SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE:
Each Sunday Morning, check back here to see if there are any updates to the primary cash game lineup. Hit me up on Twitter with any questions
Sunday Morning Update:
Two main things to talk about this morning.
1) In somewhat of a surprise move, Zach Ertz is going to play this week. This ultimately means that Dallas Goedert is no longer in play for cash games unless we get a report that Ertz is going to be limited. Goedert makes for a nice GPP play, but not something that you can trust in cash. The good news is that Jack Doyle at $5,000 is also in a great spot with Eric Ebron out and makes a nice pivot down.
2) Weather is starting to become an issue in both New York and Kansas City. There is some people concerned about the SF/KC game, but I don't think this is an issue due to light wind, the heavy rain moving out around game time, and the game total has not moved.
This solidifies Lamar Jackson as the top cash game play as Mahomes will likely have some trouble throwing the ball at times in the wind.
Opening Total | Current Total | ||
GB/NYG | 46.5 | 43 | Rain/Snow Mix |
Oak/KC | 54.5 | 50 | 25MPH Winds |
Updated Cash Game Roster-
I played around with a lot of different things this morning, but ultimately here is where I have landed. Auden Tate is the one that scares me, and the other roster that I had moved Tate up to Sterling Shepard and D.J. Moore down to Christian Kirk. Ultimately this is more of a GPP/Cash + lineup as Kirk and Shepard both are too volatile for me.
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,700
- RB Miles Sanders, PHI, $5,800
- RB Saquon Barkley, NYG, $7,600
- WR- D.J. Moore, CAR, $6,800
- WR DeVante Parker, MIA, $6,000
- WR Auden Tate, CIN, $5,200
- TE Jack Doyle, IND, $5,000
- Flex RB- Christian McCaffrey, $11,000
- TD Pittsburgh Steelers, $3,700
SITUATIONS THAT STAND OUT TO THIS WEEK ON THE MAIN SLATE.
- Kansas City (vs Oak) – 30.5 points
- Philadelphia (vs Mia) 27.25 points
- Green Bay (vs NYG)- 25.75 points
- Baltimore (vs SF) – 25.5 points
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK-
Last week was a great week. The Sunday morning update was critical as Alshon Jeffery being out pushed me on to Zach Ertz. D.J. Moore went under-owned and was tremendous racking up 126 yards and two touchdowns at just 20% owned. The lineup finished in the top 5% of all cash game lineups. Alvin Kamara was disappointing but was so highly owned that it did not matter. At the quarterback position, Jameis Winston was the better play than Matt Ryan, but Ryan was the most popular play in cash as he was 77% owned.
CASH GAME STRATEGY WEEK 11
Addressing the Quarterback Position
This week, there are three options at the quarterback position. You have Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes II, and the cheap option this week is Carson Wentz. Below are arguments for all three, but the question is who should you play in cash this week?
Lamar Jackson- $8,700
The matchup is a difficult one, but we are getting a discount on the price this week at just $8,700. At this point, Lamar Jackson is simply changing the DFS landscape with his rushing abilities. Jackson has run for 60 yards or more in eight straight games and has thrown for 12 touchdowns over his last three games.
The one argument against Lamar Jackson is San Francisco’s defense and more importantly their defensive line. While on the surface it should seem that the defensive line will be able to contain Lamar Jackson, the counter-argument to that is that he will need to pull the ball much faster and take off. We saw this with both Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson each who ran for 50 yards or more over the last three weeks.
Patrick Mahomes II- $8,600
Mahomes is probably the safest quarterback on this slate. The Raiders have faced a relatively weak schedule, but when they have faced good passing offenses they have been shredded. Matthew Stafford threw for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers threw for 429 yards and 5 touchdowns, and Patrick Mahomes II threw for 443 yards and 4 touchdowns earlier this season. The Raiders secondary has struggled this season, they have allowed seven wide receivers to top 97 yards or more this year. Mahomes seems like a lock for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Carson Wentz- $7,300
This one has everything to do with the matchup and price. At just $7,300, he is the way to get Christian McCaffrey into your lineup. The matchup is a great one as Miami’s secondary is falling apart as their entire secondary has turned over since the beginning of the year as Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded, Xavien Howard, Reshad Jones, and Bobby McCain were all placed on IR. Baker Mayfield tore this team apart last week with 327 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Josh Allen was the highest-scoring player two weeks ago against this defense. The problem with Wentz is whether he is completely healthy, as he has a hand injury that forced him to get X-Rays after last week’s game.
The Answer?
The answer is Lamar Jackson. While Jackson’s floor is not nearly as high as Mahomes this week, at just $100 more, his ceiling is so much higher than Mahomes. Kyler Murray put up 23 and 26 FanDuel points in his two games against the 49ers. The strong defensive line will make it difficult for Mark Ingram, which will put more of a burden on Jackson in this game.
Should you pay up for McCaffrey?
Christian McCaffrey is the most expensive player on the year at $11,000. It is a good matchup facing off against a Redskins defense that has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards to opposing running backs on the year. While the matchup is a good one, the question is should you play him. At $11,000, you essentially need McCaffrey to get 23 or more fantasy points to reach value. McCaffrey has reached 23 or more in every game except two this season, both of which were against the elite Tampa Bay defense. This should be a situation where McCaffrey reaches cash game value.
