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 interview, we introduce Travis Spieth, a 38-year old director of sales from Kansas. Unlike the other interviews in this series, Travis is not a professional daily player—but he is perhaps the most famous of them all because he won the 2013 FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship in December of last year and took home the first $1 million prize in daily fantasy sports! Travis qualified for the FFFC early in the year with a $10 entry and rode the back of Montee Ball into the millionaire’s club! Travis is looking to expand his footprint in the daily space by launching his own website (http://www.fantasypicks.com) devoted to building daily lineups based on a team of his own daily experts; his site is free through October for those who may be interested. You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TravisSpieth.
Given Name: Travis Spieth
Daily Alias(es): tspiedo & fantasypicks
Age: 38
Hometown: Columbus, Kansas
Occupation: Director of Sales; CEO of Fantasy Picks
Twitter Handle: @travisspieth @winin10
In your opinion, how does daily fantasy football compare to season-long fantasy football? Pros? Cons?
Daily Fantasy is immediate—a one day tournament gives you instant gratification, whereas season-long fantasy is fun in different ways. The draft is my favorite part of a season-long league—I’m a pro at smack talk and I love the closeness of that community.
Daily fantasy has my heart because its so much more involved—you get to draft a team without injured players each week and still have a chance if your guy gets hurt (or worse yet, a drug suspension--ouch!). I like that I can play as much or as little as I want depending on my own life- the flexibility is important for me.
There are a number of daily sites available for players. Where do you play and why do you choose to play there?
The industry is ever-changing now in the daily spectrum. Personally, I will continue to use FanDuel… its where I started with daily fantasy. They have my glowing recommendation.
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 prefer 50/50 and big field tournaments because you can limit your odds by playing both. There are several ways to play 50/50 tournaments—remember you only need to finish in the top 50% of the field to double your money. The key to winning in a 50/50 is to pick all solid players. Grab wide receivers that get a ton of targets, two RB’s that are middle of the pack but get a majority of the carries, and pick a defense that is playing a bad offense (anyone versus the Houston Texans this year).
Tournament play is a different animal all together. I usually pick a QB/WR combo and stud/sleeper RBs. The rest of the team is made up of solid players who will take you to the promised land in big field tournaments.
For people thinking of trying daily fantasy for the first time, what type(s) of games would you recommend?
Give the smaller leagues a start. Get familiar with how it all works before you start investing big. That’s what my friends always ask: “How do I start playing if I’ve never tried it?” and I always recommend starting small. Play the $1, $2, and $5 games to figure out what type of games you like best; then you can start really focusing on strategy.
What is the single biggest mistake a new player can make when entering the daily world? .
Only invest what you’re comfortable with—don’t get into fantasy to win the grocery money.
Mix it up—don’t get stuck playing tournaments and losing every time. I’m not saying it’s impossible to win tournaments as a new player—I won a shot at $1 million the first time I played a $10 qualifier, but it’s important to vary your odds.
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?
This Summer, I launched www.fantasypicks.com, a daily site devoted to getting instant picks from 10 hand-selected daily experts. Members get instant side-by-side comparisons of the best-valued picks for each position and can build their lineups at the daily site of their choice. You won’t find detailed explanations of strategy at Fantasy Picks—there are plenty of sites that provide that (Rotoworld, RotoGrinders, and RotoWire to name a few of the best), but our focus is simply on providing our members with the tools they need to build winning lineups quickly (in under 10 seconds) so they can spend less time playing and experience more wins.
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?
Family first & fantasy second. Balance is my key. I play in my spare time and I find I always play better when I only take on as much as I have extra time for. That’s why I love daily fantasy so much—I’m able to commit to what I have time for each week. As far as strategy goes, just keep up with the games. Daily play is a draft every week so you need to know what’s happening from week-to-week. Who is solid and who is hurt…so you can exploit any weakness in the opposing players.
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?
I’ve chatted with a few of them and they’ve all been great to welcome me into the community. That’s the best part of daily fantasy—the warmth, knowledge, and fortitude toward the game. I’d say the common thread between everyone is that they’re fiercely committed to consistent, strategic play.
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 have a ton of respect for all the professional players out there, though I don’t really seek them out. For me, I’ve never had the drive to play professionally. I’ve been focusing my efforts on educating players and growing interest in new players. I feel like the time and money I’m investing in growing the fantasy sports industry just helps us all because new players means better competition.
I would tell the new-to-intermediate players not to try and play against the big guys—there’s a reason they’re well-known: It’s because they really know their stuff and play well.
