DraftKings Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 5
DraftKings Cash Game Plays: NFL Week 5
The NFL Week 5 slate is ready for us to attack, but first, let's think about how to react to the last few DFS slates. With only four weeks worth of data, it's not hard 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. For these purposes, a cash game is any contest that pays out at least one-third of the field. While these are also viable GPP options, we are primarily looking for safe floor combined with high usage that can lead to ceiling games.
Week 4 Results
This was my cash game lineup for Week 3 for double-ups, 50/50s, and head-to-heads for Week 4:
Results:
- Massive $25 Double Up (Single Entry) - 1242/6896
- Giant $10 Double Up (Single Entry) - 1009/4597
- Giant $10 Double Up (Single Entry) - 1526/8620
- Giant $5 Double Up (Single Entry) - 1737/11494
- Giant $5 Double Up (Single Entry) - 2183/17241
- Giant $2 Double Up - 3622/14367
- Single Entry $2 Double Up - 1224/8257
This last week in DFS was all about whether you had T.J. Hockenson in cash games. He was around 40% rostered depending on what contests you entered, and he was the key to unlocking a win. Any other tight end put you so far behind the eight ball, it was almost impossible to overcome his 43 DK points. In the end, that decision masked the mistake of trying to get too cute with two value wide receivers plus paying up for Saquon Barkley. In the end, the right move was to play three mid-range receivers (Lamb, Cooks, Diontae Johnson, Lockett, etc.) and pay down for the volume of Josh Jacobs. I was still able to cash in 100% of my contests thanks to Hockenson and the Giants DST but will learn the lesson that cheap receivers are cheap for a reason.
Week 5 Cash Plays
Quarterback
Josh Allen ($8,200) continues to be the primary spend-up cash game option even after a "down" week where he put up 24.5 DraftKings points against the Baltimore Ravens. The benefit of Allen is even when the passing game is not there like last Sunday (213 yards, one score), he can get you fantasy points in other ways. In that game, he had a season-high 11 rushing attempts for 70 yards and a rushing score. In Week 5, he gets a Pittsburgh defense at home that is a shell of their former selves without T.J. Watt. I expect a big bounce-back from both Allen and Stefon Diggs this week.
Tom Brady ($6,000) had his big bounce back last week against the Kansas City Cheifs when he put up 385 passing yards and three scores en route to 29.4 DK points. It's funny what happens when you get weapons like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones back on the field. Now he gets just a $300 salary bump and gets an elite matchup against the Atlanta Falcons who are bottom 10 in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed this season. I also seem to remember Brady doing something interesting to the Falcons several years ago...
Trevor Lawrence ($5,600) gets a salary drop despite moving from one of the worst quarterback matchups last week against Philadelphia to one of the best at home against the lowly Houston Texans. Houston just allowed 338 passing yards and 34 total points to the Chargers last week. Lawrence is completing his passes at more than 10 yards per attempt this year and is beginning to look like the number one overall pick Jacksonville invested in last season.
Ryan Kirksey
Ryan is a 20-year veteran of fantasy baseball, football, and basketball leagues. He has been writing about fantasy sports, sports betting, and DFS since 2018 and is a member of the FSWA and IBWAA. A native of Houston, he is a die-hard fan of the Astros, Rockets, and - reluctantly - the Texans. When he is not buried under sports analysis and TV show recaps, he works full-time in higher education and can be found pursuing his other passions: drinking coffee and writing about comic book investment and speculation.