This article is part of our DFS Football 101 series.
The biggest first place contest in fantasy football each week is the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings. It was believed to be a one-time contest, but the Millionaire Maker proved to be so popular that they are now running it each week of the football season. For a $27 entry, you can win $1 million in a single week. It is a stacked field, and millionaire hopefuls will go against 80,000-90,000 other entries, which makes it worthwhile to breakdown the lineups of the previous three winners.
Let's take a look at the three winning lineups and draw some conclusions.
First Place Finisher, Week 5 (Position, Player, Points, Salary, Multiplier (Points/Salary))
QB Peyton Manning - 35.96 points, $9,200, 3.91x
RB Arian Foster - 34.2, $7,400, 4.62x
RB Ben Tate - 16.2, $5,000, 3.24x
WR Emmanuel Sanders - 20.9, $5,100, 4.1x
WR Golden Tate - 29.4, $4,900, 6.0x
WR Demaryius Thomas - 45.6, $7,400, 6.16x
TE Antonio Gates - 22, $3,500, 6.29x
FLEX Terrance Williams - 15.1, $4,400, 3.43x
DEF Chargers - 16, $3,100, 5.16x
Total Points 235.4, Salary $50,000, Multiplier 4.71x
First Place Finisher, Week 6
QB Joe Flacco - 35.24 $6,700, 5.26x
RB Lamar Miller - 17.3, $5,800, 2.98x
RB Branden Oliver - 25.4, $5,500, 4.62x
WR Andre Holmes - 31.1, $3,000, 10.37x
WR Jordy Nelson - 28.7, $7,700, 3.73x
WR Steve Smith - 25, $6,200, 4.03x
TE Julius Thomas - 21.1, $6,700, 3.15x
FLEX Mohamed Sanu - 31, $5,300, 5.85x
DEF Broncos - 15, $3,100, 4.84x
Total Points 229.8, Salary $50,000 Multiplier 4.6x
First Place Finisher, Week 7
QB Russell Wilson - 43.12, $6,800, 6.34x
RB Le'Veon Bell - 28.5, $6,600, 4.32x
RB Marshawn Lynch - 9.1, $7,100, 1.28x
WR Golden Tate - 34.4, $5,900, 5.83x
WR Demaryius Thomas - 40.1, $8,000, 5.01x
WR Sammy Watkins - 36.2, $4,800, 7.54x
TE Dwayne Allen - 14.2, $3,700, 3.84x
FLEX Roddy White - 28, $4,100, 6.83
DEF Browns - 8, $3,000, 2.67
Total Points 241.6, Salary $50,000, Multiplier 4.83x
There are three-point bonuses for 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing or receiving, and all three teams hit six bonuses which accounted for an additional 18 points.
Each team used a wide receiver in the flex position, and since there are more 100-yard receiving games in the NFL versus 100-yard rushing games, this makes sense. You have to nail all of your receivers, no question. You can get by with one dud at running back, but to win it all, you will need to hit your targets with the rest of your lineup.
All three teams got at least 35 points from their quarterback, which is very hard to do. You need a 300-400-yard passing day, at least three touchdowns, and Wilson also hit the 100-yard rushing bonus.
Players to Target in Millionaire Maker #4
Quarterbacks (potential for 30-plus points)
Elite
Aaron Rodgers $9,000
Andrew Luck, $8,800
Russell Wilson, $8,400
Drew Brees, $8,100
Mid-Tier
Tony Romo, $7,400
Tom Brady, $7,200
Value
Cam Newton, $6,600
Carson Palmer, $6,500
Running Backs (potential for 20-plus points)
Elite
Matt Forte, $8,800
DeMarco Murray, $8,600
Arian Foster, $8,400
Mid-Tier
Marshawn Lynch, $7,100
Andre Ellington, $6,600
Le'Veon Bell $6,300
Ahmad Bradshaw, $5,900
Value
Jerick McKinnon, $4,900
Ben Tate, $4,600
Wide Receivers (Potential for 25-plus points, eight receptions, 100-150 yards receiving, one or two touchdowns)
Elite
Jordy Nelson, $7,800
Randall Cobb, $7,500
Dez Bryant, $6,900
Mid-Tier
Mike Wallace, $5,800
Sammy Watkins, $5,700
Steve Smith, $5,600
Jeremy Maclin, $5,500
Andre Johnson, $5,200
Kelvin Benjamin, $5,000
Value
Kendall Wright, $4,900
Michael Floyd, $4,900
Brandon LaFell, $4,800
Terrance Williams, $4,700
Doug Baldwin, $4,700
Eric Decker, $4,600
DeAndre Hopkins, $4,200
Andre Holmes, $4,100
Tight Ends (potential for 18-plus points)
Elite
Rob Gronkowski, $5,900
Jimmy Graham, $5,600
Greg Olsen, $5,500
Martellus Bennett, $5,200
Mid-Tier
Delanie Walker, $4,300
Owen Daniels, $4,100
Jordan Reed, $4,000
Dwayne Allen, $3,900
Value
Charles Clay, $3,500
Heath Miller, $3,300
Zach Ertz, $3,200
Scott Chandler, $3,100
Defenses (floor of 10 points, with potential for 15-20)
Texans $3,400
Bills $3,300
Dolphins $3,300
Cowboys $3,000
Chiefs $2,800
Patriots $2,800
Millionaire Maker #4 Lineup
QB Aaron Rodgers, $9,000
RB Jerick McKinnon, $4,700
RB Le'Veon Bell, $6,300
WR Jordy Nelson, $7,800
WR Sammy Watkins, $5,700
WR Jeremy Maclin, $5,500
TE Jordan Reed, $4,000
FLEX Davante Adams, $3,500
D Dolphins, $3,300
Projected Floor: 185 points
Projected Ceiling: 230 points and $1 Million
