Below are the players 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
Deshaun Watson (HOU): $7,000 vs. TEN
Watson has averaged 2.5 touchdowns and 262 passing yards against the Titans in his four career games. He is coming off a game last week in which he passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns for 29.9 DKFP. Because of his legs, he has a strong floor for cash but also has a high ceiling with his wide receiver weapons.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA): $5,900 vs. NYJ
The Jets are bad, and Fitzpatrick is making us all believe in Fitzmagic again, especially after the dismantling of the 49ers last week in which he earned 30.6 DKFP. Since his struggles in Week 1, he has had at least 25 DKFP in each of the last four games. I will have a hard time not clicking his name in cash this week.
Others Considered:
- Matthew Stafford (DET): $6,300 @ JAX
- Ryan Tannehill (TEN): $5,900 vs. HOU
- Joe Burrow (CIN): $5,400 @ IND
Running Backs
Derrick Henry (TEN): $7,300 vs. HOU
Henry is difficult to play on DK because of his lack of involvement in the passing game (though he is the most likely back in the NFL to take a 75-yard screen pass to the house). His price is very appealing this week against a terrible run defense. Three of the five running backs that Houston has faced this year have rushed for more than 100 yards. They are allowing 5.19 yards per carry this season. It might feel as though Henry has underperformed this season but he has still gotten 20+ touches in every game and has at least 19 DKFP in three of his four games, including a 30.0-point performance against the Vikings.
Mike Davis (CAR): $7,000 vs. CHI
His price still makes him a good value for his role. He is the first guy into my lineup this week with his 20+ touch expectations and being the only option in Carolina. With his pass-catching ability, he is game-flow independent. In his three games since taking over for CMC, he has fantasy games of 29.9 > 22.1 > 23.1.
David Montgomery (CHI): $5,800 vs. CAR
It is never fun to click on his name but there is no mistaking that he is really the only show in town right now. He might not be as productive as we want but his usage should be decent. His rush attempts have been lower than we’d like but he’s been on the field a lot and the last two games were against really good run defenses (Buccaneers and Colts). Last week, he got seven targets out of the backfield. We like volume and he offers that especially against a defense that is terrible against running backs. The Panthers have allowed 133 rushing yards per game to opposing backs.
Others Considered:
- Aaron Jones (GB): $7,600 @ TB
- Alexander Mattison (MIN): $7,200 vs. ATL
- James Robinson (JAX): $6,800 vs. DET
- Myles Gaskin (MIA): $5,400 vs. NYJ
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (GB): $8,000 @ TB
All reports have Adams as healthy and that he could have played last week but the Packers were being cautious. He is a target monster. Remember that he had a 14-156-2 (44.6 DKFP) in the first game of the year before getting hurt in the first half of the Week 2 game. In the last two weeks, the Buccaneers secondary have allowed Allen Robinson, D.J. Moore, and Robby Anderson to put up big numbers. We don’t typically want to pay up for wide receivers, but he is essentially an extension of the run game and Aaron Rodgers trusts him implicitly.
Robby Anderson (CAR): $6,300 vs. CHI
I expected his salary to be in the high 6K or low 7K range this week, so I obviously like his value. He has at least 17.9 DKFP in four of his five games. We all know that he has big-play ability but so far this year, Matt Rhule has been utilizing him in more ways than a big-play threat. He has double-digit targets in three of his last four games. Realize also that he has only scored one touchdown all year and that was back in Week 1. He has shown a great floor and the chance of positive touchdown regression gives him a huge ceiling.
A.J. Brown (TEN): $5,600 vs. HOU
Against a strong Bills secondary, Brown went for 7-82-1 (21.2 DKFP) and is only priced at $5,600. I am not normally a fan of Titans wide receivers because I don’t trust their volume. But he has 8 and 9 targets in his two games that he’s played this year. The projected high-scoring game environment, Brown’s talent, his production, and the price make him an easy plug and play this week.
Terry McLaurin (WAS): $5,500 @ NYG
He is a little shaky as a cash option because Washington’s offense can’t be trusted, but his price is low, the matchup is good, and is talent is undeniable. We like volume for our cash game plays and he has gotten that this year. He has gotten at least seven targets in every game this year, including games of 10 and 14. He has games of 28.5 and 24.8 DKFP so his ceiling is there. The target share is strong enough to make me consider him this week.
Others Considered:
- Calvin Ridley (ATL): $7,800 @ MIN
- Adam Thielen (MIN): $7,300 vs. ATL
- Allen Robinson (CHI): $7,000 @ CAR
- Kenny Golladay (DET): $6,200 @ JAX
- Tyler Boyd (CIN): $5,800 @ IND
- Tee Higgins (CIN): $4,700 @ IND
- Olamide Zaccheaus (ATL): $3,200 @ MIN
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews (BAL): $6,500 @ PHI
I rarely pay up for a tight end but if I was going to do that, then Andrews against the Eagles would be my guy. He has scored at 17.6 and 20.7 DKFP each of the last two weeks. He has five touchdowns on the season. The Eagles have allowed the second-most amount of touchdowns to the position (5) this year. Remember, they were the defense that gave up a 15-183-1 stat line to George Kittle a few weeks ago.
Jonnu Smith (TEN): $5,200 vs. HOU
He has double-figure fantasy performances in all four games this season, including a pair of 20+ outbursts. He has 27 targets on the season. I really like him but probably won’t be playing him if I already have Derrick Henry and/or A.J. Brown in my lineup. If you fade those other Titans, then Smith is a great option.
Irv Smith (MIN): $2,500 vs. ATL
This is only a play if you are on the side of “tight ends don’t matter”. Remember Adam Trautman was in the winning lineup for a lot of cash and GPP players two weeks ago when he took a zero. Smith is a better play than Trautman was. He was drafted in the second round out of Alabama. Minnesota’s tight end position is not reliable from a fantasy standpoint. There is hope for Smith as he caught four of his five targets last week for 64 yards and 10.4 DKFP. This week he gets a Falcons defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends. He has the talent and a great matchup. His price unlocks a lot of other plays for you.
Others Considered:
- Mike Gesicki (MIA): $5,500 vs. NYJ
- T.J. Hockenson (DET): $5,300 @ JAX
- Eric Ebron (PIT): $4,100 vs. CLE
Defense/Special Teams
Baltimore Ravens DST: $4,500 @ PHI
The Ravens are good, and Carson Wentz has struggled this year. He leads the NFL with 9 interceptions, and he has taken 19 sacks, which is second behind only Joe Burrows.
Pittsburgh Steelers DST: $3,600 vs. CLE
The Steelers have the highest blitz percentage in the NFL, and nobody has more sacks than they do. I like this matchup against a banged-up Baker Mayfield and Browns squad in a home rivalry game.
Cincinnati Bengals DST: $2,100 @ IND
Philip Rivers has not looked good lately and the Bengals have an aggressive defense. I don’t love this matchup, especially on the road but we’ve seen time and again how unpredictable DST scoring is so I’ll probably be punting the position this week.
Others Considered:
- Miami Dolphins DST: $2,900 vs. NYJ
- Minnesota Vikings DST: $2,300 vs. ATL
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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.
