With the NFL season officially under way (finally!), eyes are fixed on the one-week fantasy football promotions lined up at DraftKings and FanDuel. These events are expected to deliver life-changing payouts to select players. At least one person is going to walk away with a check for $2 million.
Anyone can win.
If you’ve read the tutorials on this site, you have everything you need to construct a solid roster. I’ve given you proven tips, tricks, tools and hacks for putting together winning fantasy football lineups that could take you all the way this season.
It’s time to put that knowledge to use. Millions of dollars are at stake in this year’s exciting fantasy football promotions at DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s take a look at this NFL season’s promo slate.
Daily Fantasy Football Promos at FanDuel and DraftKings
$10 Million Fantasy Football World Championship (DraftKings)
Qualify All Season Long
This is the big one at DraftKings. In fact, it’s the biggest one of the NFL season. In Week 14, somebody is going to win $2 million. A lot of other players are going to win cash payouts that are so large they’ll be tempted to quit their jobs.
The event takes place on Sunday, December 11th. One hundred and eighty players will be invited to New York City to participate. Airfare and hotel charges are paid in full by DraftKings. It’s a sweet package worth $61,555. All you have to do is show up (assuming you’re one of the 180).
How are the 180 players chosen? Qualifiers and satellites are scheduled throughout the season until December 4th. Buy-ins for the qualifiers range from $0.25 to $400. Buy-ins for the satellites range from $3 to $5,300.
Here are the payouts for the top 10 winners:
1st – $2,000,000
2nd – $1,000,000
3rd – $750,000
4th – $500,000
5th – $350,000
6th – $200,000
7th – $150,000
8th – $150,000
9th – $100,000
10th – $100,000
With experience, skill, a great gut instinct, and a little luck, who knows? You might become one of the lucky 180!
NFL $1 Million King Of The Beach (DraftKings)
Qualify To Go To Atlantis
After dreaming of being the last man standing in a $10 million fantasy football tournament, a $1 million event might seem like a letdown.
But that’s still a lot of cash up for grabs!
This event will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on December 4th during Week 13. Qualifiers are scheduled between Weeks 1 and 10, and are open to everyone. (Buy-ins range from $3 to $20.)
At the end of Week 10, 180 players will advance to an online Week 11 qualifier. When the dust settles, the top 50 will advance to the main event in Atlanta. These 50 players will each receive a $1,000 package that includes airfare and a 4-night stay at the Atlantis Paradise Island hotel.
It’s a pretty sweet deal. Here are the payouts for the top 10 winners:
1st – $100,000
2nd – $60,000
3rd – $50,000
4th – $40,000
5th – $30,000
6th – $25,000
7th – $20,000
8th – $20,000
9th – $15,000
10th – $15,000
Admittedly, it’s not “quit your day job” money. But I doubt you’ll refuse a check for $100,000 (or $15,000 for that matter!).
$100K Fantasy NFL Survivor (DraftKings)
Enter. Survive. Win.
That’s the tagline for this event. It starts in Week 2 and continues through Week 5.
The tournament is open to 23,529 players in Week 2. Just over half (12,500) get to move on to Week 3. From that point, the field gets whittled quickly. Only 2,500 players move on to Week 4, and 100 move on to Week 5.
The remaining 100 participants duke it out for the top spots. The last man (or woman) standing will earn a handy $5,000 payout.
You can enter for just $5.
The event pays out to the top 5,200. But you’re not interested in coming in 5,200th place. Anything after position 2,500 will only yield $8, which isn’t even double your buy-in. You want to land in the top 10. Check out the payouts:
1st – $5,000
2nd – $3,000
3rd – $2,000
4th – $1,500
5th – $1,000
6th – $700
7th – $600
8th – $600
9th – $500
10th – $500
Enter. Survive. Win.
For $5, it’s worth a shot.
Enough about DraftKings (for now). FanDuel has its own exciting slate of promotional contests with a mountain of cash at stake. Let’s start with a big one…
2016 World Fantasy Football Championship (FanDuel)
Win up to $1,000,000 in the 2016 World Fantasy Football Championshop
Imagine spending $3 to enter a qualifier and going all the way to win $1 million (and be treated like a king in the process).
Stranger things have happened.
The run-up to this affair is already under way. Qualifiers are scheduled each week, from now until December, with buy-ins ranging from $3 to $1,000. The main event happens live on December 18th at The Terranea Resort in Ranchos Palos Verdes, California.
One hundred players will be invited to participate. Each will receive two tickets to paradise (hat tip to Eddie Money), which includes a 3-night stay at the resort, along with airfare and transfer credit.
