X PICKS

Sports are better together

X Picks launched on Patreon in 2024, first under the name Dez Picks, with one idea: give sports fans a place to connect that is more personal than Twitter but easier to find than a group chat. Social drew people in, and the Patreon became the hub where we could communicate, reward and gamify the experience.

• A March Madness group parlay challenge: members submitted their best picks, and Dez placed a 10-leg parlay built from them live from Vegas, with the winnings split across the group
• Community events at the Final Four, UFC 300 and an NBA playoff game, where we brought members along, bet with them, took their advice and shared merchandise
• Daily parlays and premium plays, always with the reasoning behind the pick
• Dez Bryant’s second annual $25,000 fantasy football league, the X Games

Something to play for, every day of the week

For the 2025 season I rebuilt X Picks around a weekly programming calendar, so members always had a reason to show up. Everything drove toward the paid community, where members got the picks, the insight behind them and a seat in the action.

• Primetime jersey giveaways on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights, with jerseys from our partners at Fanatics
• FanCash Friday: $100 in Fanatics FanCash to a random subscriber every week
• Community parlays, “Who You Got?” pick threads and live NFL chats on X
• Madden 26 codes and “Play us in Madden” games through a partnership with EA Sports
• Play of the Day, “Call Cam’s Shot” and Dez’s college football plays of the week

The Cappers League

The Cappers League was my original idea, born once we got to know the world of cappers. It turned picks into a competition. Twenty of the sharpest cappers in the game submitted their single best NFL play each week, scored on wins and on odds, so bigger swings paid bigger dividends. The regular season built to a head to head playoff bracket.

• Weekly team parlay and Monday night solo challenges with FanCash on the line
• A season opening futures special, a subscriber mini game and weekly leaderboards
• 4th & Picks, our gambling show every Wednesday, alongside live discussions on X
• Cappers including Rizzy Fears, TheGamblingGawd, JulioGOfficial, BlkEddie412, PettyQueenBBW and KyleJustBets
• TheGamblingGawd won the playoff tournament and $5,000 in FanCash

The Fanatics partnership

I presented X Picks to Fanatics, negotiated the deal and wrote the terms: a $600K+ partnership pairing Dez as talent with X Picks as a community. More than $100K in FanCash came with it, and we deployed it across our fanbase to bring the FanCash value proposition to life.

Then I rode with Dez to every event, activating Fanatics partners along the way.

• The X Picks community launch on 8.8: $88 in FanCash at sign up, a $500 FanCash giveaway and Madden 26 codes
• Dez’s WR picks of the day in the Fanatics Sportsbook app, plus the WR1 and Bet Sweats content series
• Social amplification of Fanatics Sportsbook features and promotions
• Suite appearances, signature Fanatics events and VIP dinners

The Money Route

X Picks also took the community on the road. The Money Route brought members along live as Dez explored new sports, cities and cultures, betting alongside the locals. See The Money Route case study →