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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: With 5 quarterbacks surpassing the $7K salary threshold and another 7 sitting in the $6K range, DraftKings is daring us to go cheap at the position in cash games this Sunday. Taking the bait, Matt Ryan and Jalen Hurts fit the mold of a value quarterback where the opportunity cost-to-risk ratio is minimal. In two of his previous three games, Matt Ryan has faced the league's second-ranked DVOA defense (New Orleans) which has limited his fantasy output, but he gets a reprieve this week against the Chargers' 26th-ranked DVOA defense that has allowed 10 out of 12 opposing quarterbacks to achieve (or surpass) 3x Ryan's Week #14 salary. Some will be swayed away from Ryan because Julio Jones will miss this game with a hamstring injury, but Russell Gage and Christian Blake have filled in nicely in the past and the Falcons likely are not going to go ground-heavy with a hobbled Todd Gurley and/or undertalented Brian Hill. In the City of Brotherly Love, the Eagles have decided to see what they have with second-round pick, Jalen Hurts, after watching Carson Wentz struggle for the entirety of the season. In relief of Wentz last week, Hurts quickly compiled 10.3 DK points in less than a half of football. The matchup against the Saints is a difficult one, but Hurts' propensity to run the ball helps elevate his scoring floor and his salary is low enough that the risk is minimal.

Running Backs: As a heavy road-favorite against the lowly Jaguars, the Titans are expected to score ~ 30 points on Sunday and Derrick Henry should be heavily involved. Henry will be popular in cash games for this reason, but he is not a must-play running back if you find that his salary negatively affects the remainder of your roster. There are nine running backs within my model that have better points-per-dollar value than Henry, so a proper build with other players could certainly be merited. That said, Henry should be mentioned in the conversation simply due to his late-season prowess and likely role in this potential blowout. At a slight discount from Henry, you will find both Aaron Jones and Austin Ekeler in the $7K range. Jones is another substantial road-favorite against the Lions, arguably the worst run defense in the league; Jones has 18+ touches in all-but-one game since he returned from injury in Week #9 and should be used heavily in this matchup. At $7K even, Ekeler will be a crowd-favorite after catching 15 passes in his previous pair of games and demonstrating that he is the workhorse in this Chargers backfield. Lastly, Antonio Gibson has a bum toe and will miss Sunday's game against the Niners, which means that we should see a combination of Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic in the Washington backfield. McKissic is the play in DraftKings' full-PPR scoring system, as Alex Smith has demonstrated on many occasions across his career that he will gladly dump outlet passes to his running backs, including last week when McKissic collected 10 receptions against the Steelers. One quick note: Do not play McKissic on FanDuel where touchdowns are more important because Washington will likely feed Peyton Barber inside the redzone on most plays. SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Shortly after this article posted on Saturday, we learned that Myles Gaskin was diagnosed with COVID-19 and will miss today's game (and likely next week's game). With Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) and Matt Breida (COVID) also unavailable, this leaves DeAndre Washington with all the work he can handle. Our David Dodds projects Washington with 15 touches and there is a non-zero chance that number could get as high as 20 touches with the right gamescript. Washington's salary is only $4.0K, which makes him a must-play in cash game formats on DraftKings (and on FanDuel according to Devin Knotts). In tournaments, his viability will be contingent on how popular he gets with the masses towards lineup lock, but I like him up to ~ 15-20% crowd exposure; if he starts to trickle beyond that plateau, you should begin to think about going underweight with your overall exposure (in tournaments).

Wide Receivers: The one expensive player we should try to cram into cash game lineups this Sunday is Davante Adams. Honing in on his 28th birthday, Adams is having a career season (13 touchdowns and 1,000+ yards in only 10 games) and is locked into Aaron Rodgers' radar. Having scored 11 touchdowns across his previous 7 games, Adams is tough to ignore in all DFS formats. In Los Angeles, Calvin Ridley should benefit from Julio Jones' absence, but will absorb shadow coverage from ProFootballFocus' #12-ranked cornerback, Casey Hayward. The personnel matchup might scare some folks away from Ridley, but Hayward's PFF ranking does not match with his recent performance--before last week's shutout against the Patriots, Hayward had allowed touchdowns while in coverage in four of his previous five games against far less-talented receivers than Ridley. In the $6K range, look to Brandin Cooks and/or Corey Davis as cash game considerations. Cooks' stat-line as a crowd favorite last week was mediocre, which could scare people away from him this Sunday, but do not fall prey to short-term thinking; Cooks is the best receiver on this offense and will get plenty of opportunity without Will Fuller (suspension) for the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, Davis is vibing with Ryan Tannehill, having scored double-digit fantasy points in every game since returning from injury in Week #7; his matchup against the Jags' 30th-ranked DVOA pass defense is superb at only $5.7K. Rounding things out, Jamison Crowder injured himself in practice on Thursday and did not practice on Friday, an ominous sign for his availability on Sunday. Prior to the injury, Breshad Perriman looked like a solid play in a pass-heavy contest against the Seahawks; after the injury, Perriman is a must-play for cash games and equally intriguing as a 'run-back' option with Russell Wilson-DK Metcalf (or Tyler Lockett) gamestacks.

