Every week during the NFL season I’ll be publishing my cash game lineup 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.
Note FanDuel has changed their Main contests from Sunday-Monday to Sunday only, to line up with DraftKings and their advertising claims of “one day fantasy.” Therefore I’ve changed as well. This lineup is for the FanDuel Main slate.
QB Ben Roethlisberger ($8,600) Much like Drew Brees, we want to target Roethlisberger exclusively at home, where his performance is vastly superior to road games. While I don’t expect a repeat 5 TD performance, he gets a great matchup against a Jets defense that is strong against the run (ranked 3rd by Football Outsiders) but struggles against the pass (31st in the NFL.) The game plan should be to throw and throw some more in a game offering a robust 48 point O/U
RB DeMarco Murray ($8,400) Murray has been reborn in Tennessee, averaging 21.8 FD points per game. He’s gained 340 yards on the ground with 3 TDs and has been active in the passing game as well, turning 21 targets into 19 receptions for 156 yards and 2 more TDs. On a team devoid of playmakers, Murray should be featured against a Dolphins defense that is allowing over 129 yards per game on the ground.
RB LeSean McCoy ($7,800) There aren’t many 3 down running backs in the NFL, but McCoy is one of them. In 4 games this season, McCoy has 67 carries and 19 targets in the passing game and is seeing an uptick in both with Sammy Watkins sidelined. The Rams are a middle of the pack run defense, ranked 15th by Football Outsiders and allowing 20.5 FD points to opposing RBs, but it’s McCoy’s volume that is so attractive here.
WR Emmanuel Sanders ($7,100) When we think about the #1 WR in Denver, we usually think of Demaryius Thomas, but Sanders has been targeted 42 times (26 in the last 2 weeks) compared to 27 for Thomas. This is a dream matchup for Thomas, facing Atlanta’s 30th ranked pass defense is a game featuring a high 47 point O/U, considering the strength of Denver’s defense.
WR Michael Crabtree ($6,900) Many experts considered Crabtree’s strong 2015 season to be a fluke and predicted Amari Cooper having a breakout season in 2016. So far, Crabtree has proved them wrong. He’s taken advantage of defenses rolling coverage to Cooper and turned his 37 targets (2 more than Cooper) into 26 receptions for 308 yards and 4 TDs. San Diego’s defense is allowing over 289 passing yards per game and this contest has the highest O/U of the day at 50 points.
WR Steve Smith Sr ($6,300) At 37 years old, guess who’s back? Mr Smith doesn’t go to Washington, but welcomes them to town. After a major Achilles injury ended his 2015 season, many people considered Smith’s career over. Not so fast. In his four games this season, Smith has had 15 targets in his first two games and 22 targets in his last two games. He faces a Washington Redskins defense allowing over 42 FD points and over 280 yards per game through the air.
TE Zach Ertz ($5,600) I have no idea why Ertz is so cheap across the industry, but I’ll gladly take the discount and feature Ertz in many of my lineups. Ertz was targeted 7 times in Week 1 before being injured, turning the targets into 6 catches for 58 yards. He’ll get a shot at a Detroit defense that has allowed 6 TDs in 4 games against opposing TEs and is ranked dead last against the pass by Football Outsiders. A Carson Wentz/Zach Ertz stack is a very intriguing tournament play as well.
K Mason Crosby ($4,500) I have 5 attributes, at home, favored to win, high O/U, in a dome and cheap, that I look for in a kicker. Crosby checks 4 of the 5 blocks. Kickers are such a crapshoot, there’s not much more you can do than that.
DST Minnesota ($4,800) Denver and Minnesota are the two dominate defenses of the young season, and although both are at home, Minnesota has by far the better matchup, facing a Houston offense ranked 32nd in the NFL by Football Outsiders. Minnesota is a 6.5 point favorite in a game featuring the lowest O/U of the slate at 40 points.
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