Each week, we’ll be recapping the decisions of the masses and discerning the takeaways that can be applied to future DraftKings NFL contests. I’ll focus on topics like game theory and lineup-building strategies, with the hope of giving everyone the tools to become better DraftKings NFL DFS players. In addition to the recap, this article will also function as a “first look” at the next NFL main slate, giving some initial thoughts on the teams and prices.
The DraftKings Championship Series is the king of competitions, minting 100 millionaires in the 2021-22 season. For more info on the series and all of the events, visit our DraftKings Championship Series Information page.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
Super Wild Card Recap
Saturday’s $25 Millionaire contest had some unusual dynamics with it being just a two-game slate, and the focal point for most lineups was Joe Mixon who came in at 73.8% ownership. Mixon was in a prime spot with the Cincinnati Bengals being decent-sized favorites over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, and he was priced pretty reasonably at $7,100. The Bengals had plenty of success and wound up winning the game, but all of their touchdowns came through the air and Mixon finished with a disappointing 11.6 fantasy points. As a result, the roughly 1⁄4 of lineups that didn’t include Mixon had a substantial leg up on the field, especially because there were so many other players who produced well across the two games.
The top-scoring team by a wide margin was the Buffalo Bills, and they got the majority of their production from the non-WR positions. Josh Allen, Devin Singletary and Dawson Knox were all must-haves for first place contention while the best receivers came from the other three teams. Kendrick Bourne filled out the Bills stack as the key run-back option from the New England Patriots side of the game, and he finished with 28.1 fantasy points at just $4,400 and 11.4% ownership.
Millionaire Contest Winners
$25 Millionaire
The $25 Millionaire spanned just two games, so getting to first place in the largest contest essentially meant needing a near-perfect lineup. Ultimately there were two people who found the same combination, as “mrcpuguru” and “cbdavidson3” landed on the lineup that hit on all of the top performers mentioned above. As a result of their tie “mrcpuguru” and “cbdavidson3” will play in a tiebreaker contest for a ticket into the DraftKings Championship Series Tournament of Champions, in addition to splitting the $1M top prize.
Saturday-Sunday Main Slate
The largest contests for the Divisional Round cover the full four games rather than just the two that were featured in Super Wild Card Weekend, and there are plenty of high-level quarterbacks to choose from. Josh Allen ($7,600) is at the top of the board for quarterbacks and he’s going head-to-head with the second most expensive QB, Patrick Mahomes ($7,300). None of these names stand out as exceptional values, but there’s merit to playing any of them and the ownership could be pretty spread out at the position.
Derrick Henry ($7,500) is the most expensive running back in his return from IR, but there are plenty of cheaper running backs to choose from with fairly similar expectations and much lower prices. Leonard Fournette ($5,700) looks like an especially strong value as the lead back in Tampa Bay, and Cam Akers ($5,500) could be a popular choice on the other side of that same game. Akers appears to have overtaken Sony Michel ($5,300) as the Los Angeles Rams’ preferred backfield option.
The wide receiver position has a ton of high-end choices, and there are definitely good reasons to roster the big names like Cooper Kupp ($8,600) and Davante Adams ($8,500). There are a few top-tier receivers that are significantly cheaper than those two, however, as Tyreek Hill ($6,600) and Stefon Diggs ($6,500) are about $2,000 less expensive than Kupp and Adams, and this could wind up making them very popular plays.
Tight end is led by Travis Kelce ($6,500) who ordinarily would be the chalk at that lower-than-usual price, but a few of the other big names are unusually cheap as well. Rob Gronkowski ($5,800) and George Kittle ($5,300) can be had at discounts, and Dawson Knox ($4,900) is probably in the mix too, after a 25.9-point fantasy performance in the first round.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY).
Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.