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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: Having scored 74+ DK points in his first pair of games as a starter for the Eagles, Jalen Hurts has our collective attention. Hurts' salary has risen $2K over that timespan, but he is viable in all formats this week against a Dallas defense that allowed Lamar Jackson, whose skillset mirrors Hurts, nearly 27 DK points in late November. It is possible to save a few dollars in cash games by rolling with Mitchell Trubisky against the Jacksonville Jaguars' last-ranked DVOA pass defense. Since taking over the starting job in Chicago a month ago, Trubisky has thrown for at least 200 passing yards and a touchdown in every game, numbers that could jump higher against a Jags defense that trails only Atlanta in points per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Backs: This is not much value at the running back position this week, which could force you to spend chunks of your salary on players who have less security than we normally seek at the position. The recommendation is to run several cash game lineups and to distribute your exposure to these running backs across those lineups as a risk mitigation strategy. Having scored six times across his previous four games, David Montgomery is the front-runner for chalkiest running back in cash games this weekend. DMont carried the ball a season-high 32 times in last week's contest against the Vikings; we can probably expect about 16-20 touches for Montgomery this week as a heavy road favorite against the 1-win Jaguars. At nearly the same price point as Montgomery, Austin Ekeler merits consideration in cash games at home against the Broncos. Ekeler has been tremendously inefficient since returning from an injury in Week #12--the crafty running back has 78 scoreless touches, 12 of which have been in the redzone, during that time. Positive scoring regression is in Ekeler's future, which makes him a solid selection for both cash and GPP formats against the Broncos, who have allowed 4 different running backs to score 25+ DK points in their past 6 contests. The lock-and-load candidate at the position plays opposite the aforementioned Austin Ekeler: Melvin Gordon should have the bulk of the backfield to himself after Phillip Lindsay was placed on Injured Reserve on Saturday. Normally a committee backfield, the Broncos have leaned heavily on Gordon (or Lindsay) when Lindsay (or Gordon) have not been active this season; across a 4-game sample, Denver fed their primary running back an average of 20.3 times in those contests. If MG3 is able to secure that level of opportunity on Sunday without Lindsay, he should easily deliver 3x value on his modest $5.6K salary.

Wide Receivers: While it might not be possible to get to his salary, Calvin Ridley is certainly a viable cash game wide receiver option again this week with Julio Jones missing yet another game. As discussed in this same space last week, Ridley's numbers are stellar when Julio Jones is inactive; he has 100+ yards in 5 out of 6 games without Julio this season. Add in a pass-heavy gamescript as sizeable road underdogs to the high-flying Chiefs and Ridley is poised to hit another 100-yard day on Sunday. In Carolina, Robby Anderson is slated to bounce back after struggling to do much last weekend against Jaire Alexander. Prior to that 2/21/0 hiccup, Anderson had posted double-digit fantasy points in 11 out of 13 games this season, which amounts to an incredibly consistent performer for cash games at only $5.5K. In Houston, Tyler Boyd (concussion) will miss the Bengals game against the Texans, which bodes well for Tee Higgins to deliver solid return on investment on his $4.7K salary. Look for Higgins to absorb the WR1 role across from A.J. Green (who is borderline cash game-viable, himself) and finish with 8-12 targets in a game that will necessitate the Bengals throwing often if Vegas oddsmakers are correct. A similar argument can be made for Cam Sims against the Panthers, as Terry McLaurin will not start due to a lingering ankle injury. Sims is attractively priced at only $3.3K and should be considered for all formats given his recent usage (19 targets across the last 3 weeks) and the implied redistribution of McLaurin's weekly allotment (~ 9) of targets.

Tight Ends: Rolling with "Dallas in Dallas" is one reasonable option for cash games at the tight end position in Week #15. Dallas Goedert has essentially taken over the role of the Eagles' number-one receiver since their Week #9 bye week; across that time, Goedert has 43 targets, which is 11 more than the next closest Philadelphia receiver (Jalen Reagor). Goedert is affordably priced, playing nearly every snap, and continues to be heavily targeted in high-leverage situations (i.e., redzone); for these reasons, he is also one of the best overall plays on the Week #15 in all DFS contest formats. In Los Angeles, I have to admit that I am truly excited to see what 6'8" athletic freak, Donald Parham, can do without Hunter Henry on the field for the Chargers. Parham was "a man amongst boys" in the XFL earlier this year, displaying a superior skillset to most of the league; in limited NFL action thus far, Parham has displayed an ability to exploit his large frame inside the redzone, as evidenced by him scoring twice on only five catches. Parham is priced at DraftKing's lowest salary ($2.5K) and should be on a minimum of 25% of your tournament rosters, in addition to this cash game consideration.

Team Defenses: DraftKings priced up the best defenses (Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago) this week, but seem to have missed the Texans who play host to Ryan Finley and the Bengals. Cincinnati cannot wait for this season to be over--they are now without their RB1 (Joe Mixon, Week #6), QB1 (Joe Burrow, Week #11), and WR1 (Tyler Boyd, Week #15). Meanwhile Ryan Finley has thrown 119 passes across his NFL career and more of those passes landed in the arms of a defender (4) than from somebody wearing a Bengals jersey (3). If you somehow cannot get to the Texans, the Cowboys rate high against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Dallas is far from a good defense, but they have posted back-to-back double-digit fantasy games entering this weekend and are priced fairly at only $2.4K at home; they trail only Houston in expected points-per-dollar output on this 10-game slate.

TOURNAMENTS

Quarterbacks: Coming off a huge 30+ point performance against the Buccaneers at home last week, Matt Ryan could be in store for another big fantasy day against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. Ryan will likely toss the ball more than 40 times in this contest and we know that Patrick Mahomes II will find a way to post 30 points against the Falcons' substandard defense, which means that Ryan should be considered for tournaments where he is stacked with Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, or both. Elsewhere, both quarterbacks in the Carolina-Washington game have a series of receivers who look to be too cheap and under-rostered, which makes both Teddy Bridgewater and Dwayne Haskins (or Alex Smith, pending confirmation on Sunday morning) viable 4x upside options at low salaries. Lastly, it will not be easy to click on Daniel Jones' name looking at recent box scores--last year's first-round pick has not thrown a touchdown pass since Week #9 and has only 8 touchdowns all season. That said, his floor is baked into his salary, as are his receivers' salaries; it is possible to pair him with Sterling Shepard or Darius Slayton for less than $10K, which leaves plenty of salary on the table for chalkier, more expensive players elsewhere.

• Sleeper: Much like Daniel Jones (above), clicking on Sam Darnold's name for tournaments could make you feel ill, but his situation is perfect for large-field GPPs. Darnold (and his receivers) will be on a small fraction of lineups and are affordably priced in a game that likely places a lot of pressure on the Jets to pass early and often. The Browns are not a stellar defensive unit, as evidenced by them allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (20.9 DK points per game) and 25th-ranked DVOA pass unit.
• Fade: Before you lose your mind, Patrick Mahomes II is a recommended fade this week largely due to his salary. With an $8.5K salary and key receivers (Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce) priced similarly, you will be asked to earmark over a third of your overall salary cap towards two players, which is an opportunity cost too high unless that tandem scores 80+ fantasy points. In other words, fade Patrick Mahomes II when you are considering an expensive stack, but feel free to roll with him in cheaper, lower-rostered pairs with Mecole Hardman and/or Sammy Watkins.