2020 DraftKings Cheat Sheet

2020 INDOORS DRAFTKINGS CHEAT SHEET

If it’s not abundantly clear from the 7 articles we’ve published in the past 2+ days, WE’RE PUMPED FOR INDOORS! Some of that is because it’s really a special tournament where many of the best teams in the country compete for a “national championship.” Buuuuttttttttttt some of that is also because we are degenerates and really enjoy competing against each other in any way possible, this time with our DraftKings/daily fantasy game. Today I’m here to offer you some advice on how best to construct said DraftKings team. We’ll be going through four important types of player. The “stud”: who has the potential to win all six matches this weekend and costs more than just a pretty penny; the “mid-range” who plays both singles and doubles but won’t cost you as much as most of the “best” players in the tournament; the “specialist” who only plays either singles or doubles and thus costs less; and the “punt play” who allows you to pay for more expensive other players while not completely giving up on a super cheap 6th and final player. It’s important to note that I will not be giving away every player on my team (I haven’t even narrowed down my list of potential players from 12-15 at this point), partially because that takes away the fun of the game and partially because I don’t want D3AS to steal all my players. Have any questions? Want to tell me how wrong I am about somebody? Please comment below the article, tweet at/email us, and most importantly PLAY OUR FREE GAME! 

Couple more things before we dive in. The winnings score last year was a whopping 68 points, however that’s way higher than any score we’ve seen in the three prior years. Maybe you’re getting better at the game, maybe our prices weren’t tricky enough, maybe the house just had a bad weekend. However, as we know, the house rarely continues to lose. In the past, if you could get more than a 1.5x return on your player’s salary (for example, Katzman costs 10k, and would need to earn 15 total points for a 1.5x return), you would be in the running. It’s certainly a lot easier to hit more than 1.5x value on cheaper players, but at some point you also need your higher priced players to earn you double digit scores. With the higher priced players, we don’t care as much about hitting 1.5x value, but it’s still a good rule of thumb, especially for beginner players.

STUDS

This one is pretty self explanatory so instead I’ll leave you with some very original lyrics that are not influenced in any way by any other song…

A stud is a guy who knows he’s fine
And is also known as a superstar (superstah)
Always racking up all the points
And just wins, that’s all he does

So no, i don’t want to pay his number
So, but I know it’ll be worth it and
So, I just want him to win
So, you just have to pay for him

Oh, I just want a stud
a stud is a guy who you want to be on your team
playing doubles and singles
and ready to mingle
trying to earn all the points

Oh, I just want a stud
a stud is a guy who you want to be on your team
playing doubles and singles
and ready to mingle
trying to earn all the points

Sorry, I’ll stick to tennis.

POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE VALUE: Ethan Hillis, Wash U, $9,250.
What more can I say about the Wash U #1? He is one of the best players in the country, gets the advantage of not having to play against other team’s top doubles pairs and has experience at this tournament! Plus, the loser of the Wash U/Brandeis QF should have as easy a schedule as you can have in this tournament. That in no way means Ethan will roll over the weekend, but he’s one of the 10 most expensive players for a reason. Don’t be afraid to pay for a stud who can return max value. 

HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD: James Hopper, Case Western, $9,675.
I’m guessing that Hopper will be a popular pick this weekend as the freshman Spartan has been spectacular so far in his short career. He’s one of the five most expensive players in the game, because he might be one of the five best players in the country. That said, he has a brutal projected path of matchups including Parodi, likely Zalenski and then most likely the loser of Wash U/Brandeis so either Hillis or Aizenberg. Hopper has also proven to be a very good doubles player so far, and should have a good shot in every dubs match he plays. Lots of risk, but playing atop a fiery Case lineup who loves this tournament means Hop also has the potential to win all six matches for your team (and his) this weekend. 

TRAP PLAY: Jacob Zalenski, Kenyon, $8,500.
It’s tough to find a true trap player in the studs, because we wouldnt price somebody in the top $2000 of prices if they weren’t that good. Zalenski has every case to be considered one of the five best players in this tournament, HOWEVER, just look at the matchups. He has Chicago’s top dubs team of Raclin/Kumar, then likely Case’s top dubs team of Hopper/Chen and finally either GAC’s top dubs team on their own courts desperate for a team win, OR either Wash U/Brandeis both of whom have very solid top teams. While we know doubles pro sets to be a fickle lover, even if he goes 1/3 in dubs and wins all his singles matches (also so tough given the projected Chicago/Case/GAC schedule) that only leaves 11 points which wouldn’t even hit 1.5x value. 

