DFS Tournaments – What does it mean to be contrarian?
Differentiate
DFS tournaments especially large field tournaments can have tens of thousands of entries. These entries will consist anywhere from the lotto player, casual players, semi-pros, and professionals. This does not mean you can’t win; it means to win BIG you have to be different.
Ways to be different from the field
Ownership is one on the key factors of being different from the field. Heavily owned players are considered the “Chalk”. There is good chalk and bad chalk depending on your strategy. Just because Lamar Jackson is heavily owned QB does not mean you have to fade him to be different, but it does indicate that differentiation must be dealt with another position. Finding other positions to be contrarian could be as simple as one position where the chalk option has a similar upside. The risk increases as does the payout when you take down a tournament with little to no duplicate entries.
MME (Mass Multi Entry)
Identifying more than one contrarian play in a build of let’s say 20 Lineups, gives you a wider spread. It only takes one lineup to take down a top 1% finish in a tournament. Selecting a lesser owned player with strong game situation (i.e. a shootout) can give you an edge. Pivoting off the chalky player with viable options gives you an edge if that player hits.
Salary Size Matters
Ownership and Salary are relative when you differentiate. Pivoting off of Christian McCaffery, who often carries a $10,000 price tag, gives you strong option with multiple players. Yes, can CMC go off and have a 30+ point day? But when he doesn’t the field will have owned him considerably and you will underweight the field on that day, and hopefully your pivots smash.
DFS is a grind
Patience with your process is a must. Monitor your result seek in and week out. And of course, manage your bankroll. It was a full year before my first major tournament win.
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