DraftKings Cash Plays: Week 2

You’ll find all kinds of DFS fantasy rankings, values, best/worst plays on DK Nation, but what about just identifying the good chalk? I play almost completely in cash games during NFL season, and it’s really important to know who we can trust, and who we can’t.

New to the cash game scene? Cash games on DK refer to double-ups, 50-50s and head-to-heads — all of which roughly the top half of the field doubles its money.

So here are a few guys that I view as the top options at each position for cash games on DK.

Quarterbacks

Patrick Mahomes ($7,500) at OAK — Mahomes suffered a mild ankle injury in Week 1, and also lost his top WR in Tyreek Hill to a shoulder injury that will keep him out long-term. Last year’s top scorer at the position still managed over 30 DKFP in Jacksonville last week, which he also did in Oakland in 2018. I don’t love paying this much at QB in cash, but he’s viable and should see high ownership.

Lamar Jackson ($6,700) vs. ARI — Jackson led all QBs in Week 1 with over 36 DKFP against the Dolphins. I don’t think any of use saw 300-plus passing yards with five touchdowns coming, and I’m not counting on it against versus the Cardinals. However, Arizona’s offensive strategy should keep the pace up in this one, and that defense is garbage. I expect solid passing numbers from Jackson through the air, but to see some of the production we’re accustomed to getting from him on the ground this time around.

Jared Goff ($5,900) vs. NO — If you prefer to go cheap at the position, I think Goff is the top sub-$6K QB. His price remains low because he didn’t put up big fantasy numbers in Carolina in Week 1, but now he returns home with an ideal matchup against the Saints. Deshaun Watson’s rushing ability certainly helped him against the Saints in Week 1, but he also torched this secondary. Goff should do more of the same outside of the dome.

Running Backs

Alvin Kamara ($8,200) at LAR — With DK pricing being released on Sunday, sometimes the players from MNF the week before aren’t appropriately priced. You’ll notice a handful of them in this article. Kamara was $8,500 on MNF, and after a dream scenario fantasy workload comes down $300. Kamara went for 97 yards on 13 carries, along with 72 yards through the air, hanging on to 7-of-8 targets — 23.9 DKFP without even scoring.

Austin Ekeler ($6,100) at DET — Ekeler had a monster Week 1, scoring 39.4 DKFP against the Colts. I think that might make his ownership a little bit higher than it deserves to be, but he did get 18 touches (catching 6-of-7 targets), so we can expect a similar workload. Half as many points would be welcomed from him this time around, but there’s competition in his price range — Chris Carson ($6,400), Derrick Henry ($6,000), Mark Ingram ($6,000).

Josh Jacobs ($4,700) vs. KC — Jacobs will probably be the highest owned player on the slate. He also played on MNF, and was priced before we actually saw him play the first game of his career. The Raiders put Jacobs in a workhorse role, feeding him for 24 touches. He did well with the ball in his hands, going for 113 total yards and a pair of touchdowns — good for 24.3 DKFP. That kind of floor in terms of touches makes Jacobs way too underpriced.

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Hopkins ($8,100) vs. JAX — Hopkins had a terrific showing in Week 1, bringing in 8-of-13 targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns (34.1 DKFP). He’s performed extremely well against the Jaguars in the past, and just look at what Sammy Watkins did to this defense last week. I’m not expecting the 9-198-3 line that Watkins put up, but another big game is in the cards here, and his ownership should be high in the matchup following a big game.

JuJu Smith-Schuster ($7,500) vs. SEA — JuJu is in a spot he may get a little overlooked, but smarter players will be on him. Yes, he only posted a 6-78-0 line in Week 1, but his 13.8 DKFP wasn't a complete bust. He also suffered a toe injury against the Patriots, but is good to go for Week 2. This Seattle D/ST still gets the “Legion of Boom” reputation from time-to-time, but it just got torched by the Bengals in Seattle. The Steelers should rack up offense at home in this game, with JuJu as the featured option. John Ross, of all people, just game Seattle a fit.

Tyrell Williams ($4,400) vs. KC — Williams came out on MNF and was the Raiders’ go-to WR. Without his salary adjusted, he’s far too underpriced for Week 2. The matchup and game-script combo against the Chiefs is perfect for Williams’ fantasy upside. The Chiefs gave up 26 points to the Jags and their backup QB, and Oakland should also be playing from behind in this one. Williams put up 6-105-1 for 25.5 DKFP against the Broncos.

Tight Ends

Evan Engram ($5,200) vs. BUF — With Sterling Shepard ruled out, the Giants basically have nothing at the WR position. Engram was their WR1 in Week 1, and it’s clear he will be moving forward. He saw a ridiculous 14 targets in Dallas, hanging onto 11 of them for 116 yards and a trip to the end zone — good for 31.6 DKFP.

Darren Waller ($3,300) vs. KC — Just take everything I wrote about Williams, and paste it here for Waller. The only difference is that he’s cheaper and plays a tougher position to hit on. Waller caught 7-of-8 targets for 70 yards and 14 DKFP in Week 1.

T.J. Hockenson ($3,000) vs. LAC — Hockenson lived up to the hype as a top-10 pick, but this big of a game was still surprising to see. Hockenson went for a 6-131-1 line (28.1 DKFP) on nine targets, yet his price barely budged.

Flex

Devin Singletary ($4,200) at NYG — I wanted to give out some kind of cheaper contrarian play that I still consider safe, and that’s Singletary. The diverse rookie RB basically acted as the Bills’ starter, commanding the majority of the snaps. He turned nine touches into 98 yards, and plays a key role in the passing game.

D/ST

Patriots ($3,700) at MIA — Did you watch the Patriots or Dolphins play in Week 1? This is the obvious play and should be the highest owned defense.

Broncos ($2,700) vs. CHI — If you need to pay down, I think the Broncos are a fine option. They’re at home against a Bears offense that just scored three points at home against the Packers.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.