Articles by SmartWater

Derek Farnsworth
Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master's Degree from the University of Utah. When he's not busy providing content, he's dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer's Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on Twitter - @RG_Notorious
David Kaplen
One of the "OGs" of the daily fantasy industry, David Kaplen (aka headChopper) has been dominating DFS as long as it's been around, including winning the inaugural FanDuel NBA Live Final. Chop is a 2x NFL Milly Maker Winner ($1,000,000 prize) and has multiple Live Final appearances. You can catch Chop year-round as a show host and Premium content contributor who specializes in NFL, College Football, NBA, and MLB. Follow Chop on Twitter - @headchopper
Stephen Young
The Head of Motorsports at RotoGrinders and the long-time host of the popular Morning Grind podcast, Stephen Young (aka stevietpfl) has been one of the top NASCAR, NFL, NBA, and MLB analysts in the industry since its inception. He has accumulated numerous Live Final seats and is a multiple-time finalist for the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Racing Writer of the Year. Follow Stevie on Twitter - @stevietpfl
Dave Potts
One of the preeminent baseball minds in all of fantasy, Dave Potts (aka CheeseIsGood) has won contests at the highest levels of both season-long and DFS. He is a 2x winner of a $1,000,000 1st-place prize in DFS, having won the 2014 FanDuel baseball Live Final and following that up by taking down a DraftKings Milly Maker Tournament in 2015. In addition, he’s won the Main Event championship in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship and the NFBC Platinum League, which is the highest buy-in entry league. His consistent success in the NFBC tournaments earned him a prestigious spot in their Hall of Fame. Dave can also strum a mean guitar while carrying a tune, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see him do so on one of his MLB Crunch Time appearances. Follow Dave on Twitter - @DavePotts2
Justin Van Zuiden
Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is a longtime RotoGrinders contributor and show host. He's appeared in numerous Live Finals, has logged countless 6-figure wins in a host of different sports (including 5 in PGA), and is a former DFS Writer of the Year Nominee by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. You can find Justin's 'Covering The Bases' series on weekends during the MLB season. He is also a main contributor of sports betting picks at our sister site, ScoresAndOdds, and is a co-host on the RotoGrinders Game Night show on SiriusXM. Follow Justin on Twitter - @stlcardinals84
Dan Back
One of the most respected and preeminent voices in all of daily fantasy, Dan Back has over 10 years of experience as a high-level DFS player and content leader. Dan hosted a long-running DFS show on SiriusXM Radio and also owns an FSWA award for "Best Podcast." His biggest passions in fantasy sports are both College Football, NFL, and PGA. After years of hard work and dedication, Dan has climbed the ranks to become the Senior VP of Operations & Marketing at Better Collective US. When he's not pulling the strings behind the scenes, Dan also loves speculating on the Futures markets in sports betting. Follow Dan on Twitter - @dan_back
Dan Gaspar
Playing DFS since early 2011, Dan Gaspar (aka MrTuttle05) is an industry OG who has found success across multiple sports. He has qualified for countless Live Finals and takes pride in being able to adapt to the ever-changing DFS landscape. Dan now works as a Senior Projections Operator for Better Collective, overseeing projections for all core sports as well as being the main provider of projections for most niche offerings. Follow Dan on Twitter - @MrTuttle05
Kevin Roth
Over the past decade, Kevin Roth has become the go-to source for all things sports-weather related. A lifelong sports fan and admitted weather nerd, Kevin is proud to have combined his two passions and trailblazed a new niche in the DFS and sports betting community. He has a Master's Degree in Atmospheric Science (Meteorology) and over 10 years of experience on TV in some of the country’s biggest severe weather markets. Kevin’s WeatherEdge product is a one-of-a-kind sports-weather research tool that combines historical data on stats and weather from past games to help users understand how the weather will impact every game on a slate at a glance. Follow Kevin on Twitter - @KevinRothWx
Dean Shavelson
Dean Shavelson (aka dean78904) has been playing DFS since 2012 and is one of the most senior GrindersLive on-air hosts. He's dominated the RotoGrinders CVR rankings, winning top honors in MLB for both FanDuel and DraftKings in consecutive seasons, and is consistently ranked as one of the best Grinders in the industry. The UCF grad provides NBA, MLB, and NFL written and media content for RotoGrinders and ScoresAndOdds. Follow Dean on Twitter - @DFS_Almanac for questionable sports, movie, and TV takes.
