DraftKings Millionaire Maker Champion:
chentai15 (255.62)

QB Sam Bradford – 22.62 (5.4%)
RB Justin Forsett – 30 (23.8%)
RB Devonta Freeman – 35.7 (21.7%)
WR Julian Edelman – 25 (28.9%)
WR Allen Robinson – 26.2 (10.9%)
WR Emmanuel Sanders – 23.1 (6.7%)
TE Antonio Gates – 30.2 (14%)
FLEX Doug Martin – 39.8 (5.4%)
DEF Packers – 23 (6.3%)

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The $1.2 million-winning lineup of chentai15 is chalk-full of medium-priced, high-volume players. There are no “studs” to be found here – no Julios, no Le’Veons, no Gronks. There are also no duds, no punts. The most expensive players here are $7400 Emmanuel Sanders and $7000 Julian Edelman, while the cheapest are $4200 Antonio Gates and $4700 Doug Martin.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad week to use a standard Studs and Duds strategy. Popular punts like Willie Snead and Jamison Crowder easily surpassed value and studs like Le’Veon Bell and Odell Beckham posted strong totals. Yet chentai15 bested the 396,482 player field without any of them, racking up the week’s best total with a bunch of volume players in good matchups.

Chentai didn’t reinvent the wheel with this lineup; you don’t have to in order to win the Milly Maker. With the exception of the Million Dollar Man Devonta Freeman, every one of chentai’s players found himself in a premium matchup. Most of these guys were healthy, home, and playing against bad defenses. Each figured to get a ton of balls handed or thrown his way.

Since he didn’t extend his budget to include any high-priced performers, Chentai didn’t need some obscure $3k guy to score two TDs for him. His lineup was chalky, but included enough fringe guys to differentiate it. It goes without saying that flexing 5.4% owned Doug Martin, the week’s top fantasy performer, was the key to chentai’s win.

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FanDuel Sunday Million Champion:
joshua9028 (206.54)

QB Eli Manning – 29.74 (7.1%)
RB Devonta Freeman – 29.2 (26.9%)
RB Doug Martin – 35.3 (3.6%)
WR Odell Beckham Jr. – 21.9 (17.6%)
WR James Jones – 14.7 (12.3%)
WR Julian Edelman – 20 (30.6%)
TE Antonio Gates – 25.7 (14.1%)
K Matt Bryant – 8 (7.9%)
DEF Denver Broncos – 22 (22.1%)

Joshua9028’s million-dollar lineup serves as a reminder: when you fill out your lineup with bright white chalk, make sure to insert at least one contrarian play. For Joshua, the lowest-owned player in his lineup was also his (and the week’s) highest scorer. The rest of his lineup consisted of a standardish Eli/Odell stack supported by obvious dudes in good situations. If Joshua had finished it with someone like Dion Lewis or Todd Gurley, we wouldn’t be admiring it now. The one big chance he took vaulted him past the 96% of people averse to the Muscle Hamster.

Looking back, Doug Martin doesn’t seem like an especially clever play. He was a high-volume running back coming off a big game in an excellent matchup. He was a home favorite, something we’re usually looking for in our running backs. He figured to get the bulk of the goal line work against a shaky defense. Sure, the Hamster’s first two games sucked, but that was because his team sucked too hard to keep him on the field.

There was little fear of that scenario in this game as the Bucs were small favorites. There was fear of Charles Sims usurping catches (a concern which actually did come to pass), but no more fear than one should have of Gurley losing third down work to Benny Cunningham or Lewis getting his TDs vulture by LeGarrete Blount. In the $6000s, we’re not going to find many backs who get all the touches, Le’Veon-style.

The main reason why the Hamster found himself just 3.6% owned is that there were “better” options like Gurley and Lewis available at his price point. Identifying players that fit Martin’s profile – volume players in good matchups priced comparably with chalky picks – is the simplest, most effective way to differentiate a fantasy lineup.

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