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 share a few minutes with Justin V., a 30-year old Midwesterner who is better known as “stlcardinals84” across the industry. In RotoGrinder’s current DFS rankings, Justin is currently ranked 21st amongst all NFL daily players, 6th overall in DFS, and 1st in their Tournament Player of the Year contest. Justin is also major contributor to daily content on RotoGrinders.com. He will be a featured analyst on RotoGrinders Live every week during the NFL season; you can see his NFL analysis every Thursday night at 7:00 PM on “NFL Game Night” and every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM on “NFL Opening Drive.” You can become one of his many Twitter followers at https://twitter.com/stlcardinals84.
Given Name: Justin V.
Daily Alias(es): stlcardinals84
Age: 30
Hometown: Rock Falls, IL
Occupation: Certified Public Accountant
Twitter Handle: @stlcardinals84
In your opinion, how does daily fantasy football compare to season-long fantasy football? Pros? Cons?
I no longer play season-long fantasy games. The injury factor plays too much of a role in season-long contests and once I found daily, I’ve never reverted back to season-long. There are no season-long elements that provide a benefit over daily games for me.
There are a number of daily sites available for players. Where do you play and why do you choose to play there?
Generally I play at FanDuel and DraftKings because I am a high-volume player and those are the sites with the most action and the largest prize pools. I like playing at the smaller sites too from time to time, and have played quite a bit on StarStreet and SportsTradex.
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?
It depends on the sport. I’m primarily a GPP tournament player for baseball because the variance lends itself to a tournament style for me, and I’ve also had some decent success with that approach. For basketball and football, I focus on the H2H and 50/50 games because there is more diversity of action.
For people thinking of trying daily fantasy for the first time, what type(s) of games would you recommend?
I would start at the lower dollar, large field 50/50 and matrix games. Those are the “easiest” of the contests and should provide a nice learning curve for a new player.
What is the single biggest mistake a new player can make when entering the daily world?
You are not bigger than the game or better than anyone else out there. We all got here because we know sports, and it takes a lot of effort to make DFS a successful endeavor. Everyone endures growing pains, so don’t come into the DFS world thinking that it’s all going to be a piece of cake and easy profit. That’s a setup for disaster.
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 use Rotoworld and a lot of the tools that our very own Rotogrinders puts out on a regular basis.
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?
You need to put the time into it. For some sports, time equals dollars. You can’t go in half-hearted and expect to be better than some people who do this for a living. Keeping up with the player news is essential.
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?
Most are good with numbers or somehow numbers-oriented. It’s not a coincidence that a lot of people who are successful at DFS have backgrounds in math, business, accounting, etc…
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?
I don’t avoid anyone. I enjoy diversity in my games and don’t mind playing the best. At times, I’ve been criticized for taking games from other respected players. I respect a ton of daily gamers out there – Condia, Dinkpiece, DraftCheat, Headchopper, Al Smizzle, CSURam, etc… I could go on for a while with respected names in the industry… but I don’t mind taking them on in a head-to-head battle every now and again.
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?
I never play over 10% of my bankroll in a given day for the daily sports, but I will sometimes increase that to 15% or so for an NFL Week, since the whole season is jammed into such a short time frame. As a general rule, don’t play more than you would be comfortable losing.
Can you briefly describe your weekly routine, in terms of preparation for daily contests, for a typical Sunday in the NFL?
I generally start around Tuesday or Wednesday just analyzing positional matchups for the coming week. Later in the week, I’ll add in salaries for the DFS sites along with injury reports and updated news. Then I’ll constantly tinker with my optimal selections up until kickoff on Sunday.
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?
Don’t get cute with your cash game lineups. If a guy has a good matchup and a good price, don’t overthink it. Just play him. For tournaments, I always try to pair a QB/WR combo to get the double bonus if they go off.
A question often asked by beginners is, "How many different rosters should I be making for my H2H games?" What is your answer?
I prefer to use more than one to diversify, but if you get more than 4-5 lineups, you start to lose your edge on other players. I generally try to stick to three per site.
What about site-specific strategy? Are there factors that you consider when constructing lineups on FanDuel versus DraftKings?
There aren’t a lot of differences outside of price. I generally don’t spend a ton on kicker and/or defense as a general rule on any site, so it becomes just looking for the best price-based values on each site.
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 the aspect of the game that you can’t control. If your running back gets tackled on the one yard line and someone else vultures the TD, it stinks… but there’s nothing you can do about it. Since there’s nothing you can do about it, there’s no use worrying about it. If you make the right picks, you’ll come out on the right side of variance in the long run.
Is there ever a time to 'pay up' for a kicker?
Heavens no.
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 four live finals, and it’s nice and all but the appeal doesn’t hit me like it does everyone else. I’d rather have the value of the trip added to the prize pool and play out the final online. More money for everyone!
What is the future of daily fantasy football--where do you see it in 5 years?
It’s hard to say, but the industry is growing rapidly and the sky is the limit right now. I think we are 2-3 years from a peak, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the industry get about four or five times bigger in size than it is right now.
What is your favorite daily fantasy experience thus far?
Just the culmination of three years of hard work and seeing the results pay off has been rewarding. My profit has increased each year that I have played, and I am very happy with the direction that I am headed in DFS.
Random Questions
What celebrity do you get mistaken for?
Tobey Maguire
Favorite movie of all time?
Major League (The Original)
Best music album of all time?
Don’t really have a favorite….
How did you choose your daily fantasy alias?
It was my Yahoo Season-Long user name.
You're on death row--what's your last meal request?
Pizza. Lots and lots of pizza, with some chocolate ice cream too!