Yahoo Bankroll Challenge, Week 40: NFL Week 5
For more information on the Yahoo Bankroll Challenge and to read the recap from each week, click here.
After a slightly unnerving slate in Week 4, I bounced back in Week 5 with an 85 percent ROI and bumping my bankroll back over the $500 mark.
I stuck with the three lineup approach, and while two of my lineups bombed, my third -- a Tom Brady stack -- finished top five in most of my small field contests.
While it feels like the season just started, we’re already five weeks in and just 10 weeks away from the challenge completion date.
I think it’s time to pump up the aggression for the sake of the challenge.
Here’s where we sit after NFL Week 5:
NFL Week 4 balance: $381.52
NFL Week 5 balance: $538.52
NFL Week 4 YSRP balance: 2,244
NFL Week 5 YSRP balance: 2,428
Here are some of the strategies I used this week with advice on how to implement them on other DFS sites:
Strategy #1: Stacking in 3-max
This may be one of the most asked questions in regards to lineup construction for the average player: “if I enter a 3-max contest, should I have three different stacks and keep a core group of positional players or one stack in all three lineups while rotating plays around that stack?”
Like legitimately, we get this question at least once per week. It’s a good one!
Earlier this year, I wrote this tweet in response to someone asking about MLB 3-max strategy:
my 3-max strategy usually revolves around locking in a pitcher since they are the most projectable position -- much easier to "get right"
— Brian Jester (@BrianJesterFF) May 7, 2021
stacks are much more volatile, so give yourself maximum chances of hitting with 3 separate stacks.
While NFL and MLB definitely differ, there are enough similarities in the volatility of stacking that the above tweet holds true for NFL 3-max strategy.
Usually, we’re able to identify 2-4 amazing game stacks every week. We’re also usually able to identify easy “Yahoo values” that are fantastic plays in low-risk and/or small-field contests. Thus, if we’re making three lineups, we should look to get those Yahoo values into as many of those three lineups as possible while playing three separate top stacks.
Because stacks are more volatile -- and also present more upside -- we give ourselves three different chances at a big score by using three different stacks.
This route also allows us to match the field on the obvious Yahoo plays while differentiating our lineups on a site where people definitely don’t stack enough (an even bigger edge than say on FD or DK).
How to implement this on FanDuel or DraftKings: Use the same exact strategy -- three separate stacks while using a core of players in 2-3 of those lineups. The values usually aren't as obvious as they are on Yahoo, but by looking at projected ownership, our Model/Plug, UPWRs, etc, you'll know the top plays each week.
NFL Week 5's Pivotal Moment
Austin Ekeler’s final touchdown added another $50 or so to my final earnings (even though it cost me multiple mortgage payments on other sites, RIP). Unfortunately, my top lineup also included Odell and his 3.00 fantasy points, otherwise I could have had a top 1 percent lineup.
Next Steps
It’s time! Starting in Week 6, I’m adding 150-max allocation to my Yahoo challenge! With over $500 in the bankroll, I’m going to start by maxing the $1 First Down, then keeping my three lineup strategy for a similar allocation ($200-$300) depending on overlay.
My 150 lineups and my “main” lineups will be different enough that it’s not as big of a bankroll risk as it seems, so here’s to hoping for some positive variance early on in the 150-max process to accelerate the bankroll challenge.
Week 6 Yahoo Tournament Takes Podcast with Kirkdiese of RotoGrinders coming soon
For any questions about the bankroll challenge, hit up Brian on Twitter. For more information on bankroll management, contest selection, and long-term DFS strategy, read our flagship e-book, The Ultimate Guide.