Back to back brutal weeks on DraftKings are rare, but that is the exact experience I had over these last two events. Mistakes were made, some blatantly my fault, and others that were just the variance of the sport. Either way you look at it though, two very unimpressive performances that need to be rectified in the very near future.

This week we circle right back to the Apex for UFC Vegas 86. The slate is loaded with fights this week, a total of 14 fights in fact. The prelims start at 4pm est and there are a few solid matchups that many people will be looking forward to. The main card is set to begin at 7pm est and features more ranked middleweight action to build on last week’s event, between veteran Jack Hermansson and superstar prospect Joe Pyfer.

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.

The article is written for cash games and single entry tournaments, however you may see a large field or MME reference from time to time. It is split into three very distinctive sections. The first is the “Lock Them In” section which features the fighters in the salary range that I think will make a perfect addition to cash and small-field single entry lineups. The second section of the article is “Roll The Dice” which provides information on fighters that could be great for your lineup but come with added risk that make them more comfortable for GPP lineups than cash lineups. The third and final section of the article is “Stay Away” and that is exactly what it sounds like, these fighters should be avoided at all cost for single entry tournaments and cash games. You may still want to use them for larger tournaments however, and potentially for mass multiple entry contests as well where complete fades are less frequent.

LOCK THEM IN

GREGORY RODRIGUES – $9100 (-230)

Gregory Rodrigues is one of my favorite middle of the road fighters. In this matchup he is fighting veteran Brad Tavares. I personally believe that Rodrigues has Tavares covered in all aspects of MMA here. Tavares does have solid takedown defense however, so there is a concern for me that Gregory Rodrigues doesn’t get his wrestling going. Even on the feet however, I think Robocop has the advantage and should be able to capitalize on the power difference to change the fight. Due to the concerns I have for whether or not Rodrigues gets his grappling going that would make him a little questionable for larger tournaments in my opinion, but he should be pretty safe for cash and small-field tournament contests. Tavares isn’t really dangerous and he doesn’t score well himself, so the Robocop side is the only side in this one.

JOE PYFER – $9000 (-255)

Next my attention turns to the main event. Joe Pyfer is facing his largest step up in competition to date when he steps in against veteran Jack Hermansson. Pyfer has power, the aggression, and superb grappling so this should in theory be the steamrolling we have grown to expect from Joe Pyfer. That being said, there are some concerns for me as the fight gets into the later rounds, and should that happen Jack Hermansson becomes more and more live for a decision win as the fight extends. Ultimately I like Pyfer for all contests though, and when it comes to cash I will likely be stacking the main event as a safety precaution.

ROLL THE DICE

LOMA LOOKBOONME – $9400 (-280)

Loma is my favorite fighter on this slate I think. I absolutely love her. In this fight she is fighting a fellow Muay Thai specialist prospect, Bruna Brasil. Loma is a very small woman and that is the only cause for concern I have here when it comes to her getting the win or not. I could see a world where Bruna is able to keep the distance and turn this into a very close fight on the feet. I chose to upgrade Loma to the “roll the dice” section though because I think she has proven she will work takedowns into her attack and when she gets them she is fierce on top. It will be a stretch for her to pay off this salary though, so know what you are getting into should you decide to grab some leverage by playing Loma, who most will be ignoring on the slate this weekend.

CARLOS PRATES – $9200 (-265)

Carlos Prates is one of the most fun fighters I have seen come along in a bit. Prates is a dynamic striker with some serious power on his kicks. Prates is making his official UFC debut against veteran Trevin Giles. Giles is a tight striker with one of the best jabs in the business, and the rest of his game is pretty well rounded also. The only big concern for Giles is his lack of activity which I think is going to be his downfall against a striker the likes of Prates. Giles is tough though, so paying off $9200 is going to require a fairly quick finish, and that is the only thing keeping him from the “lock” section.

STAY AWAY

BOLAJI OKI – $9500 (-140)

Bolaji Oki would have been someone I would have had in the roll the dice section prior to the opponent change. Once he was given a new, lesser known, more unproven opponent the odds went in the complete opposite direction and closed to a point that makes him near unplayable at this salary point.

DANIEL MARCOS – $9300 (-250)

Daniel Marcos is one of my favorite prospects coming up in the UFC currently. Unfortunately he possesses no significant grappling or wrestling upside, and his power tends to be more by accumulation rather than true force. That means a knockout finish is unlikely until the second or third round, and he won’t be scoring a ton along the way without being a threat for takedowns and 

FINAL THOUGHT

I would be completely full of it if I said that I am looking forward to this card. There are a few matchups that I am excited for, but all things considered last week and this week have been two of the most unimpressive back to back weeks of UFC in long time in my opinion. After this week though we head into a pay per view event, and then we start the countdown to 299 and 300, both of which are loaded with fights that everyone wants to see. Here is to hoping I can make it through the fire without losing too much until those events come around.

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. Thanks for reading, see you guys next week.