I won’t sugarcoat this debacle. We’ve lost three fighters and only found two late replacements. That leaves us with ten fights and some middling prospects. Nevertheless, we’re all playing the same DFS slate with the same fighter pool. Focus on a core and don’t be shy about leaving salary on the table. That’s easy to do with the late replacements being priced way down. Neither of the fighters becoming favorites are good enough to be a cash lock.
| Main Event | |||||
| Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
| Derek Brunson vs Edmen Shahbazyan | 7100/9100 | - | Stackability: Moderate | +305/ -335 | +480/-170 |
| This is a more interesting fight than most are giving it credit for. Edmen is the next big thing but Brunson might prove a challenge. Darren Stewart was able to cause some grappling struggles for him in his closest fight to date. Brunson will always be a strong wrestler. He can eat some shots, as well. I have Edmen overwhelming him at some point. If it gets into the late rounds it coulld be a sneaky stack. | |||||
| Expensive | |||||
| Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
| Kevin Holland | 8900 | Trevin Giles | Somewhat-Safe | -225 | +105 |
| It's hard to trust Holland but he's facing an equal stunt pullier in Giles. Holland can get a win in spectacular fashion if he doesn't shoot himself in the foot. | |||||
| Vicente Luque | 8800 | Randy Brown | Moderate | -200 | +140 |
| Luque is lethal on the feet and the mat. His striking defense has holes and hasn't really improved, though. If he were smart he'd look for a submission. If not, it should be a fun back and forth between dangerous strikers. | |||||
| Ray Borg | 9000 | Nate Maness | Moderate | -380 | -125 |
| Borg's not the same guy up at 135. He's found dominating oppoenents with wrestling is harder when they're the same size. Still, there's always a chance he can find some rinse and repeat wrestling to rack up points. | |||||
| Chris Gutierrez | 9200 | Cody Durden | Moderate | -280 | +240 |
| Don't expect another knockout like the last fight for him. He's probably the better striker but he's more likely to win a decision with moderate pace. | |||||
| Mid-Range | |||||
| Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
| Gerald Meerschaert | 8300 | Ed Herman | Moderate | -152 | +145 |
| I'm pretty interested in GM3 here. Herman is well past his prime. GM3 can get caught but he's super aggressive. I expect him to get Herman in trouble at some point, be it on the feet or the mat. | |||||
| Joanne Calderwood | 8700 | Jennifer Maia | Moderate | -152 | +870 |
| JoJo is putting he title shot at risk to stay busy here. She;s been pretty focused in her latest run up to that so I'm not as worried. She can provide decent volume as long as low kicks are being scored as significant. | |||||
| Jonathan Martinez | 8600 | Frankie Saenz | Moderate | -245 | +185 |
| Martinez is getting a level test with Saenz. He's got great kicks. | |||||
| Lando Vannata | 8200 | Bobby Green | Risky | -155 | +360 |
| We get a rematch nobody was particularly clamoring for. I'd have to think Vannata can fight a better fight this time around as the younger man. | |||||
| Bobby Green | 8000 | Lando Vannata | Risky | +145 | +555 |
| If not, Green is afraid of no one. He's slowing down but his boxing is still slicker than most. | |||||
| Pay-Downs | |||||
| Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
| Randy Brown | 7400 | Vicente Luque | Moderate | +185 | +345 |
| Brown has been getting a bum wrap for a bit. He's raw in some areas but an excellent athlete and long for the weight. Luque gets cracked by return fire way too much these days. If Brown can survive the incoming shots he has a chance to be the first to stop the tough Brazilian. | |||||
| Jamall Emmers | 7800 | Timur Valiev | Somewhat-Risky | -425 | +125 |
| Emmers is a wrestler who's trying to be a boxer. That's my least favorite type of fighter. Work on your striking, sure. To ignore your one elite skillset is foolish, however. Maybe he's taken a step in the boxing or decision making department. | |||||
| Ed Herman | 7900 | Gerald Meerschaert | Somewhat-Risky | +142 | +400 |
| Herman's best qualities at this point are his toughness and generally being in fights long enough to capitalize. GM3 is dangerous but also prone to mistakes. The grizzled vet may find an opening late. | |||||
| Trevin Giles | 7300 | Kevin Holland | Risky | +205 | +675 |
| Officer Giles' performances are tough to predict. He's competitive with most fighters but has a hard time finding the win at times. Holland is the better mixed martial artist but can give his opposition chances. | |||||
| Frankie Saenz | 7600 | Jonathan Martinez | Risky | +225 | +700 |
| It's never a bad idea to bet on the veteran gatekeeper. He would likely bring some wrestling in a win. That's been an issue for Martinez. | |||||
| Nate Maness | 7200 | Johnny Munoz | Risky | #N/A | +325 |
| Maness main weapon is his size. He's dangerous if he can keep you at range. He can struggle to fighters willing to get inside, though. | |||||
| Vince Cachero | 6900 | Jamall Emmers | Risky | #N/A | +765 |
| Cachero can hurt you if you're careless on the feet. Given Emmers propensity to engage in loose striking exchages I'm definetly interested at this price tag. There's always a chance he gets out-wrestled. | |||||
| Johnny Munoz | 7200 | Nate Maness | Risky | #N/A | #N/A |
| Spicely is a mess on the feet but he'll always have an out with dangerous jiu-jitsu. | |||||
Example Lineups
Please note these lineups are not meant for plug and play use but to show example lineups that can be created using the playbook and content for this slate.
