2015 Primetime Championship Profile - Mike Santos

[Tom Kessenich]

Before the 2015 football season began, Mike Santos and his partner Kurt Kuekes had a plan. They were going to win a national fantasy championship.

Granted, that was the plan everyone had who entered who entered the NFFC’s Primetime event. But for Santos and Kuekes, they believed that by narrowing their focus on a specific number of contests – primarily the Main Events and high-dollar private leagues – that would enable them to devote the necessary time and energy they needed to put forth the type of season it would take to become a national champion.

Little did they realize at the time that not only was a national championship in store for them but also one of the greatest seasons ever in the history of high-stakes fantasy football.

Not only did the duo take home a coveted national title by winning the NFFC Primetime title and its $150,000 grand prize but they also won the prestigious NFFC Platinum league title which boasts a $130,000 first-place league prize.

“Honestly, it was one of the best feelings I had ever had,” Santos said. “It has been my goal to win the overall championship and it was finally the year everything came together. It was almost like a sense of relief that we had did it and accomplished everything we set out to do. Like they say in sports they can never take away that championship.”

The keys to the Primetime championship season were generated on Draft Day when Santos and Kuekes pounced early and often on playmaking wide receivers. Their championship team began with a draft fueled by wide receivers starting with Julio Jones in the first round, followed by Jordan Matthews in the second, Amari Cooper in the third and Golden Tate in the fourth.

The approach was simple – wide receivers have become the gold standard for consistent and often elite fantasy production in this day and age and Santos and Kuekes wanted to make sure their team was loaded with as many high-ended options as possible as the foundation pieces for their team.

“I think our strategy of drafting explosive wide receivers early and often really worked out well because we were able to grab running backs like Todd Gurley and Danny Woodhead later on,” Santos said. “We also took (Drew) Brees who we felt was a premium player in this format.”

When the playoffs began the duo was confident they were in position to do well with five out of their seven Primetime teams having advanced to the championship round.

“I think we knew we had a realistic shot at the title,” Santos said. “We had some really explosive teams in there and did not know which one would emerge but knew we had some bullets.”

When the final week began, their best team resided in eighth place in the overall standings, 23.45 points behind the front-running team. Needless to say the final seven days of the season were fraught with anxiety for Santos and Kuekes with so much riding on the outcome, especially since they had a serious issue at the quarterback position.

Drew Brees was dealing with a foot injury and uncertain to play in the Saints’ Week 16 matchup against Jacksonville. The only other quarterback Santos and Kuekes had on their roster (Marcus Mariota) was out for the season with a knee injury. So the duo faced the very real possibility of playing championship week with the $150,000 grand prize on the line without a quarterback.

“We spent countless hours and phone calls and texts deciding on the starting lineup and sweating out whether Drew Brees would be able to play,” Santos said. “It was very nerve wracking to be quite honest as we knew we had a great shot at the title but there were still many good teams within striking distance. If Brees was a go we knew we had a great shot but we weren’t assured of him playing until that Sunday morning.”

On Sunday morning the Saints announced Brees would start and not only did he play but he proceeded to put up a typical Drew Brees performance, dropping 412 yards and three touchdowns on the Jags, producing a whopping 38.3 points for Santos and Kuekes just when they needed it most.

“That was a huge relief,” Santos said.

Brees wasn’t the only Week 16 hero for the championship squad, though.

“Who can forget the beast Julio who absolutely came through with that huge game week 16, he played like a champion for us that day,” Santos said. “Another deciding factor that lead to this team winning the overall was Jordan Reed, he was an absolute monster those championships round weeks. With four wide receivers in the top 25 the core of Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Golden Tate and Jordan Matthews we were quite formidable.

“When you put it all together with a top 5 QB in Brees, two top 10 running backs in Gurley and Woodhead to go along with Jonathan Stewart and Duke Johnson in the top 25 it gave us plenty of options. Jordan Reed finished as the No. 2 tight end so that was huge to have the advantage at the tight end spot down the stretch.”

It all resulted in a special season for the duo, who joined the NFFC in 2011 and now have the distinction of being national champions. Santos said they now eagerly await the opportunity to defend their titles in both the Primetime and Platinum contests in the upcoming season.

“We hope to continue to play at a high level and will continue to play against the best to try and be the best,” he said. “We love the competition and comradery and look forward to defending our title in 2016.”

[Team Legacy]

The only reason you guys won is because you didn't have to face me! Kidding, true champions both Kurt and Mike. From the very first "wcoff" satellite I competed against Mike, I knew this was just a matter of time.

Well deserved, both of you! Good luck in your quest to become the first to ever go back to back!

[Coyote Streakers]

Thanks Scott!

[Azzurri]

Well done Guys. Congrats!

[Coyote Streakers]

Thanks Donny!