It’s finally here! Welcome to week one of the 2020 NFL season. Below are the plays that I am considering as my cash game core for this week’s main slate. I value consistency of volume and opportunity combined with potential upside when putting together my cash game lineup. Have a solid process, be sure to have FantasyPros notifications set up for Sunday morning, and remember to have fun!
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Quarterback
Josh Allen (BUF): $6,500 vs. NYJ
His legs (nine rushing touchdowns) and gun-slinging mentality make him a good cash game option. There were only two games all last season that he scored less than 17 DKFP, and those games were against the Patriots and Ravens. He had 19.96 DKFP last year in the season-opener against these same New York Jets.
Tyrod Taylor (LAC): $5,600 at CIN
I am going to have a hard time getting away from Tyrod this week. He may not have a huge ceiling, but his legs give him a decent floor. He faces a Bengals team that gave up the seventh-most fantasy points to the quarterback position. More importantly, only the Giants gave up more rushing touchdowns than the five the Bengals allowed to quarterbacks last year. The Bengals were far and away the worst at giving up rushing yards with 483. The next closest was the Browns at 413.
We last saw Taylor starting the first three games of the 2018 season for the Browns, and he averaged 31.3 rushing yards in those games. As the starting quarterback for the Bills, he averaged 36 rushing yards per game. I won’t be touching him in GPPs, but I like him as a rushing quarterback in the 5K range.
Other Notables: Cam Newton (NE): $6,100 at MIA; Mitch Trubisky (CHI): $5,400 at DET
Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey (CAR): $10,000 vs. LV
We spend money on nice shoes because they look good, feel good, and are reliable. I will spend money on C-Mac for the same reasons. In a world of uncertainty, he provides peace of mind. I will pay a premium for his floor (11/16 games with at least 29 DKFP last season) and his upside (led the league in 40-point fantasy performances). I will not overthink this. All my cash and single-entry lineups will start with him.
Josh Jacobs (LV): $6,800 at CAR
He had at least 20 carries in six of his 13 games last season. Jon Gruden has repeatedly praised his workhorse back and seems intent on using him as much as possible. Jacobs is nearly non-existent in the passing game, thus becoming a game-flow dependent back. If you think they are going to be trailing the Panthers, then you might want to proceed with caution because his upside is limited. Otherwise, he should get plenty of opportunities to shred this Panthers defense that was abysmal against the run last year. Nobody gave up more fantasy points (31.9 DKFP), rushing yards (125.6/game), or total touchdowns (27) to the running back position last season than the Panthers.
Joe Mixon (CIN): $6,700 vs. LAC
With a veteran quarterback (Dalton) last year, the Bengals utilized Mixon as a workhorse down the stretch. In the last five games, he averaged 22 DKFP on 25 touches per game. All indications are they’ll rely on him even more with a rookie (Joe Burrow) under center this year. He goes against a Chargers defense that struggled against the run last year.
Antonio Gibson (WAS): $4,000 vs. PHI
I don’t feel comfortable playing the explosive rookie, who only had 71 touches his final year at Memphis. However, there is no clear path for anyone else in Washington’s backfield, so why not him? He is projected to be highly-owned, so I might just take him at this value price and not get too cute. If he has an explosive debut, then great. If he struggles, then I may not lose too much ground because of his high-ownership. If there was more certainty from this week’s other value plays, then I’d pass on Gibson. Playing C-Mac means that you’ll have to punt or find value at some other place, and I’ll most likely take my chances with Gibson.
Other Notables: Austin Ekeler (LAC): $7,000 at CIN; Miles Sanders (PHI): $6,300 at WAS; Todd Gurley (ATL): $6,100 vs. SEA
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (GB): $7,300 at MIN
The Vikings’ defense isn’t what it used to be, and Adams torched them last year. In his two games, he went 7-106 and 13-116. He still should be Aaron Rodgers’ go-to receiver after seeing double-digit targets in eight of the last nine games a year ago. In fact, he has averaged an astounding 9.4 targets per game for the last four years. He earned at least 21.8 DKFP in five of his final seven games last season.
