DraftKings Cash Game
Welcome to 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.
Week 3 Recap
The recap this week is simple: I didn’t play Jauan Jennings. Was that a mistake? Maybe. Jennings hit his true 100th percentile outcome. I didn’t think his ceiling was anything close to that. He had never eclipsed 100 yards in a single game and hadn’t had a multi-TD game since 2021. Admittedly, it was probably an oversight on my end. I decided to prioritize two chalky (albeit good value) teammates of his, both of whom failed. In hindsight, $4,100 was too cheap and I just misjudged his role.
Here are my results so far:
- Week 1: Won 21.3% of head-to-heads
- Week 2: Won 35.71% of head-to-heads
- Week 3: Won 21.3% of head-to-heads
- Season Win Percentage: 26.19%
Now, let’s dive into Week 4.
Quarterback
The best values at QB are down the list, but Kyler Murray ($6,800) fits well with the team I wanted and is a threat to score 30+ every week. He also has a great matchup against the NFL’s worst defense.
Running Back
The projections favor Breece Hall ($7,800), but I think Saquon Barkley ($8,000) is a much better play, even with the extra $200 it costs to get to him. Not only is he the leading scorer in all of fantasy football, but the Eagles will likely be without both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith as the duo have not practiced this week due to injury. The fact that Barkley also gets a terrible Bucs run defense is just the cherry on top.
I don’t think he’s super talented, but Chubba Hubbard ($5,700) is clearly the best RB value on the slate. He’s coming off of a 30.6 point outing last week in a game where the Panthers came alive under new starting QB Andy Dalton. I expect him to continue to be the workhouse and he has a great matchup against the 31st-ranked Bengal run defense.
Wide Receiver
Patrick Mahomes finally has a bonafide WR1 and it feels like not enough people are talking about it. Rashee Rice ($7,300) is the second leading scorer among all WRs, trailing only Giants rookie phenom Malik Nabers. Rice should be priced somewhere around $8,000 (my model has it at $8,100) given his role in the Chiefs’ offense, so I’ll happily take the discount.
Is it possible that Andy Dalton is the best Quarterback Diontae Johnson ($5,600) has played with? Johnson racked up 29.2 DraftKing points in his first game with Dalton, the most points he’s scored since 2021. His 14 targets last week are especially encouraging, given that targets are earned. Additionally, my expected salary model has him around $1,100 too cheap, making him the best WR value on the slate.
Note: Johnson did not practice on Thursday after being a full participant on Wednesday. If he’s ruled out, I will update this article with the updated team.
I always suspected Darnell Mooney ($4,400) would be an asset to an NFL offense, even if it wasn’t the Bears’ “offense.” He’s clicking well with Kirk Cousins, earning a solid 23% target share through three games. My model has him at around $5,100, making him the 4th best value at WR this week.
Tight End
This week, Tight End is a decision between Dallas Goedert ($5,100) and punting at TE. If you know anything about me, you already know that I am choosing the latter this week by playing Tucker Kraft ($3,000). I would rather play Elijah Higgins ($3,100), but I did not have the salary to get to him and I didn’t want to sacrifice a player I liked for a TE who will probably also score somewhere between four and eight points.
FLEX
I played Chris Godwin ($6,800) last week at a similar price tag ($6,500) where he had a “floor game” of 17.3 points. Godwin continues to be one of the best plays every week, as DraftKings has been slow to adjust to his new role in the slot where he’s been dominating. He remains a weekly cash consideration until he gets into the $7000s.
DST
Punting at DST worked out well last week, so hopefully, I can achieve a similar outcome with the Panthers DST ($2,400). With only $2,400 left over, I had to decide between the Panthers and the Patriots DST ($2,400). I don’t like either of their matchups, but I think the Panthers are the better choice because they are playing at home and the Bengals are on a short week after playing on Monday Night.
Summary
It’s very easy to get discouraged after three straight losing weeks to start the season, but I truly feel good about my thought process and believe that this is my best team yet. We’ll see if the judges agree come Sunday.
Here is the final lineup:
