Southeast Missouri State sophomore Adam Smith is attempting to pay for college with the money he makes from fantasy football. The National Football League describes fantasy football as a player having the ability to select professional NFL players, usually in a draft format, in order to create a team in which the fantasy player manages. Points are based weekly on how well a player competes, for example rushing yards, passing yards and touchdowns.

There are different platforms of fantasy football from different companies, all of which have their own specific way of playing. Yahoo, ESPN and the NFL all have fantasy football leagues with different options on how the league’s scoring is done or how often someone is allowed to draft. Some companies have even emerged with the sole purpose of being a fantasy platform. Smith is involved with two of these different platforms.

“For money, I use DraftKings, but I’m also in a league back home for fun,” Smith said.

In the ESPN league Smith is involved in, all members put $20 into a pot outside of the website, so the winner comes out with $140.

Although the ESPN league with his friends is more for fun, Smith said he tries to make his money off of DraftKings.

“DraftKings is daily fantasy, which means you draft a different team in every contest,” Smith said, as opposed to standard leagues where someone may draft a team at the beginning of the season and play with that team until the conclusion of the season.

“I put $25 into DraftKings three years ago. I’ve never put a dime in since,” Smith said.

Using the DraftKings platform, Smith is able to join more leagues each week. Smith said he could sometimes be involved in up to 10 contests per week.

Like other sports, there are amateurs and professionals involved in fantasy football. Smith said there are players who will enter up to 10 $50 contests and end up winning all of that money. “That’s their life. They are professional fantasy football players,” Smith said.

Also like other sports, it is unlikely an amateur will be able to keep up with the professionals, but the amateurs study the professionals’ strategies.

“There’s one guy I studied, I don’t know his name, but I studied his strategy and that’s when I kind of started making my money,” Smith said. “Instead of drafting the No. 1 guy each week, draft the No. 3 or 4 guy each week, because 70 percent of people draft that No. 1. There’s way more money on the other 30 percent.”

He explained that he uses this strategy most weeks by picking Ben Roethlisberger over Cam Newton.

Another strategy he uses is more of a gambling strategy.

“I’m only betting away 20 percent of everything I make. So no matter what, I don’t bet away what I’m making,” Smith said of his strategy for this year.

“It may be unrealistic, but I want to pay off school with fantasy football,” Smith said. “I need to put my confidence aside and join more leagues for less money, because that’s kind of the way you make money.”

Some weeks, it may not seem as if this goal is unrealistic.

“The payoff is sometimes up to 1,000 percent,” Smith said.

Smith is very aware of the risks involved.

“It’s fun, but gambling is addictive,” Smith said.

He said he follows an old Las Vegas gambling motto.

“Put some money in your left pocket, put some money in your right pocket, and once you run out of money in your right pocket, you’re done for the day,” Smith said.

He explained this strategy as putting $4 in one pocket and putting $6 in the other. Once you’re done spending the $4, you don’t spend any other money.

He says he’s avoided the negative effects so far because he’s never spent more than he’s earned.

“I have a job, so it’s not like I use fantasy football for my job,” Smith said.

Smith also works in the kitchen at Outback Steakhouse.

He explained he does play fantasy sports all year round, but the other sports are pretty irrelevant.

“I make the most money off of fantasy football. Every once in awhile I’ll make money off UFC, rarely basketball and rarely baseball.”

Although he may not make much money off other sports, Smith does have in mind what he would like to make this NFL season.

“I want to make a few grand using the strategies I used last season, but realistically I’ll make around a grand,” Smith said.