Week 10 was a Mike Davis and Duke Johnson bust week. However, you still cashed if you played the right guys around them. Jakeem Grant, Stefon Diggs, Kyler Murray, and the Los Angeles Rams defense came through for us. Hopefully, we can find ourselves swimming in the money again this week. Let’s get right to it.
The cash game article’s goal is to outline some safe plays while also providing options that will help you create the most optimal builds. The whole point is for us to make some money.
Sometimes we won’t, but putting ourselves in the best position to do so is the most important part. That should go without saying but can sometimes get overshadowed by the results on a week to week basis. Cash Games are basically H2Hs, 50/50s, and Double-Ups. The amount of winnings might be limited but have a higher probability of hitting.
Everyone wants to know how many points a guy scored and not necessarily the route that took them 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 11.
As always, there will be a next to a few of my favorite options. All of the guys mentioned are viable for cash games, but the ones with that lock emoji will be fixtures in my main lineup.
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson ($6,500 DK, $7,700 FD)
Don’t be afraid of the big bad New England Patriots. The Pats rank 30th in pass DVOA (27.5 percent) and allow the second-most passing yards per attempt (8.2). Watson has also been a model of consistency since the firing of head coach Bill O’Brien. Since then, he’s averaged 26.06 DK points per game. If you are uncomfortable with the player I’m about to mention, Watson is a fine option.
Taysom Hill ($4,800 DK, don’t play him at QB on FanDuel… scroll down for why)
To the surprise of many, head coach Sean Payton will hand the offensive keys over to Hill instead of Jameis Winston, who came in last week for Drew Brees and completed six of ten passes for 63 yards. But, should we really be that surprised? Payton has been relentless in his efforts to get Hill more involved in the offense, and he can get it done in several different ways. The shiny new toy we can play in our DFS lineups has too cheap of a price tag, considering he’s one of the only quarterbacks on the slate with real rushing upside, and he’s definitely the only one with receiving upside. You’ll have to sweat it out a little, but I’ll plug him in and spend up elsewhere.
Other Options: Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow
Running Back
Dalvin Cook ($9,000 DK, $10,500 FD)
If you didn’t play Cook in Weeks 8 and 9, you probably didn’t have the biggest money-making day possible. Cook’s getting an absurd amount of usage and finds himself in another terrific matchup, following a rough one against a solid Chicago Bears defense. In that game, Cook rushed 30 times for 96 yards, and that line could’ve looked a little different if not for a huge run that was called back due to a holding penalty. If holding Cook to 96 yards rushing is considered good, what does good look like for the Dallas Cowboys who allow 157 rushing yards per game? Lock in Cook.
Duke Johnson ($5,400 DK, $6,000 FD)
Duke let many people down last week. However, the weather could be to blame for a lot of that. The conditions were god awful, but he still played 95 percent of snaps and received all of the team’s running back carries. Duke is mainly known for his role as a pass-catcher, but that didn’t play out last week. I find it hard to believe he is all of a sudden not a receiving back. His workload as a rusher is encouraging. If we think he’s going to get more targets than he did last week, which I do, he has a higher floor than his salary suggests. Because of his stinker last week, his salary only rose $400. Let’s take advantage of that. New England is a scary name, but not a scary defense. In fact, they are second-worst in rush DVOA this season. I’ll run Duke out there one more time. If it kills us, we learned a valuable lesson.
Kalen Ballage ($5,600 DK, $5,800 FD)
With Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson still on injured reserve, Anthony Lynn said Ballage will likely serve as the primary back and said he wants to scheme more plays for him. That’s significant, considering he already touched the ball 23 times last week, racking up 102 total yards. Narratively speaking, this is a revenge game for Ballage, who will be facing his former team, the New York Jets. The Jets have allowed the sixth-most receptions to running backs this season (58). The Los Angeles Chargers seem always to find ways to lose games, but I believe they will take care of business here, which only means more rushing attempts in a positive game script.
Other Options: Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson, J.D. McKissic
Wide Receiver
Keenan Allen ($7,400 DK, $8,000 FD)
I’m running out of different ways to explain why Allen is a great Cash Game play every week. Other than the matchup, nothing changes. The New York Jets’ cornerback situation is extremely thin at the moment. Veteran cornerback Brian Poole is out for the season with a shoulder injury, Pierre Desir was released, and Bless Austin is dealing with a neck injury. Rookies Bryce Hall, Javelin Guidry, and Lamar Jackson could get saddled with the coverage duties. Allen and the rest of the receivers have a clear edge.
