DraftKings Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 15

Week 15 Cash Plays

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts ($8,200) and one other high-salary quarterback might be in play on this 10-game slate thanks to the value opening up at wide receiver, tight end, and of course defense. He has basically been superhuman over the last three weeks (averaging 33 DraftKings points per game) and now he gets a Bears defense that has been depleted by trades and injuries. But the Bears have been especially susceptible to quarterbacks at the goal line. Their five rushing touchdowns allowed by the position are the second-most in the NFL and Hurts is first among quarterbacks and sixth among ALL players in rushing scores this season. 

Patrick Mahomes ($8,100) faces the Houston Texans this week, which is actually a very tough assignment for quarterbacks this year. The Texans allow the fewest DK points to the position this year (13.6), thanks to a combination of teams running all over them every week and their secondary (led by rookie Derek Stingley) has been a surprisingly good unit. But this is Patrick Mahomes tied to a 31-point team total, the highest on the slate. Combine that total with the fact that the Chiefs throw at the fifth-highest rate in the league (62.7%) and this is a spot where Mahomes can smash even in a difficult assignment. He has at least 20 DK points in every game since Week 4. 

Tom Brady ($5,500) certainly can’t say it’s lack of volume that is holding him down in 2022. He has thrown 152 passes in the last three weeks and while he only threw one score last week, the managed two touchdowns each in Weeks 12 and 13. That production of about 18-20 DK points is all we need at a low $5,500 salary this week for Brady. He is down to his lowest salary of the season in one of the sneaky-good game environments on Week 15. These two teams (Tampa plays Cincinnati) are fast-paced, pass-heavy, and have plenty of offensive weapons to go back and forth all game. If you’re not spending up and quarterback this week, I like Brady at the low salary. 

Running Back

Derrick Henry ($8,000) was otherworldly for about a quarter and a half in Week 14 when he rushed for 115 yards and a score before halftime even arrived. But in the second half, he became a slow-moving mass that could only collect two yards. But we saw the usage and the flashes of production we all bought into at just $7,900 last week. Now Henry is only $8,000 and he gets a Chargers team that is a serious run funnel for opposing offenses. They allow the fifth-most DK points to running backs this year including the second-most rushing yards and eighth-most rushing touchdowns. To help push his case even further on DK, Henry saw five targets in Week 14, resulting in 34 rushing yards. That’s basically found money on that PPR platform, so if he is getting a few catches per game, this salary will look way too low. 

Alvin Kamara ($6,800) could be described as an abject disaster since he scored 42.8 fantasy points in Week 8 against Las Vegas. It has taken him the next five games combined to even reach that 42.8 total, and he bottomed out at 5.7 points last week. But against the Atlanta Falcons, it should be a horse of a different color. The Falcons have seen the fifth-most rushing attempts and eighth-most rushing yards against this year, and have allowed 10 rushing scores plus another three through the air. With Mark Ingram going on injured reserve and Dwayne Washington questionable right now, this could be an Alvin Kamara explosion spot on Sunday. 

Isiah Pacheco ($5,900) gets the opposite situation as his quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Texans are absolutely abysmal against the run this year, allowing the most DraftKings points, the most rushing yards, and the most rushing touchdowns to the position. Pacheco has played over 40% of the snaps for five straight weeks and also has at least 13 rush attempts and 66 yards in each of those games. Assuming the Chiefs jump out to a big lead (which Pacheco could help build), he should get a lot of garbage time run as well against this leaky defense. 

Zonovan Knight ($5,300) keeps seeing his salary creep up every week. In four weeks, he has jumped from $4,000 to his $5,300 number this week, but it’s still too low compared to the matchup with the Lions and the 23-point implied team total for New York this week. The best part about Knight, especially at this salary level, is the usage. he has at least 14 rush attempts and two receptions in every game he has played. Even if Michael Carter and James Robinson are active on Sunday, Knight is likely to get the lion’s share of the work. 

Wide Receiver

Ja’Marr Chase ($8,300) predictably smashed last week after both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd left the game with injuries. His 31.5 DK points were his third time in four games to cross the 30-point threshold. On the December 15th injury report, Boyd and Higgins are still Questionable with injuries and tight end Hayden Hurst is doubtful. That should mean plenty of targets funneling Chase’s way similar to the last two weeks when he averaged 11.5 per contest. The Bucs have allowed at least 298 yards of offense in three straight games and the Bengals remain in the top-12 in the NFL in passing rate. 

