When T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao finally square off for a second time live on FOX this Saturday, much more than Dillashaw’s UFC Bantamweight Championship will be on the line. Weekly DraftKings contests have become all the rage in the mainstream sports world, giving fantasy players a quick and sudden fix for their fantasy needs. With the UFC recently forming a partnership with DraftKings, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) junkies have yet another avenue with which to compete for cash; good old face punching.
UFC On FOX: Dillashaw vs Barao 2 – DraftKings Selections
DraftKings contests are notoriously tough, yet provide a much larger reward for being selectively efficient than other MMA fantasy alternatives. With no lack of competition out there, it’s my job to provide you with the team that will give you the most bang for your buck, pun intended. Here is Joseph’s “Winning Team” that meets the salary cap restriction of $50,000:
Gian Villante ($8,600)
His opponent: Tom Lawlor ($10,800)
Why Villante?: This pricing makes no sense to me. Villante is over a two to one betting favorite, yet he is only $8,600, with Lawlor the third highest priced fighter on the card? That’s crazy to me. Lawlor hasn’t fought in over two years, and he’s moving up to light heavyweight for the first time in his UFC career. Villante is no world beater, but he will be the superior athlete in this contest, and actually showed some unexpected improvements in his last bout, starching Corey Anderson late in the bout. I think Lawlor already has one foot out the door, and this is probably his last hurrah inside the octagon. I expect Villante to send him packing in a not so pleasant fashion, and secure us a stoppage win and a solid amount of fantasy points.
Bryan Caraway ($9,500)
His opponent: Eddie Wineland ($9,900)
Why Caraway?: Honestly, I think Eddie Wineland is a poor style matchup for Bryan Caraway. Wineland is the better striker and has solid takedown defense, which could possibly thwart Caraway’s gameplan of getting this fight to the canvas. However, Eddie Wineland has been brutally knocked out in two of his last three performances, most recently breaking his jaw and contemplating retirement in early 2014. After more than a year off, he’s finally making his return, but I find it hard to believe that we will see the best version of Eddie Wineland in Chicago Saturday night. Caraway is still at the point in his career where he should feel he is trying to make a run at contendership, and he is one of the toughest customers in the game. I think he’ll be able to maneuver his way into an advantageous position at some point and get the better of the fading Wineland. Caraway is an underrated finisher on the mat, and we’ve seen Wineland in trouble there in the past, so a finish wouldn’t surprise me here either.
Joe Lauzon ($11,100)
His opponent: Takanori Gomi ($8,300)
Why Lauzon?: Simply put, Joe Lauzon is one of the premier finishers in MMA. In fact, 23 of his 24 career wins have come by stoppage, with 17 of those coming by way of submission. On the other hand, his opponent Takanori Gomi has been finished seven times in his career, with six of them ending in a submission loss. Gomi himself is an action fighter, and his style can leave him vulnerable at times. Add that to the fact that Gomi has hit a wall as of late and seems to be on a steady decline, and you can understand why Lauzon is so highly priced. I don’t often like to play such highly priced individuals, but with so many good value plays on the card and such a high probability of a Lauzon win coming by stoppage, I think that Joe Lauzon is a safe addition to your DraftKings lineup, and I’d expect him to rack up some points.
Paul Felder ($9,700)
His opponent: Edson Barboza ($9,700)
Why Felder?: Perhaps this is going a bit against the grain, as Barboza is an established veteran and Felder is only at fight number three in the UFC, but I think Felder is well on his way to being a top ten fighter. Felder has proven in his first two UFC contests that he is a devastating striker 8-limb striker with solid movement and a very good ability to cover distance. Barboza is an excellent striker in his own right, but has shown in the past that he can struggle against those who push the pace against him and cut off the cage. I do believe Felder is capable of dictating this fight, and as a result of this I do favor him to pick up the win. Couple that with the fact that Barboza has a suspect chin and is capable of being put down by strikes, and I think we have solid value in Felder at such a reasonable asking price.
T.J. Dillashaw ($10,900)
His opponent: Renan Barao ($8,500)
Why Dillashaw?: I’m in the party that believes that TJ Dillashaw simply is a bad style matchup for Renan Barao. When Barao has been most successful, his opponents have sat down in the pocket and exchanged blows with him, or he’s simply been the superior grappler. Dillashaw doesn’t oblige to either of those scenarios, as he has some of the best footwork and movement in the game and is also a fantastic wrestler. Dillashaw was able to pick Barao apart at will in the first fight, which was never close after Dillashaw hurt Barao badly midway through the first round. Perhaps the fight is more competitive this time and it takes Dillashaw longer to pull away, but I believe inevitably his skillset will be simple too much for Barao. While I’m not positive he will succeed in scoring a finish this time around, Dillashaw has landed over 100 strikes in three straight bouts (including his last fight against Barao) and I don’t expect that to change here. Either way, I anticipate T.J. Dillashaw filling that stat sheet for us come Saturday night. So to run it back we have:
- TJ Dillashaw ($10,900)
- Paul Felder ($9,700)
- Joe Lauzon ($11,100)
- Bryan Caraway ($9,500)
- Gian Villante ($8,600)
Total salary used = $48,000 of $50,000 Enjoy the fights and good luck!
