DraftKings Cash Game Tips
Week 4 is upon us and it’s time to dig into players on the DraftKings main slate that will help us cash in 50/50’s, Double-Ups, and give us a core of players for Single Entry and 3-Max contests where we’ll be looking for some pivots from the chalk. Let’s go!
Quarterback
For cash games, my first step is to shop for a bargain at QB by locating a mobile guy to boost floor. Unfortunately, this failed with Justin Fields ($5200) last week but I’ll consider going back to the well with Fields if he starts. Another salary saver option that doesn’t have a terrible matchup is Jacoby Brissett ($5100). Brissett is another mobile option in a game against a former employer that is allowing 22.9 fantasy points to QBs this year, which is the 7th most allowed. For SE/3-Max, we may even want to pair him with Jaylen Waddle ($4900) in the slot. Waddle saw 13 targets last week and did not receive much of a bump in price. Taylor Heinicke ($5900) has put up back-to-back 23+ point games and faces a struggling Atlanta secondary. Washington’s secondary showed they’re not in great shape last week so this could be a game that forces Heinicke to continue to throw, and he has some rushing numbers to help his case as well. Jalen Hurts ($6900) is still reasonably priced and will have to throw and run to keep pace with the Chiefs. All the QBs above him in price are solid plays as well, just depends on how we want to allocate salary this week if we’re going up there.
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Running Back
Derrick Henry ($8800) will likely be the most rostered player across all positions this week, and deservedly so. The Jets have allowed 2 rushing touchdowns each of the past two weeks. Before that, they allowed CMC to run for 98 yards and catch 89 more. With Henry getting more involved in the passing game, he’s showing to be a higher floor option now. The Jets have allowed the third-most total points to RBs this year. Some things that could derail this for SE/3-Max is if AJB and Julio are both too hobbled to make a difference and the defense over-commits to stop King Henry or a scenario where Tannehill runs in a touchdown or two by design while the defense is all over Henry. In that case, the next two guys make for perfect pivots in SE/3-Max and merit consideration in Cash Games as well. Alvin Kamara ($8400) faces a Giants defense that has been soft against opponents’ receiving backs while also allowing the Denver tandem to hit 146 rushing yards against them. Sean Payton should be able to find a way to get Kamara loose in this game. Nick Chubb ($7000) is in a great spot this week and will save $1800 if you pivot from Henry to him. Chubb has the same 100-yards and 2 touchdown upside and Henry but he has the easier row to hoe to get there. The Browns have the top Net Adjusted Line Yards total for the slate with their #2 ranked OL facing the #30 ranked DL for a blended total of 4.93 Net-ALY.
The next tier of ball-carriers to keep in mind start with Najee Harris ($6800) who had 14 targets last week. The regression of this offense over the past two years has Ben throwing the ball faster than anyone else and at one of the lowest aDOT in the league. His pectoral injury is exacerbating this issue and Harris will be a primary passing piece once again facing a Packers defense that smoothers wide receivers. Chuba Hubbard ($5900) steps into a pretty good opportunity this week trying to fill the void that is left by CMC’s injury. Hubbard will not be asked to do the same things as CMC and will cede more work to Royce Freeman than CMC would cede to Hubbard if he were still starting. However, we can expect Hubbard to be involved as a pass-catcher against a defense that has a weak spot for pass-catching RBs. Dallas is surrendering the third-most fantasy points to RB Receiving (14.4 per game) and allowing 10 targets per game (second-most) to funnel to the position.
Jonathan Taylor ($6300) or Nyheim Hines ($4900) make for an interesting bring-back in Brissett/Waddle line-ups. Opposing rushers the Dolphins have faced this year have gone for 100+ yards (we have to combine Singletary and Moss for the Buffalo game) and allowed 3 rushing touchdowns to the Bills duo. This could be Taylor’s breakout game for 2021 if the Colts can keep this close enough to not allow Taylor to be game-scripted out of it. If the story we’re telling has Miami up early, then we’ll want the receiving floor of Hines in that build. Other fringe Cash Game, better fit for SE/#-Max ideas to keep in mind include Elijah Mitchell ($5400) if he returns this week, then he should get the lion’s share of touches; Zack Moss ($5300) who is asserting himself as the touchdown scorer in the Bills backfield; and Kenneth Gainwell ($4300) if we’re looking for a bargain RB with some receiving floor to fit other pieces into the build.
