Daily Fantasy MMA: Lineup Advice for February 21

silva

This Saturday, the UFC will be hosting a Fight Night event in Brazil. The main event will feature two former world champion heavyweights. If you’re looking to get more involved with this event, a great way to invest in these fights is to head over to DraftKings and creating your own Fantasy MMA lineup. Here are the contest details:

Details (MMA):
-$20,000 prize pool.
– First place wins $2,000
– $2 entry fee (FREE with first deposit)
– Top 2,300 finishing positions are paid.
– Starts Sunday, February 22nd at 5:00 PM EST
– Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 5 fighters
First time depositors at DraftKings receive a 100% bonus up to $600

 

Fighters to stay away from: Mir, Alvey, Martins, Saenz, Reneau, Mike de la Torre

I’m not saying Mir can’t pull off the upset, I’m just saying the odds are against him. He is on a four fight losing streak and his chin has diminished quite a bit. Mir can always KO the glass-jawed Silva, but Mir has chin problems of his own. His biggest advantage is on the ground, but I just don’t see Mir getting Bigfoot to the ground.

Alvey’s situation is similar to Mir’s in the sense that he’s fighting a guy who is know to have a questionable chin. However, skill wise, Alvey’s opponent seems to be years ahead of him. Alvey could land a lucky punch, but his opponent clearly has the better skill set to win the fight.

Martins and Saenz are both fighting opponents that are just more skilled than they are. Martins has the better chance of the upset, but it’s not likely. Saenz is fighting a very tough and ranked opponent. I’d be very surprised if he made it the full duration of the fight.

Reneau is the underdog in her fight and she does not posses a high finishing rate. Even if she somehow pulls off the upset, going the distance will not rack up the fantasy points.

Mike de la Torre is going to be not only undersized but he has also yet to win a fight in the UFC. The odds are definitely not in his favor.

 

Fighters with good values: Johnson, Waldburger, Alcantara, Silva

Michael Johnson is the underdog and rightfully so, however, he possesses very quick and accurate striking. It doesn’t hurt that his opponent has a reputation of getting rocked easily. Johnson is a good underdog to put in your lineup and to save cap space.

Waldburger is a skilled grappler that has been inside the Octagon with some gritty veterans. I believe that experience will be the difference in his fight and it should lead him to a victory.

Alcantara is a great overall fighter that not only has technical skills, but he is also physically gifted for the weight class. He’s had some impressive victories in the UFC and he even held his own against the talented Urijah Faber. With that experience, combined with his skill set, Alcantara is a challenge to anyone in the bantamweight division.

Bigfoot Silva is the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion with victories over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, and the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Silva will have the reach advantage, size advantage, and the striking advantage. Mir’s down slide combined with Silva’s devastating power should spell an early stoppage in the main event.

 

With all that being said, a good example of a lineup is as follows:

Silva              — $11,900

Johnson       — $9,100

Dwyer           — $8,300

Trator           — $11,100

Waldburger — $9,600

 

There you have it. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @BigWillyHamp and enjoy the fights.

 

author avatar
Will Hampton
Economics and journalism major. Previously the lead MMA writer for a1gsports.com. MMA enthusiast, but overall, lover of competitive sports.