Diontae Johnson ($5,900 DK, $6,400 FD)
I don’t think I was late to the party with Diontae because he’s definitely been on my radar. I haven’t fully trusted him in Cash Games because of his injury issues this year. With that said, he’s received double-digit targets in just about every game he’s started and finished. I want to get exposure to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have the highest implied team total on the main slate. James Conner has been inconsistent, and Johnson is cheaper than both Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Jacksonville Jaguars rank second-worst in pass DVOA (30.2 percent). If you have the stones for it, fire up Johnson.
Jakobi Meyers ($4,900 DK, $6,000 FD)
On DraftKings, Meyers should be priced around Johnson’s range, given his recent emergence and usage. Cam Newton has targeted him 31 times in the last three games. He’s turned that into 23 receptions for 286 yards. I expect the Patriots to throw the ball to keep pace with Deshaun Watson and the Texans. Houston allows 7.3 yards per pass attempt (26th). Use Meyers as a solid value option.
Other Options: Terry McLaurin, Brandin Cooks, Davante Adams, Marvin Jones
Tight End
Taysom Hill ($4,500 FD) – FANDUEL ONLY
Well, this is a first. For the first time ever, a player appears in two different spots in my Cash Game article. The tight end position has sucked the life out of all of us fantasy players for far too long. You’ve heard it before, take the free square, he’s a lock, etc. Last week, it was Mike Davis in Cash Games. This week, it’s Hill. But how often can you turn an otherwise horrific fantasy spot into a season-long Super Flex spot? Hill isn’t eligible as a tight end on DraftKings but is set to be New Orleans’ quarterback, at least to start things off. He could pay off value in a number of different ways. He could catch a touchdown pass, he could throw a touchdown pass, or run for a touchdown. Lock him in at the tight end spot on FanDuel. The value is too dang good to ignore.
T.J. Hockenson ($4,200 DK, $6,000 FD)
Now that we’ve got the FanDuel tight end figured out, we still need a solid option on DraftKings. With Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola both ruled out for this matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Hockenson will battle Marvin Jones for number one in Detroit’s pecking order. The Panthers have sneakily given up the tenth-most DK points per game to the tight end position and are tied for fourth in receptions allowed to tight ends. Granted, they have played more games than other teams (10 compared to 9 for others). Be that as it may, Hock should see plenty of opportunities, averaging 5.8 targets per game and 34.8 percent of his team’s total pass attempts inside the 10-yard line.
Logan Thomas ($3,300 DK, $5,200 FD)
Thomas is widely viewed as an unattractive option, but he gets consistent targets and red zone opportunities. He averages over five targets per game and leads the league with a 57.1 percent share of total team pass attempts inside the 10-yard line. That has only translated to three total touchdowns, but it’s a reason to believe there is some positive regression on the way. The Cincinnati Bengals allow the second-most DK points per game to tight ends (16.4). Thomas is the cheapest option you can feel comfortable playing if you are looking for a punt option.
Other Options: Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, Austin Hooper
Defense/Special Teams
Detroit Lions ($2,700 DK, $3,500 FD)
Teddy Bridgewater is a true game-time decision. It’s been reported that he is going to test out his knee in pregame. However, even if he plays, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be 100 percent. An immobile Bridgewater could be in trouble. If he sits, P.J. Walker would get the start, and the Lions defense remains in play against the former XFL quarterback.
Atlanta Falcons ($2,300 DK, $3,200 FD)
We have no idea what to expect from the Saints on offense. The Falcons don’t have a particularly good defense, but they fall into the intriguing cheap category this week. Hill has never attempted more than two passes in a single game and has only attempted a total of 18 passes for his career. If Winston winds up getting more of the snaps under center, he’s usually good for an interception or two, having thrown 30 of them a season ago. I think the Falcons are fairly safe because of their cheap price tag, and they’ll likely get a couple of sacks due to continuity issues with an offense playing with a new quarterback.
Other Options: Washington Football Team, Cincinnati Bengals
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