Summary
Billy Ward is a member of The Action Network's predictive analytics team, specializing in the NFL, MLB and combat sports. He manages the DFS player projection models for the MLB, UFC and Call of Duty, and he produces written and video DFS content for those markets as well.
Ward fell in love with fantasy sports as a child in the 1990s, drafting Barry Sanders in his first fantasy league. He then moved on to betting the NBA, March Madness brackets and fantasy leagues across multiple sports. Before joining The Action Network, he wrote for Stokastic (formerly Awesemo) and the 33rd Team. Before that, he was a professional MMA fighter. He still trains and competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Experience
Ward has loved fantasy sports since a young age, playing his first fantasy leagues using dial-up internet in the '90s and joining his parent's March Madness office pools. After high school, he pursued a career as an MMA fighter, turning pro in 2011 at age 21. After an 11-fight pro career, he returned to college to finish his degree.
Ward has since played fantasy sports and DFS for many years, with notable accomplishments including qualifying for the DraftKings UFC DFS world championship, and five-figure wins in both NFL DFS and best ball. He takes an analytical approach to modeling various markets and sports, and created a No Runs First Inning (NRFI) model for the MLB. Ward also maintains the MLB, UFC and Call of Duty DFS models for FantasyLabs.
Education
Ward graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematical Economics and a minor in Statistics.