Terry McLaurin (WAS): $5,600 vs. PHI
His talent is unquestionable, but he only had three games of 20-plus fantasy points last season. However, two of those were against the Eagles. He opened the season with 5-125-1 on 7 targets, and then in the second-to-last game of the season, he once again torched the Eagles for 5-130-1. He only had double-digit targets once last season, so he doesn’t check that volume box, but his upside is apparent.
Jamison Crowder (NYJ): $5,200 at BUF
He averaged nine targets per game over his last five games in 2019. The matchup isn’t particularly appealing, as the Bills were good against the pass last season. However, Crowder played well against them, going 22-165-1 in his two meetings. The Bills have shown some vulnerability in the slot, which is where Crowder makes his living.
DeSean Jackson (PHI): $4,900 at WAS
DJax is normally just a GPP play for me, but his price is low, and he should be targeted a good deal this week. Washington had a bad defense last year, including giving up an 8-154-2 stat line to DJax in week one. In 2018, Jackson also exploded in the season opener with 5-146-2. In 2016, he also went over 100 yards in the season opener. I like that trend to continue this year.
Other Notables: Michael Thomas (NO): $9,000 vs. TB; Adam Thielen (MIN): $6,700 vs. GB; D.J. Chark (JAC): $6,300 vs. IND; DK Metcalf (SEA): $5,800 at ATL; Marquise Brown (BAL): $5,100 vs. CLE
Tight Ends
Hayden Hurst (ATL): $4,300 vs. SEA
He was the Ravens’ 2018 first-round draft pick for a reason. He is a very talented pass-catcher, but the Ravens’ scheme and depth at the position stifled his production. I don’t know if he’ll be able to replicate Austin Hooper’s production for Atlanta, but he should at least see similar volume. Hooper earned 7.5 targets/game last season. Overall, the Falcons led the NFL in passing attempts. I like his chances in this offense against a Seahawks defense that gave up the second-highest number of fantasy points (15.7 DKFP) to the position.
Dallas Goedert (PHI): $4,100 at WAS
I don’t like playing multiple pass-catchers from the same team in my cash games. I am leaning toward DeSean Jackson, which would make it hard for me to play Goedert (or Ertz). Goedert really came on at the end of last season with 30 targets over the final three games. He tallied double-digit fantasy points in six of his last eight games
Chris Herndon (NYJ): $3,300 at BUF
Just like Goedert, if I end up playing Crowder, I’ll probably pass on Herndon. Normally, I don’t like playing tight ends against the Bills, but Herndon is a very good athlete, and he provides a ton of savings at a volatile and unpredictable position. If I play Herndon, it’s because I am betting on potential and gaining salary relief to use elsewhere. When Herndon was healthy in his 2018 rookie campaign, he put up respectable 39-502-4 season totals on 58 targets.
Other Notables: Mark Andrews (BAL): $6,000 vs. CLE; Zach Ertz (PHI): $5,800 vs. WAS; Jack Doyle (IND): $3,600 at JAC; Ian Thomas (CAR): $3,400 vs. LV; Logan Thomas (WAS): $2,800 vs. PHI
Defense/Special Teams
New York Jets D/ST: $2,100 at BUF
The Jets don’t look to be very good on defense this year, but they did earn 14.0 and 18.0 DKFP in their two meetings against the Bills last season. Though talented, Josh Allen can be prone to turn the ball over and get sacked. Defenses are the most volatile and unpredictable position in DFS, so I don’t mind punting here with the hopes of 4-6 fantasy points.
Miami Dolphins D/ST: $2,000 at NE
Miami’s defense isn’t good, but their minimum price tag is. They accumulated 11.0 DKFP last year in the season finale against the Patriots, and now they get a crack at Cam Newton, who has been known to take sacks and commit turnovers.
Other Notables: New England Patriots DST: $3,200 vs. MIA; Baltimore Ravens DST: $3,100 vs. CLE; Los Angeles Chargers DST: $2,800 vs. CIN
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Jamy Bechler is a regular contributor to FantasyPros for NBA, NFL, and PGA. You can send him questions and follow him on his DFS twitter @WinningDFS101. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and a leadership consultant, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommended in this article.
