How I Turned $15 Into $715,600 With the Help of the Fantasy Footballers DFS & Betting Podcast

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How I Turned $15 Into $715,600

With the Help of the Fantasy Footballers DFS & Betting Podcast

From: Christopher Key Cash

X: @chriscashmusic DK: ckcash64

You, the reader, are likely a dedicated NFL Fantasy Football player. Like a seasoned card player, you understand the game's intricacies and the various factors that can lead to victory in any format. You may have ventured into the Best Ball arena and are seeking a concise guide to what works, backed by evidence. This is where my process comes in. 

Allow me to be your guide in this journey.

Thanks to the guidance of Borg & Betz and the Fantasy Footballers DFS & Betting Podcast/Website, I was well-prepared for success. This piece will delve into the key factors that enabled me to craft a winning lineup. It's the story of how a mere $15 entry into the DraftKings $15M Millionaire Best Ball Tournament resulted in a remarkable 3rd place finish and a prize of $715,600.

This piece has three parts:

1. Top 5 Musts for a Winning Lineup

2. Other Details & Strategy

3. ADP breakdown of the roster.

Top 5 Musts for a Winning Lineup 

1. Don't Be Dogmatic

Like Jon Snow, WE KNOW NOTHING. There is too much variance, randomness, and other factors that we can not predict in an NFL season. I had to throw my biases out the door and accept the fact that there is a way every player can succeed - and there is a way every player can fail. Many of the players on this roster were not favorites. All of them served a purpose though and without applying this, I would not have chosen most.

From the May 24th episode. Betz: 

"Chaos happens every year…think about how silly that concept is. We're trying to predict in May, June and July what's going to happen in Week 16 - 18." This point helped me confidently pick players that I did not like in my portfolio. Did anybody else think Zach Ertz would score two touchdowns in Week 17? No, but stacking him with Jayden Daniels reached an optimal outcome at a cheap value in Round 17.

2. Roster Construction

• Lineup Architecture Rules

My most important rule: lineups need 2 or 3 QBs, 5 - 6 RBs, 7 - 9 WRs, and 2 or 3 TEs. Stay disciplined to this and never deviate. Bully TE and bully QB do not work. "Bully" refers to drafting more than three players that only have one designated position slot in the starting lineup. The QB and TE slot can only start one (even though your TE could hit the flex), so it is suboptimal to draft more than three.

Multiple podcasts throughout May - June discuss this. 

Betz: "The most common roster constructions are the best roster constructions. Bully QB, Bully TE, doesn't work. Stick to sound roster construction, a couple of player takes, archetypes, get some stacks and eventually it will work for you and you will land on a very, very good team." Indeed, Mr. Betz.

• Four Wide Receivers before Round 6

You need to maximize the PPR aspect of DraftKings. I made sure to grab four receivers before round 6, which helped us correlate Cincinnati with Denver in Week 17. This draft strategy is gospel. Having three WR spots (compared to two at RB) on a PPR site makes them more valuable. I went with Ja'Maar Chase, Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, and Christian Kirk to load up the starting WR core in the build.

From the June 28th episode. Borg: 

"If you don't have four wide receivers by the first six rounds, you're in trouble."

• Elite TE's Are Falling

Elite TEs had much cheaper ADPs in 2024 than they did in past years. In 22 and 23, George Kittle was a round 4 pick. At this point in our draft, we would be reaching for some of the dead zone running backs. However, there sits George Kittle. Instead of reaching at RB, I grabbed him to pair with JT and our solid WR core. We have a top-three TE to pair with a full WR core.

From the May 31st episode. Borg: 

"This is not a smart time to take a WR [round 6, 7]. Why would you take Xavier Worthy instead of taking someone like George Kittle?"

• Body Bagging Running Backs

Once the WR core/TE 1 is in place, it is time to fill holes at RB. WR prices are gross around round 7, so this is when I want RBs. Why would I take a WR 5 when I can take an RB 2 (like Aaron Jones or James Conner)? Picking a WR in this range is suboptimal because our starting WR positions are complete, and the RB value is higher. An RB is likelier to hit our starting lineup than a fifth (overpriced) WR. 

From the May 24th episode, Borg: 

"The biggest edge is taking a two prong approach where you are body bagging the dead zone running backs and betting on ambiguous backfields." This roster is a hero RB build where I got Jonathan Taylor in the 2nd. I got the other four running backs with this rule in mind.

Dead Zone RB's: Aaron Jones Rd 7 James Conner Rd 8

Ambiguous Backfields: Zach Charbonnet Rd 11 Keandre Miller Rd 19

• Week 17 Runbacks

From the May 31st episode. 

Sound DFS strategy is picking a game and hoping it hits the over. Players stacked in a game that goes off have a higher chance of being optimal. I made every pick after Round 12 with a purpose. These picks went toward a stack or a runback from earlier picks.

