Interview with RG Member, EnchantedLlama, After $50,000 Win
One of the great aspects about Daily Fantasy Sports is that on any given night every player has a chance of making a life-changing score.
Such was the case for RotoGrinders.com member Ed DeWitt (RG name enchantedllama) on Tuesday night when his single lineup took sixth place in the DraftKings Mini Frozen-Rope and Four Seamer for $2,250. It was his single bullet in the bigger buy-in $750K Frozen Rope that would pay off big dividends, however, as he would end up finishing in second place for $50,000.
DeWitt gave a shoutout to RotoGrinders and our very own Notorious on Twitter, and we took the time to ask him a few questions about DFS and his life-changing night.
RotoGrinders: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you grew up, went to school, what you did before DFS, married, kids, single, etc.
Ed DeWitt: I’m nearly 36 years old and I was born and raised in Frostburg, Maryland in the western part of the state, about two hours from Baltimore, D.C. and Pittsburgh. I actually just recently moved back. I’m currently the managing editor of the largest weekly newspaper in West Virginia (Md. and W.Va are neck and neck in the panhandles of the state). I landed there after stints owning my own mom and pop camera shop and doing the typical 20-something jobs like bartending, etc. I graduated from Frostburg State University with an English degree and then got a degree in technical photography from the Ohio Institute of Photography in Dayton. I recently got engaged to my wonderful girlfriend, Jen. She has two high school aged kids that are sports and fantasy nuts as well. I can’t say what I did before DFS, as I’m still doing it, haha. I’ve always just played as a hobby.
RotoGrinders: When did you get into DFS? What was your introduction to it?
Ed DeWitt: Looking back, I honestly think my first exposure was contests Peter King of Sports Illustrated had for FanDuel about four or so years ago before things took off like crazy. They were free for prizes, if I remember right. After that I learned you could actually win some real moola and so I became a steady player.
RotoGrinders: Tell us about your DFS path. The struggles you’ve had… the successes.
Ed DeWitt: Successes first! They are pretty few and far between. The biggest hit for me before this was a $2,000 first prize in a $100 entry NBA small tourney. I’ve won a lot of mid-hundred dollar prizes over the last several years but have never even sniffed this kind of cash before. No real struggles as I’m a small time player. I usually don’t play more than $25 entries. I’ve lost waaaay more than I’ve won, but I have my moments! It’s like golf in that way for me. One good shot and you wanna keep grinding.
RotoGrinders: Tell us about your daily life, the routines you take, the approaches you utilize in terms of DFS?
Ed DeWitt: The newspaper I work for is an office job with a great computer and provides an awesome way to spend the day researching fantasy while on breaks working in journalism. Before this job, I had time at my camera shop when it was slow to do my season leagues. They came loooooong before DFS. I’ve been lucky enough to have time to spend during the work day doing things other than, well…. work… It’s been great to be first on news about injuries, etc. as well as try and plan how i’ll attack the slates. I also love the daytime baseball small slates through the week.
RotoGrinders: Do you look/listen to others’ advice? If so, what do you try to glean from it and whose names are at the top of your list?
Ed DeWitt: I do! I honestly don’t pay for anything on RotoGrinders as of yet, but I’ve been a regular of the message boards and free content for a few years now. I read Notorious and the Grind Down daily to either affirm or deny my gut choices, haha. I find his style and presentation very easy to casually read. That’s WAY important to me, as I don’t do well with numbers (I’m an English major, remember?!) There was also one site I particularly love for football after catching a show they did Sunday morning on Sirius XM. I also do read the ESPN advice, mostly just because I have the time to do so each day.
RotoGrinders: What is your typical research process for a day of MLB? What resources do you utilize? If you make your own model, what factors do you weigh the most?
Ed DeWitt: I love certain teams. I love building a lineup with the idea or notion that each hitter could hit 2 HR. Teams I tend to stack are the Blue Jays, Astros, and Orioles. I’m a Cubs fan, so I also enjoy a good Cubs stack. I’m close-ish to Baltimore and D.C. and Pittsburgh, like I said, so I really like stacking teams I can watch on TV. I then read the Grind Down and if Noto highlights the players I’ve picked I let it ride! I also LOVE targeting the pitchers he is only so-so on. The ones he thinks could be good, but will likely not target. If he thinks that way, a lot of pros must, right?
RotoGrinders: You only entered one lineup – is this your typical approach on a MLB slate? How do you go about focusing on certain players – do you stack or just build what you think is the best possible team?
Ed DeWitt: It is, usually, just based on my means. I’m in no way a pro and I’m honestly not too good at baseball! I don’t have much money to throw around, usually like $10-$15 a day on the $3 and $4 GPP. I also usually only play FanDuel baseball, which is why it’s even harder to believe I cashed so well on the big DraftKings tourney I nearly won. I spend more money on basketball and football because I feel like I’m a lot better at them. I only entered this massive $70 contest because I just sold my house and I wanted to relax and celebrate! It was a good decision!!
RotoGrinders: You had a huge five-figure night. What was your immediate reaction? Any plans for an extravagant purchase? If no, what are your plans with the bankroll increase?
Ed DeWitt: I was drained more than anything! I always get up super early, so staying up ‘til 1:30 a.m. to see it through was a task, haha! Today though after talking to friends about it and reveling in it, I’m way more excited! After taxes, I still have a good chunk to play with. It’s more than a years salary for me so it’s nothing to sneeze at. I am honestly going to TRY and be an adult and pay my car off, and if I’m lucky this lump will completely get me out of debt! I’m also getting married in October so this will help with the wedding and maybe make a special honeymoon for me and my fiance.
RotoGrinders: Tell us about each lineup spot in your lineup. What were your thought processes on utilizing the players that you did?
Ed DeWitt: This is where I hope I don’t embarrass myself. I know in order to win a GPP you have to think outside the box, or, as I call it, “get weird.” I play in a season-long Yahoo league with my best friends and on Memorial Day my team just KILLED it and I raced out to a 10-0 lead on my friend. So, I just plugged in all the hitters I had on my team with hopes they stayed hot (Molina, Pujols, Altuve, Donaldson, Story, Bautista, and Dickerson) I added Kole Calhoun because Noto didn’t hate him and was listed a secondary play. He was cheap and I figured he hit besides Pujols. The only player on my team Noto didn’t suggest was Molina, if I remember right. So I figured what the heck! He was 0.7 % owned and hit a jack! As for the pitchers, I loved Ray and just acquired him in a trade on my season long team, and I also had picked up the Padres rookie Lamet! As I said, I’m a huuuuuuge Cubs fan and they have just really sucked so hard lately. I figured if they broke out of it I’d be able to see a win, and if not…. well…. you get the idea!
RotoGrinders: After your win, you thanked RG and Notorious. Tell us about how they were able to help you with this big score?
Ed DeWitt: I just love giving credit and recognition where it’s deserved. I love RotoGrinders, and Noto is so well written and witty and presents a quality piece of work each day in a sea of terrible info from lots of other sources it seems. I enjoy the site so much and really love the info I get. I think I owe it to you guys to become a paid member now.