Sunday Morning Update:
Each Sunday around 11AM EST, this article will be updated based on any surprise inactives or just news in general that is updated throughout the week. It will have the latest recommended cash game lineup included as well.
This week, there really aren't any situations that have changed over the last 24 hours. I am making a slight adjustment based on some additional research into Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald leads the NFL in targets inside the 10 yard line with six targets. With Christian Kirk out, this should give Fitzgerald plenty of opportunity and is safer than Marquise Brown this week.
Mark Andrews is also looking healthy which is great news for Baltimore, going down to Andrews makes this all fit together.
Final Cash game lineup
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,300
- RB Christian McCaffrey, CAR, $9,100
- RB Dalvin Cook, $8,200
- WR Golden Tate, NYG, $4,500
- WR Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, $5,600
- WR Larry Fitzgerald, ARI, $5,800
- TE Mark Andrews, BAL, $6,100
- Flex RB- David Johnson ARI- $6,800
- TD New England Patriots, $5,500
SITUATIONS THAT STAND OUT TO THIS WEEK ON THE MAIN SLATE.
- New England (vs Wash) – 29.25 points
- Philadelphia (vs NYJ) – 29 points
- Houston (vs ATL) – 27 points
BANKROLL STRATEGY- Variation
This is by far the best week of the year so far. There is not a single obvious lineup build that seems the most optimal which makes the research ultimately more fun. There are plenty of different paths that can be taken whether it is to spend up at wide receiver in what should be some shootout type games, several different options at quarterback, and how we are attacking the running back position.
Below is Devin Knotts' cash game strategy for Week 5 as well as his cash game lineup.
CASH GAME STRATEGY WEEK 5
SOME OF THE SITUATIONS TO BE THINKING ABOUT ARE BELOW
- Let’s be honest here, Lamar Jackson over the last two weeks has not looked nearly as great as he did in the first two weeks of the year. Jackson has struggled the last two weeks, but due to garbage time production has still put out decent fantasy performances. Pittsburgh’s secondary looked better this past week, but for the most part, this season has struggled as they gave up 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns each to Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. With no 300 yard bonus on FanDuel, the rushing production makes Jackson so incredibly valuable and in cash games is a major boost.
- If you aren’t going with Jackson, the other option has to be Kyler Murray this week going up against Cincinnati. Murray has struggled over the past few weeks and a big reason for that is the pass rush that he has faced. He won’t have to worry about that this week as Cincinnati has just five sacks on the year which is the second-worst in the league and similar to Jackson has the rushing upside as well as facing a secondary in Cincinnati that has looked better this season, but is still a defense that lacks significant talent as we saw Jimmy Garoppolo tear through this defense. This is more of a cash plus play as the floor from Murray is not nearly as high as other quarterbacks due to the consistent output from the Cardinals offense.
- The tight end position is one of the more intriguing positions of the week. Essentially there are three players to consider this week. Essentially the decision comes down to either spending up or going towards the bottom of the barrel. Zach Ertz at the top has been extremely consistent, but has yet to find the end-zone so far this season. With 24 receptions and 6 targets inside the 20 (which is second in the NFL), the touchdown opportunities will come this season. At the bottom, we have Tyler Eifert who by name scares probably everyone reading this. The reality is that every tight end against Arizona has scored 15 or more points and three of the four tight ends have scored 21 points or more against this Arizona defense. This is an opportunity that if you can bear the risk at just $4,600 presents a significant opportunity.
INJURY UNLOCKS OPPORTUNITY?
Fortunately, it is a light week on the injury front this week.
- With John Ross being placed on IR, Auden Tate is going to be extremely popular, and the question you have to ask yourself is whether it is point chasing. At $5,300, if you want to play Auden Tate, he is a much better price on other sites this week. Auden Tate is a slow plodding receiver who ran a 4.68 40 yard dash and while he does have 16 targets the last two weeks, this is not a situation where a player is stepping up from no playing time to significant playing time. Tate has been on the field for 89% and 91% of the plays over the last two weeks. The focus from the defense will be much higher and he will not have John Ross to keep the safeties off of him, this is a real issue for a guy who lacks speed. If you want to play Tate in cash, play him on a different site. He is a fine play in a Cash Plus or GPP lineup.
- Rex Burkhead is out with a foot injury. This will drive some additional interest to players such as Sony Michel, James White, and even Julian Edelman. The player who should see the biggest increase is James White in the passing game as Burkhead has caught 13 passes in the three games in which he has been fully healthy. On FanDuel, not sure you need to go with White who caught 8 passes without Burkhead last week. The problem with White is his lack of touchdown opportunities as while he does have one on the season he is priced ahead of players with better opportunities and more consistent touches in David Montgomery and Frank Gore.
