It's counterproductive if you would've used that voting power for something else, yes.
But finding one or two posts per day to try and get in on, before a big upvote, might be a worthwhile long term strategy to build up more SP, which will give you more of a voice long term on this platform.

Also, I'd never advocate for upvoting articles you dislike just because of the rewards! But there are plenty to choose from, and I think this can be a win win that allows minnows to maintain their integrity and make a little more money.