Below I will be giving you guys my favorite cash and value plays at each position on DraftKings’ main slate. All the players highlighted together do not make a valid lineup, but a combination of them and other solid plays can make for a great lineup for Week 3.
QB: Cam Newton (CAR, $6000)
The ninth-most expensive QB on the main slate, Cam Newton will be throwing a lot and shouldering the rushing load again for Carolina. Dating back to last season, he has averaged 20.69 DK points when Greg Olsen did not start. When Olsen has been in the starting lineup, he is averaging 17.06 DK points per game. Cam will have to keep up with a surprisingly high-scoring Cincinnati offense (4th in points scored/gm through Week 2). There are no outstanding values at the position this week.
Other solid plays: Deshaun Watson (HOU, $6100), Blake Bortles (JAC, $5600)
RB: Kareem Hunt (KC, $6000), Lamar Miller (HOU, $5000), Giovani Bernard (CIN, $5900)
Kareem Hunt: Hunt has handled 34 carries in games where KC has had to score to make up for their struggling defense (4th worst in points allowed). Patrick Mahomes’ yards-per-attempt is currently at 10.6, almost 3 higher than Aaron Rodgers’ career mark (7.9). There are a lot of mouths to feed, but Hunt will start to receive more check-down looks and targets when he’s on the field (73.39% snap share, 81.8% opportunity share). Jared Smola of Draft Sharks pointed out that the Chiefs’ percentage of TD’s on the ground over the last three years is 41.4%. The Chiefs have 100% of their 8 offensive TD’s from the air this year. He has a solid chance to score in the highest over-under of the week.
Lamar Miller: 26 teams play on the main slate on DraftKings. What if I told you a running back with an 81.0% snap share is the 25th most expensive RB this week? Miller has 6 red-zone touches this season and should finally have the game-script more in his favor against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. He’s one of the safest plays at a great discount.
Giovani Bernard: People talk about how great Bernard was when Mixon was out, but he could have been even better. In the 4 games where Mixon either left early or did not play at all, Bernard was on the field for an average of 81.65% of offensive snaps. That snap share this year would have been higher than Barkley, Kamara, and Gurley. Bernard provides a safe amount of opportunities and will be game-script proof.
Other solid plays: Latavius Murray (MIN, $5800), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $7700), Kenyan Drake (MIA, $5600)
Too hard to not include: At a ridiculous 16.5-point spread, the game-script should be in favor for Latavius Murray. When Murray received more than 10 carries in a game last season, the Vikings were 11-0. He averaged 14.3 DK points in these games. He played last year with Case Keenum at QB and Jerick McKinnon as the 3rd down back. With Dalvin Cook out, Mike Boone may receive a few backfield targets. Don’t forget, however, Murray did have 33 catches in 2016 with Oakland.
WR: Michael Thomas (NO, $8900), Julio Jones (ATL, $7900), Cooper Kupp (LAR, $4900)
Michael Thomas: Every advanced metric on playerprofiler.com loves Thomas so far this season. Some of his ranks so far: targets (2nd); target share (2nd); target hog (2nd); red-zone target share (9th); red-zone receptions (1st); receiving yards (2nd); air yards (2nd); fantasy points per pass route (5th). Perhaps the best takeaway is that he is the featured red-zone option for this passing game. He has the highest floor and highest ceiling in the main slate. He is the only true lock at WR this week.
Julio Jones: Tyreek Hill is priced 600 more than Jones this week. Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins are also more expensive and have tougher matchups. If there is a week to grab Jones in cash, it’s this week. He’s playing in the second-highest over-under of the week, matching up against Marshon Lattimore and the 30th-ranked Saints pass defense. Even with the addition of Calvin Ridley, Matt Ryan continues to look his way with a 41.8% target share.
Cooper Kupp: There are a lot of positive things going for the best play for under $5000 this week. Kupp will be matching up against Desmond King (80th in coverage rating this year, per playerprofiler.com). He’s also had 6 total red zone targets in games where the Rams won by an average of 27 points. The Chargers game should be closer, forcing the Rams to throw more than 32 times per game (9th lowest in the league).
Other solid plays: Allen Robinson (CHI, $5400), Nelson Agholor (PHI, $6100), Larry Fitzgerald (ARI, $5400)
TE: Eric Ebron (IND, $3400)
Jack Doyle has been ruled out, making Eric Ebron one of the best values on the main slate. He is receiving 23.1% of the team’s targets per snap, per playerprofiler.com. He also leads Indianapolis in end-zone targets, which is 1st in the league among tight ends. Sometimes a decision is this easy.
Other solid plays: George Kittle (SF, $4500), Jared Cook (OAK, $4000)
D/ST: DAL ($2200)
Any cheap defense in a decent matchup is a fine play. With pricing tight at RB and WR, it’s a good idea to pay down at this position this week.
Other solid plays: DEN ($2400), WAS ($2000), HOU ($2800)
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