Wide Receiver
The WR position has so many good options at the top this week that we may see a lot of people who roster Derrick Henry only get to one of them. If we go cheaper at QB and RB, then we could grab two or three. Of course, we should always have Tyreek Hill ($8000) at or near the top of our player pool based on his speed and the way Reid schemes him open so often. Davante Adams ($7900) brings the highest floor at WR with slate-breaking upside. Can anyone stop Cooper Kupp ($7800)? Is this the week Stefon Diggs ($7600) gets fed? The two Seattle and Minnesota WRs being in condensed offenses with good passing game matchups this week set up well. The $6k receivers are headlined by Terry McLaurin ($6900) and CeeDee Lamb ($6700). Can Travon Diggs neutralize D.J. Moore ($6600)? The 49ers are going to have to rely on Deebo Samuel ($6500) to stay in the game if Seattle turns it into a shootout, which would also put Brandon Aiyuk ($5000) in play.
Below $6k we can consider Odell Beckham ($5800) who saw 9 targets last week and plays on a team where no one else has more than 3.7 targets per game average. He is the obvious alpha and is in a good spot this week. Robert Woods ($5300) is a SE/3-Max play if looking for leverage against the Kupp builds. One of my favorite ideas for this slate is Robby Anderson ($5100). I know, but let me explain. Carolina just lost their 2nd leading receiver (by targets) with CMC getting hurt, then traded away their 4th-leading target earner (Dan Arnold – he was tied with Robby with 11 targets). Joe Brady is going to have to change the offense a bit to account for the loss of CMC and that means more opportunities for those on the field. Anderson has still been seeing the second-most snaps among Panthers WRs. Anderson is 3rd in the NFL in Targeted Air Yards (per Next Gen Stats), which means when he hits, it could be big. He and Darnold have been “spending extra time (between periods and afterward)…as they try to get him back to a larger role in the passing game”. I smell something cooking here. Corey Davis ($5000) gets a shot at his former employer on his home turf in a game that the Jets would like to get the offense clicking and face the right team to establish that.
Once we get down to the sub-$5k guys, we’re looking at the aforementioned Jaylen Waddle ($4900) for SE/3-Max builds but we should also include Will Fuller ($4800) in that mix. The Colts are putting the least amount of pressure (13.2% pressure rate, per PFR) on QBs and facing the fifth-highest Defensive aDOT at 8.6 yards per pass. The Colts have been vulnerable to deep shots since last year and Fuller is the guy to expose that weakness if Miami dials those plays up this week. Terrace Marshall ($5000) could occupy some of the short area stuff vacated by CMC and he has been Darnold’s go-to guy on 3rd and 4th downs. Quintez Cephus ($5000) is the Red Zone/End Zone guy for Detroit and could see some extra action against a soft Bears secondary. Quez Watkins ($3500) is proving to be the most overall polished receiver of the Eagles young trio yet he’s only seen 2 targets in each of the past two games. He’s not a recommended play for Cash Games but could be worth a shot in 3-Max if we’re rostering Hurts. We know Philly is going to have to throw in that game.
Tight End
Travis Kelce ($8100) is more often than not going to win us the TE position when our build can afford it and after him, it gets dicey this week. Noah Fant ($4300) and Albert Okuegbunam ($2600) stand out as solid options in an offense that has lost Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler to start the season. The defense they are facing (Baltimore) just shut down Hockenson but the Lions offense had no one else of consequence for them to focus attention to other than Hock. With Sutton and Patrick on the outsides and a respectable running game to get linebackers to bite on play-action, I can see these guys being key contributors this week. Dawson Knox ($3600) has found a reliable floor and will likely still be on the field even if Buffalo is blowing the Texans out. The Falcons are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to TEs this year and Logan Thomas ($4900) and has a 100% snap share on the season and he’s tied with Humphries for the second leading target share for Washington. Dalton Schultz ($3400) had a nice game on MNF and DK had already priced him before that happened. Carolina has been great at shutting down outside receiving threats, but they just lost Jaycee Horn and Juston Burris in the secondary last week. If the Panthers can maintain that strength of outside coverage, then the ball may funnel inside to Schultz again this week.
Defense/Special Teams
The Bills DST ($4300) is in the best position this week at home versus the Texans. The Packers DST ($3300) against the Steelers struggling offense could make some sense. The Chiefs DST ($3200) against a mistake-prone Eagles offense looks good. Dallas DST ($2600) against a team missing its greatest weapon is interesting, especially seeing how well they’ve played the past two weeks. The Lions DST ($2200) might be the best of the punt group of DST this week if Fields starts again and the Bears lay another stinker.
Cash Game Core
Using the players listed above, you could construct something along these lines. However, keep in mind, I am not advising using this build. You should come to your own conclusions and build a roster you are most comfortable with for your style of play.
