After a week long break we are back! UFC Vegas 82 went moderately well for me, with cash working out just fine, but tournament entries died the second Jeka Saragih knocked out Lucas Alexander. I hope that you all were able to see plenty of success for the event. For me personally, anytime my cash entries work out I view that week as a success. Slow and steady round here.
For this upcoming weekend we are heading to Austin, Texas. The main event features top level lightweight fighters Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan. There are several other fun fights on this slate as well, that might not have the name value you would hope for, but should exceed expectations when it comes to the action. After this slate we have two more left for the remainder of the year, so we can’t afford to waste any opportunities to close the year out strong.
For anyone that hasn’t read this article before, The Chalk Board is a DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports article where I attempt to navigate the $9000+ salary range by offering you insight into who I will be using, considering, or fading from my personal lineups. In turn, this can help navigate the lower salary range as well by design. If you choose to alter your lineups based on my statements in this article, please understand that I am not a professional gambler or DFS player, so that decision is yours. Live with the results YOU get from the decisions YOU make.
Due to the overwhelming amount of fighters in the 9k salary range this week, we will be splitting them up a bit differently than normal. This article is also in its last days, we will be finishing the year out with it, and then it will be moving behind the paywall with the rest of our incredible DraftKings fantasy offering.
LOCK THEM IN
ZACH REESE – $9300 (-230)
At the start of the off week I thought that Brundage really had a shot here just basing my opinion off the impression of Reese’s DWCS fight. As we have gotten into fight week however, I have taken to the film room and now there isn’t a thing you can say to me that would lead me to believe that Brundage has anything more than the same puncher’s chance anyone with power has. Reese should see a first round finish here, and while I will likely be staying away for cash contests, Reese is going to be a staple of my tournament entries.
ARMAN TSARUKYAN – $9200 (-310)
In the same spirit as the Reese fight above, at the start of the off week I was pretty heavily on the Dariush side of this fight, and while I don’t think my opinion has completely flipped, the ownership and value on Tsarukyan is going to be enough to sway me to make him a lock in my cash contests. When it comes to tournaments I am still undecided, but I worry much more about cash entries anyway. I do see plenty of merit in stacking this fight as well to have the insurance against Dariush having another out of body performance.
ROLL THE DICE
RODOLFO BELLATO – $9600 (-375)
The line on this fight is wild as far as I am concerned. I believe that this fight is essentially a coin flip with either fighter capable of finishing the other early on this fight. In a coin flip situation I obviously find more value in the Ihor Poetieira side of this one, but I think Bellato has enough upside to justify a tournament play in his direction. I don’t have super high hopes due to the incredible price tag, but I also don’t think it's impossible for him to put up a massive score in what should be a sloppy fight that ends quickly.
PUNAHELE SORIANO – $9400 (-300)
Soriano is one of the more safe plays on the slate in my opinion, and that could go for really any contest. The only concern that I have is that he doesn’t actually use his wrestling, and at this price tag I am worried about how that will affect his score. I will probably be avoiding him for cash, but I could definitely see him as a solid small-field tournament play to still feel safe in getting the win, but also having some upside for a finish as well.
WELLINGTON TURMAN – $9000 (-190)
Turman is another fighter that I think can get it done this week, but he isn’t much more appealing than his opponent – who comes at a much smaller price tag. For that reason Turman is only someone that I would roll the dice on for a tournament entry and hope for an early finish. When it comes to the cash contests I will be steering clear of Wellington Turman.
STAY AWAY
JOAQUIM SILVA – $9100 (-300)
There seems to be a world of people that think this is the week where Guida starts to show his age. I think that is heavily influenced by Guida coming off of a loss, and Silva coming off a very impressive performance where he lost to Arman Tsarukyan. I believe the reality is that Guida is still very much a gamer, and will give Silva problems that will make Guida a more worthwhile play than Silva would be. Of course Guida could come out looking 42 and get put down early, but I just don’t have any solid evidence that will happen to this point in his career.
FINAL THOUGHT
I cannot begin to express how excited I am for fights, and also how depressed I am knowing that we just have three fight weeks left before a big break. If you have been on the fence about joining premium, this is the time to make it happen so you can finish the year out strong with us! Good luck this week in your contests, let’s get paid this weekend!
Hopefully, this Chalk Board article has helped you at least reduce the number of options in the upper salary range, and in turn isolate a few dogs you feel good about. I would like to take this time to again remind you to make YOUR OWN decisions. Don’t buy into anything I say unless it makes sense to you as well.
Good luck this week! If you need any help with your DraftKings entries you can join the free Discord server which has loads of very capable DFS players and I am sure you will find an opinion that will give you the confirmation bias that most people seek. If you need additional help then reach out to @WeWantPicks on Twitter, or you can shoot me questions as well if you like @WebGuyWWP. Thanks for reading, see you guys next week.
