It's not every day that you have the opportunity to interview a millionaire, but today @BigItaly42 had the pleasure of interviewing one of the youngest DFS millionaires of all time. He sat down with FanDuel's most recently crowned millionaire, @LuckyDFS24, who won $1,000,000 in Week 4's Sunday Million contest to discuss his background, process, and break down his thoughts behind each play in the winning lineup. Here's his winning lineup and what he had to say about the most profitable weekend of his life:
Q - What is your background in fantasy sports? How long have you been playing DFS?
LuckyDFS24 - I started playing on FanDuel last NFL season, but wasn't too serious about it. I only played a few weeks. I sporadically played MLB and NBA throughout their seasons, but not every day. I decided to put in more work on NFL with my lineups this season. NBA and NFL are my main sports, while MLB is a secondary option for me. I've always played fantasy football, but am fairly new to DFS, and started playing within the past year.
Q - How many lineups did you have in the Sunday Million?
LuckyDFS24 - I only had one lineup. I played 3 in Week 3, with my highest score being 190. This was my second time playing the Sunday Million
Q - What's your DFS lineup-building process? Are there any specific sites or statistics that you utilize when doing your research?
LuckyDFS24 - I don't focus on one particular statistic. I look at multiple websites and try to gather as much information as possible. I add in my own views and compile defensive rankings and other statistics. I have a very unorthodox research method compared to others.
Q - Do you generally stack players in GPPs? Why San Diego?
LuckyDFS24 - I like to pair my QB with a WR, and when (Philip) Rivers has a big week, Allen usually does as well. I was keen on Rivers late in the week after I saw that most analysts didn't like him very much. The Browns defense hasn't been very good this season.
I don't strictly pair QB/WR. I have stacked a QB/WR/RB before, most notably with the Steelers (Roethlisberger/Bell/Brown) . I've given the QB/WR/WR trio a look before, but haven't ever pulled the trigger on it.
Q - Do you worry about ownership levels? What was your thought process behind each player?
LuckyDFS24 - I knew Karlos Williams would be highly owned, I decided to play him thinking that it wouldn't hurt me if he didn't pay off. I didn't expect Devonta Freeman to have the huge performance in Week 3 that he had, but I liked him in Week 4. They (Atlanta) love him in the Red Zone, and there were ample opportunities for him to do well.
I'm not usually very high on DeAndre (Hopkins). Just a personal preference. I thought they (Texans) would be down much of the game, so I went with Hopkins. That strategy almost backfired before his big 4th quarter, but obviously turned out well. He is one of the most targeted WRs in the NFL so far this season. He is always good for at least 7 targets and 100 yards.
Q - How was sweat? Have you come close to a huge score before?
LuckyDFS24 - This was my first time. I almost took down an NBA GPP that had a $500 prize to first place, but nothing close to this amount.
I watch Sunday all day with friends and/or family. On Monday night, I have basketball practice for my community college basketball team, and didn't get out to see the game until the 4th quarter, and realized there was a good chance I would win. I started to get some trembling in my hands as it got close.
Q - Did you tell any of the other players or coaches about your sweat?
LuckyDFS24 - My older brother is the coach, so he knew about it, but I mostly kept it to myself during practice. A few of my friends knew, and of course my family knew.
Q - At what point did you realize you had a chance to take home the million?
LuckyDFS24 - Right after the afternoon games ended, I was looking at other lineups to see what players they had. I didn't think many players would be highly owned in the late games. After Sunday night, I was up by 17.9 points against the Seattle D. I realized once Detroit scored, I had it in the bag.
Q - How do you decide on Kickers and D/ST? Do you generally pair the two?
LuckyDFS24 - The Panthers D/ST are usually a solid target. I loved the matchup against Tampa Bay and Jameis Winston, who is turnover-prone. They ended up with 4 INT. I wanted to avoid the more popular plays like DEN and SEA to set myself apart. I expected Cam Newton to have a big game. Graham Gano was a product of Carolina scoring a lot of points, so he made sense as my K selection.
Q - Ok, so now you're a MILLIONAIRE. What's your plan with the money? What's the first thing you're going to buy?
LuckyDFS24 - I'm not really sure, but I'm probably buying a new car. I'm not sure which one yet. I've always loved Jeep, a new Jeep would be nice. I don't need a fancy car. I'm only 19.
Q - What's your plan for the DFS future? Are you going to up your volume each day/week?
LuckyDFS24 - My plan for this week is roughly the same. I invest most of the money I play in double ups as a safety net. I love Quintuple ups, they are a nice bankroll booster. The $200 Quintuple up is intriguing, but I haven't played it yet. I'll play a few entries into the $1 GPP, likely 5-10 in that one.
Q - What's the most money you've had in play at one time?
LuckyDFS24 - It was around $406. This week I'll be playing a little more. I have close to $500 in play for this week.
Q - Are you going to purchase a memento? Maybe a jersey of one or more of the players that helped you win the million?
LuckyDFS24- Actually, I was just joking like that with my friends about buying each player's jersey. I probably won't buy all of them. I like the Rivers jersey as a start. I'll get something that will give me a memory of the big moment each time I see it.
Q - Do you have a favorite NFL team?
LuckyDFS24 - The Bears. I live about 45 minutes from Chicago.
Q - Does your allegiance to your team ever affect your decisions?
LuckyDFS24 - I always want to play Forte, and had him in my double up lineups. I wanted to play him in all of those contests, which turned out okay, even though he didn't score a touchdown. I am a little biased toward him. Not so much with Jay Cutler, but I'm also a big fan of Martellus (Bennett) and (Robbie) Gould.
Q - What is your plan for NBA? Do you play on multiple DFS sites?
LuckyDFS24 - I only play FanDuel. I've played just free contests on DK, I plan to keep it that way for a while. I may try to win a seat for the FWWC (on FanDuel). In NBA, I don't have many plans yet. I'm looking to go undefeated in NFL.
Q - What do you mean by “undefeated"?
LuckyDFS24 - Basically, I'm looking to have my cash game lineup win each week. As long as my cash game lineup is making money each week, I'm happy.
Q - Do you have any advice for new players?
LuckyDFS24 - It's not as easy to win as you think. You many think you know a player and what they'll do in a game or a week, but you need to put in your research each (day or) week. Given my “un-veteran" status, I don't have much advice for new players. Most importantly, manage your bankroll and be smart with it.
Q - Now that you're a big winner, give us a player you're rostering this week. Is there one player you feel strongly about for Week 5?
LuckyDFS24 - I like Justin Forsett. He has been bad aside from one week this season, but I'm expecting him to get back to his '14 form this week. He is a guy I like in my cash game lineups a lot.
Q - Tell me about your Twitter handle @LuckyDFS24. Is there a story behind it?
LuckyDFS24 - You have to have a little luck on your side to win a million dollars, so I threw that in there. I changed my FD name after I won to LuckyRau24. I was Looking for a little bit of privacy.
HUGE thanks to newly-crowned MILLIONAIRE LuckyDFS24 for taking some time out of his day to answer some questions for us here at DailyFantasyCafe! He was one of the most humble big winners that I've ever come into contact with, and I wish him the best of luck in his future DFS contests. Give him a follow on Twitter @LuckyDFS24 and shoot him a quick “Congrats" on the big win while you're at it!
