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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 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. If you have questions about any of the recommendations or the process that led to them, please email me at john.lee@footballguys.com.

CASH GAMES

Quarterbacks: There is only one cash game quarterback this week: Deshaun Watson against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Look for Watson to continue where he left off against the Vikings last week (23.9 DK points) when the Texans host the league's worst-ranked DVOA pass defense. Jacksonville has allowed 300+ passing yards and/or multiple touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in every game this season and the list of quarterbacks they have faced is less than impressive (Philip Rivers, Ryan Tannehill, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Joe Burrow). With the departure of Bill O'Brien, fired earlier this week, we should expect the Texan to be fired up to get their first win of the season against the Jags; Vegas agrees and has pegged them with a 30-point implied team total, 4th-highest on the slate. This is a week to ignore Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes II in cash formats because of their heftier price and possibility of going run-heavy late in the game (which explains their absence here).

Running Backs: Nearly a 10-point home favorite, the Cowboys should be expected to lean on Ezekiel Elliott this Sunday against the Giants. Elliott has yet to play with a winning gamescript in 2020, so we have not yet seen his fantasy ceiling, but we have seen his floor, which appears to be 20 touches and a shade under 20 DK points. Look for Dallas to try to set the pace of this game by feeding Elliott early and often; he makes for an excellent cash game and tournament selection. Another heavy home favorite, the Chiefs will feature first-round pick, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, against the Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead. Edwards-Helaire has not found paydirt since the season-opener despite 60 touches (and 83 points for the Chiefs) over his previous 3 contests. Look for positive scoring regression for the rookie running back and do not be surprised if he gets into the endzone multiple times. Elsewhere, Mike Davis makes a repeat appearance in this section after delivering value against the Cardinals in Week #4. Davis compiled over 100 all-purpose yards and a score to deliver 22.1 DK points. This week, DraftKings has raised his salary $700, but he is still in play versus the Falcons, who ironically allowed exactly 22.1 DK points to Aaron Jones (in a committee role) last Monday night. Lastly, feel free to hoard the Texans' fantasy points by going with the Deshaun Watson-David Johnson cash game combination. DJ is coming off an underwhelming week that also saw his snap count decrease, but the gamescript favored his stablemate, Duke Johnson Jr, as the Texans trailed throughout that contest. This week, the Texans are 5.5-point favorites and "David" faces a Jaguars run defense that made Joe Mixon a GPP staple just a week ago.

Wide Receivers: Typically more of a GPP play, Tyreek Hill tops the list of cash game wide receiver options this weekend. Hill has been a model of consistency in 2020, scoring in every Chiefs' contest; he matches up against the Raiders' Lamarcus Joyner, who is currently rated as ProFootballFocus' 3rd-worst coverage cornerback in the league. Cementing the deal is that Joyner's 40-yard dash time topped out at 4.55-seconds--he'll be chasing "TyFreak" all afternoon. The only glimmer of hope in Washington these days is their defense and Terry McLaurin. McLaurin has been stellar, despite poor quarterback play, and has capitalized on pass-heavy gamescripts to this point in the season. We can expect McLaurin to get a heavy dose of Jalen Ramsey in the nation's capital on Sunday, but there is no reason to expect the gamescript to change with Kyle Allen under center and we have seen (in 2019) how Allen typically locks onto a receiver for the duration of a game; given the lack of alternatives in Washington, McLaurin looks like a safe call to be on the other end of Allen's passes on Sunday. In Carolina, it appears that Robby Anderson has catapulted past D.J. Moore for the title of WR1 for the Panthers. Anderson has outscored Moore in every game this season and is actually $100 cheaper to boot. Having allowed 90+ receiving yards to 5 different receivers prior to this weekend, the Falcons pose no threat to slow down Anderson's resurgence. In Dallas, Darius Slayton gets a tasty personnel matchup against the Cowboys' horrid secondary in a gamescript that implies significant passing from the Giants. After opening the season with 31.2 DK points against the Steelers, Slayton has posted back-to-back-to-back stinkers against tough defenses; look for him to rebound against the softest defense he and the Giants have faced to this point in the season. Lastly, strictly a punt option, Olamide Zaccheaus is coming off a week that saw him finish as the Falcons' leading receiver against the Packers. With Julio Jones looking on the doubtful side of questionable and lingering concerns about Calvin Ridley's ankle, Zaccheaus is a reasonable salary-saving option against the Panthers' league-worst (DVOA) defense.

