My name is Mike Daly and I go by @DFSJunky. I have a busy family life and I work in the pharmaceutical industry. I started playing DFS in September 2015 and it’s been a hobby of mine ever since. My favorite DFS sport to play is NBA and I am looking forward to learning MLB, NFL and others. Feel free to hit me up any time on Twitter with any questions or comments!

The Chronicles of a DFS Newbie

Welcome to The Chronicles of a DFS Newbie. This space is going to show the journey of a completely inexperienced DFS player and hopefully act as a piece that most new DFS players can relate to.

I was introduced to the DFS universe in September 2015 when I caught a buddy of mine constructing football lineups at a wedding. He was using the DraftKings app on his phone and it reminded me of all the ads for DraftKings and FanDuel that were running nonstop. I was always intrigued, but too scared to throw my hat into the ring. I asked him about his experience with DK and my friend said he played mostly to make the games more interesting but had moderate success hitting some $25 triple ups. I had no idea what that meant, but if he could make money doing it I thought why can I? So I downloaded the app, created an account and within minutes I deposited $600 in my brand new DraftKings account. DraftKings had a promotion to match your first deposit up to $600 so I was surprised when I didn’t see $1200 in my account. Little did I know the “matched” deposit was released over time as you played and also came with an expiration date (oh how green I was!). Once I figured out how the promotion worked I withdrew $500 and was left with a $100 bankroll. I felt OK with losing $100 and if I did I’d be done with my little DFS adventure.

In any event, that weekend I entered 4 x $10 triple ups and cashed in two of them with a little help from something I like to call dumb luck. After netting $20 in profit I though I was on my way to wealth and fame and maybe my own DraftKings commercial.

As the weeks went by I was up and down and then down and then down some more. I was frustrated and so I did what I imagine most newbies do: I started the search for the Holy Grail. I subscribed to fantasy sports sites, listened to hours of podcasts, and eventually turned to Twitter where I fell into what I call lineup provider hell. I started copying the free lineups that were posted and would get frustrated when they didn’t cash. I’d even get mad at those who were posting them. But how could I get mad when I was the one copying?! So instead of copying free lines what did I do? I started paying for copying by turning to paid provider subscriptions. These guys had pictures of their biggest cash nights on their Twitter banners, so you know they’re good. This time maybe my luck would change.

To my surprise, I did experience success with the paid providers, but some are certainly better than others. There was still a problem, however. I felt dirty, I felt cheap, and using providers took all the fun out of playing DFS. These weren’t my lines! When I cashed it was great, but I felt like a fraud. Damn my conscience! When I didn’t cash I got angry that my provider didn’t provide, but again how can I get mad when I’m the one copying?

Thankfully I came across a guy on Twitter who didn’t want to spoon feed lineups, but TEACH people. That guy is @xBenJamminx and I stumbled upon him during his #GODMode NBA days on Twitter. Ever since I’ve been an avid follower and student. I was even lucky enough to be invited to join DailyRotoSharks and I look forward to building my own lineups as I learn the ins and outs of all things DFS.

My very first DFS entry.