The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

We've all seen the really hard marketing push that these sites Draft Kings and Fan Duel have been putting on about getting people to join.  So, I thought, "I like fantasy football, I know something about it, let me take a stab."

I can already tell you, I find this more fun than my standard 16-years-running league.

The premise is exactly what ESPN Gridiron challenge was, minus the week-to-week carryover of locking in guys you had the last week and going over the cap.  You pick a team, stay under the cap, but you clearly cannot just pick all studs.  The salary table prevents it.  You have to take 2-3 sleepers in your lineup.

That's what makes it fun.  The people who win appear to be largely the people who guess the right sleepers.  I have 3 different lineups now in 4 different contests on Sunday, and I spent a total of $10.  I could potentially win 2 million.  But, in one of them, they pay the top 125,700 scoring teams, so even if you don't score 1st place, you can still walk away with some dough.

There are other leagues that cost $3-5 to join and have 3-5 entrants, and the winner takes $15-20.  You only have to beat 2 other buffoons for make cash.  I joined 2 like this.

I am giving this a shot for this week.  What's the worst that could happen?  I have burned $10 on dumber things.  And you never know, maybe Bishop Sankey blows up Cleveland for 3 TD's and I get some real cash out of it.

Anyone else playing Draft Kings?

No, but I might after your explanation.

I just joined Fan Duel last week.  I had never played fantasy football before and didn't know a single thing about it.  But if I had known how simple it is, I would have done it years ago.  I don't foresee myself getting really all geeky into it, but it does make watching games more interesting. 

That's 'cause your team sucks.  Go Stingers!

Being from AZ I am unable to join these leagues. Online gambling is banned here for some goofy ass reason that I am unable to explain!!!!!

^ Gambling makes baby Jesus cry.  Also why I couldn't buy a six back of beer at 11:30 last Sunday.  It pissed me off so bad.

^ We used to not be able to purchase alcohol before 10:00am on Sundays as well....not sure if that is still the case because I have a kegerator so generally I am not looking to buy beer at the corner store much anymore!!!!

Update:
In my first week on the site, I won $38.50 in cash.  I spent a total of $10 to enter.

I don't feel like it is gambling.  There is a skill involved.  You must be able to accurately predict the outcome of football games.  Sure it sounds like gambling, but they call it a contest and I buy it.  It is a contest to see who can create the best lineup.

It's no different than buying stocks and the stock market. Buy stocks at a low price (aka find a sleeper of a player) hope they perform and you get a return on your investment

This made me laugh. 

Q: Hey, do you gamble?
A: No, of course not.  But I do have $50 on the prediction on the outcome of the Colts beating the Falcons minus 7 1/2.

the courts have ruled that is gambling,  but fantasy sports isn't.   I don't see the difference myself. Both are gambling,  but this allows one of them to be legal

The difference is with Fantasy Sports one players performance within the game doesn't directly effect the outcome of the game (yes if a guy misses a FG with 2 seconds left and his team loses it directly effects the outcome but the 3 and 1/2 quarters before that missed kick happened took place and there is no way to predict beforehand that this one player (the kicker for this one example) will be in that position with the game on the line). That's how its not gambling in the eyes of the law.

While strictly betting on game outcomes (gambling) all parties involved  with the game from Ref's to players know prior to the game if they tank for the entire game or called penalties on one team more than the other there is a better chance their team (or in the case of ref's one team) will lose. And that's why gambling on games is illegal in almost every state and why players can play fantasy sports but not gamble on game outcomes even in legal areas.

I'm not saying it makes total sense or I agree with it, just saying that is the difference

That is not the rationale,  the claim is picking a lineup involves skill, picking which team will win doesn't.

Here is an interesting rub, based on what I have read, including a team defense for scoring vs just having only players makes it illegal.

Congress wrote the anti-internet-gambling law in such a way that fantasy sports are specifically exempted as "games of skill."

The idea that daily fantasy sports are "games of skill" but poker is "gambling" is hilarious to me, but we all know the real reason why the definitions were worded that way: casino money in the pockets of politicians.

It exactly is the rational you are 100% wrong. Picking various players from various games cannot effect the outcome of 1 specific game. Hence it doesn't compare to "gambling" (gambling as we have known it for years)

Sorry if you don't believe it but its true and totally correct

MikeO, you are wrong.

In point of fact, picking various players from various NFL games DOES affect the outcome of 1 specific game: the game in which you are competing against your fantasy opponent (to see who gets more fantasy points that week).  So your rationale isn't even valid.

The law in question is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.  In that law, there is an exception for any contest that "has an outcome that reflects the relative knowledge of the participants, or their skill at physical reaction or physical manipulation (but not chance), and, in the case of a fantasy or simulation sports game, has an outcome that is determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of sporting events, including any non-participant's individual performances in such sporting events."

In other words, fantasy sports are considered a game of skill.

Actually you are wrong but I really don't care enough to argue this with you in circles.