Check out the payouts for the top 10 winners:
1st – $1,000,000
2nd – $500,000
3rd – $300,000
4th – $200,000
5th – $150,000
6th – $150,000
7th – $100,000
8th – $100,000
9th – $100,000
10th – $80,000
What would you do with an extra $1 million?
Playboy Football Championship (FanDuel)
A once in a lifetime experience. Only at FanDuel.
What’s the second thing you think of when you hear the word Playboy?
If you thought “Big cash prizes in a blowout, one-week fantasy football event,” you’re on the right track. The Playboy Football Championship is already under way with $600,000 up for grabs.
The event takes place in Los Angeles on December 4th. Seventy-five players will be invited to participate with the guarantee that they’ll receive a minimum payout of $3,000. In addition, airfare and hotel accommodations (two nights included) are paid entirely by FanDuel.
Qualifiers are being held each week from now until December. Buy-ins range from $3 to $500.
Close your eyes and imagine the following: your favorite libations, a throng of Playmates, and a chance to watch the games and play fantasy football in style…
What could be better? How about a big chunk of cash in your bank account? Here are the payouts for the top 10 winners:
1st – $125,000
2nd – $50,000
3rd – $30,000
4th – $20,000
5th – $15,000
6th – $15,000
7th – $10,000
8th – $10,000
9th – $10,000
10th – $10,000
You could do a lot worse than spend the weekend watching football with a flock of Playmates and bottomless drinks.
And of course, there are the cash prizes to think about…
NFL Elite Survivor (FanDuel)
4 rounds of survivor style fantasy.
If you didn’t participate in Round 1, there’s a good chance you’re already locked out of this event. But it’s worth mentioning since a lot of people entered it (despite its hefty $200 buy-in).
The NFL Elite Survivor is a 4-round tournament that’s organized in Survivor fashion. The first round was opened to 561 players with 400 advancing to Round 2. Of those 400 players, 220 will advance to Round 3. From that pool, the top 115 will advance to the final round.
These 115 players will compete for a share of a $100,000 prize pool. The top 10 winners will receive the following payouts:
1st – $12,000
2nd – $8,000
3rd – $6,000
4th – $4,000
5th – $3,000
6th – $2,500
7th – $2,000
8th – $2,000
9th – $1,500
10th – $1,500
It’s not “I’m Leonardo DiCaprio and welcome to my huge yacht” money. But $12,000 is still a respectable chunk of change.
$300K NFL Survivor (FanDuel)
5 Rounds of Fantasy With Growing Prizes Every Step Of The Way
Like the NFL Elite Survivor, this event is already under way. If you didn’t get in on Round 1, you’re out of luck. But since Round 1 was open to more than 170,000 players, and the buy-in was only $2, there’s a fair chance you entered it.
This is a 5-round event. Of the 173,410 players who entered Round 1, 130,000 will advance to Round 2. From that pool, 98,000 will advance to Round 3, and 68,000 of those players will advance to Round 4.
Round 5 will include 43,856 players who’ll compete for $300,000 in cash prizes.
With so many players participating in this event, the cash prizes are going to be smaller than the ones up for grabs in the promotions described earlier. The good news is that participants can cash in every single round.
Here are the top 10 payouts for Rounds 1 through 4:
1st – $2,000
2nd – $1,000
3rd – $700
4th – $500
5th – $400
6th – $300
7th – $250
8th – $250
9th – $200
10th – $200
It goes without saying that you want to make it to the finals. You get bragging rights and the payouts are bigger. To the latter point, here they are for the top 10:
1st – $4,000
2nd – $2,000
3rd – $1,000
4th – $750
5th – $500
6th – $400
7th – $300
8th – $300
9th – $250
10th – $250
I’d be willing to bet you won’t argue with anyone who wants to hand you a check for $4,000.
What Will You Do With Your Fantasy Football Winnings?
Now’s the time to dream big. You play weekly fantasy football to have fun and compete for cash prizes. Why not enter one of the above promotions for a chance to win a huge payout?
Imagine what you can do with an extra $100,000 in your pocket.
Or suppose you enter DraftKing’s $10 Million Fantasy Football World Championship or FanDuel’s 2016 World Fantasy Football Championship, and walk away with a cool $1 million. Think about how it’ll change your life.
Every player who has ever won the top prize in a large-field daily fantasy event at DraftKings or FanDuel first fantasized about doing so. Let your mind wander. Your dream of winning big could become reality by the end of the NFL season!
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