UFC 287 Reignmakers Breakdown
This week, DraftKings Reignmakers is offering up $125,000 in prizes between its five tiers of contests: CORE, RARE, ELITE, LEGENDARY, and REIGNMAKER.
All players from DraftKings’ Heatwave, UFC 281, UFC 282, UFC 287, and Genesis sets are eligible to compete in these contests.
It is worth noting that the Genesis Standard, Genesis Premium, and Genesis CORE Add-On packs are all still available for purchase. These packs contain top UFC fighters and a random distribution of most of the fighters stepping into the octagon this weekend.
The UFC 287 event set goes on sale tomorrow, April 5.
With that said, this article breaks down the best fighters to consider adding to your team via the Reignmakers’ marketplace. All listed prices refer to CORE tier unless otherwise noted, but the recommendations can be agnostically applied to all other tiers.
The Good
Below are the best fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 287 event.
Israel Adesanya ($5.75 - Genesis)
Israel Adesanya has a single loss in the UFC Middleweight division, and he is looking to avenge that against Alex Pereira this weekend. Pereira knocked Adesanya out in the fifth and final round of their last fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship. On most cards, Adesanya’s fighting style (slow and methodical striking) is enough to keep him off the top DFS and Reignmakers lineups, but in this fight, he isn’t fighting to keep his title; he’s fighting to earn it back. He is going to have to be extra convincing to the judges, which means his striking numbers should go up, and despite being the challenger, he is the favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook at -135.
Joseph Pyfer ($23 - Genesis)
Joseph Pyfer exploded onto the UFC scene with a first-round knockout over Ozzy Diaz on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2022. Since then, he beat Alen Amedovski via first-round knockout in September and beat Eryk Anders in a grappling challenge at Fury Pro in December. Now, he gets a good matchup against Gerald Meerschaert, who is known for his grappling and wrestling, not his striking. As long as Pyfer can stay on his feet, another first-round knockout is coming. He is currently expected to finish the fight within the first 1.5 rounds, and he makes for a great, high-upside play on UFC Reignmakers this Saturday.
The Bad
Below are the worst fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 287 event.
Chase Sherman ($4.70 - Genesis)
Chase Sherman gets a tough matchup this weekend against American Top Team’s Karl Williams. It’s never good to roster a striker against a wrestler when the wrestler is more likely to win the fight. That’s asking to spend 15 minutes wishing the person on the bottom would somehow get up and score any points at all. Williams, a -450 favorite, is averaging 5.5 takedowns per 15 minutes, and Sherman is going to wear down into the later rounds. His upside, technically, is a first-round knockout, but he is significantly more likely to spend most of this fight on his back, not scoring fantasy points.
Christian Rodriguez ($4.85 - Genesis)
Christian Rodriguez is a good matchup for Raul Rosas Jr., as both fighters have solid wrestling and submission offense, but Rosas is ready to take the next step. The 18-year-old made quick work of Jay Perrin in his non-Contender-Series UFC debut, submitting him via face crank in the first round. He is expecting to see similar results this weekend against Rodriguez, but even if he doesn’t find a quick finish, he should be able to win the wrestling exchanges for three rounds. Rodriguez’s path to victory isn’t clear, which makes him a bad play in UFC Reignmakers this Saturday.
The Obvious
Below are the most obvious fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 287 event.
Gilbert Burns ($10 - Genesis)
Since the acquisition of WWE by UFC’s parent company, it seems fitting to call Gilbert Burns a heel this weekend. He goes up against Jorge Masvidal, Miami’s favorite fighter, and he should smash him. Burns is arguably better than Masivdal at striking, but he’s also significantly better at wrestling and grappling. Burns has only lost to elite-level competition like Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman, and Usman, a similar fighter to Burns, made quick work of Masvidal in their second fight, knocking him out in the second round. In the first fight, he rode him to a decision win. Masvidal is going to spend this fight on his back, and Burns should find a finish eventually. If not, he should at least find a high-scoring decision win. He’s the most obvious play on the board.