However, just because McCaffrey is likely going to reach value, doesn’t mean he is a must-play, as he forces you into playing some lower end wide receivers that you need to be comfortable that they will also reach value. I am likely going to start McCaffrey, but he is by no means a must start this week.
INJURY UNLOCKS OPPORTUNITY?
Not many injuries this week which makes the opportunity fairly minimal.
- Jordan Howard has been ruled out, which makes Miles Sanders a tremendous value play. Jay Ajayi will likely see some work as well this week but makes for a better GPP play than cash game play as he saw just six carries last week.
- The Eagles promoted Joshua Perkins from the practice squad which is a potential indicator that Zach Ertz may miss this week with a hamstring injury. If Ertz is unable to go, Dallas Goedert would be one of the top tight end options this week.
- Damien Williams is out this week with a rib injury. While LeSean McCoy should see more work this week, he is likely a better GPP play than a cash game play. Williams out should also help the passing offense of the Chiefs as they may throw the ball more.
- Evan Engram and Golden Tate are both out this week leaving Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley as the primary targets for Daniel Jones. Both players are under-priced and a good value in what could be a high-scoring game.
- A.J. Green remains out, which makes Tyler Boyd a fantastic play this week.
KEY CASH CORE
Dallas Goedert
This one is relatively simple. If Zach Ertz is out, you have to play Dallas Goedert in 100% of your cash game lineups at $5,200. Miami has faced a relatively easy schedule when it comes to facing tight ends, but when they have faced even average tight ends they have struggled. They allowed 100 yards and a touchdown to Ebron/Doyle, 54 yards to Jason Witten, 50 yards to Ryan Griffin and 108 yards and a touchdown to Mark Andrews.
Saquon Barkley- $7,600
At just $7,600, Barkley is a tremendous value in a great matchup. Green Bay’s run defense has all but fallen apart over the last three weeks as they have allowed an average of 29.5 FanDuel points to opposing teams. Barkley has struggled the past three weeks, but if you look at his schedule, it is easy to see why as he has faced the Jets, Bears, and Cowboys over the last three weeks. He came out this week and stated that he is not hurt, despite his struggles. Green Bay plays a base Dime defense which puts a lot of responsibility on Blake Martinez who has struggled at the middle linebacker position this year. With no Evan Engram, no Golden Tate, Barkley will be relied upon heavily this week.
D.J. Moore- $6,800
What does D.J. Moore need to do to have his price rise above $7k this year? Over his last four games, Moore is averaging 7.5 catches for 111 yards and scored two touchdowns last week. Moore will see a lot of Fabian Moreau simply due to the speed of Moore, but Moreau has struggled for most of the season. At just $6,800, Moore is the safest player under $7k this week.
KEY FADE
This one is a bit scary, as we referenced earlier the matchup is a tremendous one for the Chiefs against Oakland. However, there is some risk when it comes to Tyreek Hill this week. Hill has been nursing a hamstring injury, and while he was a full participant late in the week, there is always a chance that the hamstring injury flairs back up again. The second concern is just the volatile nature of Hill on a week where there are several elite options. Tyreek Hill has two 100-yard games on the season, and those two games are both his most recent games that he finished. This ultimately means you’re paying a significant premium for Hill this week.
LINEUPS
ROSTER 1 ($60K) – PRIMARY CASH- (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 130.4)
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,700
- RB Miles Sanders, PHI, $5,800
- RB Saquon Barkley, NYG, $7,600
- WR- D.J. Moore, CAR, $6,800
- WR DeVante Parker, MIA, $6,000
- WR Auden Tate, CIN, $5,200
- TE Dallas Goedert, PHI, $5,200
- Flex RB- Christian McCaffrey, $11,000
- TD Pittsburgh Steelers, $3,700
ROSTER 2 ($60K) – BALANCED LINEUP No McCaffrey (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 126.0)
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,700
- RB Miles Sanders, PHI, $5,800
- RB Saquon Barkley, NYG, $7,600
- WR- D.J. Moore, CAR, $6,800
- WR Chris Godwin, TB, $8,200
- WR D.J. Chark, Jax, $6,900
- TE Dallas Goedert, PHI, $5,200
- Flex RB- Melvin Gordon, LAC, $7,000
- TD Pittsburgh Steelers, $3,700
ROSTER 3 ($60K) – CASH+ GB/NYG Game Stack(DD PROJECTED POINTS = 122.9)
- QB Aaron Rodgers, GB, $8,100
- RB Miles Sanders, PHI, $5,800
- RB Saquon Barkley, NYG, $7,600
- WR- D.J. Moore, CAR, $6,800
- WR Davante Adams, GB, $8,000
- WR DeVante Parker, MIA, $6,000
- TE Dallas Goedert, PHI, $5,200
- Flex RB- Derrick Henry, TEN, 8,600
- TD Pittsburgh Steelers, $3,700
Any questions on your cash game lineup or feedback on the article? Send me a message on Twitter below.
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