Tight Ends: After missing a pair of games with a knee injury, George Kittle returned with a vengeance last Sunday night, collecting 15 receptions for 183 yards and a score. No tight end in the league, save Darren Waller, has a more clear stranglehold on his team's receiving targetshare than Kittle when healthy. Paying up at tight end is typically not an advisable practice for cash games, but given that Kittle is used more as a wide receiver than a tight end, his $6.6K salary is entirely reasonable. If, however, you are looking for ways to save salary, Evan Engram is an acceptable backup option for the same rationale already described for Darius Slayton (above). The Giants should be playing catchup in this contest and Dallas has been generous to opposing tight ends, allowing them to score in each of their previous three games.

Team Defenses: If you have the excess salary, slotting in the Ravens at the team defense position should be an easy click against the Bengals this weekend. Cincinnati is coming off their first win of the season against the Jaguars, but the Ravens' 8th-ranked DVOA defense is a far contrast from the Jags 30th-ranked (DVOA) defense. Baltimore has yet to allow an opposing running back to surpass 75 rushing yards and has allowed only 1 rushing touchdown this year; meanwhile, their secondary has allowed wide receivers to score in only one game this season. To save some cash, it is acceptable to take the Texans at home against the Jaguars. Rumors are surfacing that team leader J.J. Watt got into an argument that led to Bill O'Brien's firing this week, an event that could galvanize the clubhouse after an 0-4 start. The Texans are better than their record reflects, as they have started the season with games against Kansas City (4-0), Baltimore (3-1), Pittsburgh (3-0), and Minnesota (1-3).

TOURNAMENTS

Quarterbacks: No justification is necessary for Patrick Mahomes II and Dak Prescott--both quarterbacks have demonstrated immense upside across their career and have high implied team totals again this week. If you want to roster either of them, just remember to gain some roster uniqueness at other positions to differentiate your lineup(s). In Houston, the Vegas total has crept nearly 5 points from when it opened on Tuesday morning, which means the sharps think this game has a chance of shooting out. Assuming that were to happen, consider Gardner Minshew, who has posted 300+ yards in half of his games this season. Minshew got a boost last week with the return of D.J. Chark (who was recommended in this column as a 'deep sleeper' at 3%) en route to a 24.94-DK point performance. Minshew has quietly completed over 70% of his passes this season and is being overlooked if he ends up on less than 8-10% of tournament lineups. Elsewhere consider either quarterback playing in Atlanta (Matt Ryan or Teddy Bridgewater), as both defenses have not demonstrated an ability to slow any opposing offense in 2020. Lastly, Daniel Jones is dirt-cheap in a game that could see him heave the ball 35+ times against a porous secondary.

• Sleeper: Do not go overboard, but just about any starting NFL quarterback is worth a piece of your GPP portfolio when priced like a tight end. At only $4.1K, Kyle Allen should be in about 8-10% of your GPP lineups and paired Terry McLaurin ($10.2K stack total). The Washington Football Team has an implied team total of 20 points--if most (or all) of those come through Kyle Allen's arm, the Allen-McLaurin stack could easily deliver 40 DK points and still leave you with $40K to pile up on more sure things (i.e., Ezekiel Elliott) at other positions.
• Fade: As the most expensive quarterback on the slate and having missed practice on Wednesday/Thursday, there are better options than Lamar Jackson for quarterback this Sunday. Jackson could very well deliver, but the risk is real, particularly when the Ravens are nearly two-touchdown favorites agains the Bengals--it would not be surprising to see Baltimore lean on their triumvirate of running backs (Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards) to ensure that Jackson has an extra week to heal before testing his knee in a game where he is really needed.