve scored the most points possible within the $50,000 salary cap. In reality, the odds of drafting the perfect lineup are near impossible. I mean most of us can barely hit the min cash line on most nights, so trying to nab the perfect lineup just isn’t very likely. But it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
This contest got me thinking how crazy of a lineup would I even need to enter to have a shot at the perfect lineup, so I started doing some digging online. DraftKings used to do weekly articles of the perfect NFL lineup each week of the 2015 season, so I thought those would be helpful in determining what it took to get the perfect score. I sifted through several weeks of perfect lineups and here are some interesting strategies to consider:
The Double Tight End
It’s a bit unusual to use the flex spot for another tight end, but Week 1 of 2015 saw this strategy pay off with Tyler Eifert and Austin Seferian-Jenkins (is that the guy from 90210 married to Megan Fox?) both going off. It might seem like a fluke to play double tight ends, but this strategy was also part of the Week 8 perfect lineup as well, which saw Ben Watson and Jacob Tamme each score around 30 DK points. Yes, Jacob Tamme was once in a perfect lineup. So if you want to be a bit contrarian and off the wall, go double tight end.
Stacks Upon Stacks
In Week 2 of 2015, the perfect lineup consisted of multiple team stacks. Big Ben paired with DeAngelo Williams paired with Antonio Brown was the winning lineup. It’s uber contrarian to pair your QB with your WR AND RB, but it works if the offense just goes off.
Additionally, Travis Benjamin went ham that week, catching a touchdown pass from football legend Johnny Manziel and also returning a punt for a touchdown. Benjamin paired with the Browns Defense was the winning combination. I remember watching this game and laughing to myself at how crazy of a game Benjamin was having, and nobody was on him.
Go Naked
In Week 9, the perfect lineup rolled out a naked Aaron Rodgers, who went for 36.96 DK points. In real life, Rodgers threw for 4 touchdowns and 369 yards. Yet none of his receivers were in the winning lineup, as Rodgers spread out his targets among 6 different receivers. Randall Cobb had 99 yards and 1 touchdown, James Starks had 83 yards and 1 touchdown, and Richard Rodgers had 19 yards and 2 touchdowns. Normally the performance by Richard Rodgers would be enough to qualify for the perfect lineup, but Delanie Walker went off for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 receptions in Week 9, vaulting him in the perfect lineup.
Leaving That Money On The Table
For Week 16, the thing I noticed was that the perfect lineup only used $48,000 of the $50,000 salary cap. In other words, it’s okay to leave money on the table. Leaving $2,000 of salary was the winning strategy here. This lineup doesn’t have a lot of sexy names, but Vance McDonald and Jerick McKinnon got the job done. So don’t be afraid to pay down and leave money on the table if you think it could be optimal.
When it’s all said and done, I hate to break it to you but you likely won’t be a billion dollars richer. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. It’s a freeroll and there’s still $100,000 in free prize money up for grabs, which I applaud DraftKings for. I’m looking forward to the start of the NFL season, and if you happen to win the one billion dollars using one of the strategies above, more power to you.
You can find me on Twitter here ( @ AllanLemDFS ). Thanks for reading, and may variance be on your side.