Keenan Allen ($6,800) leads the NFL in total targets over the last two games (28) and has a whopping 30% target share over his last three contests. Even with Mike Williams back last week, it couldn’t slow down Allen who finished with 12 catches for 92 yards and a DraftKings-friendly 21.2 fantasy points. Now he gets Tennessee in Week 15 who has recently moved into the position of allowing the most wide receiver fantasy points per game this season. Their 2,488 yards and 18 touchdowns allowed are both bottom-three in the league and this looks like a perfect spot for Justin Herbert to pick them apart in a must-win game for the Chargers. 

Chris Godwin ($6,700) is part of a Buccaneers offense that has been hard to trust lately. But despite the struggles they have on that side of the ball, Godwin remains consistent with his usage and target share. He has at least eight targets in eight straight games including 35 over his last three. Tampa Bay plays the Cincinnati Bengals this week who rank ninth in the league with 65.3 offensive plays per game which aligns well with Tampa Bay who are third with 68 offensive plays per game. This should be a fast-paced affair and with the Bucs in must-win mode, I expect Brady to be targeting his favorite receiver early and often. 

Zay Jones ($4,900) is never a fun name to lock into your cash lineup, but there is no denying the target share and the usage over the last four games. With the Jacksonville Jaguars passing at the sixth-highest rate in the league over the last three weeks, Jones has been along for the ride with 43 targets in his last four games and three games with at least 15 fantasy points. It’s likely that the Jaguars will end up trailing the Cowboys in their game on Sunday, which means Trevor Lawrence and company will be taking to the air often in this matchup. And for as stout as the Cowboy’s defense is at all levels, they have allowed the fifth-most receiving touchdowns this year (14), so it’s possible Zay Jones finds his way into the end zone somehow this weekend. 

Tight End

Chig Okonkwo ($3,100) was the tight end play you needed in Week 14 to unlock the upside of your roster. At just $2,700 last week he pulled in six catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Now he gets a salary increase but the matchup and usage still make the $3,100 tag for this week too cheap. Despite giving up the fourth-fewest receptions to tight ends this year, the Chargers are allowing the 10-most receiving yards. Tight ends are frequently making big plays against them and Okonkwo should be next in line to continue that trend. For the second straight week in Week 14, Okonkwo led the Titans in receptions and was second in target share. Treylon Burks might be back in this game, but there is no way the Titans’ coaches can look at what Okonkwo has done the last two weeks and decide he needs to get back to the bench. 

Tyler Conklin ($3,100) is the same salary as Okonkwo in Week 15, but he will have a fraction of the roster percentage the Titans’ tight end will have. We don’t care about that too much in cash games, but you can’t deny that Conklin will be in a much better game environment with his team. The Lions allow the fifth-most DK points to the tight end position, including the second-most touchdowns. In the last two games with Mike White, Conklin has come right back into the circle of trust for the receiving corps. He has 15 targets in his last two games and all we really need in this one is something like four catches for 50 yards. That’s a 3x return and something we will gladly take in cash games. 

Defense/Special Teams

Carolina Panthers DST ($3,300) has several things going for them in this game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. First, the Steelers average 1.3 giveaways per game this year, which is in the bottom half of the NFL for 2022. Second, the Panthers have really stepped up the pressure on quarterbacks lately, averaging an 8% sack rate in the last three games (eighth-highest in the NFL). The Panthers have scored at least seven points with their defense in six of the last eight games and the Steelers (18.1) have the third-lowest implied total on the slate. 

Denver Broncos DST ($2,700) might be 60% rostered in cash games? Maybe 70%? With the Cardinals losing Kyler Murray last Monday night, the Broncos were already priced down after their beatdown by the Chiefs and a projected matchup ahead with Murray. Now they get to lead tee off on Colt McCoy who is far, far less mobile than Kyler Murray. The Cardinals have the lowest implied total on the slate at just 17.3 points. 

Cash Game Sample Lineup

Using some of the players listed above, you could construct a roster that looks something like this. However, keep in mind, 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. Here is an example of a roster that you can get to with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. I don’t hate this one, although will work to manipulate it so I don’t have Knight and Wilson on the same cash team.