Welcome back to The Daily Grind, the place where I will be discussing all the happenings in Daily Fantasy Sports on a weekly basis. The Daily Grind will be my voice to help you through the constantly changing DFS landscape as I highlight important news, free articles, resources, potential overlay situations, great contests to play and more every week. The emphasis here will be first to cover the four sites that we partnered with this year (FanDuel, DraftKings, FantasyAces and FantasyScore), but I will still discuss major news and contests beyond those sites when applicable.
DFS LESSON OF THE WEEK – A WALK DOWN NARRATIVE STREET
This week here at The Daily Grind I wanted to touch on another topic – “narrative street”. First, a quick definition:
Narrative Street: Information about a player, coach or team that is best described as an intangible with no data or statistical backing behind it. This information may impact the performance of the player or team in a positive or negative way. .
So what are some examples? There are actually quite a few, with the most notable one a revenge game. That revenge could be for a player facing his former team and/or coach, or a team that passed over him during the draft. The reason I bring this topic up this week should be obvious to many, which is that LeSean McCoy of the Buffalo Bills is heading back to Philadelphia. This game was considered one of the top revenge matchups heading into 2015, so it is no surprise that McCoy’s return to Lincoln Financial Field is a hot topic of discussion this week.
Before I discuss any particular examples of Narrative Street (commonly known as #NarrativeStreet on Twitter), let’s discuss other ways to stroll down this street:
- Revenge games (mentioned above). This can also include a coach facing his former team.
- Birthday games (example – Brock Osweiler’s first NFL start on his 25th birthday, which he won)
- Positive life events (child birthdays, such as T.Y. Hilton’s daughter’s birth, weddings, etc.)
- Negative life events (family / friend deaths, one of the most notable being Brett Favre’s father’s death just days before an epic performance on Monday Night Football)
- Returning to home, or old stomping grounds (such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning returning to New Orleans earlier this year – Beckham Jr. played at LSU, Eli Manning grew up in New Orleans).
- Playing “up” for their coach (normally a college #NarrativeStreet, but could come to fruition in the NFL if a team rallies around a coach on a hot seat or even supporting a new or interim coach)
- Games honoring that player (such as a “bobblehead night”)
- Contract incentives (anything from number of snaps, carries, catches, yards, etc.)
So as you can see, there are lots of ways to look at player motivation from intangibles. The question is, does it matter? Those who rely on numbers, stats and data in making their DFS (or regular fantasy) picks often scoff at the #NarrativeStreet angle, but I am not one of them. There are far too many examples where players play harder in these situations, and to me it makes a lot of sense. These players are young men who live in a relatively sheltered world where coaches make speeches before games and at halftime to motivate them to play harder. Players have “players only” meetings where they inspire one another. Teams are a virtual family that rally around any member than needs support, for whatever reason, or if they want to help that player have a big day. It does matter. Players are not just vehicles for stats on the screen or on paper, they live and breathe the sport that they play.
Now, I am not going to go crazy with this element of analysis. If a player is not an elite talent I probably am not going to say he is going to go bonkers when he normally has a mediocre performance, but if a stud player has an extra incentive to put up a big day and he either has support from his team or his team is already supporting him towards posting a great performance, I certainly can get behind it. That brings me full circle to LeSean McCoy. His return to Philadelphia is well documented and covered from many different angles, but I can tell you this – when he is asking for his team to help him have a big day against his former team, there is something there. I cannot quantify it, but I can tell you that I will not be surprised if McCoy is the top fantasy running back for Week 14.
DFS LEGAL REPORT
This is breaking news as I write this column Friday, as New York has just granted state Attorney General (NYAG) Eric Schneiderman’s request for an injunction that basically pushes DraftKings and FanDuel (and other DFS sites) out of the state of New York. Both DraftKings and FanDuel commented on the decision already, and DraftKings’ attorneys are going to appeal, but this is clearly a step in the wrong direction when it comes to supporting DFS contests. For Judge Manuel Mendez to grant the injunction, the judge had to view the court case as one that the NYAG has a “likelihood of success”, which means that FanDuel and Draftkings face uphill battles to get back to operating in the state of New York.
Now a few good outcomes were stated here for fantasy football fans. First, DraftKings’ attorney David Boies stated that he will immediately file an emergency notice of appeal to keep DFS alive in New York, at least for now. Secondly, there seems to be a clear line being drawn that the NYAG is only trying to prevent DFS in the state of New York and not season long fantasy games, which helps protect the majority of fantasy players. Of course, DFS players are more interested in the implications of this case to the DFS space, and in particular in the state of New York, so FanDuel’s statement included in ESPN’s coverage of this litigation is of particular interest. Here is an excerpt:
”This is only the beginning of the legal process and, perhaps more importantly, the New York legislature is already moving forward on action to ensure our game remains legal and is regulated, which we strongly support. The court specifically noted that this was not a final determination of the issue and that discovery would be needed to fully resolve the legal question, which we think should be decided in our favor when all of the evidence is in."
The important part is bolded here, which is that while the NYAG is trying to enforce current laws and stop DFS from taking place in New York, the state legislature is trying to legalize DFS and regulate it at the same time. It is quite possible that these two paths will intersect at some point in the near future and a regulated DFS environment will emerge in New York that could become an example for other states to copy and preserve DFS.