CONTRARIAN PLAY: Anupreeth Coramutla, Brandeis, $8,000.
A contrarian play is probably my favorite type of play, as it’s something that sets you apart from the sheeple. Coramutla is probably the least well-known stud in this entire tournament, playing on the NE team that doesn’t usually get any attention at Indoors and playing behind Aizenberg. Preeth has a tough first round matchup against Wash U in both singles and doubles, but very quietly he and Aizenberg might be the best doubles team in this entire field. If Brandeis were to lose to Wash U, there’s a real chance Coramutla could be favored to go 4/4 down the stretch (probably only wouldn’t be favored against Diehl in singles), earning you 10 points on Saturday and Sunday. If he gets those 10 points, plus whatever he can squeak out against Wash U, he could return over 1.5x value AND earn you a lot of points on the rest of your competition.  

MID-RANGE

This is usually where you can find the most value, and therefore is where most teams are made or broken. This section is filled with two-way guys all of whom are flawed in one way or another. It could be a tough schedule/matchup, it could be their first time playing a major tournament, it could be their recent play, it could be oh so many things, but for some reason this person is not a stud. It is almost impossible to win the tournament without having at least one, and usually more than one mid-range player who turns in a big weekend. 

POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE VALUE: Daniel Fouchier, GAC, $4,500.
Fouchier has a chance to be one of the best values in the entire tournament. He’s priced this low because it’s his first taste of important collegiate tennis, and at a neutral site he would likely be an underdog in almost every match he plays. That said, he’s not playing at a neutral site, he knows the court and should have the fan advantage too (at least on Friday when most people show up). The Gusties always play good doubles and Dan is safely entrenched in both lineups, meaning he will likely get to play six matches for only $4,500. Going just .500 on the weekend guarantees 1.5x value, and could mean as high as 2x value. If he gets a disappointed Case team and a tired Kenyon team, there’s a real chance The Fouch Potato could end up in double digits and be the key to your winning team.

HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD: Daniel Park, CMS, $6,250.
This is the simplest pick of this entire article. Risk: we don’t know for sure whether or not Park will play in singles and/or doubles. Reward: if he does he will be a part of the best #3 doubles team at this tournament AND be the best #6 singles player in this tournament. He legitimately has the potential to leave Minnesota with the max 15 points and also could never take the court. I think he’s more likely to play than not, but I have no idea in what capacity. Some people will be scared off, but I’m guessing not enough and he should still probably be priced at least slightly higher. 

TRAP PLAY: Ninan Kumar, Chicago, $4,625.
Kumar is a big name who’s been a starter on a title contending team throughout his entire career, so anybody who follows DIII tennis (and by that we mean this Blog) knows who he is. Trouble is, he hasn’t played a lick of singles this year after not playing singles much last year. He is basically a specialist masquerading as a mid-range guy. Even if he balls out with Raclin (who is the best specialist in the country, regardless of whether or not he wears sweatpants when he plays indoors this weekend), his point total is capped at 6 meaning he won’t even hit 1.5x value.  

CONTRARIAN PLAY: J.J. Kroot, Wash U, $6,750.
The past couple years we’ve gone from loving Baby Kroot to nitpicking angsty Kroot’s flaws. This will be his fourth time at Indoors, and he will have the experience edge on anybody who lines up across the net from him. However, we’re not 100% that he will play both singles and doubles. While our projections have him there, Coach Follmer has played different people at the bottom of his lineup in past iterations of this tournament, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a talented younger guy like Komis or Smith get his chance as their game naturally translates better to an indoors style. Kroot’s price should scare off a lot of people, but there’s a reason The Blog loves seniors and we wouldn’t be shocked to see the crafty vet show up with some senior magic this weekend. 

SPECIALISTS

This term probably applies more to tennis than other fantasy sports, but there are versions in every sport. For example, a basketball player like Kyle Korver who helps with your 3 point shooting WAY more than any other category or Mitchell Robinson who can put your over the top in blocks. In our non-categorical fantasy game, a specialist really means somebody who will only be playing singles or doubles. Obviously, a guy not getting to play both ways will have a lower ceiling for his fantasy score, but that means he should be priced accordingly. 

POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE VALUE: Zach Hennessey, Case Western, $2,250.
This is a really tough one because most specialists trend towards the high risk high reward category by nature. Zach probably doesn’t fit this cateogry in the traditional sense because I am not 100% sure he will be starting in the doubles lineup this weekend. However, he has the experience, has played some doubles this spring, and when he did played higher up in the lineup. If he does play, I think he’ll play #2 or #3, thus avoiding other top teams. He will start with a rough draw in CMS, but afterwards that draw could get significantly easier. Two doubles wins for the senior would be enough to get him well over 1.5x value for a very cheap price. 

HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD: Mark Sverdlov, Emory, $4,875.
Sverdlov is priced more like a mid-range player because he’s assured a singles spot on the best team in the field. Even though he’s a freshman, he gets to start against GAC, where he will be a heavy favorite. However, in order for this singles specialist to return good value he needs to win all three of his singles matches. That will be tough, because after GAC he’s projected to play some combination of Jeff Chen or Daniel Li/Ben van der Sman and then either Ian Freer or Jeremy Yuan. Very tough matchups, but we’ve seen Emory freshmen succeed here before and he’s playing above more experienced guys like Serituk and Kenawi for a reason. Tough matchups and a low-ish cap, but a lot of talent and a winning attitude = high risk/high reward 

TRAP PLAY: Casey Morris, CMS, $4,125.
This one is pretty simple. In most lineups a guy like Morris would be in the middle of both the singles and doubles lineup, but I’m not sure he’ll make either starting lineup this weekend. He’s a fringe option for both lineups, and absolutely could play in either facet of the lineup, but whichever Stag gets the first crack will likely get to play again if he wins on Friday, and I don’t see the CMS #6 losing against Case. If we knew Morris was going to play singles, I’d likely move him to Zach Hennessey’s spot, but we don’t and therefore it’s a fool’s errand to chase these points given the odds Casey starting. 

CONTRARIAN PLAY: Colt Tegtmeier, Brandeis, $2,375.
Another Brandeis contrarian play, am I playing too far into my biases? Lil’ Tegt seems set to play #3 dubs for the Judges this weekend and getting three full matches at this low a price is something of a steal based on opportunity alone. Not only is there great opportunity, but Deis will be at least a slight favorite in their #3 doubles match against Wash U tomorrow, AND even if they win and play Emory on Saturday, that #3 pair is no world beater. I think Tegt has a really good chance to come out of this weekend with at least 4 points and 6 points if they lose to Wash U tomorrow. That potential, combined with the fact that he won’t be highly owned, makes him a valuable option. 

PUNT PLAYS

A punt play is a player with very little salary who will allow you to have more studs and mid-range players than you otherwise would be able to have. They rarely get you a lot of points, but if you can ever find the one who hits big, you will be in a great position to win the tournament. In our case, a punt play is somebody priced under $2000, and hopefully all the way down at $500. While you’re very unlikely to find a real two-way player down there – if you did, we’ve made the game wrong – considering all we’re trying to do is double our salary it becomes well worth our time to consider a player priced at the bare minimum if they win any match through the weekend. 

POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE VALUE: Neil Mabee, Case Western, $1,875.
We’re getting into dicey territory here as the entire point of a punt play is some sort of explosive (though very unlikely) value. Mabee is probably the safest option on the board here, given that he’s been in the starting doubles lineup in each of Case’s last four matches. No matter whether he plays #2 or #3, as long as he plays the value here is evident. Two wins for the junior and he returns more than double value. Getting that value in addition to allowing yourself more salary wiggle room through the rest of your lineup is the definition of a good punt play.  

HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD: Jaird Meyer, Chicago, $500.
Meyer is the stone-cold bare minimum. Why? Beacuse we don’t expect him to play this weekend. However, in Chicago’s most recent (against KZoo) Jaird played #6 singles and won his match. Now, Josh Xu didn’t play that day for the Maroons, but it appears that Meyer might be the next man up for the Maroons. Should something happen this weekend, be it injury or a lack of confidence in somebody, Meyer might get the chance to step in. Unless he gets called in against CMS, he will have a great shot of winning his singles match and pulling in 6x his value! It will take some finagling and some luck, but there are plenty of worse punt plays you could make. 

TRAP PLAY: Sahil Raina, Emory, $1,250.
Raina was the people’s champ last year during this event. He hadn’t played a lot before this tournament, but ended up playing #6 singles in multiple matches last year and earning big rewards for those who bet on him. For that reason his name is somewhat recognizable, and that’s the only reason he’s priced above the minimum. It doesn’t look like he’ll be starting in either lineup this weekend, and given that there is no need to waste your $ on him, especially given he costs more than 2x some other viable punt plays. 

CONTRARIAN PLAY: Thomas Kallarakal, Kenyon, $1,750.
I’m going to be honest with you, even I had never heard of TK until setting up DIII DraftKings for this weekend. Kenyon has played four matches so far this season and nobody has gotten more than 1 shot at #6 singles. Dean lost to Northern Illinois. Wessel lost to KZoo, but Kallarakal won his match. Granted, it was against DePauw, the easiest of the three matches, but a win is a win. We don’t know who is going to play #6 for Kenyon this weekend, and while it’s more likely to be somebody a bit more established, it could be the freshman from Maryland, meaning he would only need one win all weekend to hit his value. Two singles wins (possible as the back draw most likely brings Case and GAC) would make him a game changer.