- Saquon Barkley is out another week with an ankle injury. This will once again open up the door for Wayne Gallman who looked great last week against Washington. The problem is that he is now facing Minnesota which is a much more difficult matchup this week. Gallman will be written off by a lot of players, so he is a fine GPP target if you need a cheap under-owned running back, as he does possess the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but he is not a player that should be in your core this week.
Key Strategy of the Week
Spend up at running back
This week, the key to cash game success is spending down at the wide receiver position and up at the running back position. Both Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey are in elite spots this week against the Jaguars and Giants. This strategy is one that is often the right move over time on FanDuel with it being just 0.5 PPR in cash games. We’re looking for touchdowns and running backs are more likely to get the touchdowns more consistently than wide receivers.
KEY CASH CORE
Golden Tate returns from suspension this week and is essentially a free spot in your lineup. At just $4,500 he was a mispriced player by FanDuel. The matchup is not a great one against Minnesota, but it may help Tate as Sterling Shepard will be matched up against Xavier Rhodes. Daniel Jones has not had success throwing the ball deep so far this season as in Week 4, he completed just one pass longer than ten-yards downfield and just three passes longer than five-yards downfield. Expect the Giants to try to get the ball into Tate’s hands and let the playmaker pick up yards.
New England Defense
At $5,500, they’re expensive, but this is a defense that at the moment is significantly better than any other defense in the NFL. The Patriots have 10 interceptions with the next closest team at just 5 interceptions, they lead the league in sacks, and have not allowed a passing touchdown all season. With both Jason and Devin McCourty along with Stephon Gilmore in the secondary, this is one of the best secondaries we have seen in a long time which only makes the already great defensive line even better. The schedule has been fairly easy for the Patriots as they have faced the Steelers, Dolphins, Jets, and Bills so they have not been thoroughly tested, but they are not going to be tested this week either facing the 0-4 Redskins who are starting Colt McCoy this week.
McCaffrey is essentially proving that he is matchup proof this season based on just how much he is touching the ball. Through four weeks, McCaffrey is averaging 27 touches per game which is a pace that is surely not sustainable, but it will likely continue through this week. McCaffrey is facing a Jaguars team that is an up-and-down defense that allowed over 100 yards rushing to the combinations of Carlos Hyde/Duke Johnson Jr and Damien Williams/LeSean McCoy including allowing 8.1 yards-per-carry to McCoy. Salary is not nearly that big of a concern this week, everyone should have McCaffrey as the first name they click on when building a lineup.
What does Emmanuel Sanders have to do to raise his price? Sanders has 86 yards or more in three of his four games and is looking like the receiver we knew him to be several seasons ago as the Broncos have a competent passing game with Joe Flacco as their quarterback. Sanders is the leader in the NFL in targets inside the 20 and second inside the 10 yard-line. He will continue to see touchdown opportunities as well as just overall volume that other receivers in the mid-$5k price range will not see. The matchup is not a daunting one as he is facing a Chargers defense that has allowed 70 yards or more to a wide receiver in every game this year.
SAMPLE ROSTER 1 ($60K) – PRIMARY CASH- (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 137.8)
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,300
- RB Christian McCaffrey, CAR, $9,100
- RB Dalvin Cook, $8,200
- WR Golden Tate, NYG, $4,500
- WR Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, $5,600
- WR Marquise Brown, BAL, $5,400
- TE Zach Ertz, PHI $6,600
- Flex RB- David Johnson ARI- $6,800
- TD New England Patriots, $5,500
SAMPLE ROSTER 2 ($60K) – ALTERNATIVE CASH + Three Elite Running Backs(DD PROJECTED POINTS = 132.5)
- QB Kyler Murray, ARI, $7,400
- RB Christian McCaffrey, CAR, $9,100
- RB Dalvin Cook, $8,200
- WR Golden Tate, NYG, $4,500
- WR Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, $5,600
- WR Tyler Boyd, CIN, $6,700
- TE Tyler Eifer, CIN, $4,600
- Flex RB- Alvin Kamara, NO, $8,200
- TD New England Patriots, $5,500
SAMPLE ROSTER 3 ($60K) – CASH+ Atl vs Hou Game Stack (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 129.7)
- QB DeShaun Watson, HOU, $8,000
- RB Christian McCaffrey, CAR, $9,100
- RB David Montgomery, CHI, $5,700
- WR Golden Tate, NYG, $4,500
- WR DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, $8,500
- WR Julio Jones, ATL, $8,200
- TE Zach Ertz, PHI $6,600
- Flex WR- Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, $5,600
- TD Cincinnati Bengals, $3,700