Daily fantasy is the fastest-growing sector of fantasy sports and football is, by far, the most rapidly-expanding sport within the industry. The lure of simplistic salary-based lineups and potentially life-changing prize pools continues to attract new customers and is yielding double-digit growth to sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. As NFL Opening Weekend approaches, the FootballGuys decided to reach out to some of the most successful players in the daily space to pick their brains, to see through their eyes, and to get a feel for some of the thought processes that differentiate successful players from those who continually make weekly redeposits. This series will include some of the heaviest hitters in the industry, all of whom share insight into their own success.
In today’s installment, we converse with Dan Gaspar, a 26-year old Wisconsinite better known as “MrTuttle05” across the industry. Tuttle is currently ranked 7th overall amongst NFL daily players and is the 18th best daily fantasy player in the world as ranked by RotoGrinders.com. In 2013, alone, Tuttle qualified for the $3 million Fantasy Football Championships on both FanDuel and DraftStreet, as well as StarStreet’s $250K Playboy Mansion Championship; qualifying for just one of these championships is an accomplishment, let alone qualifying for all three! Dan operates Fantasy Insiders, a website devoted to all sports in the daily space; you can become one of his nearly 2000 Twitter followers at https://twitter.com/MrTuttle05.
Given Name: Dan Gaspar
Daily Alias(es): MrTuttle05
Age: 26
Hometown: Janesville, WI
Occupation: COO, Co-Founder @ FantasyInsiders.com
Twitter Handle: @MrTuttle05
In your opinion, how does daily fantasy football compare to season-long fantasy football? Pros? Cons?
I personally prefer daily to season long, but think both have their pros. I enjoy daily because as cliche as it sounds, each week really is a new season. Any sort of injury in daily only influences you negatively for one week if you happen to have that player on your roster, whereas in season long it can potentially hurt you all year. That's some of the mystique of season long fantasy though - your success isn't predicated simply on your draft. You really have to excel midseason as well to win your leagues.
There are a number of daily sites available for players. Where do you play and why do you choose to play there?
I mainly play on the two big sites - FanDuel and DraftKings - because of game selection and user pool. Both sites have unique enough roster settings (especially with DK getting rid of the K position in 2014) and salaries that you are able to diversify your teams enough where your week isn't dependent on a single player’s performance.
A lot of the smaller sites are fun to play on as well, but don't get a whole lot of my action. Sites like StarStreet, DraftDay and FantasyFeud are all worth checking out. Site preference really comes down to personal opinion, so I think it's important for new users to test the water and see which site they enjoy the most, or have the most success on. For those that enjoyed DraftStreet in the past, FantasyFeud is the closest that you'll get.
There are a number of game types (H2H, matrix, 50/50, 3-man, 5-man, 10-man, GPP, etc.) on these sites; which of these do you most prefer and why?
I play and enjoy all of them. I guess I'd consider myself more of a "cash game" player (H2H, 50/50, etc.), but enjoy playing the various Q's and GPPs.
For people thinking of trying daily fantasy for the first time, what type(s) of games would you recommend?
Definitely cash games. I think it's important for new users not to get mystified and drawn in by the big GPP prize pools and focus on cash games when they are starting out. The reality is that for the majority of users the GPP and Q contests are simply a money pit and can put an end to your bankroll real fast. If you're looking for DFS to be more than just 1 week of entertainment, make sure to invest in cash games.
What is the single biggest mistake a new player can make when entering the daily world?
Really what I alluded to in my previous answer. Poor game selection can put an end to someone's DFS career very quickly. There's nothing more annoying than putting up a good score week-to-week that would profit in cash games, but just bubble GPPs.
Sourcing information is a key component in ensuring that you roster guys in optimal situations (i.e., weekly projections, health status, starter versus bench, player value, etc); where do you go to obtain the most reliable information?
FootballGuys.com, ProFootballFocus.com, and 4for4.com is where I look for objective content (stats, etc.). FantasyInsiders.com is really the only place I look for more subjective content (top value plays, etc.).
While we can't expect you to share EVERY secret you have with regards to being a winning player, what 1 or 2 thing(s) do you think are absolutely essential for becoming a successful player in the daily space?
Hate to beat a dead horse, but #1 is game selection. Stay away from the money pit GPPs! #2 is similar, but is bankroll management - something I still struggle with. Idea is simple - don't invest too much of your bankroll on any given week.
You have met and/or have personal relationships with quite a few guys who are very successful at daily fantasy--what do these players all have in common, if anything?
All are very analytical. Everyone essentially has access to the same data, so edges, especially in NFL can be very small. The ability to analyze that data the correct way is what separates the top guys.
