DFS Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 14
The NFL Week 14 DFS slate is ready for us to attack, but first, let’s think about how to react to last week’s DFS slate. With thirten weeks of data under our belts, it’s hard not to overreact to what we saw on the field, particularly as injuries and outlier performances pile up. Let other people chase the outcome stats, and we will instead focus on usage and opportunity.
We will go through each position at a variety of salary levels to see who are the best plays in cash games on DraftKings and FanDuel. For these purposes, a cash game is any contest that pays out more than one-third of the field. While these are also viable GPP options, we are primarily looking for a safe floor combined with high usage that can lead to ceiling games.
DFS Tools
Previous Week’s Results
Results in select DraftKings contests:
- NFL MASSIVE $25 Double Up [Single Entry] – 1223/4597
- NFL GIANT $5 Double Up [Single Entry] – 2037/9195
- NFL GIANT $5 Double Up [Single Entry] – 1192/4597
- NFL GIANT $2 Double Up [Single Entry] – 1002/4022
- NFL GIANT $10 Double Up [Single Entry] – 1504/5747
- NFL Single Entry $2 Double Up – 504/1724
- NFL GIANT $10 Double Up [Single Entry] – 1020/3448
Winning percentage in Single Entry contests – 100%
Cash line in DraftKings Massive $25 Double-Up contest – 153.86
This was my cash game lineup for all contests in Week 13:
This was a very straightforward week in cash games for me, but it turns I could have made it even simpler on myself if I jammed in Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill and just played two cheap wide receivers. The lineup that did that and played both Elijah Moore and Diontae Johnson was a biggest “train” team of the season and finished with more than 169 points.
When there is this much similarity between lineups in cash (Moss 93%, Hill 84%, Purdy 61%, etc.), you have to find a way to really lock in on what plays you want outside the mega-chalk or just run with the train. Sometimes that train cashes, sometimes it chops the pot, and other times it busts. But if you’re convicted in your cash plays, don’t be afraid to deviate away from the “clear” team.
Be sure you’re following me on X (@CableBoxScore) for any updates I make to my player pool as we get closer to lock. I will update that account every weekend with additional players as other news emerges.
Scoring Differences Between DraftKings and FanDuel
A quick primer on DraftKings versus FanDuel scoring for DFS if you are unfamiliar with their platforms.
- On DraftKings, you are selecting nine spots with a total of $50,000 to spend. FanDuel has nine spots with $60,000 to spend, so salaries are slightly higher.
- DraftKings is full PPR scoring, while FanDuel is half-PPR.
- DraftKings deducts one point for a fumble lost and an interception. FanDuel is minus two points for a lost fumble and minus one for an interception.
- DraftKings awards three-point bonuses for 300-yard passing games, 100-yard rushing games, and 100-yard receiving games. FanDuel does not award bonuses.
With those differences in mind, let’s look at which players make good selections in Week 14.
Quarterback
Justin Fields (DK: $6,800, FD: $7,900) gets the Detroit Lions for the second time in three weeks, and despite torching them two weeks ago, his salary goes down $400 on DraftKings. In that last game, he threw for 170 yards with a touchdown and ran for another 104 yards. He averages over 190 passing yards and over 80 rushing yards in his last two games and the Lions defense is now allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season.
Brock Purdy (DK: $6,500, FD: $8,100) won people all sorts of contests last week when he dropped 314 yards and four touchdowns on the Eagles, good for 32 fantasy points. While he sadly doesn’t get the Eagles again this week, he does get Seattle who just gave up 41 points to Dallas on the road. Now they’re on the road again against the best offense in football and Purdy is still too cheap in the matchup. After last week Purdy is first in the league in yards per attempt and deep ball completion percentage. With all of his weapons healthy, this is a great salary on DK.
Russell Wilson (DK: $5,800, FD: $7,400) keeps showing that about 16 fantasy points is his absolute floor. He was abysmal in the first half against Houston last week, but still finished with 18.8 points after throwing for a touchdown and rushing for 44 yards. The Chargers are fifth in most points allowed to quarterbacks this season and allow the fifth-most yards per pass attempt. Throw in four rushing touchdowns allowed to quarterbacks this year and you’ve got a recipe for another 18-20 points for Mr. Unlimited.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey (DK: $9,200, FD: $10,500) showed last week that yes you can have both Purdy and CMC in the same lineup and do just fine, thank you very much. Considering how much of the San Francisco offense is narrowed around four players and considering how consolidated all the running back touches are with McCaffrey, pairing him with Purdy is probably something I will be doing this week. The Seahawks have been routinely gashed on the ground and have allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns to running backs this year.
