Special Brew doesn't do tramps, but if they did they would be the...

Homeless people are a fascinating species. They may live off cans of Special Brew and unwanted Pret A Manger sandwiches, but don’t let that fool you, they are capable of sheer brilliance.

Step forward Nathan Harrington, who ended up on the streets of Salem, Massachusetts after surgery on his back meant he was no longer able to work and forced to leave his home.

With the odds seemingly stacked against Harrington, Fantasy Football was his only beacon of light in a dark and often putrid tunnel. He used computers at his father’s nursing hime and knocked on friend’s doors to ask if he could update his Fantasy Football team.

Incredibly, a bit like sub-human scum, he rose to the top of the ESPN.com Fantasy Football League, beating 3 million people to the first place prize and winning a $3,500 Best Buy gift card in the process.

“My fantasy football was the one thing that kind of seemed to be going right at the time” said Harrington. “There was a lot to be upset about, but the one thing that was steady and heading in a positive direction was the fantasy football. So I thought I might as well stick with it and ride it out. Thank God I did.”

Asked what he would purchase first with the gift card, he told ESPN that he’s selling it to his mother for… $2,500 cash. Unbelievable.