Storyboard #5

“Buying in bulk”

Written by Mike Johnson

Published – 6/23/24

Something that is often discussed in weekly DFS theory and strategy is the “story” your lineup tells. Basically, the idea is to think about what the recap of the day would have to be for each particular lineup to have been the “right” combination of players that gets you to a first place finish on that slate. I like to do something similar when drafting Best Ball rosters, thinking about the “story” that the roster is telling about how the NFL season will play out with each pick. 

At every selection in a draft, there are a variety of reasonable options available, and whatever choice you make also implies some things about the other players you passed on. Similar to price point or positional pivots on a regular DFS slate, we want to be aware of the scenario where your picks are “right.” While everyone understands team stacks and most of the industry is focusing on late season correlations and balancing exposures, very few are actively trying to leverage the decisions made for a particular roster with their later-round picks by using these indirect correlations. Below is a summary of a draft I did on June 23rd in the $15 Drafters Million III NFL Contest.

Drafters Scoring/Settings::

• Drafters format has NO PLAYOFFS. The format is cumulative points for 17 weeks
• This means Week 17 correlations can be thrown out the window
• 20 man rosters, same as DraftKings
• PPR scoring, like DraftKings, but NO BONUSES for 100 yards rush/rec or 300 yards passing
• As of now, Drafters has paused their deposit “reload” codes we’ve used in the past. However, they are still offering to all users “Milestone Bonuses” – draft 10 teams, get one bonus ticket; draft 25 teams, get one bonus ticket; draft 50 teams, get two bonus tickets; draft 100 teams, get three bonus tickets; max enter 150, get $100 Bonus and a Drafters T-Shirt.

Picking from 8th slot

Pick 1.08 – AJ Brown, WR, PHI 

Pick 2.05 – Chris Olave, WR, NO 

Pick 3.08 – Stefon Diggs, WR, HOU 

Pick 4.05 – Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS 

Pick 5.08 – Calvin Ridley, WR, TEN

Pick 6.05 – Rashee Rice, WR, KC 

Pick 7.08 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA

Pick 8.05 – Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT 

Pick 9.08 – Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN 

Pick 10.05 – Brian Robinson, RB, WAS 

Pick 11.08 – Kendre Miller, RB, NO 

Pick 12.05 – Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA 

Pick 13.08 – TJ Hockenson, TE, MIN 

Pick 14.05 – Luke Musgrave, TE, GB 

Pick 15.08 – Jonnu Smith, TE, MIA 

Pick 16.05 – Bryce Young, QB, CAR

Pick 17.08 – Derek Carr, QB, NO

Pick 18.05 – J.J. McCarthy, QB, MIN

Pick 19.08 – Justin Fields, QB, PIT

Pick 20.05 – Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF

FINAL ROSTER:

• QB (4): Bryce Young, Derek Carr, J.J. McCarthy, Justin Fields
• RB (6): Jaylen Warren, Tyjae Spears, Brian Robinson, Kendre Miller, Zach Charbonnet, Isaac Guerendo
• WR (7): AJ Brown, Chris Olave, Stefon Diggs, Terry McLaurin, Calvin Ridley, Rashee Rice, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• TE (3): TJ Hockenson, Luke Musgrave, Jonnu Smith

SUMMARY: