Uriah Wesson 
Let’s stay hot! Another nice output for our Week 5 NFL DFS Cash Games. The purpose of this article is to identify my top plays for a NFL DFS cash game lineup on DraftKings and FanDuel Sunday Main Slates (also known as a double-up). Players in this article are usually a mix of the following:
- High-floor/high-volume “safer” players (players with a very low bust-rate)
- VALUE PLAYS
- Not a part of a stack – Stacking is great for GPPs, but if you stack in cash games, your lineup is entirely too dependent on said stacked team. If that team does poorly, your whole lineup does… Not a risk we need to take in a cash game. QB/WR pairing is fine, but unless there’s extreme value in a 3-man stack, let’s keep it to QB/WR or QB/TE.
- Extremely chalky for the week… in GPP’s I’ll usually always fade volatile players at > 40% ownership, but in cash games, it’s usually fine to eat the chalk. If that player underperforms, it does not hinder your ability to cross the pay-line as 40% or more of the field is in the same boat. If you fade this player(s) and he has a great game, your lineup is likely toast… as you’re now behind 40% or more of the field. Make sense? If not, hit me up on Discord/Twitter @stixpicks to discuss further.
In my opinion, cash games are extremely important for long-term bankroll building and sustainability. I’ll consistently use at least 50% of my weekly bankroll towards cash games. It’s not sexy, but it works and allows me to take big shots in high dollar GPPs.
Long story short, if we hit our cash games each week, the worst we can do is break-even (not counting your GPP shots with the remaining 50% of your weekly bankroll). The weeks you hit both, you smash. The weeks you miss your GPPs, your cash game lineup will carry you. It’s my job to ensure you always hit those cash games.
If you haven’t yet, I would strongly advise giving my NFL DFS Strategy article I published this offseason before diving into the 2020 NFL DFS season. If you have any questions or would like some further help when building your lineups, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly on Twitter. Without further ado, let’s do this thing!
*Some notes on what I believe to be the “optimal” roster build for NFL DFS Cash Games. I’ll include this in all the Checkdown articles moving forward. For Week 5, please see below for my notes on roster construction:
- Again, the player pool is huge this week. There are a ton of great value plays at the Wide Receiver and Running Back positions this week, which should allow us to come up with multiple, cash-optimal builds.
- Cash Game Chalk Talk (Estimate Ownership in Cash): Derrick Henry (45%), Trey Lance (25%), Najee Harris (25%), Leonard Fournette (25%), Damien Williams (20%), Davante Adams (20%), CeeDee Lamb (25%), Curtis Samuel (15%), Kadarius Toney (15%),Lavishka Shenault (15%), Ricky Seals-Jones (20%), Evan Engram (20%)
- Just because a player is not mentioned in this article, does not mean they are not cash viable.
- AETY Model Projections change throughout the week, please ensure you check out our final projections before lock!
- I update this article periodically through the week. Be sure to check back on Saturday night for any additions/revisions!!
NFL DFS Cash Game Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray, ($8,000 DK / $8,500 FD):
Not much to say about Kyler Murray in any matchup, the dude is playing at an MVP level averaging damn-near 30 fantasy points per game. If you can afford him, there’s no safer play at the Quarterback position.
Dak Prescott, ($6,900 DK / $8,100 FD):
Way too affordable for Dak Prescott and this Cowboys offense as a whole in a game with a 52-point total (the highest on the slate) and the highest implied team total on Sunday. The Giants secondary continues to struggle as they grade 24th in pass-defense DVOA.
Honorable Mention: Joe Burrow, Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts
NFL Cash Game Running Backs
Alexander Mattison, ($5,500DK/$6,500FD):
Verify Dalvin Cook is out before locking him in but once you do you lock Mattison into your cash games and you do not think about it. Detroit has not been able to slow any running back this season much less stop. Through four games the Lions are allowing 132.8 rushing yards and 9 TD’s to running backs and one of those was a strange game where the Ravens did nothing on the ground. Against a similarly inept rushing defense Mattison cooked Seattle for 112 rushing yards and 6 catches on 8 targets for 59 yards. I do not expect him to hit that stat line again without getting at least one into the end zone.
Damien Williams, ($5,600DK/$5,800FD):
DraftKings priced him up but Damien throughout his career has produced whenever given an opportunity to start averaging over 15 points in PPR formats. In addition to that when trailing his yards per carry (4.7), yards per target (6.5), and catch rate (83.7%) all see an uptick when trailing and the Raiders should be able to take control of this contest as 5.5 point favorites. It is in no way sexy, but for cash games, the safe floor with a decent ceiling is exactly what you need for your cash game back.
Derrick Henry, ($9,000DK/$10,400FD):
All Hail King Henry! I hope you don’t need an explainer with the top running back in the league over the past two season. The return of AJ Brown this week makes Henry’s matchup even greater against this Jags team who will no longer be able to put 8 or 9 in the box and as we have discussed over the last couple of weeks he is being used in the passing game, seeing 15 targets over his first four games and catching 14 of them. The Jags are showing signs of life but not enough to slow him down.
Also Consider: Leonard Fournette, Najee Harris
NFL Cash Game Wide Receivers
Laviska Shenault, ($4,800DK/$5,800FD):
After DJ Chark suffered a season-ending injury last week Viska was thrust into a prominent role in the offense and he did not disappoint, turning 7 targets and one carry into 6 catches for 99 yards in the air and 110 all-purpose yards. If you are planning on fitting studs like Henry and Davante into your lineups he is a must at his 4.8K price tag and there is no weaker secondary unit in the league than the Titans who have allowed more plays of 30 or more yards (9) by a wide margin totaling almost 500 yards and 3 scores on those nine plays. The writing is on the wall today and his popularity this week makes it nearly impossible to fade in cash.
Davante Adams, ($8,200DK/$8,200FD):
Okay okay, he let us down last week. Was anyone really expecting Adams to be left in the wake of a resurgent Randall Cobb last week? No, and we are going right back to the well this week in a much better matchup with a team who can keep up with the Packers offense. Add in no MVS again and Adams will be back to his 12-20 targets as per usual and will be the number one option in the red zone yet again. He won’t let us down two weeks in a row.
Kadarius Toney, ($4,000DK/$5,300):
We find ourselves staring at a 53 total game, where the Giants are seven point dogs, and they are down both Sterling Sheppard and Darius Slayton. Yeah, Golladay is there but he is likely going to see a healthy dose of Trevon Diggs leaving a 4K Toney who just got targeted nine times for a 6-78-0 line (13.9DK) last week in line for an extremely healthy workload in this potential shootout. This is similar to Viska about where the price just does not reflect the role and matchup due to injuries. That salary relief is needed if you are planning on loading up studs in
Also Consider: Justin Jefferson, Curtis Samuel, Ceedee Lamb, Keenan Allen
NFL Cash Game Tight Ends
Dan Arnold, ($2,900DK/$4,800FD):
We are looking for value this week from our tight ends and Dan Arnold is sitting here at sub 3K after a long week of practice for a team that just paid a big premium for him in a trade. He should find himself getting a half-dozen targets and if the Jags can get themselves to the red zone he will be a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence. He won’t need much to get you there for cash and has enough athleticism to provide you with some upside for GPP’s as well. Did I mention the Titans secondary was garbage?
Ross Dwelly, ($2,700DK/$4,400):
Kittle, as per usual is dealing with an injury and it is up to Dwelly to step in and fill the void. He is limited in terms of upside but when Kittle is not on the field he will get you 3-5 targets for anywhere between 20-50 yards and will occasionally bring in a TD. In a scenario like this week where every dollar counts he will give you a stable 2x-3x and let you go get your preferred plays elsewhere.
Also Consider: Darren Waller, Evan Engram
Defense / Special Teams
I’ll rarely write about defense and special teams in the Cash Game Checkdown. I believe it’s much more important to lock in your key skill position players and hopefully a solid defense fits your build. Prices considered, here’s who I’ll take a look at:
Washington
New Orleans
Dallas
Houston
Arizona
Raiders
Make sure you follow me on Twitter at @stoweby and be sure to sign up for an ALL ACCESS GOLD ACCOUNT account here at Win Daily Sports. Gain access to our Projection Model powered by AETY and jump into our Discord where we will have our experts talking plays across every sport and slate as sports FINALLY return.
