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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 Derek Farnsworth, a 27-year old from Salt Lake City better known as “Notorious” across the industry. Notorious is a strong player across multiple sports, as evidenced by his current 11th overall ranking amongst NFL daily players and his 10th in MLB & 7th in NBA rankings. Last year, Derek took down DraftDay’s biggest MLB tournament of the season (MLB Big League Blast) for a $50,000 payday! Derek is a regular contributor for RotoGrinders.com and appears as an analyst on their RotoGrinders Live webcasts during the NBA season; you can become one of his nearly 2000 Twitter followers at https://twitter.com/RG_Notorious.
Given Name: Derek Farnsworth
Daily Alias(es): Notorious
Age: 27
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Occupation: DFS Full-Time
Twitter Handle: RG_Notorious
1) In your opinion, how does daily fantasy football compare to season-long fantasy football? Pros? Cons?
The immediate benefit of daily fantasy football over season-long leagues is that injuries play a far less significant role in the outcome. There are star players that get hurt every single year that can basically cripple your team in season long leagues. In daily leagues, the longest that a single player's injury can hurt you is one week because each week you draft a new set of players. Daily is also nice because you don't have to wait an entire season to see how you fare. Each contest in daily fantasy football is one week long and the payouts are processed after the final game each week. The only con to daily is that there is no "waiver wire" which is where a lot of season-long experts separate themselves.
2) There are a number of daily sites available for players. Where do you play and why do you choose to play there?
There are quite a few daily fantasy sites out there, all of them with their own pros and cons. I personally prefer a wide array of opponents which is why FanDuel and DraftKings are my favorites. They have the biggest user base which allows you to get a nice mix of opponents each week. It also allows them to host the biggest tournaments in daily fantasy sports. You aren't going to find many other sites that will be giving out $1 million as a fantasy football prize.
3) 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?
In the daily fantasy sports industry, we tend to separate game types by either "cash games" or "GPP's." Cash games include double-ups, head to heads, and smaller leagues while GPP's are the big tournaments with the top-heavy payout structure. I'm a big fan of both, but tend to have most of my action in cash games. I've found that it's much easier to consistently win in these types of games than it is in GPP's.
4) For people thinking of trying daily fantasy for the first time, what type(s) of games would you recommend?
I would definitely recommend playing the large field Double-Ups. These are probably the easiest games that you can cash in and they are a great way for new players to get acclimated to the daily fantasy sports world.
4) What is the single biggest mistake a new player can make when entering the daily world?
I think the biggest mistake that new players make is being over-confident and joining too many leagues right out of the gate. There are similarities between the daily and season long leagues, but there is definitely a learning curve when making the transition. Start slow and then start playing more leagues as you get the hang of it.
5) 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?
I'm obviously a little biased answering this question, but RotoGrinders is the leading content provider for daily fantasy sports. In addition to projections, injuries, DvP rankings, and every other statistic that you would ever need to know, RotoGrinders has some of the best players in the industry providing their favorite plays for each week of the NFL season.
6) 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?
A. Bankroll Management: This may be the hardest and most important aspect of daily fantasy sports to master. You want to set strict guidelines for how you are going to use your bankroll and then you have to stick to them. Doing so will allow you to power through the ups and downs of daily fantasy sports.
B. Research: The daily fantasy sports market is growing and there are a ton of sites offering research and picks each week. The more that you can read, the better.
7) 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?
They all seem to have an incredible knowledge of sports and of the industry. Daily fantasy sports is half about what you know and half about being able to translate that into building a quality lineup week in and week out.
8) 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?
There are so many great daily fantasy players out there. I'd try to list them all, but I'd certainly be leaving a lot of top players out. While I don't necessarily avoid anyone in H2H games, it's always better to target the less experienced players in your H2H matchups. If you are new to daily fantasy football, you will quickly learn who the top players are. I suggest avoiding them as much as possible in H2H games. Your bankroll will certainly thank you.
9) 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?
As mentioned earlier, bankroll management is critical to long-term daily fantasy sports success. I think everyone's bankroll management is a little different, but I tend to put less than 10% of my bankroll in play each week. It really depends on your risk tolerance, but establishing a % to put in play each week will allow you to weather the short term variance of daily fantasy sports.
10) Can you briefly describe your weekly routine, in terms of preparation for daily contests, for a typical Sunday in the NFL?
