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.
2019 FORMAT:
| NAME | OPP. | SALARY | PROJ. % | CASH? | GPP STARS | NOTES |
| Warren Moon | @CAR | $6,400 | 11% | Yes | «««« | 4 stars = Best GPP selections. |
| Joe Montana | KC | $8,000 | 18% | - | ««« | 3 stars = Better GPP selections. |
| Dan Marino | NYG | $4,400 | 3% | Yes | «« | 2 stars = Good GPP selections. |
| Jim Kelly | @OAK | $5,100 | 7% | - | « | 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.
QUARTERBACKS
QUARTERBACK QUICK TAKES:
| NAME | OPP. | SALARY | PROJ. % | CASH? | GPP STARS | NOTES |
| Philip Rivers | OAK | $5,700.0 | 7% | Yes | «««« | Trending well. 300+ passing yards in 3 of last 4 games. |
| Matt Ryan | JAX | $6,200.0 | 9% | - | «««« | Thrown for 300+ yards in all (completed) home games. |
| Carson Wentz | DAL | $5,800.0 | 4% | - | ««« | Contrarian QB has cheap, reliable receiving options. |
| Russell Wilson | ARZ | $7,000.0 | 14% | Yes | ««« | Highest-scoring team on slate gets soft defense. |
| Dwayne Haskins | NYG | $4,700.0 | 1% | - | ««« | If he is ever going to deliver, it's this plush matchup. |
| Kyler Murray | @SEA | $6,100.0 | 7% | - | «« | Started running again in last. Super implied gamescript. |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | CIN | $6,000.0 | 8% | - | «« | Battle of the bums in Miami brings cheap upside. |
| Dak Prescott | @PHL | $6,400.0 | 9% | - | «« | A great spot versus a burnable Philly secondary. |
| Andy Dalton | @MIA | $5,200.0 | 7% | - | «« | Ditto the notes on Fitzpatrick above. |
| Drew Brees | @TEN | $6,900.0 | 6% | - | «« | Small exposure to get those 'guaranteed' Thomas stacks. |
| Gardner Minshew | @ATL | $5,500.0 | 7% | - | « | Leverage against Fournette owners. Upside matchup. |
| Lamar Jackson | @CLE | $8,000.0 | 11% | - | « | Pricey with limited stack options. Just a few shares. |
CASH: It's tough to get to Lamar Jackson's $8.0K salary this week for cash games, so you will probably have to consider Russell Wilson at a $1K discount from Jackson or Philip Rivers at home against Oakland. Wilson should have no issues carving up an Arizona defense that has allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than any team in the league. Wilson has been quiet for the past month, largely due to blowout wins or tough matchups against strong secondaries (Rams, 49ers, Panthers), but the Cards' secondary is terrible and their offense is coming off a 38-point performance against the Browns just a week ago. Saving another $1K+ with Rivers is also an option against the Raiders, who allowed the third-most fantasy points to the quarterback position. Having thrown for 300+ yards in 3 of his previous 4 contests, Rivers is a good candidate for both cash games and GPP formats, particularly given the Raiders' recent run of poor performances (allowing 34 points per game over the previous month).
GPP: You will quickly notice that the Falcons are all rated highly in this week's edition of Tips and Picks. There are multiple factors that created that reality, but the biggest is that the Falcons are simply too cheap given their implied team total and overall matchup against a dumpster fire in Jacksonville. This means that Matt Ryan, who thrown for 300+ yards in every home game that he has completed this season, is atop the list of GPP candidates for the quarterback position. In Philadelphia, both quarterbacks are firmly in play as GPP contenders. My buddy, Phil Alexander, made a great case for Dak Prescott on the PowerGrid that cannot be denied; as for Carson Wentz, he is going overlooked because of injuries to his key receivers, but his secondary receivers (including both tight ends) are inexpensive and reliable enough to substantiate Wentz as a GPP flyer at less than 5% ownership while trying to keep pace with one of the league's best offenses.
