For fans of DFS, it’s been a long few months with no professional sports to put their skills to the test. Thanks to Dana White, the UFC, and the state of Florida, that wait will be coming to an end this weekend with UFC 249.
The leaders of the DFS space, DraftKings, has arrived with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool, with first place securing a $200,000 prize. As of this writing, the contest has over 10,000 entries with space for nearly 50,000 more.
For those new to DFS, each entry receives a salary cap (of $50,000) to then create a lineup of fighters listed in the Player Pool, each of who is assigned a salary, with the goal of not going over the cap. Points then get awarded at varying amounts for a variety of successful moves such as knockdowns (+10), takedowns (+5), and reversal/sweeps (+5). Fighters also receive points for winning rounds, including 90 points for winning in the first round of a fight, 70 for round two, 45 for round three, and 40 for four and five.
With each entry consisting of a lineup of six fighters, let’s take a look at the card and a few solid additions you might want to consider for what could be the most-watched UFC event of all time.
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Position Eligibility: Fighter eligibility determinations and decisions around fighter inclusion into the player pool are at the sole discretion of DraftKings.
Tony Ferguson ($8,700)
As arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, this fight is essentially a stepping stone for Ferguson to get to Khabib or Conor McGregor. That said, Justin Gaethje is anything but a pushover, and I expect this fight to go at least three rounds. A long fight with Ferguson means a ton of landed blows, and most importantly in this contest, a winning fight.
Henry Cejudo ($8,800)
As the only Olympic gold medalist to win a title in the UFC, Cejudo should take down his opponent, Cruz, early and often. Cruz should, by all means, put up a good fight — but that leaves Cejudo plenty of chances for points. Those +5 points will add up, and if he can secure the win in this one as his odds say he should, he’s a great option for your DFS lineup.
Dominik Cruz ($7,400)
While I rarely take both sides of a fight in DFS, Cruz is too good to pass up in this spot. After another layoff due to injury, Cruz should be as rested as he’s been in a long time. He spent his time outside of the octagon in the UFC commentator booth, which I think puts him in the rare position of having a productive time away. In what might be his last big fight, I expect Cruz to make Cejudo work for it, going five rounds and collecting a ton of DFS points along the way.
Greg Hardy ($8,600)
Known for being a knockout specialist who likes to handle business early, I think this is one of the better chances on the card to score a quick 100 points with a knockdown and finish in the first round. While De Castro is no slouch, Hardy should handle him as he continues to advance up the rankings.