As I have stated before, this is a very dynamic situation, and one that I will continue to monitor and report on here in The Daily Grind. Our friends at Legal Sports Report cover the legal aspects of DFS with great care and diligence, so keep reading here and over at LSR for the latest information.
...and just like that...we have more news late Friday afternoon!
BREAKING: New York court grants interim stay in companies' appeal of daily fantasy sports order that would shut them down in NY - Reuters
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) December 11, 2015
So it looks like DraftKings was up, then down, then up again. How's that for an afternoon in DFS? It's like watching a tournament lineup.
As always, stay tuned!
FOOTBALLGUYS AND DFS COVERAGE FOR 2015
You know the deal by now - Footballguys has a ton of DFS coverage this year. Whether it is our two e-books that cover FanDuel (“Cracking FanDuel”) and DraftKings (“Cracking DraftKings”), or the 50+ articles a week we produce to cover all four major sites each week – we have it all covered. All this articles are linked in our Daily Crusher App that continues to be one of he best ways that DFS players can create lineups for cash games and tournaments and also get deep analysis on their rosters, likelihood of winning and exposure to various players. Once you start using this, it will be hard to imagine how you ever lived without it. I'm still learning all the different ways to use this great tool both by experimenting with it and with the help of our Daily Crusher Manual and I can already see its immense value to me as both a cash game and GPP player.
There's a ton more coverage we have this season for DFS, too much to outline in The Daily Grind, but we have a large section dedicated to each of our sponsor sites listed below.
DraftKings Coverage for Week 14
FantasyAces Coverage for Week 14
FantasyScore Coverage for Week 14
Let's also not forget about the Footballguys' blogs for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Watch for new content every day over there.
We even added new video content for 2015. In a partnership with Rotogrinders, you can now see both John Lee and Austin Lee with Dan Back on The Footballguys Rotogrinders Hour. It is a great show with lots of insight. Check it out!
Of course, if you are a bigger fan of The Audible, we have both FanDuel and DraftKings shows for DFS coverage for each site as well. Be sure to subscribe to these weekly podcasts to get your weekends rolling for the NFL DFS slate.
BIG CONTESTS FOR WEEK 14
FANDUEL
Before i talk about the great prizes available this week, I wanted to extend congratulations to all of the Footballguys' Fanduel players that qualified for the live events this weekend. This is the weekend of the biggest contest one of them all, the $12M Fantasy Football World Championship that was announced early this season. Congratulations to all those who are heading to San Diego to enjoy the event and try to win up to $3 Million.
Now, FanDuel is not disappointing those of us who were not able to get to San Diego this week. There are tons of contests available, staring with this week's $1.75 Million Contest where someone will win $175,000 for just a $25 entry all the way down to the NFL Sunday Rush, wherr a $5 entry to this contest can win you $100,000 for first place. What a value that one is. More contests are highlighted on our FanDuel contests page, so dig in and have some fun and hopefully win some extra cash at the same time.
DRAFTKINGS
DraftKings is once again offering their usual slate of great GPP contests, but they added a nice twist this week. They are still running their $2.5M Millionaire Maker, but this week the entry is only $3, so expect a lot more entries this week. Even with more competition, where else can you turn $3 into $1M? exactly. Give it a shot. There is also one more week to try and get to a live football final. DraftKings still has the biggest contest around with their $15 Million contest conttest, and qualifiers are still in play for as low as $3 an entry. Hmmm, $3 for a shot at $5 Million. I’m in, and I think everyone should take a shot at this big prize.
As far as the rest of the contests for this week, there are plenty of tournaments at DraftKings to sink your teeth into, even after the Millionaire Maker. At a price point of just $9, I am a big fan of the NFL Slant contest that offers $250K in prizes and you can win as much as $15,000. There' are also several giant 50/50 contests in the lobby as well, including a $25 entry with 15,000 winners about to get $50 Tuesday morning. Lots of contests and lots of money to be had in Week 5, so get those lineups ready.
FANTASYACES
You have to check out what FantasyAces is offering this season. Not only are they going bigger and better for the NFL, but they are also going for a Live Final for College Football!
First, FantasyAces announced the $500,000 NFL Live Final for 2015, which will be in Newport Beach, CA on December 13th. The live final will have 40 entrants competing for a $100,000 grand prize. Qualifiers are now closed, and I wish everyone who made it the best of luck.
Additional contests still exist for FantasyAces even though the live final is closed. Check out the FantasyAces page for all the latest contests, such as the $30,000 Hail Mary for just $22 a team!
FantasyAces also has an interesting format called SalaryPro, where you get bonus points for staying furhter and further under the salary cap. More and more are trying out this unique format, so be sure to check out the lobby over at FantasyAces for contests that use this rule.
FANTASYSCORE
FantasyScore is offering up a GPP with a twist this year. If you can finish in the Top 3 in their Fantasy Football Championship Satellite, you can grab an elusive golden ticket for an entry towards the Week 16 championship game where $25,000 will be awarded. Another way to get a ticket is to go after the $20 entry satellite that is giving away four tickets. Check out all of these contests and more at our FantasyScore page.
Footballguys has you covered here - both in major DFS announcements and the tools you need to build winning lineups.
Thanks as always for reading The Daily Grind, and good luck this week.