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.
The key to this slate was figuring out the RB position. I thought there were literally eight viable options on DraftKings, ranging from Cam Akers ($5300) to Saquon Barkley ($8000). Once we decided how much capital to invest at RB, the rest of the team would fall into place.
MY MUST PLAYS
* Tank Dell (out, ribs) earned 17% of the targets through the first three weeks. Replacing him with dusty WR3s like Robert Woods and John Metchie meant an increased projected target share for Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs. We also had Joe Mixon (ankle) out, which could very well make the Texans lean into the pass more. Add in a matchup with a Jaguars pass defense 7th-worst in our DvP metrics, and we had a stone-cold lock in Nico.
* In Week 3, we saw Andy Dalton step in and immediately execute the Dave Canales passing offense at an extremely high level. In that game, Diontae Johnson saw 14 targets for a 38% share. I didn’t think Diontae would sniff 40% again, but his price was oddly just $5600. Even with Adam Thielen (hamstring) out and the Bengals defense springing tons of leaks. A classic cash-game must, especially when we consider the projection. We had docks on Diontae for his groin injury, and he still was our best salary-adjusted WR value on the slate.
MY WANT PLAYS
* I thought there were only three QBs in play for cash on DraftKings: Kyler Murray, Jayden Daniels, and Justin Fields. I liked them in that order, and wasn’t going to force any. You’ll notice that all three are elite runners, but the game environment and defensive matchups for Kyler and Jayden were elite.
In the end, I did think Kyler would outscore Jayden. Kyler was at home, Commanders were on a short week/long road trip, Austin Ekeler was out. So in this lineup, I happened to have the extra $300 to get to Kyler. On FanDuel I played Daniels, who was $600 cheaper there.
* I mentioned the RB situation at the top. As I noted during Last Minute Livestream Sunday morning, I decided on full-PPR DraftKings I wanted to use more of my capital at the WR position. That meant jamming Rashee Rice over punt WR options like Tre Tucker and Greg Dortch. It also meant taking the cheap volume at RB.
I did prefer Chuba Hubbard to Cam Akers. Given the way Chuba was used in Andy Dalton’s first start, plus the way he’s played for the last two seasons, and the matchup… He was quite solid. I thought Akers was fine, but the Texans had four RBs active and Akers hasn’t played well in the NFL since 2022.
Najee Harris was also ticketed for a 15-touch floor against a decimated Colts team, with Jaylen Warren (knee) out. I of course don’t love playing Najee, who gives no explosive ability and pass-game role in question with Justin Fields under center. I went for a full fade on Najee in tournaments. But at just $5600, the volume was too much to ignore.
The toughest spot for me was the final one. I looked at teams that went Jordan Mason, Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall, and Brian Robinson. In the end, I didn’t think it was worth moving a few pieces around to get from Brian Robinson to Mason. With Austin Ekeler (concussion) out, I expected Robinson to see an uptick in both carries and targets in the slate’s best game environment.
Note that on half-PPR FanDuel, I went with the opposite approach at RB. I played Bijan and Breece there, saving a bit of money at WR instead.
* I know Dallas Goedert (no AJ Brown or Devonta Smith) and Brock Bowers (no Davante Adams or Michael Mayer) were both strong. But on DraftKings, I rarely want to sacrifice WR firepower for the shaky floor/ceiling combos at tight end. So I had no problem punting it off with pass-catching option Elijah Higgins, who was filling in for Trey McBride (out, concussion). We couldn’t draw up a much better matchup or game environment for a punt TE.
* When the week started, I wanted to play the Raiders D/ST against a broken Browns offense missing both their tackles and standout RG Wyatt Teller. But then the Raiders lost all-world sack-artist Maxx Crosby and their best offensive player, Davante Adams.
So the three D/STs I was willing to play in cash were Steelers ($3300), Texans ($3000), and Falcons ($2600). I’m rarely/never going to change my team around for D/ST, I’m always willing to take the cheapest viable option.
Week 4 Results
I got extremely lucky to run into two D/ST touchdowns from the Falcons. I got extremely unlucky to lose Rashee Rice midway through the first quarter, and take an airball. Of course luck is going to play a major role in a 1-slate sample, that’s why it’s so important to focus on process and game selection.
I was happy with my decision to take advantage of the cheap RB volume on DraftKings this week, allowing me to get 62 touches for a combined $17,400. It obviously helped that both Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson underperformed.
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 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
* Note: Win percentages do not include ties.
