We’ve officially hit the midpoint in the season and, since you’re reading this, you’ve either survived the first half or are just dipping your toes in the DFS pool and are now ready to take the full plunge. A lot more clarity exists around NFL pretenders and contenders, as well as which players have established firm roles in an offense. The NFL is a tricky beast, and with injuries piling up even the best laid plans can be quickly derailed.
This week, I thought I’d focus on some cash game plays for head-to-head and 50/50 contests on DraftKings. As a reminder, DraftKings is a full PPR site and offers 3-point bonuses for eclipsing 100 rushing or receiving yards and 300 passing yards. That makes the player pool is a bit deeper, especially at running back.
With multiple approaches to roster construction, I wanted to provide a low/mid/high recommendation for each position to provide you with plays that can fit into any approach. Note that due to the timing of this article I am avoiding players from the Chargers-Broncos game kicking off in a few hours as well as the Falcons-Lions game in London on Sunday morning. (I like several players from Denver if you’re in action tonight and think Ronnie Hillman is particularly attractive at his price. From the Atlanta-Detroit game, I expect a bounce back from Julio Jones, though Matt Ryan still scares me behind that line against a strong Detroit front four. Joique Bell is a must play if Reggie Bush’s ankle stiffens up on the flight to London and he can’t go.)
HIGH ($7K+ QB; $6K+ RB/WR; $5K+ TE)
- Quarterback — In the upper third, look no further than Andrew Luck. The only quarterback to crack the top 6 of QB rankings in every game this season on DK, he possesses an exceptional floor and ceiling and makes a great cash game anchor, especially since he can contribute through the air and on the ground. The matchup against the Steelers isn’t easy but also not one to shy away from. While Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees could get into a shootout, I’ll keep riding Luck under the radar as the new No. 1 fantasy QB.
- Running back — There are only 10 running backs priced at more than $6,000 this week on DK, and at this point it is hard to go with anyone not named DeMarco Murray. (But I will.) Murray is absolutely a great play, surpassing 20 points in every game this year. If you can afford him, have at it, but at a $2,500 discount I’ll take Le’Veon Bell, who has a neutral matchup and is involved in both the passing and running game. Bell’s floor isn’t much lower than Murray’s on a full PPR site, and that makes him the more attractive of the two. His worst game this season hits 2.3 times his current salary.
- Wide Receiver — There are also 10 wide receivers priced about $6,000. I’m going to pay up and not think twice about Jordy Nelson and his 10 targets per game. His numbers have been great, and the matchup is there. If anything, his price is probably slightly depressed since Rodgers took the foot off the accelerator in weeks 5 and 7. In a cash game, it would be foolish to pay for Randall Cobb over Nelson.
- Tight End — Give me Gronk or give me death. In weeks 1 and 2, Rob Gronkowski saw just 45 percent of snaps, then that increased to 60 percent in weeks 3 to 5. Since then, we’ve seen him on the field for 80 and now 93 percent of snaps, which aligns with an increase in targets over that same time period. He is option 1A and nobody else is as talented as him outside of Jimmy Graham, whose injury and goose egg last week is too concerning for a cash game.
MID ($6-7K QB; $5-6K RB/WR; $4-5K TE)
- Quarterback — In the mid-range there are a couple nice options, but Carson Palmer is going to be my go-to. In three games he’s put up 24, 17 and 17. That’s great production for a $6,500 tag, and he gets a nice matchup against an Eagles team that gives up nearly 20 percent more points to fantasy QBs than average. With the highest over/under in this range, I like Palmer in most formats.
- Running back — In his six games, LeSean McCoy has at least 20 touches five times. He has two dreadful performances, and you can thank those for his discounted price. Arizona is a tough matchup, but with Darren Sproles banged up I think we see 25 touches for McCoy. He should be involved in the passing game as well, and he’s tops in red-zone touches in this price range. He has the talent to put your team on his back.
- Wide Receiver — You can find some nice players in the $5-6k range who have game-breaking (and GPP-winning) ability, but for me the cash game play is Mike Wallace. His worst game this year produced 2.2 times and his midpoint is 2.8 times his salary. I’m also giving strong consideration to Jeremy Maclin, who is top 5 in the NFL in targets per game. (I reserve the right to change my play come Sunday.)
- Tight End — If you’re looking to save at TE, there are only 4 mid-priced tight ends. I’ll give the nod to Jordan Reed, who has double-digit points in both games since his return. Dallas struggles to cover the tight end, and he’s a safe bet for 4 to 5 grabs with the upside to produce even higher.
LOW (Sub-$6k QB; Sub-$5k RB/WR; Sub-$4k TE)
- Quarterback — If you’re looking to punt at QB, you’re obviously taking on some risk as these guys are priced low for a reason. The matchup might scream for Teddy Bridgewater against Tampa Bay, but he’s shown his floor is low with three sub-10 point performances. I’d prefer to take proven NFL QBs like Ben Roethlisberger or Andy Dalton. Dalton’s price tag is depressed after last week’s train wreck at Indy, but he should bounce back in an important divisional matchup, particularly if A.J. Green is able to go. Big Ben also has a high floor and could be forced to keep pace with Andrew Luck.
- Running back — At $5,000 or less, we’re looking at players who are in time shares, stepping into new roles, or otherwise flawed. Here we’re searching for talent, touches and matchup. I’d consider Ben Tate here, but I’m going with Jerick McKinnon, who has posted double digits in three of the last four and seen the time share tilt to 60 percent in his favor. He’s also seen five targets per game over the same time period and makes for a nice play against a weak Tampa 2 defense.
- Wide Receiver — This one came easy to me, and it’s Julian Edelman at $4,600. He is a target machine, PPR gold and is the exact type of player that Tom Brady should use to beat this secondary. With a downgraded traditional running game, I expect Edelman to be used to move the chains and his price tag to rise back to the $5000s where it belongs.
- Tight End — So, you’re looking to punt at tight end. Keep scrolling, keep scrolling. There he is. Zach Ertz and his five targets a game find the way onto your screen against a Cardinals team that has struggled to defend this position for the second consecutive season. His median game puts you at 3 times his salary and the ceiling is certainly higher. Other cheap options include Travis Kelce or Coby Fleener.
I won’t get into defense too much but think Kansas City and Cleveland are the two I’ll have most in cash games, while Houston also makes an intriguing option with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney likely back. Anyways, these are some plays that I like on DraftKings and think it’s pretty easy to construct a few different variations of a lineup built around this type of low/mid/high approach. Welcome any feedback and commentary on your favorites as well.