The NFL schedule is released in the middle of May. I memorize Week 17 matchups the day it comes out. That way, I know which teams to pair in a week 17 matchup. I had a Bengals stack therefore, I needed to find a Bronco. Memorizing the schedule gives you an edge if you want run backs. Every single pick after round 11 was done so for a reason. These picks went towards a stack or a runback from earlier picks, emphasizing the value of late-round picks.

I got Christian Kirk early, so why not run it back with a cheap Tennessee stack? People will ask, does the Week 17 match matter? You decide. Here's a breakdown of the runbacks by teams:

• CIN (Chase/Higgins) vs DEN (Mims). Three players = seven tds Week 17! 

• WAS (Daniels/Ertz/Dotson*) vs ATL (Moore). Zach Ertz had two touchdowns from Jayden Daniels.*Jahan Dotson was traded to the Eagles during the season but was drafted as a Commander.

• TEN (Levis/Boyd/Chig) vs JAX (Kirk).

• LV (Minschew) vs NO (Miller).

• Early Stacks Have Low Advance Rates, so be careful.

  
  

Be careful reaching for early, expensive stacks. Last year, the Texans were going way too high. Nico Collins (rd 2), Stefon Diggs (rd 3), Tank Dell (rd 4), and CJ Stroud (rd 6) were all going before pick 70. For this stack to make sense, you must hit an improbable, perfect scenario and create a massive opportunity cost problem. The opportunity cost problem? When you draft all Texans, you are missing out on other expensive, usually higher-valued players.

Do not use four of your first five picks on the Texans when you could take Mike Evans in the 3rd, Chris Godwin in the 6th, and Baker Mayfield in the 12th. This strategy is called "Knocking on the Back Door" and can be used to get cheaper stacks. The May 31st episode goes into some detail on this.

3. Knocking On The Back Door

From the May 24th episode. Borg: 

"Stack a QB late and then grab other teammates late. They can elevate your team because of cost."

The last rounds are a crapshoot. Especially early in the draft season. Did anyone think Bryce Young and Adam Thielen would go nuclear during the finals? No. Yet, they did. The cost? Nothing. You could get Adam Theilen around pick 150 and Bryce Young around 180. You are paying so little for significant returns.

Our build got multiple spike weeks out of a late stack. Will Levis (13), Tyler Boyd (15), and Chig Okonkwo (16) hit the starting lineup multiple times throughout the year. The cost? Nothing. Many players in this range (like Roman Wilson, Jermaine Burton, and Luke McCaffery, for example) scored teams little or zero points. Instead of taking a flier on those players, we can stack a starting QB, WR, and TE. These players are our SECOND option anyway. Most weeks, they will not hit our starting lineup because of the earlier-round players we drafted. When our starting lineup players do not perform well, they can be a pick-me-up that correlates well if they have a big week.

4. What To Do If Someone Snipes Your QB/Don't Freak Out

From the June 7th episode. 

This one is insane, and I am pretty sure our hosts have a crystal ball and can read the future. Betz brought to light what happens if a quarterback gets sniped when you pick stacking partners earlier. He used Ja'Maar Chase and Tee Higgins as an example. "If the QB gets sniped, it's okay. Don't freak out. Just take someone like Jayden Daniels later." This exact pivot worked!

It worked out exactly as he said. Jayden Daniels was available later, which led to the Zach Ertz pick because a stacking partner and third TE were needed in round 17.

5. Bank Roll and Contest Selection

Listen to the June 14th episode. During the mailbag segment, Borg discusses the idiosyncrasies of the bankroll and how everyone is different. 

The pod preaches budget management and goal setting. After the Super Bowl, I took this advice and applied it. Maxing out the tournament costs $2,250. Knowing this amount helped me budget based on this drafting strategy: the Dumbbell Approach.

The Dumbbell Approach

Drafting Best Ball tournaments that are not time-sensitive needs to be a dumbbell—a lot early, a little in the middle, and a lot late. I budgeted $300 a month to account for this starting in February. That creates a $2,400 best ball bankroll applied from April through September. The extra $150 goes towards smaller tournaments as practice (more on that later). Here are the pros and cons of each.

First 60 Drafts (My winning build drafted in late June/early July) 

Pros: There is a cheap ADP value on players that will move up throughout the summer. Jayden Daniels was available in Round 9 during this draft time and moved to the 7th round by kickoff.

Cons: Limited information/injuries. We do not know who will be hurt, how rosters will shake out, or other details. Rondale Moore hit IR before kickoff because we did not know he would be out at this point.

Middle 15 Drafts 

Pros: Watch and practice different draft strategies as ADP changes. Can jump on quick changing ADP instantly when news breaks.

Cons: Start to lose value on ADP. If a sleeper starts to get steamed up, his ADP will follow.