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 also come from a poker background and the way I see it, only play with discretionary income. I look at it like a business—you have to be adequately capitalized and maintain a consistent bankroll. Be careful not to get carried away with big wins and don’t let a loss get you down—playing scared is a surefire path to disaster.
Can you briefly describe your weekly routine, in terms of preparation for daily contests, for a typical Sunday in the NFL?
Last year after qualifying for the FFFC, I became a madman. I’ve always been a huge fantasy nerd but I started working 4-6 weeks out on building my team. My routine these days is to devote myself to research day in and day out so I can feel confident that my team at Fantasy Picks is churning out the best lineups each week for our members.
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’ll say this about tournament play: If you’re going for the big purse you need the stud combination and it’s not always who you expect. Think back to Jamaal Charles making Alex Smith look like a passing Hall of Famer for a couple of games last year. I’m personally a huge Chiefs’ fan but I can’t let it get in the way of player placement. I’ve never rooted for a Bronco in my whole life like I did when Monte Ball scored a touchdown after a 4th down conversion in the 4th quarter by Peyton Manning up 16 points: Stuffed…then backpedals into the endzone for a $900,000 swing from 3rd to winning the Championship. It was insane!
A question often asked by beginners is, "How many different rosters should I be making for my H2H games?" What is your answer?
It all depends your budget so it’s tough to get down to an exact science. For the beginner, when it comes to H2H vs. tournament, a 3:1 ratio isn’t the most glamorous but it’s the smartest.
What about site-specific strategy? Are there factors that you consider when constructing lineups on FanDuel vs. DraftKings?
I stick to the two main sites when playing daily fantasy. They both have the largest tournament payouts and most options to play each day. The biggest difference I see is that with FanDuel, once you set your lineup it’s done. On DraftKings, you can change the lineup during tournaments until that players game starts. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Personally, I play more on FanDuel because I feel the stronger player has the advantage knowing what matchups to play before the games begin. I try to avoid second-guessing myself and I’m prone to do that when I have the option to change my lineup during a tournament.
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 statistical way of calculating your odds and it gets a lot of talk in daily fantasy. It’s not an exact science and while I always consider consistency, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by inconsistent players in the past. My approach has always been to play the odds and have fun with it--in daily fantasy and life, in general.
Is there ever a time to 'pay up' for a kicker?
Rarely, but yes. It’s hard to predict kickers. Usually when you have a strong QB, you know you’ll see a lot of field goals and you can weigh whether or not it’ll be worth it.
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 qualified for the Vegas trip on $10 during the first tournament I ever played on FanDuel. Attending the live final in Vegas and ultimately winning $1 million dollars was just a surreal experience. I invited 15 of my closest friends and family to join me in Las Vegas. The day of the FFFC, 50 of us picked our lineups from the early & late slate of games that day. I was in the top 5 most of the day and slid to 8th before moving up quickly during the 4th quarter. With only a few minutes left in the games, Monte Ball pulled through with 2 touchdowns and won me a million dollars. It was absolutely unbelievable. For a sports enthusiast, it was an incredible experience.
What is the future of daily fantasy football--where do you see it in 5 years?
That’s everyone’s favorite question. Daily and weekly fantasy sports will have nothing but growth in the future due to the money at stake, of that I am certain. My guess is that the major investors in the space will soon buy up the existing properties and the major sport networks will offer more daily sports sooner than later. My biggest goal is to mentor new players interested in daily fantasy because it’s so exciting to win and the payouts make it worthwhile. The daily fantasy market is emerging in a big way. Football will never have a problem attracting competition between friends and family through fantasy sports so I expect this will only grow in time.
What is your favorite daily fantasy experience thus far?
Winning a million dollars in one day has to be the most fun you can have playing fantasy football. It’s a life-changing experience and a dream come true for an avid sports fan. Thank you to FanDuel for giving me such an awesome opportunity. Dreams can definitely come true; you just have to play to make them happen.
Random Questions
What celebrity do you get mistaken for?
I sure wish it was Brad Pitt, but I’m really more of a Conan O’Brien guy.
Favorite movie of all time?
That’s tough. Top 4 are Good Will Hunting, Shawshank Redemption, Wedding Crashers, and Hoosiers.
Best music album of all time?
Embarrassed to say it, but Michael Jackson changed music—Thriller!
How did you choose your daily fantasy alias?
tspiedo is my first initial & childhood nickname. #tspiedo
You're on death row--what's your last meal request?
A sushi roll & a strong cocktail.
