Cracking FanDuel: Divisional Round

Photo: USA Today Sports

SITUATIONS THAT STAND OUT TO THIS WEEK ON THE MAIN SLATE.

• Kansas City (vs CLE) 33.5 points
• New Orleans (vs CHI)– 27.5 points

CASH GAME STRATEGY WEEK 19- Late Swap This Week

This is a week that is going to be unlike any other this season. You are going to have to plan out late swaps far in advance. The entire slate is dependent on whether Clyde Edwards-Helaire can play this week, and with the game not being until Sunday, you should build your lineups as if he is going to play, and know immediately, what you are going to do if he misses (play Darrell Williams). What this ultimately means is setting up your lineup.

Make sure your flex is someone who is playing in the latest game of that position!!! If you have three running backs in your lineup, take the extra five seconds to put the running back who plays in the latest game in your flex, as this gives you the most flexibility when building your lineup.

INJURY UNLOCKS OPPORTUNITY?

The Chiefs will be without Sammy Watkins and perhaps the biggest news of the weekend is whether Clyde Edwards-Helaire will play tomorrow. As of now, the running back is still very questionable with an ankle injury, if somehow, we were able to get word at any point this weekend that he is out, Darrell Williams should see the majority of the split backfield in Kansas City as he out snapped Le’Veon Bell 70/30 in Week 16.

Zack Moss will miss this week with an ankle injury. This should open up opportunity for Devin Singletary to see more volume. The issue however is that this likely will be a split backfield as well as the Bills are calling up veteran T.J. Yeldon who excels in the passing game.

Cooper Kupp is questionable this week with a knee injury as the team is calling it a true game-time decision. Van Jefferson becomes intriguing if Kupp is unable to go, as in Week 17 in a must-win game, Jefferson had 8 targets in replace of Kupp albeit with John Wolford at quarterback. Robert Woods is likely the biggest beneficiary of the Kupp injury even if he plays, as Goff will likely rely on his #1 receiver and they may move Woods down to the slot for part of the game which will help him get away from Jaire Alexander.

Ronald Jones II is questionable this week with a quad injury. Even if he goes, Bruce Arians is calling Leonard Fournette the starter, what that actually means is not much other than Fournette has practiced the game script to start the game and will likely take the first series.

The Browns get Denzel Ward and slot corner Kevin Johnson back this week which is massive for their chances at slowing down Kansas City’s passing game. Ward is the key cog in this defense, as he one of the very few cornerbacks in the NFL who has the speed/skill combination to keep up with Tyreek Hill as he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash coming out of college.

KEY CASH CORE

Patrick Mahomes II $9,200

This one has been written and re-written several times as the choice between Patrick Mahomes II and Lamar Jackson is a difficult one this week. Jackson looked awful as a passer last week against one of the league’s worst secondaries, and made up for it on the ground running as all he needs is a little crease and he is gone. He ran for 136 yards and a touchdown last week, which if you can get 100 yards and a touchdown from him, he’s going to pay off, but the Bills strength on this defense is their linebacker play in Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds. Last year, the Bills held Jackson to one of his worst days of the year as they contained him to just 40 yards rushing.

Mahomes gets to face off against a struggling Browns secondary that is suffering a bit from the loss of Olivier Vernon when it comes to creating a pass rush as well as just health in the secondary as Denzel Ward has missed time, and Greedy Williams has been out for most of the season. The Browns secondary stats are primarily propped up by a weak schedule along with three games in the middle of the year that made it almost impossible to throw due to the wind. At it’s worst, this is a defense that has allowed 300+ yard passing games six times on the season and 380+ yard games 4 times. Mahomes sputtered a little bit into the playoffs, but coming off a bye, expect a massive game from the Chiefs who are projected by Vegas to scored 33 points and have a poor running game.

Michael Thomas $7,200

This is a scenario where FanDuel just has not adjusted Thomas’ price enough. While he did not have a huge game last week 5 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, he did have a very strong game in a game script that had the Saints running the ball for the entire second half. This week, the Saints will likely struggle running the ball as they are facing the best run defense in football in Tampa Bay, which should open up plenty of opportunities for Thomas to beat the secondary which has holes in Tampa Bay.

Travis Kelce, $8,500

Paying $8,500 on a slate which has seemingly no value at the moment is a bit crazy, but here we are. The choice really this week is between Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce, and for me, it is a no-brainer decision to go with the tight end. The Browns on the season, have really struggled with the tight end position, allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Kelce will likely see a significant amount of time one-on-one as the defense looks to prevent the big play from Hill this week.

Cam Akers, $7,000

This slate has some running backs that potentially will make you cringe, but outside of the top end guys in Kamara (tough matchup), and Chubb (too expensive for the game script), Akers seems to be the top guy this week. With a struggling passing game in Los Angeles, the Rams have turned to their second-round pick in Akers in the back half of the year as over the last three weeks, Akers has 21, 29, 15, 21, 28 carries as he has taken over the backfield since Darrell Henderson’s injury. While not a dream matchup, it is still a very good one as Green Bay during the regular season allowed the 7^th most FanDuel points to the position, and 4.4 yards-per-carry. Akers will be relied on heavily as the Rams look to keep the ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands and make this a defense/low-scoring type game.

LINEUPS

SAMPLE ROSTER 1 ($60K) – PRIMARY CASH IF Clyde Edwards-Helaire Plays- (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 126.6)

• QB Patrick Mahomes II, KC, $9,200
• RB Devin Singletary, BUF, $5,700
• RB Cam Akers, LAR, $7,000
• WR Cole Beasley, BUF, $5,900
• WR Michael Thomas, NO, $7,200
• WR Robert Woods, LAR, $6,600
• TE Travis Kelce, KC, $8,500
• Flex RB Leonard Fournette, TB, $6,300
• TD Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,500

SAMPLE ROSTER 2 ($60K) –CASH LINEUP Pivot If Edwards-Helaire Misses (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 129.7)

• QB Patrick Mahomes II, KC, $9,200
• RB Devin Singletary, BUF, $5,700
• RB Cam Akers, LAR, $7,000
• WR Cole Beasley, BUF, $5,900
• WR Tyreek Hill, KC, $8,800
• WR Robert Woods, LAR, $6,600
• TE Travis Kelce, KC, $8,500
• Flex RB Darrell Williams, KC, $4,800
• TD Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,500

SAMPLE ROSTER 3 ($60K) – GPP LINEUP BUF/IND GAME STACK CLE/PIT RB STACK (DD PROJECTED POINTS = 133.9)

• QB Lamar Jackson, BAL $8,000
• RB Devin Singletary, BUF, $5,700
• RB Aaron Jones, GB, $7,800
• WR Mecole Hardman, KC, $5,200
• WR Michael Thomas, NO, $7,200
• WR Tyreek Hill, KC, $8,800
• TE Mark Andrews, BAL, $6,600
• Flex RB Leonard Fournette, TB, $6,300
• TD Kansas City, $4,200

NEW FEATURE: PLAYER POOL

Projected points are static as of Saturday morning and will not be updated throughout the weekend. Green means great cash game play, yellow means should be in consideration in cash game lineups. Red means only play him if the injury is confirmed.