| DK Example GPP | Pivot | DK Example GPP Pivot | ||||
| Fighter | Opp | Salary | Fighter | Opp | Salary | |
| Shahbazyan | Brunson | $9,100 | ||||
| Brown | Luque | $7,400 | to | Luque | Brown | $8,800 |
| Martinez | Saenz | $8,600 | ||||
| Cachero | Emmers | $6,900 | to | Maness | Munoz | $7,200 |
| Meerschaert | Herman | $8,300 | ||||
| Holland | Giles | $8,900 | to | Green | Vannata | $8,000 |
| Total Salary | $49,200 | Pivot Salary | $50,000 | |||
| DK Example Cash | Pivot | DK Example Cash Pivot | ||||
| Fighter | Opp | Salary | ||||
| Shahbazyn | Brunson | $9,100 | ||||
| Brunson | Shahbazyan | $7,100 | ||||
| Calderwood | Maia | $8,700 | ||||
| Meershaert | Herman | $8,300 | to | Luque | Brown | $8,800 |
| Holland | Giles | $8,900 | to | Vannata | Green | $8,200 |
| Maness | Munoz | $7,200 | to | Herman | Meerschaert | $7,900 |
| Total Salary | $49,300 | Pivot Salary | $49,800 | |||
Best Bets
Favorite Bets: Calderwood -142, Meerschaert -155
Favorite Props: Martinez/Saenz OVER 2.5 rounds -180
Long Shot: Brown ITD +350
Live Dogs: Brown, Saenz, Brunson, Cachero, Herman
Stats & Picks
| Derek Brunson | vs | Edmen Shahbazyan |
| $7,100 | DFS Salary | $9,100 |
| Record: 20-7-0 | Record | Record: 11-0-0 |
| 11 KO/TKO (55%) | Knockouts | 9 KO/TKO (82%) |
| 3 SUBMISSIONS (15%) | Subs | 1 SUBMISSIONS (9%) |
| +305 | Vegas Odds | -335 |
| 4/10 | Lineup Pool | 7/10 |
| Joanne Calderwood | vs | Jennifer Maia |
| $8,700 | DFS Salary | $7,500 |
| Record: 14-4-0 | Record | Record: 17-6-1 |
| Knockouts | 5 KO/TKO (36%) | |
| Subs | 1 SUBMISSIONS (7%) | |
| -152 | Vegas Odds | +142 |
| 7/10 | Lineup Pool | 2/10 |
| Vicente Luque | vs | Randy Brown |
| $8,800 | DFS Salary | $7,400 |
| Record: 18-7-1 | Record | Record: 12-3-0 |
| 4 KO/TKO (24%) | Knockouts | |
| 4 SUBMISSIONS (24%) | Subs | |
| -200 | Vegas Odds | +185 |
| 5/10 | Lineup Pool | 5/10 |
| Lando Vannata | vs | Bobby Green |
| $8,200 | DFS Salary | $8,000 |
| Record: 11-4-2 | Record | Record: 25-10-1 |
| 6 KO/TKO (50%) | Knockouts | 4 KO/TKO (36%) |
| 4 SUBMISSIONS (33%) | Subs | 5 SUBMISSIONS (45%) |
| -155 | Vegas Odds | +145 |
| 4/10 | Lineup Pool | 4/10 |
| Ed Herman | vs | Gerald Meerschaert |
| $7,900 | DFS Salary | $8,300 |
| Record: 26-14-0 (1 NC) | Record | Record: 31-13-0 |
| 5 KO/TKO (42%) | Knockouts | 3 KO/TKO (25%) |
| 5 SUBMISSIONS (42%) | Subs | 2 SUBMISSIONS (17%) |
| +142 | Vegas Odds | -152 |
| 7/10 | Lineup Pool | 3/10 |
| Kevin Holland | vs | Trevin Giles |
| $8,900 | DFS Salary | $7,300 |
| Record: 17-5-0 | Record | Record: 12-2-0 |
| 7 KO/TKO (28%) | Knockouts | |
| 13 SUBMISSIONS (52%) | Subs | |
| -225 | Vegas Odds | +205 |
| 5/10 | Lineup Pool | 4/10 |
| Frankie Saenz | vs | Jonathan Martinez |
| $7,600 | DFS Salary | $8,600 |
| Record: 13-6-0 | Record | Record: 11-3-0 |
| 6 KO/TKO (19%) | Knockouts | |
| 23 SUBMISSIONS (74%) | Subs | |
| +225 | Vegas Odds | -245 |
| 2/10 | Lineup Pool | 0/10 |
| Johnny Munoz | vs | Nate Maness |
| $7,200 | DFS Salary | $7,200 |
| Record: 10-0-0 | Record | Record: 11-1-0 |
| 6 KO/TKO (55%) | Knockouts | 2 KO/TKO (20%) |
| 2 SUBMISSIONS (18%) | Subs | 6 SUBMISSIONS (60%) |
| #N/A | Vegas Odds | #N/A |
| 6/10 | Lineup Pool | 5/10 |
| Jamall Emmers | vs | Vince Cachero |
| $7,800 | DFS Salary | $6,900 |
| Record: 17-5-0 | Record | Record: 7-2-0 |
| 4 KO/TKO (36%) | Knockouts | 7 KO/TKO (41%) |
| 2 SUBMISSIONS (18%) | Subs | 3 SUBMISSIONS (18%) |
| -425 | Vegas Odds | #N/A |
| 3/10 | Lineup Pool | 7/10 |
| Chris Gutierrez | vs | Cody Durden |
| $9,200 | DFS Salary | $7,000 |
| Record: 15-3-1 | Record | Record: 11-2-0 |
| 2 KO/TKO (29%) | Knockouts | 7 KO/TKO (47%) |
| 2 SUBMISSIONS (29%) | Subs | 1 SUBMISSIONS (7%) |
| -280 | Vegas Odds | +255 |
| 8/10 | Lineup Pool | 1/10 |