In case you didn't hear, the Mega Millions national lottery had been rolling over its jackpot since mid-April with no winner. It became so big, it wasn't worth millions anymore; it was worth about $1.3 billion. Incidentally, that's about one percent of Jeff Bezos' net worth. Think about that the next time they raise the cost of Amazon Prime.

Anyway, the lone winner last weekend bought their ticket in the Chicago area. I'm 50 percent hoping it was Justin Fields, because the Bears sure aren't giving him many reasons to get excited about the upcoming season. The other 50 percent is hoping it was Mitch Trubisky visiting friends in Illinois. Then he can become the Bruce Wayne of Chicago and fight crime at night instead of playing in Pittsburgh. But I digress.

The takeaway here is, playing the lottery usually means losing the lottery. But you can't win if you don't play, so every fantasy manager needs to buy a ticket on draft day with a later pick. If it comes in, you won't win a billion dollars, but you just might win your league.

I always called them lottery tickets, but you might call them fliers or just throwing a dart. You spend a pick on someone who probably won't do anything for you, but for some reason, there’s something about them that you like. Maybe it's a great situation, or they flashed some potential in college, or the head coach is talking them up and not lying this time. The potential can't be too obvious, because then they'd be a sleeper or just a guy on everyone's list. That's not a lottery ticket. They have to come almost out of the blue.

It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

Randy Moss and Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t technically be lottery tickets, because people knew who they were and were expecting something out of them. What they got, of course, dwarfed what anyone had a right to expect. So in a fantasy playing field where every potential player is known, and there are no real secrets, that’s the kind of return we’d want out of a lottery ticket.

Maybe better examples would be Kurt Warner or Terrell Davis. Their own teams didn’t expect much from them in their first year. But fantasy managers got plenty, and now both are in the Hall of Fame. Those were winning lottery tickets, and if you were in a keeper or dynasty league, your winnings compounded year after year. Every so often, those guys are out there.

I’m not going to tell you which guys to target as lottery tickets. There are smarter people on this website who can do a better job of that. But while you’re still preparing for your drafts, I’m suggesting you make room for a lottery pick or two. Maybe nothing comes out of it. Probably nothing, to be honest. But if it does, it can change the course of your season.

Winning teams need prepared managers and a good amount of luck. You can handle the prepared part. But you should also put yourself in position to benefit from some luck, and draft day is a great place to start.

But like any lottery game, you need to play responsibly. A roster full of gambles is a team waiting to finish 4-11. Bench spots are valuable, so only play what you can afford to lose. Most of the time it won't work out. Sometimes you'll win a small prize that keeps you happy enough to keep buying tickets. But every so often, you'll have a shot to hit it big and reap the rewards. That possibility makes it worth your while. And if you can't become a billionaire, you can still win a trophy and some cash. I hope the latter is in your future.

Has a lottery ticket helped you win a title? What are some of the greatest lottery tickets in fantasy history? Does anybody in this year’s draft look like the next big jackpot to you? What's the most you've ever won in a real lottery? Share your thoughts below.