Week 1 has arrived and along with it Daily Fantasy Football! I admittedly am not a seasoned veteran but delved into the latest Fantasy sports sensation last season and fared well. I will reiterate I am NOT a high stakes player (yet) and at this point dabble in “Affordable” tournaments but primarily “50/50” contests and “Head to Head” competitions.
So, with that being said I often times felt overwhelmed or a little risky when I first entered. I trusted my gut more than anything else, and put little to no time doing research or evaluating match-ups or history. This was not a very intelligent move. I did sneak out a few wins here and there, and even got a little cocky when I won four nights in a row in Fantasy Baseball. Because of this, I of course was ready to up the ante, right? Well I did, and promptly got pummeled. It should be no secret that the more money involved, the better the competition.
Again, I am still not an expert, but found having a little guidance, some tools and even a sample roster to feed off of greatly helps. You can’t simply buy the best of the best each week and in contests such as tournaments, or contests with large amounts of opponents you need to distinguish yourself with some flyer selections, or shot in the dark players. I typically will use two or three bargain players with each lineup. This allows me to snag some elite talent and above average players on the rest of the roster.
If you haven’t delved into Daily Fantasy you really should, just start small, or in Free-Rolls only for a while. I won’t go in to strategy for rookies in DFS, but encourage you to read this post to help you get started Daily Fantasy Football 101. It was one of my first reads before playing the first time. Also, be sure to follow the author Michael Rathburn on Twitter @fantasyrath.
Another great option is Skyllzone.com a new daily site David Gonos and I actively play and provide strategy articles for. It is completely free, and is unique in that you don’t have a budget to worry about, or human opponents, but involves a snake draft with 9 computers. It goes quick too, or it can be as slow as you need if you want to do research between picks.
Along with the cheatsheet provided below I will provide at least one player at each position (besides kickers and defenses) who can help balance out your roster and remain competitive. There of course are more, and you should definitely take advantage of
Fantasypros.com for all of your seasonal, and daily fantasy needs.
Note: I was going to post a table of the Fanduel Cheatsheet, but Gonos already posted one so just read his awesome post to see it. Use it! It is worth your while.
Week 1: The Bargain Bin
Quarterback: Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears- He costs $8,000 dollars this week but should be able to match that value if not surpass it. Considering it saves you almost 2K from the top tier Quarterbacks, consider his weapons and the matchup and Cutler is on nearly all of my Daily squads this week.
Running Back: Shane Vereen, New England Patriots- He comes in at $6,600 and makes a fantastic RB2 for your lineups. His pass-catching abilities, and decent matchup makes him an affordable roster who will get plenty of touches. Projected Fanduel Return: $8,000
Wide Receiver: Golden Tate, Detroit Lions- Look, he is clearly the number two beside Calvin Johnson, but if you followed last season at all you know Tate can stretch the field, and he did it as essentially a number one. See what I am getting at here? He is now playing alongside the best in the game. Toss in the Giants not so great secondary and you have a tasty and affordable ($5,000)player who should be valuable. Projected Fanduel Return: $ 6,100
Tight End: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles- There are plenty of solid options at this position in Week 1, and if you go cheap on a few other positions you can likely afford the Tier 1 guys. But if you would rather skimp on tight end, Ertz is your guy.Coming in at $4,500 and facing the Jaguars in the fastest offense in the league he should bring solid results. Projected Fanduel Return: $5,800
The Final Lineup…..Or One Of Them