Chris Prince
Chris Prince (aka beermakersfan) has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and has been playing daily fantasy since the early days in 2009, making him one of the true "OGs" of the DFS industry. He was one of the first winners of a major Live Final, taking down the 2011 FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship, which led to numerous appearances on FanDuel commercials and magazine ads. Previously ranked #1 overall in the RG DFS rankings, Chris can be found giving his expert fantasy & sports betting analysis on RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and SiriusXM. Follow Chris on Twitter - @beermakersfan
Neil Orfield
Neil Orfield (aka ncorfield8k) has been obsessed with fantasy sports for decades, and that obsession started paying off a few years into his DFS career, when he started winning enough to quit his lawyer job. Neil has won an NFL Milly Maker along with more than 10 six-figure wins across NFL, NBA, MLB, and spring football. The obsession has been helpful in newer fantasy games as well, as Neil won the final week of the inaugural NFL Playoff Weekly Winners format on Underdog, and he has sent two teams to the Best Ball Mania finals. Neil joined up with the RotoGrinders team in August of 2024. Follow Neil on Twitter - @playerqDFS
Davis Mattek
Davis Mattek has been a full-time fantasy sports grinder of all formats for the last decade, and he linked back up with the RotoGrinders team in August of 2024. He and a partner won a DraftKings NBA Live Final, and Mattek also chopped the FanDuel NBA Million Dollar flagship. You can find him in the NFL cash game streets or talking to himself on YouTube. Follow Davis on Twitter - @DavisMattek
Chris Gimino
Chris Gimino is a top mind in the industry and one of the primary contributors at RotoGrinders. Together with our team of experts, his work is powering projections, simulations, ownership, and analytics across 10+ sports for betting, DFS, and fantasy pick'em contests. A multiple-time Live Finalist and shipper of 6-figure wins, Chris delivers actionable tools and advice for RotoGrinders Premium subscribers. Follow Chris on Twitter - @ChrisGimino
Derek Carty
Derek Carty is the creator of THE BAT X (for MLB) and THE BLITZ (for NFL) projection systems, widely considered the gold standard for projections and the driving force behind multiple Milly Maker winners. You may also know him from ESPN.com, from his time on Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, or from his early career managing the fantasy sections for Baseball Prospectus and The Hardball Times. While perhaps best known for DFS, he also has an elite track record in both sports betting (career ~13% ROI on thousands of publicly-tracked bets as of the end of the 2023-24 NFL season) and season-long fantasy expert leagues (11 titles while placing in the top 3 in roughly half of all leagues). On the sports betting side, you may recognize his work from EV Analytics, ScoresAndOdds, Covers, and Unabated. For season-long fantasy, THE BAT X is prominently featured at FanGraphs. While known mostly for his analytical skills, he's also proud to be the only active fantasy or betting analyst to have graduated from MLB's exclusive Scout School. Follow Carty on Twitter - @DerekCarty
Andy Means
Andy Means (aka meansy53) was a walk-on with the esteemed Duke University basketball team for 3 years before graduating in 2004. He also has a Master's in Accounting from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and has been playing DFS since 2014. He has qualified for multiple Live Finals and displays his extensive basketball knowledge as a host of our top show - NBA Crunch Time. In the summer of 2022, Andy took over the role of Premium Content Director for the RotoGrinders Network, overseeing the vast array of content that is created on RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Andy on Twitter - @ameansy
RotoGrinders Interview
Chris Kirkwood
Chris Kirkwood (aka kirkdiese) graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Economics. He's been steadily climbing the DFS rankings since 2014, and in 2015, decided to pursue it full time. A 2016 FanDuel WFBC finalist and 2019 DraftKings FBWC runner-up ($350,000 prize), Chris is consistently one of the top-ranked Grinders in the industry. He considers NBA, MLB, and MMA his best DFS sports and makes a habit of watching every NBA game with his dog Phil (named after Phil Ivey). Follow Chris on Twitter - @Kirkdiese
Kristi Metzger
