Week 17 of the NFL season meant a major payday — or payout — for one ESPN employee.
Taking to X on Monday, researcher Mackenzie Kraemer revealed that he won $1 million after placing second in a DraftKings “Best Ball” contest. For the uninitiated, Best Ball is a fantasy football format in which participants select rosters in a snake draft, with the highest scoring player automatically inserted into the starting lineup at the end of each tournament round.
Based on a screenshot, Kraemer’s winning lineup featured Caleb Williams at quarterback, Bijan Robinson and Zach Charbonnet at running back, Luther Burden III, Chris Olave and Wan’Dale Robinson at wide receiver Trey McBride at tight end and RJ Harvey in the flex spot. The first-place lineup — which netted $2 million — featured similar players, except with Rhamondre Stevenson and D’Andre Swift in place of Charbonnet and Harvey.
According to a response he made to a reply on his post, Kraemer’s second-place finish was quite the sweat. According to the Villanova alum, he went from “slightly above” a minimum payout before Burden exploded for 30.8 points during the Chicago Bears’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football, with Robinson adding 42.9 points in the Atlanta Falcons victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
“I had 1 healthy quarterback throughout the whole playoffs. I am still in shock. Won’t sink in until way later,” Kraemer wrote in one reply. “Ordered a pizza before the game after not eating all day and ate 1 slice. I don’t believe it.”
As Kraemer alluded to, the Best Ball format requires you to stick with the initial team you drafted, meaning you can’t add free agents or make trades throughout the season. But while that left him with only one healthy quarterback throughout the playoffs, he certainly picked the right one in Caleb Williams, a selection that proved to be a million dollar decision.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.