Actually the daily fantasy games were not invented until after the gambling law was passed so it probably wasn't even on lawmaker's nor the lobbyists radar at the time.

Forget all the arguing, I just want to know how Brian did... are you rich yet?

I won $38.50 on my $10 "entry fee."  I'm rich!

In Week 2, I won $105.50.  But my "investment" was $40.  So really it was only a $65.50 investment.  In Week 1, I put in $45 and didn't win a penny.  So I'm barely above the break even point for the season. 

I'm not playing a single Dolphin player this week.  So they will probably have a breakout game with the offense setting all kinds of records.   ;D

Week 3: I spent $11 of last week's winnings and joined 5 contests this week.  I won a whopping 50 cents.  This was my winning lineup:

QB   Aaron Rodgers   5 PaTD, 333 PaYds, 1 300+Pass, 16 RuYds   37.92
RB   Dion Lewis   30 RecYds, 5 REC, 1 RuTD, 37 RuYds   17.7
RB   Joseph Randle   3 RuTD, 87 RuYds, 18 RecYds, 2 REC   30.5
WR   Travis Benjamin   1 RecTD, 45 RecYds, 4 REC, 1 FUM   13.5
WR   Jarvis Landry   67 RecYds, 8 REC, -1 RuYds, 1 2PT   16.6
WR   Brandon Marshall   1 RecTD, 109 RecYds, 10 REC, 1 100+Rec, 1 FUM   28.9
TE   Rob Gronkowski   101 RecYds, 4 REC, 1 100+Rec   17.1
FLEX   Alfred Morris   19 RuYds   1.9
DST   Seahawks   2 SACK, 1 DefTD, 1 0 PA   18

Total: 182.12

I finished 17,237 place, which was top 10% of this league.  It was a 25-cent entry fee.

Imagine if I had Devonta Freeman instead of Alfred Morris...  Would have bumped me up to 850th place or so, for winnings of $2.50, 10X the entry fee.

Okay, I joined FanDuel today and I've got 3 contests going on.  Already addicted lol.

Has anyone done both fan duel and draftkings?  what is the difference? 

you see how you can get roped in. 

I'm curious about this myself.  I think the difference is minimal.  Perhaps Tenshot can give some insight and we can openly compare and contrast.

From your description in the opening comment, I would say they are pretty much identical, other than some user interface stuff on their websites.

Side note:  I did horrible on my first outing.  All my sleepers were duds and I picked the wrong studs.  No winnings this week  >:(

I'm in the money this week, hoping I don't get passed up by 80,000 people tonight.  Let you know later...

After doing great last week, I was severely humbled this week.  LOL

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/sports/fanduel-draftkings-fantasy-employees-bet-rivals.html?_r=0

And now we have a scandal with Daily Fantasy Sports . Didn't take long

Won $7 this week - basically broke even.  placed 69,633rd out of roughly 575,000 teams.  Here was my lineup:

QB   Aaron Rodgers   1 PaTD, 224 PaYds, 33 RuYds   16.26
RB   Devonta Freeman   3 RuTD, 81 RecYds, 68 RuYds, 5 REC   37.9
RB   Karlos Williams   1 RecTD, 30 RecYds, 40 RuYds, 3 REC   16
WR   Keenan Allen   1 RecTD, 72 RecYds, 4 REC   17.2
WR   Larry Fitzgerald   99 RecYds, 7 REC, 1 FUM   15.9
WR   A.J. Green   82 RecYds, 7 REC   15.2
TE   Jason Witten   57 RecYds, 4 REC   9.7
FLEX   Chris Johnson   11 RecYds, 83 RuYds, 3 REC   12.4
DST   Cardinals   1 SACK   1

Brian, good job of sticking with Freeman this week.  I thought about it, but then thought that he wouldn't be able to duplicate the performance he had last week.  And that decision cost me.  He racked up some serious points for you.  Nice. 

I've been a Freeman fan since he was drafted and buried behind Steven Jackson.  I'm hoping, with these last two games, the Falcons get their heads out of their asses and realize who their starting RB should be.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see if his snaps decrease as Coleman returns from his injury. 

http://www.syracuse.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/10/new_york_attorney_general_will_investigate_fanduel_draftkings_report_says.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Now NY State is doing an investigation into these companies. And DraftKings is pulling there advertisements everywhere right now. These guys see trouble on the horizon 

So, I read in the paper today that the NYS Senate is proposing a bill to allow Fan Duel, Draft Kings, etc., but in typical NYS fashion they want tax money.  Current proposal is they have to pay a minimum $500,000.00 licensing fee, for a ten year license, AND pay a 15% tax on their gross revenues.  Plus they still have to work out some way to regulate them to make sure no cheating is going on.  Still early in the legislative process, but the NYS Attorney General is still after them for illegal gambling.

(http://38.media.tumblr.com/b42494a9d6f3da58e3b598fb8f3bf717/tumblr_n2mv3fmKaG1tu0i70o1_250.gif)

It won't matter.  FanDuel and DraftKings are going to be illegal in so many states that their business model will topple.