Kristi Metzger (aka Krayton) works in wealth management full time, but that has not stopped her from dominating in all aspects of fantasy sports ever since she started playing. She was the runner-up in FanDuel's 2018 NFL Live Final ($400,000 prize) and has quickly qualified for multiple other Live Final seats since beginning her career in DFS. Kristi contributes written and media content for NFL, NBA, and MLB. Follow Kristi on Twitter - @krayton12
Bobby Gomes
Bobby Gomes (aka TheFantasyBros) was one of the first Milly Maker winners ($1,000,000 prize) on DraftKings. He’s appeared on numerous podcasts, television commercials, magazines, and national radio shows and brings 10+ years of high-stakes DFS experience to the table. Bobby also has 5 Live Final appearances and countless 6-figure wins in the industry across all major sports. Follow Bobby on Twitter - @BobbyGomesDFS
Erik Beimfohr
Erik Beimfohr (aka ebeimfohr) is a long-time grinder and DFS player who has found particular success in smaller-field tournaments and Live Final qualifiers. He has qualified for countless Live Finals across nearly every sport and has excelled in many different sports from NFL all the way down to College Basketball. Erik is the host of the GPP Final Takes show during NFL season and produces a variety of different content across all of the major sports. In 2021, Erik started "Spike Week," a Best Ball product, and came away with a Top 10 finish in Underdog Fantasy's Best Ball Mania II tournament. You can also find Erik's sports betting analysis on our sister site, ScoresAndOdds, and he is a co-host on the RotoGrinders Game Night show on SiriusXM. Follow Erik on Twitter - @erikbeimfohr
Grant Neiffer
One of the most vibrant and interesting personalities in all of DFS and sports betting, Grant Neiffer (aka gneiffer07) has Economics and Accounting degrees from Azusa Pacific University. He's been playing DFS since 2013 and fantasy sports from the ripe old age of 10. In recent years, Grant has turned his attention primarily to sports betting, and in 2021, he finished 3rd in the DraftKings Sports Betting National Championship, taking home $230,000. You can find all of Grant's sports betting analysis on ScoresAndOdds and the Action Network. Follow Grant on Twitter - @gneiffer07
Paul Errington
A Southern California native and University of Arizona graduate, Paul Errington (aka boggslite) is a longtime top player in the DFS industry and one of the best in NHL and MLB. He has accumulated 6 Live Final seats and can frequently be found providing expert written analysis on those two sports here at RotoGrinders. Follow Paul on Twitter - @boggslite
Erik Wardenburg
Erik Wardenburg (aka naapstermaan) has been playing fantasy sports since 2005 and DFS since 2010. He went to UC Davis, majoring in Economics, and began working with RotoGrinders in 2015. He currently manages the lineups page for MLB, NBA, and NFL, provides Consensus Value Rankings for MLB and NBA, and manages The Situation Room for NBA. Erik has made multiple Live Finals in MLB, NBA, and NFL on a variety of sites and enjoys grinding small/medium stakes every day. Follow Naap on Twitter - @naapstermaan
Will Priester
Will Priester (aka chiefjustICE06) is a former financial advisor and now full-time fantasy sports professional who has several Live Final appearances under his belt. Most recently, Chief has found tremendous success playing fantasy pick'em contests on platforms such as PrizePicks and Underdog. You can often find him chopping it up with other members in Chief's Prop Shop on the RotoGrinders Discord! Follow Chief on Twitter - @chiefjustice06
Kyle Murray
While finishing up his college degree, Kyle Murray (aka kmurray03) became a full-time DFS player in 2018 after he won the first FanDuel FantaSea Live Final event for a $250,000 score. He has appeared in 6 Live Finals, qualifying for 10 total seats in that time, and has accumulated multiple 6-figure scores across several sports. In recent years, he has also added a focus towards prop betting, where he has turned a profit in multiple sports, such as NBA, MLB, and PGA. You can find all of Kyle's sports betting analysis on our sister site, ScoresAndOdds. Follow Kyle on Twitter - @KMurrDFS
Jordan Vanek
Jordan Vanek has been playing DFS since 2016. He attended the University of Central Florida, where he joined the football staff as a player personnel intern and participated in the recruitment of Dillon Gabriel and Ryan O’Keefe. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan joined the RotoGrinders team in 2024 and will be providing College Football and NFL DFS content for Premium subscribers. Follow Jordan on Twitter - @JordanVanekDFS
Jim Turvey