Who are the daily players you try to avoid when playing H2H games? If you're not necessarily avoiding anybody, what names do you most respect in the football space?
This list is by no means comprehensive, but Condia, KillaB, BirdWings, ehafner, Dinkpiece, CSURam88 just to name a few.
Many of the more successful daily players come from a poker background, where bankroll management is absolutely essential for long-term success. What are your rules for effective bankroll management?
If I'm being completely honest, effective bankroll management is by far my biggest weakness. I only played online poker casually, so don't have the background that a lot of guys have. With that said, it's best to look elsewhere for bankroll management advice ;)
Can you briefly describe your weekly routine, in terms of preparation for daily contests, for a typical Sunday in the NFL?
This is a much better question for when I'm in midseason form, as the routine really evolves year to year based on available information, etc. In most cases I'll start posting H2H games on Tuesday to try to get as diverse as possible as far as opponents go. Research is really an all week thing. I edit and manage content at FantasyInsiders.com, so a lot of my preliminary research is editing our content, as well as writing my own articles. Once preliminary research is done, I'll spend time analyzing each site’s salaries for the given week and try to identify any good "buys". Once that's done it's all about lineup construction and reacting to any new/relevant information that becomes available throughout the week.
Roster construction for tournaments versus 'cash' games are quite different; what is your #1 piece of advice for a person constructing each type of lineup?
I'm actually of the opinion that roster construction doesn't need to be drastically different and will always run out my "cash game" lineup in GPPs as well as my main lineup. Optimal plays are optimal plays.
With that said, if I'm running out multiple lineups in a GPP and am not as focused on the "optimal" play, a GPP lineup will tend to have "riskier" players in it. That could include rostering a player with a questionable injury status that would otherwise be a good play, or not avoiding games with potential weather issues if there are high upside options available in that game.
A question often asked by beginners is, "How many different rosters should I be making for my H2H games?" What is your answer?
I'm mainly a one lineup guy per site, but my answer would be whatever works best for the user. If you're applying proper game selection then you are allowing your opponents to provide the diversification.
What about site-specific strategy? Are there factors that you consider when constructing lineups on FanDuel versus DraftKings?
There are some slight scoring differences between the two sites, but none that will greatly influence strategy. The biggest thing that will influence constructing lineups on individual sites will be salaries. Just because Aaron Rodgers is a good play on FanDuel on a given week, doesn't mean he's a good play on DraftKings that same week. An optimal play is dependent on pricing.
The term 'variance' is thrown around quite a bit in daily circles, particularly in football. What is 'variance' and why should we be concerned with it on a weekly basis?
Statistically speaking variance measures how far a set of numbers is spread out. The idea is that we can project a player’s mean performance on a weekly basis, but their actual performance really has a wide range of possible outcomes - a player can, and will, under or over perform their mean projection any given week.
We deal with variance on a weekly basis when it comes to player performance. Some players may be more variant than others or, in other words, have a wider range of possible outcomes. These players are typically tougher to predict accurately.
Furthermore, it is statistically probable that you'll end up rostering a player, or multiple players that underperform their projection on a given week. That doesn't necessarily mean that they were a "bad play", but rather variance struck and they performed at the lower end of their possible range of outcomes.
Is there ever a time to 'pay up' for a kicker?
Ideally, no. Logistically, it's possible. It really just depends on the other options and prices on a given week. In most instances there will be plenty of viable options at the lower end of the price spectrum where it's unnecessary to pay up for a kicker.
FanDuel's biggest event has always included a trip to Vegas for a live final event; last year, that event paid $1 million to the 1st place finisher. Have you been to a live final and, if so, how would you describe it?
I've been to a few live finals and to say they are awesome would be an understatement. The best part is that these events continue to get better as the sites gain experience in putting them on.
What is the future of daily fantasy football--where do you see it in 5 years?
I really think daily fantasy will start to overtake season long fantasy - potentially we'll see some of that trend starting in 5 years. I think as people age and the younger generation starts to get involved in fantasy sports, daily will become more attractive to their personalities and short attention spans.
What is your favorite daily fantasy experience thus far?
Has to be the first time qualifying for a live final - really nothing like it.
Random Questions
What celebrity do you get mistaken for?
Manu Ginobli.
Favorite movie of all time?
I'm pretty apathetic when it comes to movies. I'll go cliche and say The Shawshank Redemption.
Best music album of all time?
Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons
How did you choose your daily fantasy alias?
Based on the Drivers’ Ed teacher in Saved by the Bell.
You're on death row--what's your last meal request?
Pork Carnitas made by my lovely wife.