DraftKings Cash Game Lineup: Week 3
DraftKings Cash Game Lineup: Week 3
Welcome to the third installment of a weekly series where I provide you with what I think is the optimal cash game lineup. All prices, fantasy points, and analyses are based on DraftKings’ DFS platform. If you are unfamiliar with what cash games are, or if you are interested in my basic strategy, click here.
My cash lineup in Week 2 scored just 110.62 fantasy points, an absolute disaster. The hard part is I don’t think I did anything wrong. Lamar was the right call as he went nuclear with 48.62 points, but all of my WRs and RBs performed below expectation. Edmonds and Henderson lost a lot of their footing in their respective RB rooms, while Jeudy left early with an injury and Chase was locked down. I did nail the “Juwan Johnson is the key to this slate” claim as he scored 8 points on the stone minimum salary of $2,500.
Week 2 is in the past, so let’s dive into my lineup for Week 3.
Quarterback
I wouldn’t fault anyone for playing any of Allen, Jackson, or Mahomes here, but based on pricing, Jalen Hurts is the clear cash play this week. The Eagles signal caller is averaging 29.4 PPG but is priced at $7,600. I think this is a fantastic value for a QB who could very well finish as the QB1 overall by the end of the season. Hurts’ absurd rushing floor almost guarantees that he won’t sink your lineup and if he continues to throw the ball as well as he has so far, he has the slate-breaking ability.
Running Back
I’m going back to the tried and true Christian McCaffrey for my first RB. His price is starting to creep up at $8,800, but so far we’ve seen McCaffrey’s true floor through two games, which is an absurd 16.3 PPG. If McCaffrey can finally find the endzone and/or find more targets, he’ll be a lock for 20+ points.
At this point in the season, I would’ve expected the Bears to start phasing David Montgomery out of the game and giving more reps to 2nd year-back Khalil Herbert, but the opposite has happened. After receiving just a 46% rush share in Week 1, Montgomery increased that to a 56% rush share in Week 2. He also has a 24.1% target share thus far, the second best in the league among RBs. If the Bears finally decide to run more than 50 plays this week, Montgomery could be a sneaky bet to finish as a top 5 RB, and if not, he’ll still provide a safe floor.
Wide Receiver
Stefon Diggs at $7,700 seems like stealing. Diggs is fresh off the best fantasy performance of his career where he went off for 47.8 points on Monday night. Gabe Davis will likely be back, but Diggs still put up 29.2 DraftKings points in Week 1 when Davis was playing. Diggs is a great floor/ceiling combo that makes a lot of sense in cash this week, especially considering his salary.
I was shocked to see that Curtis Samuel is still only $5,100 on DraftKings. He has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back weeks, placing him as the WR8. Despite this, he is priced outside of the top 36 WRs on the main slate. I could see his production come down a little, but he still has a respectable 23.5% target share, which I think is sustainable. Even if his points take a dip this week, his volume should keep him at 10 fantasy points, minimum. If the Commanders stay pass-happy, he has an easy path to 20 points yet again.
My final WR was the first WR I identified to play in cash, Chris Olave. The Saints rookie pass catcher is the WR42 in DraftKings points, but he’s coming off of a game where he saw 334 air yards on 13 targets. Olave is an elite talent and sooner rather than later he’s going to catch more of his targets and return great fantasy results. I think this is the week he puts it together, and I’m not taking on that much risk at a salary of just $4,500.
Tight End
The absolute best part about cash is the ability to punt TE. It worked well for me last week and I’m doing it again. I’m playing Ravens rookie TE Isaiah Likely, who has a salary just over the minimum at $2,800. Likely has the 16th best target share among TEs, despite playing behind one of the best TEs in the league, Mark Andrews. Likely is going to see the field more and more, and I’m only counting on two or three receptions for him to pay off his measly price tag
FLEX
Garrett Wilson is a great play this week, and it’s not just because of his 33-point explosion in Week 2. Wilson is an elite prospect who got great draft capital and there’s a chance that he has already broken out. He should see 8-10 targets a game going forward, making his $5,400 salary a bargain.
DST
Unlike last week, there isn’t an evident chalk play at DST, so I’m just playing the cheapest one on the slate, the Detriot Lions. Kirk Cousins will probably bounce back at home, but if he doesn’t, the Lions could be one of the best DST values on the slate. If Cousins does bounce back and shreds the Lions’ defense, I’ll sleep soundly knowing there’s no correlation between DST ownership and points scored anyways, so at least I was able to pay up at more projectable positions because of the punt at DST.
Summary
I’m hoping to rebound after a sub-optimal week two, and with a combination of underpriced elite players and cheaper value plays, this team should do just that.
Here is the final lineup:
Jacob White is an avid fan of all things NFL, particularly fantasy football and the Chicago Bears. He is currently studying Economics at Wabash College where he hopes to learn the skills to further his career in the sports entertainment industry. He specializes in redraft, DFS, and best ball, where he routinely finishes at a profit, including a 2020 13-0 finish on the high-stakes KFFSC platform. You can find him on Twitter @FF_JacobWhite for additional advice on all things football and the semi-occasional homer tweet.
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