Every week during the NFL season I’ll be publishing my cash game line up for FanDuel and the rationale behind all my selections. Hopefully, we’ll use this line up to double our money in our cash lineups.
Again, this is my cash game lineup, and while I always put it in a few GPPs, there are other players at a couple of positions better suited for tournaments.
QB Eli Manning ($8,100) Manning fell victim to gameflow in Week 1 as Dallas dominated time of possession and the Giants spent much of the 4th quarter nursing a 1 point lead. Manning should find the going much easier this week as he faces a Saints defense that was ranked 32nd against the pass last year by Football Outsiders. The Saints picked up where they left off allowing the Raiders to throw for 319 yards last Sunday. A trio of talented receivers and a 53 point O/U make Eli a very safe selection.
RB T.J. Yeldon ($6,500)Â This pick hinges on the availability of Chris Ivory, so monitor his status if you’re considering playing Yeldon in your lineups. Against the Packers, Yeldon carried the ball 21 times and caught 4 passes on 6 targets. If Ivory is out again (as I expect he will be) Yeldon should be in line for the same sort of workload against the Chargers, who were ranked 31st against the run in 2015 by Football Outsiders.
RB Ryan Mathews ($6,300)Â Mathews proved to be the clear bell cow runner for the Eagles in Week 1. With DeMarco Murray gone, Mathews carried the ball 22 times against the Browns for 77 yards and a TD. While the Browns run defense is nothing great, it actually gets easier for Mathews this week as he’ll run against a Bears run defense ranked dead last against the run in 2015 by Football Outsiders. Week 1 was just as bad for Chicago, as they were only 1 of 2 teams to allow a 100 rusher.
WR A.J. Green ($8,900) Green had a monster game last week against the Jets and Darrelle Revis, but it shouldn’t come as a great surprise. With Sanu, Jones and Eifert all gone or injured, the Bengals lost over 170 targets from last season. The Steelers pass defense is nothing special, ranking 13th against the pass last season and allowing 329 yards against the Redskins (102 of which went to DeSean Jackson) last week. Green had over 100 yards receiving and a TD in each of the regular season meetings with the Steelers last season.
WR Kelvin Benjamin ($7,500) As you all should know by now, I love targeting #1 WRs in cash games. With 2015 lost to injury, I think some of us forgot what a special talent Benjamin is. He reminded us Week 1 against a very tough Broncos defense with 6 receptions on 12 targets for 91 yards and a TD. He’ll find the sledding much easier against 2015 30th ranked pass defense. We have the added benefit that the 49ers will be playing a quick, Chip Kelly pace, so expect Carolina to be able to run some extra plays.
WR Doug Baldwin ($7,000) Quick, name me the WR who was third in the NFL last season from weeks 9 to 16 in fantasy points. If you didn’t say Doug Baldwin, you were wrong. Even in their unexpectedly close defensive struggle against the Dolphins, Baldwin managed to amass 19.7 FanDuel points on 11 targets. Even though the Rams beat Seattle twice last season, I expect Baldwin to have a big game against a team that allowed 28 points against the Blaine Gabbert led 49ers.
TE Delanie Walker ($6,600) In Week 1 Walker, Tennessee’s most consistent aerial weapon, was only targeted 5 times. The Titans’ coaching staff has vowed to get Walker more involved this Sunday, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Lions allowed 385 passing yards and 3 TDs by the Colts TEs in Week 1. The Lions were ranked 29th last season against opposing TEs and the game features a 47.5 O/U. Walker is chalk amongst TEs in Week 2.
K Nick Novak ($4,600) Novak is cheap, playing in a dome (no wind or other elements) and playing at home. Both teams have good defenses and average offenses, the type of game that sets up well for a lot of field goals.
DEF Ravens ($4,500) OK, let’s do the math here. The Browns scored 10 points in Week 1 against a very (below?) average Eagles defense. Meanwhile, the Ravens allowed 7 points against the Bills. Hmmmm. While Josh McCown isn’t quite as mistake prone as RG3, the Browns have a bad offense with a bad offensive line.
If by some miracle Ivory plays on Sunday, use this lineup, it’s the one I’m using on the Thursday slate:
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