Jim Turvey (aka TurveyBets) has been in sports media since 2012, with a focus on sports betting since 2021. Focused primarily on the NBA, WNBA, and MLB, his picks in the Action app returned 7.95% on over 6,000 logged bets. His focus has been on player props and futures, with longshots as a specialty. In the fall of 2024, Jim joined the RGN Operations team as a Projections Analyst, where he will be further utilizing his sports prowess to help deliver top-notch projections to all of the RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs subscribers. Follow Jim on Twitter - @TurveyBets
Brit Devine
Brit Devine is a former low/midstakes online poker pro/coach who quickly transitioned to DFS in 2011 after Black Friday. Mainly a cash game player, Brit provides expert analysis via his Consensus Value Rankings and weekend Crunch Time appearances. You can also find Brit's sports betting analysis over on our sister site, ScoresAndOdds, where he finished the 2023 NFL season as our top capper. Follow Brit on Twitter - @brit_devine
Jordan Cooper
Jordan Cooper (aka blenderhd) is a former stand-up comedian & poker pro who has played DFS & bet player props full-time for nearly a decade. A perennial King of The Pitch contender, he is consistently one of the top soccer DFS players on DraftKings. With his expertise in game theory, he has numerous 5-6 figure 1st place GPP finishes in NFL, NBA, MLB, MMA, and SOC. Known as one of the best educators in the industry, he is also the author of the ‘Theory of DFS’ audio courses and teaches the fundamental math & logic of daily fantasy & sports betting regularly on his weekday shows. Follow Blender on Twitter - @blenderhd
Tim Buell
Tim Buell (aka TastefulTides) quickly became a dominant force in the world of DFS, picking up multiple 6-figure wins in NBA, MLB, PGA, and NFL. On top of constantly grinding in the DFS streets, he provides a variety of written and media content for RotoGrinders for every major sport and is also on the NHL and esports projections teams. When Tim isn't building DFS lineups or cranking out content, he and his family foster dogs and enjoy hiking the trails and mountains in his home state of Maine. Follow Tim on Twitter - @TastefulTides
TJ Zwarych
TJ Zwarych is a longtime RotoGrinders member and has been rising up the DFS rankings. He has been producing content for a long time, previously contributing to sites like Bleacher Report, and he is also the Editor-In-Chief of Agents Of Fandom. TJ has multiple 6-figure DFS wins in his career and most recently finished in 13th place at the 2022 FanDuel MLB Live Final. Follow TJ on Twitter - @TJ_Zwarych5
Justin Bailey
Justin Bailey (aka jbails26) is the Lead Editor for RotoGrinders and FantasyLabs. He’s been playing DFS since 2013 and specializes in small-field NFL and PGA contests. Justin qualified for the DraftKings Fantasy Golf World Championship in 2023. Follow Justin on Twitter - @justinbailey32
Allan Lem
Allan Lem (aka fathalpert) began playing fantasy sports in high school and transitioned to DFS in 2015. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics and lives in California with his wife and two kids. Allan got his break in the industry covering Preseason NBA content. He is currently the Social Media Manager for RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Allan on Twitter - @AllanLemDFS
Charlie Wright
Charlie Wright (aka cawright95) is a former journalist who left the news world to pursue a career in the gambling industry. He writes weekly content for the NFL, NBA, and MLB while also contributing betting picks for ScoresAndOdds. Charlie has held a variety of roles for Better Collective. He currently leads the Marketing team for RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Charlie on Twitter - @Chuck_Wright5
Dana Forden
Dana Forden (aka Moneyball16) is a longtime professional gambler who studied Economics in university before becoming a professional poker player and later moving to DFS. This gambling history, along with being a longtime student of sports analytics, has led to an excellent breadth of knowledge on the intersection between gambling, statistics, and sports. Dana helps lead the NHL content and projections at RotoGrinders, and he is also amongst the top handicappers on our sister site, ScoresAndOdds. In the summer of 2023, Dana was brought on full time with the RotoGrinders Network as an Associate Projections Analyst. Follow Dana on Twitter - @Moneyball16
Rich Simone
Rich Simone started working with RotoGrinders in 2017 as a daily fantasy sports analytics assistant, and at the start of 2024, he was brought on full time as a Projections Analyst. Leveraging a suite of algorithms and advanced calculations, Rich assists in the day-to-day execution of highly impactful sports analytical tools. This includes DFS ownership, projections, alerts, and the highly successful Prop Model at ScoresAndOdds. Follow Rich on Twitter - @richsimone1