Last 75 Drafts 

Pros: Maximum amount of information possible before kickoff. Can avoid dead spots due to injury.

Cons: There is zero ADP value, especially for marquee rookies. Players will adjust to where they should be by kickoff. Opportunity cost is an issue now. Early drafters may get players in the 12th and can build with higher-valued players. Late drafters may take that same player in the 9th round and miss out on the earlier players the early drafters received.

Other Information and Strategy Application

Warm Up Drafts/Test Drives 

To get a feel for the draft board, I recommend doing multiple warm-up drafts. DraftKings drops a $3, 20 max tournament that is perfect. The $60 max is excellent practice for trying different strategies and getting a feel for what to do & how to stack.

I call this Test Driving. You need to understand how the draft drives before you can make proper decisions on the big tournament. You also need to learn what to do on the fly when you need to adjust based on other drafters. You will be shocked at how many ignorant drafters you face who do things that make little to zero sense.

Fast vs. Slow Drafts 

Podcast: Listen to June 14th's episode on analysis of Fast vs Slow Drafts 

I only do fast drafts. This is a personal preference because when you have a solid idea of ADP, how to stack, set your rankings, etc., you can pick off other players' mistakes. Most of the field is going round by round, but I'm working through the draft from the back. If I know where the cheap QB's are I can start to construct a roster with them in mind. Most users just look at players each round and pick only a round or two ahead.

Be PROACTIVE - not REACTIVE.

Know how to stack/pivot in multiple directions no matter what happens

By the end of the summer, I knew what picks I would make in rounds 10 and beyond based on my first four-round selections. This only happened because of test drives and repeating the process.

You need to allow 1 - 3% of lineups for slippage. Slippage is when something horrible goes wrong. You will invariably set a queue and auto-draft a player you don't mean to. Someone will snipe your QB when you've already drafted two or three of their stacking partners. This action is part of the process, so ensure you understand you will have a few dead lineups. Think of it as a cost of doing business.

Big Tip: DO NOT FAST DRAFT IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETELY FOCUS FOR THE ENTIRE DRAFT. Otherwise, you will make mistakes. You need to lock in on every single pick to maximize your edge. You must maneuver through other players' picks to ensure you build strong rosters and can prepare for pivots as your turn approaches. Play chess - not checkers.

Slow Drafts Advantage 

Slow drafts create opportunities when you do not have time to pay attention for 45 minutes or want more time to think. You will make fewer mistakes in slow drafts, but so will your opponents. If you like to slow the game down a bit, I recommend slow drafts because you have more time to process. You will also cut down on queue mistakes as you are not rushed to get your pick in.

Friday/Saturday Night Drunk Drafters. For all you gamers out there, you will inevitably find inebriated players if you get online late on Friday and Saturday nights. The same goes for Best Ball drafting. One of my favorite times to draft is after 10 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. I do not have any solid data on this (but I will compile it this fall), but the amount of mistakes/errors is much higher during these draft times.

To that point, don't be too impaired yourself!

Exposure 

As a low-risk DFS player, exposure caps are a big part of my process. I don't take strong stands on player takes, and I like having a variety of assets in my portfolio.

I max all players at 20% with an ADP of 96 or below. 

It is much harder to deviate from the 8.33% exposure you should have to each player in early rounds. Those picks are tight, and the standard deviation is lower than ADP compared to later picks. Late rounds deliver better values as there is more fluctuation from ADP. 

Recommended Tools from the Ballers

1. Best Ball Rankings - adjust these in the DK app before the first draft.

2. Best Ball Primer - a piece that comes out in early summer.

3. Articles - There are tons of articles on the website that you can read.

   
   

Conclusion

NFL players never stop practicing. Receivers know how to run routes but continue to practice them throughout the off-season and summer.

So why would Best Ball players not do the same? You have to use the advice, tools, and content from the Fantasy Footballers DFS & Betting team to make you the best, Best Ball player you can be! I hope you know most of this information here, but constantly reviewing it improves you. Now, let's win 2025!

Draft Results 

Rd 1 Ja’Marr Chase 

Rd 2 Jonathan Taylor 

Rd 3 Mike Evans 

Rd 4 Tee Higgins 

Rd 5 Christian Kirk  

Rd 6 George Kittle 

Rd 7 Aaron Jones  

Rd 8 James Conner 

Rd 9 Jayden Daniels 

Rd 10 Brandin Cooks 

Rd 11 Zach Charbonnet 

Rd 12 Jahan Dotson

Rd 13 Will Levis 

Rd 14 Marvin Mims 

Rd 15 Tyler Boyd 

Rd 16 Chig Okonkwo 

Rd 17 Zach Ertz 

Rd 18 Gardner Minshew

Rd 19 KeAndre Miller  

Rd 20 Rondale Moore