I play around 60% of my action each week in “cash games.” Cash games refer to any contest in which roughly 50% of the field gets paid out, such as head-to-head, double up or 50/50. I try to get as much head-to-head action as I can every week and then supplement that with other cash games.
Each week, I’ll review my cash-game lineup in this space. Sometimes I’ll lose, but hopefully I’ll win more often. Either way, I’ll post it here and give you my thought process.
This was an uncomfortable slate on DraftkIngs due to the quality of mid-range tight end options and a lack of cheap WR options.
Note: Unless stated otherwise, the discussion below is about DraftKings.
MY MUST PLAYS
* Yes, the Steelers are not an ideal matchup. But since Zack Moss (neck) went down, Chase Brown has handled nearly 100% of the Bengals RB touches. A legit path to 25 touches at just $6200 as a home favorite in a game with a total up at 47.5 is not something I pass on.
* Alvin Kamara’s role is almost as strong as Chase Brown’s. He remains one of the NFL’s best pass-catching RBs, Derek Carr is a checkdown machine, and the Saints have no real pass-catchers. This was also an excellent game environment – home in the dome against a Rams defense ranked 28th in yards per play allowed.
MY WANT PLAYS
* I thought Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold were fine options at quarterback. But I slightly preferred Justin Herbert to them, and he was cheaper. With JK Dobbins (knee) out, I expected a more throw-centric gameplan in a very good spot at Atlanta. Herbert has also shown very good mobility – he came into this game on pace for 69-326-3 rushing line. That’s something Stafford and Darnold don’t have.
* I certainly didn’t love David Moore. But we needed to save money somewhere on this slate, and I thought he was clearly the safest WR play under $4000. With Jalen Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders out, we knew Moore would be in all 3-WR sets while competing for targets with Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette.
* There were so many expensive WRs I liked. I would’ve considered any of Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, Justin Jefferson, or AJ Brown in cash. Puka was the cheapest of the bunch by a decent amount, and this spot in the dome against a decimated and Marshon Lattimore-less Saints secondary was very strong.
* My last WR spot came down to Tee Higgins or Mike Evans. My gut preferred Evans as the clear WR1 against the Panthers. But Higgins’ underlying usage has actually been better than Ja’Marr Chase, and there was little reason to think that wouldn’t continue here.
* Regular readers know I hate paying up at tight end in cash. But there were no TE options under $3000, and the mid-range options were actually quite strong when compared to WR counterparts in the $4000-$5000 range. Evan Engram’s PPR floor with Trevor Lawrence back at just $4800 was high.
We also had this unique Taysom Hill situation. The Saints are using him as a pass-catching tight end, short-yardage runner, and even thrower of the ball. He’s not the typical tight end play – he actually has a real ceiling.
* There were not a lot of strong D/ST options on this slate. I would’ve been willing to play almost any one that fit the team I liked, all the way down to Panthers at $2300. That said, I did want to attack this Patriots offensive line and rookie Drake Maye for $500 more than minimum. We had Colts ($2800) and Jets ($2500) as the two best salary-adjusted D/ST plays on the slate in projections.
Week 13 Results
This was the first time all season I’ve looked back and hated what I played on DraftKings. I’ve had a ton of success in cash over the last decade by simply not paying up for tight end… and on this slate I played two of them at mid-range costs.
Given the way this season has gone from a macro perspective, playing three running backs (as I did on FanDuel) was likely right. We certainly had reasonable options for that RB3 spot – Bijan Robinson and Bucky Irvin were both strong plays. I don’t mind losing, but playing bad certainly stings.
YEAR-TO-DATE RESULTS
Week 1 DraftKings: 147.38 points, won 98.6% of head-to-heads
Week 2 DraftKings: 116.94 points, won 21.1% of head-to-heads
Week 3 DraftKings: 109.3 points, won 54.8% of head-to-heads
Week 4 DraftKings: 146.28 points, won 75.3% of head-to-heads
Week 5 DraftKings: 143.06 points, won 83.5% of head-to-heads
Week 6 DraftKings: 134.12 points, won 50.1% of head-to-heads
Week 7 DraftKings: 93.14 points, won 28.2% of head-to-heads
Week 8 DraftKings: 173.16 points, won 96.3% of head-to-heads
Week 9 DraftKings: 170.86 points, won 65.2% of head-to-heads
Week 10 DraftKings: 117.92 points, won 66.1% of head-to-heads
Week 11 DraftKings: 133.00 points, won 81.5% of head-to-heads
Week 12 DraftKings: 145.08 points, won 77.8% of head-to-heads
Week 13 DraftKings: 116.88 points, won 10.5% of head-to-heads
Week 1 FanDuel: Did not play
Week 2 FanDuel: 143.24 points, won 75.2% of head-to-heads
Week 3 FanDuel: 111.88 points, won 71.9% of head-to-heads
Week 4 FanDuel: 120.92 points, won 41.9% of head-to-heads
Week 5 FanDuel: 130.22 points, won 71.4% of head-to-heads
Week 6 FanDuel: 133.36 points, won 80.6% of head-to-heads
Week 7 FanDuel: 100.04 points, won 65.0% of head-to-heads
Week 8 FanDuel: 122.36 points, won 70.4% of head-to-heads
Week 9 FanDuel: 132.1 points, won 52.0% of head-to-heads
Week 10 FanDuel: 108.82 ponts, won 60.9% of head-to-heads
Week 11 FanDuel: 112.58 points, won 29.0% of head-to-heads
Week 12 FanDuel: 120.56 points, won 47.8% of head-to-heads
Week 13 FanDuel: 136.2 points, .89.4% of head-to-heads
* Note: Win percentages do not include ties.
