For the uninitiated, playing daily games on DraftKings can be an enjoyable experience, but equally sobering is the fact that season-long knowledge does not always translate to success in the daily space. Footballguys will bring you a series of value- and strategic-based selections from a number of seasoned daily veterans throughout the NFL season. Herein is another edition of “Tipandpick’s Tips and Picks,” where we will examine the salaries of players at each position on DraftKings and make value-based recommendations for both your cash games and tournaments.
Below you will find a list of recommended players for both formats. GPP players generally have high-upside, but are too risky for cash games; cash game players are consistent with high fantasy floors. In some instances, the value for a player is so strong, he may fall into both categories…let’s have a look.
TIPS...
In order to help you build winning rosters, let's walk through some of the observations that I have made while doing my research for DraftKings this week. As you build out your lineups on DraftKings, try to consider the following commentary, which revolves around game strategy and how we will want to take advantage of what the masses are doing when they construct their own lineups.
DON'T BUY INTO THE HYPE: Coming out of the draft that leads into the preseason that brings us to Week #1, there are a litany of narratives and hype surrounding players, coaching schemes, and personnel. For example, Justice Hill has looked the part in Baltimore, Jimmy Garoppolo had a terrible preseason, and Julio Jones is irritated with his current contract situation. Assuming each of those stories to be true, we should avoid Mark Ingram, Jimmy G., and Julio Jones, right? Not so fast. When there are no stats from which the media can write articles and assess talent, there is a tendency to create narratives that result in article clicks because, after all, nobody is going to read an article about Julio Jones starting against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. While Justice Hill may actually be the real deal, do not make the mistake of slotting him into your lineups based solely on preseason hype; truth is that he has looked great, but Mark Ingram is a proven commodity in this league and the Ravens will more than likely ease Hill into their offense while Ingram does the heavy lifting. It's this kind of thinking that can make the difference between winning and losing on Opening Weekend. Do your research, rely on established talent, and trust your instincts. And because we are in this together, I wish you the best of luck...
NEW FORMAT!
| NAME | MATCHUP | SALARY | PUBLIC | CASH? | GPP STARS | NOTES |
| Warren Moon | @CAR | $6,400 | 11% | Yes | 4 | 4 stars = Best GPP selections |
| Joe Montana | KC | $8,000 | 18% | - | 3 | 3 stars = Better GPP selections |
| Dan Marino | NYG | $4,400 | 3%% | Yes | 2 | 2 stars = Good GPP selections |
| Jim Kelly | @OAK | $5,100 | 7% | - | 1 | 1 star = Average GPP selections |
A new year brings a new format. In an effort to condense and enhance the value of the article, the text of Tips and Picks will be less than in years' past, but the upside is that you will now gain access to my full GPP player pool for DraftKings each and every week! For each position, I will provide Footballguys' subscribers with every player that I consider to be viable for cash games, while providing a ranking for every player that I will be drafting in my tournament lineups. The above table is an example of what you will see in the "Picks" section of this article. See below for some important bullet points regarding the new format:
- The "CROWD EXPOSURE" column is based on Steve Buzzard's Ownership Projections each week.
- The "CASH VIABLE?" column reveals to the reader which players can be considered for cash games (50/50's, double-ups, and head-to-head contests).
- The "GPP STARS" column rates players according to how I rank them in my large-field GPP contests each week:
- 4 stars: The players in which I will be most overweight on the public (indicated in the 'Crowd Exposure' column); these are my most confident plays.
- 3 stars: The players in which I like more than the public (indicated in the 'Crowd Exposure' column); these are plays that I feel strongly could deliver.
- 2 stars: The players in which I will be close to the public (indicated in the 'Crowd Exposure' column); these players reflect those that I think the public percentages are most accurate.
- 1 star: The players in which I will be exposed at rates lower than the public (indicated in the 'Crowd Exposure' column) OR at rates generally lower than 5% overall; these are players who merit consideration in your overall approach, but will be limited in my player pool due to game strategy reasons.
- If you have any questions on the new format, please email me at john.lee@footballguys.com.
...AND PICKS
Let's take a deeper look into some of the players who I will be targeting for my cash game and tournament rosters this weekend. A short summary follows each respective table to fill in the gaps that led to the respective recommendations; that text represents only an overview of the methodology and rationale that goes into each recommendation.