Taylor Smith
Based in Southern California, Taylor Smith (aka tcsmith031) has been working for RotoGrinders since 2018 in a number of different capacities. In addition to contributing written content for NBA, MLB, and NFL, Taylor is also a member of the projections/alerts team and makes regular appearances as an analyst on NBA Crunch Time. Follow Taylor on Twitter - @TayeBojangles
Jon Schiller
Jon Schiller (aka Varncass) has been providing college sports content for the fantasy industry since 2012 and the sports betting industry since 2022. He's an analytics junkie who uses any and all predictive stats and game theory to discover edges for the RotoGrinders and ScoresAndOdds community. Follow Jon on Twitter - @Bronzesword
Nick Galaida
A failed high school pitcher, Nick Galaida discovered that he has a higher aptitude for analyzing and writing about sports than he does playing them. To his friends, he is better known as “The Commish.” When he’s not organizing a fantasy league, placing a bet, or writing an article, he’s probably nose-deep in a book—further illustrating the point that his niche in this world is as a nerd rather than an athlete. Follow Nick on Twitter - @CommishFilmRoom
Joe Cistaro
A high school mathematics teacher from New Jersey, Joe Cistaro (aka joeycis) is a lifelong fantasy sports fan. As a member of the RotoGrinders community, Joe cut his teeth writing for the website through the blogging program. Previously engaging the community with articles such as Home Run Derby and Finding Paydirt, Joe now focuses his time on sports betting content for both the NFL and the PGA TOUR. Follow Joe on Twitter - @ JoeCistaro
Jacob Horton
Jacob Horton (aka hondizzle) is a self-proclaimed data junkie and DFS fanatic. He is a member of the PGA of America and owns his own golf academy. He has been a RotoGrinders member since 2012 and a contributor since 2015. Follow Jacob on Twitter - @Hondizzzle
Joe Makhluf
Joe Makhluf (aka Joda) is a university graduate and long-time sports enthusiast who has spent years following and researching the NHL and elite European leagues (KHL, SHL, and Liiga). He offers in-depth, unbiased hockey analysis to RotoGrinders subscribers.. Follow Joe on Twitter - @pointshaving
Liam Heslin
Liam (aka LiamPicksFights) is a massive combat sports fan with over a decade of experience competing in wrestling and grappling martial arts. Each week, he produces original content about the world of mixed martial arts from a betting perspective alongside an ever-changing panel of guest handicappers. When he’s not handicapping fights or producing content, he’s training jiu-jitsu, coaching youth wrestling, or daydreaming about doing one of the former. Follow Liam on Twitter - @LiamPicksFights
John Laub
John Laub (aka GridironScholar91) has researched, analyzed, and discovered insights and trends in college and professional fantasy football for over 30 years. He has played NFL fantasy football for 35 years and College Fantasy Football for 15 years. He has published articles for FootballDiehards.com for 28 years, including a DraftKings NFL Sheet of Knowledge for the past 6 seasons. He won $10,000 in 1993, defeating nearly 15,000 owners, and published Audibles: Winning is Everything in the 1990s. He is co-host of the Draft Seminar and College Fantasy Football Preview Show: Best Bets, DFS and Games of the Week on the Rookie Big Board. He truly is The Gridiron Scholar. Follow John on Twitter - @GridironSchol91
Kevin Mount
Kevin Mount (aka heywood55) has been playing fantasy sports since 1996 and DFS since 2013. He has a Bachelor’s in Marketing from DeSales University and lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and daughter. Kevin specializes in College Football tournament strategy and has taken down his share of GPPs over the years. A diehard Nebraska football fan, Kevin has been putting out top-notch College Football content since 2014. Follow Kevin on Twitter - @DFS_CFBGuru
Justin Miron
Justin Miron (aka Hunter4ever89) earned his bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University in 2013 in his home state of Minnesota. Justin has been playing DFS since 2014, specializing in NHL, NFL, and MLB. He is known for his success in high-stakes, small-field tournaments. After a short stint doing NHL content part time for RotoGrinders in 2018, he rejoined the team in the fall of 2024. Justin spends a lot of time in the field hunting pheasants with his dogs when he isn’t dominating the DFS streets. Follow Justin on Twitter - @mnwild4lifedfs