Hopefully, you started the season out with a bang and were able to cash in Week 1. If not, have no fear, it’s a long year! Thanks for joining me once again, let’s get right to it.
The goal of the cash game article is to outline some of the safer plays, while also, providing options that will help you create the most optimal builds. The whole point of it all is to make some money. Sometimes we won’t, but putting ourselves in the best position to do so is the most important part. That goes without saying, but can sometimes get overshadowed by the results on a week to week basis.
All people want to know is how many points a guy scored, and not necessarily the route in which they got there. DFS is not only a science but a math equation. Let’s dive in, put the pieces together, and try to solve it. Here are the NFL DFS Cash Game Plays for Week 2.
Disclaimer: As always, there will be a lock emoji next to a few of my favorite plays. All of the guys mentioned are viable for cash games, but the ones with a lock emoji are going to be fixtures in my main lineup.
Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky ($5,500 DK, $7.200 FD)
Did you see that amazing fourth-quarter comeback last week? Where has that Trubisky been? More importantly, where has he been in games where he isn’t facing the Detroit Lions? And can he build on that late-game performance and turn in more consistency? We don’t have the answers to those questions, however, he’s in another good spot this week against the New York Giants. The Giants allowed a 38-year-old quarterback fresh off a season where missed 14 games, throw for three touchdowns. After producing 242 yards through the air, 26 yards on the ground, and adding three touchdown passes, Trubisky’s price was only raised $100 on DraftKings. Let’s take advantage of the matchup and hope he can ride last week’s wave into value for us again here.
Kyler Murray ($6,100 DK, $8,000 FD)
Much like Trubisky, Murray offers us a solid blend of passing and rushing out of the quarterback position. Unlike Trubisky, he doesn’t struggle to produce as frequently. The chemistry between him and DeAndre Hopkins was synced up and on full display last week, as Hopkins caught many fantasy analysts (including myself) with their pants down, grabbing 14 balls for 151 yards. The Washington Football Team’s defense is improved. They held Carson Wentz and the Eagles to 17 points and finished with eight sacks (four more than any other team) in Week 1. Nonetheless, if they put solid pressure on Murray, he should be able to pick up some solid points running the football.
Other Options: Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes
Running Back
Ezekiel Elliott ($8,200 DK, $8,600 FD) 🔒
Workhorse number one, Elliott. All of my Cash Game lineups on a weekly basis, come preloaded with at least one stud running back, and in many cases, two. This week is no different, however, I’ll be spending down a bit from Christian McCaffrey to get to a more reasonable salary range that has similar upside and floor levels. Zeke should be a key cog in what figures to be a high scoring game with many touchdowns. Also, with Blake Jarwin out for the remainder of the season, his passing target share needs to go somewhere. Expect Zeke to see at least a couple more targets. Lock him in and reap the benefits.
Derrick Henry ($7,900 DK, $8,300 FD)
Because Henry is not as involved in his team’s passing attack, I normally, like him far more on FanDuel than I do on DraftKings. However, his price is reasonable this week on DraftKings, so expect him to have a solid enough showing on the ground to hit value on the full PPR site. The Tennessee Titans ranked third-fewest as far as passing play percentage last season and with the A.J. Brown injury, they should lean heavily on their bruising back. The Jacksonville Jaguars ranked fifth-worst in rushing yards allowed per game last season, and their defense hasn’t gotten any better this year.
Jonathan Taylor ($5,700 DK, $5,800 FD) 🔒
Marlon Mack left Week 1’s game with what turned out to be a torn Achilles, putting him out for the remainder of the season. All of those who were high on Taylor coming into the season are already victory lapping because now we get to see him carry the load for the Indianapolis Colts, with no one eating into his reps. Nyheim Hines will be featured, but not as much in the ground game. Also, while Hines was a key part of the passing game, it’s not like Taylor didn’t get any balls thrown his way. He caught all six of his targets for 67 yards. This is a tremendous value, LOCK him in.
Other Options: Christian McCaffrey, Miles Sanders, Kenyan Drake
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams ($8,100 DK, $8,600 FD) 🔒
The Green Bay Packers air show was in full effect this past Sunday. Aaron Rodgers looked like he was on a mission to prove his doubters, and maybe even Green Bay upper management, wrong. Rodgers did not look like someone who was getting near the end of his career, and Adams was a huge benefactor. The Detroit Lions defense just allowed Trubisky and the Chicago Bears to erase a 23-6 deficit and win in come from behind fashion.
What do you think Rodgers is going to do to them? Keep an eye on the Lions injured players. Rookie Jeff Okudah missed the game last week with (you guessed it) a hamstring injury. We know Desmond Trufant will be out, so even if Okudah suits up, take the Rodgers to Adams connection over a rookie making his NFL debut.
Diontae Johnson ($4,500 DK, $5,800 FD) 🔒
With Johnson, we can take advantage of DFS sites having the inability to adjust pricing after the Monday Night Football games. Had they been able to, Johnson would be somewhere in the mid-$5,000 or $6,000 range on both DraftKings and FanDuel, respectively. The second-year wide receiver out of Toledo hauled in six passes for 57 yards against the Giants in Week 1. Whether it was Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges last season, Johnson was one of the few productive pieces in the Steelers offense.
Add in Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster back into the fold, and all of the sudden, Johnson has weapons surrounding him to help alleviate some of the defense’s focus. After a rookie campaign where he led the Steelers in receiving and targets, Johnson once again led the charge with a team-high 10 targets in Week 1. Expect Big Ben to look Johnson’s direction as he did on Monday night, allowing the wideout to pay off value at a bargain bin price tag.
Other Options: CeeDee Lamb, Breshad Perriman, Corey Davis, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins
Tight End
Logan Thomas ($3,600 DK, $4,700 FD)
Follow the flow chart. That was the case last season against the Arizona Cardinals. Any tight end facing them seemed to have a heyday. Last week, the converted quarterback, Thomas, snagged four of his eight targets for 37 yards and a score. It’s an encouraging sign, playing on a team with very few skill players at Dwayne Haskins’ disposal to throw the ball to.
Chris Herndon ($3,400 DK, $5,100 FD)
Add Jamison Crowder to the neverending list of players dealing with a hamstring injury this season. He’s officially been ruled out for the New York Jets upcoming matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers. Sam Darnold’s pass attempts will need to go somewhere. Last week, Herndon’s aDOT was poor, sitting at only 6.7 yards per pass attempt. However, he received seven targets and caught six of those.
Other Options: Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz
Defense/Special Teams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($2,900 DK, $3,800 FD)
Ownership alone makes this a solid cash gameplay to level with the field. After taking into account Tom Brady is mad after last week’s game, you can expect him to come out hungry and firing. The Carolina Panthers defense has holes and Brady and the bunch (see what I did there) should be able to put up some points. That means the Panthers will likely be playing from behind most of the game. They’ll have to drop back to throw more times than they’d like, and the Bucs have a real opportunity to capitalize with some sacks and/or turnovers. That’s what we like to see from our fantasy defense.
New York Jets ($2,000 DK, $3,500 FD)
The basement salary price range worked last week with the Washington Football team, let’s go right back to that area here. The San Francisco 49ers have a depleted pass-catching group, with both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel out for this game. The Jets picked up three sacks last week, and rank seventh in adjusted sack rate (8.4 percent). I like their chances.
Other Options: Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears
Good luck this week! Don’t forget to check out all of our other great DFS content and analysis.
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