Josh Jacobs (DK: $6,900, FD: $8,000) has touched the ball at least 24 times in three of his last four games and leads the NFL in rush attempts (220). He is also third in red zone touches (43) and sixth in overall targets. He handles more than 85% of the running back opportunities this year and should once again be a bell cow against Minnesota. I’m not at all worried about the matchup, he just torched Kansas City’s defense for 110 yards and a score in his last game.
Joe Mixon (DK: $6,100, FD: $7,200) was heavily featured in Monday night’s thrilling overtime game despite Jake Browning playing the best football of his young career. Joe Mixon left that game with 18 carries and six catches (seven targets), good for 117 total yards and two touchdowns. The Colts are tied with the Seahawks with 13 touchdowns allowed (second-most in the NFL) and also give up the fifth-most rushing yards in the league (at 4.8 yards per carry over the last three games).
Zach Moss (DK: $5,900, FD: $6,800) was effectively a bust in cash games last week with just 7.7 fantasy points. But his points didn’t matter since he was rostered in 90%+ of cash contests. His cheap salary opened up other options, which was his value in Week 13. This week, that salary is $1,500 higher, but it’s still too low for a player who has touched the ball at least 18 times every game Jonathan Taylor has missed this year.
Wide Receiver
Keenan Allen (DK: $8,600, $FD: $8,800) looks like the best high-end option on this slate with no Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson working his way back from injury. Allen has an insane 55 targets and 36% target share over the last four weeks. You may have seen, but C.J. Stroud torched the Denver secondary last week even without Tank Dell, and with all the Chargers’ wide receiver injuries, Allen is in a great spot again.
Michael Pittman, Jr. (DK: $7,300, FD: $8,000) has at least 12 targets in four of his last five games with Gardner Minshew under center. That has led to at least eight catches every game and an average of almost 75 receiving yards per game this season. I like the Colts/Bengals game for a sneaky shootout this week if Jake Browning can recapture some of the Monday night magic, and that would mean Pittman would get peppered with targets.
Deebo Samuel (DK: $6,800, $7,500) had one of the all-time weird stat lines last week when he finished with 116 receiving yards but just one total air yard. One. He had 115 yards after the catch, which added up to two receiving touchdowns plus another rushing score. In his last game against Seattle, he pulled in a season-high seven catches for 79 yards and a score. The 49ers will continue to manufacture creative ways to get him the ball, especially in competitive games.
Rashee Rice (DK: $5,400, FD: $6,300) is far and away Patrick Mahomes’ favorite wide receiver target these days, and it’s not particularly close. Rice has 24 targets over the last three games, and the next wide receiver in line has 14 (Justin Watson, and only because he got 11 in a game two weeks ago). More importantly, Rice has 14 red zone targets this season, six more than any wide receiver teammate, and he will be a trusted option near the goal line in a game with the highest implied total of the week.
Elijah Moore (DK: $4,500, FD: $6,200) gets a $1,000 salary bump on DK, but that’s fine after he logged 12 targets and a league-high 255 air yards in Week 13. He is clearly Joe Flacco’s boy in this offense, and if Amari Cooper misses again, the sky’s the limit against Jacksonville. The Jaguars allow more than 10 yards per completion this season.
Tight End
David Njoku (DK: $4,100, FD: $5,500) had six targets in Week 13 and it was the first time in five weeks he did not have at least nine come his way. Over the last three weeks David Njoku’s 24.8% target share falls just behind Trey McBride and Sam LaPorta for the league lead, but he has more total targets than any other tight end in that span. Flacco showed last week he wants to air it out, and this is an ideal matchup against Jacksonville who have given up the ninth-most receiving yards to tight ends this year.
Brevin Jordan (DK: $3,100, FD: $5,000) doesn’t look quite as nice as he did at just $2,500 last week, but if Dalton Schultz is out again, Jordan is a slam dunk at $3,100.
Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns DST (DK: $3,000, FD: $3,800) is sort of an obvious play this week if Jacksonville is forced to start C.J. Beathard at quarterback. At 9.52%, Cleveland’s sack rate is just off the league lead and they have forced six turnovers in their last five games.
Atlanta Falcons DST (DK: $2,900, FD: $4,100) is tenth in the league with just 5.0 yards per play allowed this season, which dropped to 3.9 per play in Week 13. But the real advantage here is that Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers have dropped back at 64% of the time the last three weeks, the fifth-highest rate in the league in that span. Potential for sacks and turnovers are coming for Atlanta in this game.
Cash Game Sample Lineup
Using the players listed above, you could construct a roster that looks something like this. However, remember that this is just a suggested build and could change drastically by the time the games kick off on Sunday. You should come to your own conclusions and build a cash game roster that suits the players you prefer and your style of build.