Tight Ends: Travis Kelce is the luxury item you want in your cash games in Week #14. He has collected eight or more receptions in five consecutive games and basically plays the role of possession receiver for the league's most capable quarterback. At first glance, Kelce seems pricey at $7.4K, but if you take into account his role, his team's implied team total, his quarterback, and the volatility of the position with anybody else available, he is the preferred play at tight end. If you cannot get to Kelce's salary, however, Logan Thomas is the acceptable punt play at only $3.3K. Since Alex Smith took over at quarterback for the Football Team several weeks ago, only Terry McLaurin has been targeted more than Thomas. Likewise, Thomas has six redzone opportunities in that same span, more than any receiver on the team. Be advised, however, that Thomas is not a free square against Fred Warner than the Niners, who have been the league's stingiest defense against the tight end position.

Team Defenses: Two bad defenses in good matchups top the list of cash game options in Week #14. First, the Seahawks are on the tail-end of three stellar matchups against bad offenses. In their previous two games, they faced Carson Wentz and Colt McCoy and were able to collect 9.0 DK points in each matchup; this week, they get Sam Darnold and the underachieving Jets at home for only $3.0K. Alternatively, Dallas pops as one of the best tournament plays at the position all season within my model. The Cowboys appear to be nearly 40% to achieve 4x value on their salary, but are slated to appear in less than 10% of tournament lineups, which makes them a pristine tournament play. That said, they are also viable in cash game formats against Brandon Allen, who has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns this season.

TOURNAMENTS

Quarterbacks: Nestled between names like Patrick Mahomes II, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers, it's easy to overlook Deshaun Watson this week against the Bears. Watson, however, is an excellent tournament option coming off back-to-back-to-back 300+ yard performances and numerous cheap receivers with which to stack him. A few hundred dollars less, Kyler Murray is a sharp play against the Giants. Murray brings double-bonus (300-passing yards and 100-rushing yards) upside to your rosters on a weekly basis and is an excellent stack option alongside DeAndre Hopkins this Sunday. In Jacksonville, Ryan Tannehill is a nice leverage play against the 30% of people who will be leaning on Derrick Henry in their lineups this weekend; if Tannehill has three touchdowns in him (the Titans are projected to score 30 points), it will have meant that those Derrick Henry lineups were dead in the water and you will have immediately jumped over a third of the field in the process. Lastly, Alex Smith is a sneaky contrarian play against the 49'ers. Smith is cheap ($5.2K), has Terry McLaurin for chunk plays, and a series of cheap receivers (Cam Sims and Logan Thomas) to move the sticks; add in J.D. McKissic's after-the-catch abilities and it would not be surprising to see Smith surpass 300 yards for the 3rd time in 6 starts.

• Sleeper: On a slate where we have the choice between Patrick Mahomes II and Daniel Jones, clicking on Jones' name for DFS purposes is enough to make one nauseous. But Jones is actually an intriguing play this week against a Cardinals defense that has yielded 20+ DK points in 5 of their previous 6 games (exception: Cam Newton in Week #12). Jones returns from a hamstring injury and has several cheap receivers from which to choose; pair Jones in double-stacks with Evan Engram and your favorite Giants' receiver before 'running it back' with DeAndre Hopkins (more on him below). Arizona is still running the fastest offense in the league per FootballOutsiders, which could create a back-and-forth affair where the cheap Giants players represent contrarian options to build around with more popular players elsewhere.
• Fade: Aaron Rodgers is not a bad play this weekend, but there are better options at his position. Rodgers has one good receiver and the dropoff thereafter is substantial; if Davante Adams has just an average game (say, 8 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown), Rodgers will likely fall short of the 30 DK points needed to justify his salary. There is a strong chance that the Packers jump to a lead in this contest, which could minimize Rodgers' involvement later in the game. Go about half the field (~ 5%) and distribute your remaining exposure to other quarterbacks with less risk (and percent-rostered).