My research for NFL tends to start on Tuesday morning. I'll start with injuries and then quickly make my way into the matchups for the week. Defense vs. Position rankings are a big part of my weekly routine as well as studying the Vegas lines. At the end of the day, I want to find the very best value at each position which typically comes down to a combination of matchup and opportunity for the players.
11) 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 tend to play the majority of my action in cash games and the biggest piece of advice that I can give is that the obvious plays are typically the good plays. Let's say Peyton Manning is a reasonable price in Week 1 and draws a terrific matchup against a terrible pass defense. Even though you know that he will be a very popular play that week, he is still a great play in cash games. Basically, I ignore projected ownership % when I'm constructing my cash game lineup and focus on the best plays at each position.
GPP's are a different animal altogether. They are structured much differently than cash games in that the size of the leagues are typically much bigger and the payouts are very top-heavy. This means that you have to construct a terrific lineup if you want to finish at the top of a GPP. In order to do that, you may have to take a few more risks. I tend to focus on upside instead of consistency when making my GPP lineups. It's also a good strategy to handcuff your QB to one of his WR's. You essentially get double points for yards and TD's which can really help separate you from the field.
12) A question often asked by beginners is, "How many different rosters should I be making for my H2H games?" What is your answer?
There is no clear answer as to the optimal number of lineups you should be using in H2H games. Personally, I think it comes down to risk tolerance and how confident you are in your team each week. I typically tend to use 1 lineup for all of my cash game lineups on a single site.
13) What about site-specific strategy? Are there factors that you consider when constructing lineups on FanDuel versus DraftKings?
There are certainly some differences between FanDuel and DraftKings. The first, and most obvious, is the fact that DraftKings has the "late-swap" feature while FanDuel locks their lineups right when the first game kicks off. Often times, there are players listed as GTD's that are playing in the late slate of games. You will want to avoid these players on FanDuel because if they end up getting ruled out, you won't be able to adjust your lineups. However, on DraftKings, you will be able to swap that player out for someone else. Some people love the late swap and others like to have the rosters locked in early. I suggest trying both to see which one you prefer.
14) 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?
Variance is a part of sports. It's what makes sports so great. If we knew what was going to happen all of the time, sports wouldn't be nearly as exciting. Variance measures how far a set of numbers is spread out. Little variance means more reliable/predictable whether that be a certain player/team, a type of league that you are entering, or anything else with daily fantasy sports. A high level of variance means more unpredictability. Basically, you need to realize that there is a certain level of variance in football on a weekly basis. You aren't going to be able to construct the perfect lineup every week no matter how much research you put in. The term "any given Sunday" implies that anything can happen on a weekly basis in the NFL.
15) Is there ever a time to 'pay up' for a kicker?
I'm not a big fan of having to choose a kicker each week. I always take a minimum priced kicker in a game that is projected to be high scoring.
16) 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 have not been to one of the live fantasy football finals, but I did go to FanDuel's fantasy basketball championships. It's an experience unlike anything else. In addition to the VIP treatment that you receive the entire weekend, there is nothing like sweating out one of these huge tournaments with all of the participants in the same room together. They are truly once in a lifetime type of experiences, unless of course you have the skill to attend more than 1 event.
17) What is the future of daily fantasy football--where do you see it in 5 years?
I think the daily fantasy space is going to quickly catch and surpass the season long space. I have met very few people that still enjoy the season-long leagues over the daily leagues after giving them a try.
18) What is your favorite daily fantasy experience thus far?
While the live event in Vegas comes to mind, I think I'd have to say taking down DraftDay's MLB Big League Blast tournament last season. There is nothing like taking the crown in one of the championship events.
RANDOM QUESTIONS
What celebrity do you get mistaken for?
Unfortunately, I don't get mistaken for celebrities very often. Someone once told me that I look like Channing Tatum but I'd need about 50 pounds of muscle and a few dance lessons before that would ever happen again.
Favorite movie of all time?
This is a tough one. I think of my favorite movie as the one that I can watch over and over again. For me, that's probably Ocean's Eleven.
Best music album of all time?
As a huge Biggie fan, I'll have to say "Ready to Die" by Notorious B.I.G.
How did you choose your daily fantasy alias?
See: My answer to the last question.
You're on death row--what's your last meal request?
Kung Pao Chicken from the Chinese place down the street. I'm hooked for life.