By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Updated Sept. 10, 2016.
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott is going to be the chalk cash game play this week due to his rock bottom price of $5,000. Compare that to the mid-range to top plays this week and you are saving at least $2,000 at quarterback, but remember, most people will use Prescott, so your advantage is negligible in any tournament games. Also, be sure to make lineups with other quarterbacks you think will outscore him, so you can see what lineup configurations work best.
In the end, I looked hard at Russell Wilson, Derek Carr and Matthew Stafford, but Dak’s price and running ability make him too good of a deal and as you’ll see below, I’m a little scared of the cheap running backs this week.
Running Backs
Spencer Ware and Christine Michael both have great prices and I will be using both, especially when I pay up for quarterback, but they do have risk. Both Thomas Rawls and Charcandrick West will play in their respective games and could cut into Ware and Michael’s touches. That pushes me to find safer backs, which for me are Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliot.
Gurley shouldn’t have trouble with the 49ers getting a big lead and minimizing the Rams rushing game, but even when they do trail, Gurley still gets his work, which is a nice safety measure for cash games. And I also like that the 49ers defense will end up being on the field more due to Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense. That should give Gurley more snaps and wear down the defense faster.
I usually don’t like pairing a quarterback with a running back from the same team, but this week I don’t mind, as Prescott won’t be throwing a ton and that’s okay, because I want him to gain yards on the ground and dump it off to Elliott and Witten. I don’t expect Prescott to throw three touchdowns and pass for 300 yards, I just need him to hit value and it won’t be that hard with such a low price. And what I saw from Elliott against the Seahawks in preseason is enough for me to be on the bandwagon. He is going to be used a ton in this game.
Wide Receivers
With savings at the quarterback and tight end position, we have plenty of cash to hit up some stud wide receivers and this week I like Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. as the two top receivers on the slate. I hate to go out on such a perilous limb there! They both get nice matchups and will be leaned on throughout the game. These two will also be highly owned with so many people saving money with Prescott, but remember, this is a cash game lineup we’re working on here. In cash games we are trying to outscore half of the field, not destroy them with our risky upside picks that hit. So I try not to think too much about what others are doing when putting together safe lineups.
My third wide receiver is Marvin Jones. I’ve been high on him all offseason and now he faces a Colts team that is devastated with injuries to the defense. They are down their best cornerback and probably best defensive player in Vontae Davis, which is huge, but are also without defensive end Henry Anderson, strong safety Clayton Geathers and nickel cornerback Darius Butler. All in all they only have four healthy cornerbacks right now, with two of them signed within the last week. Add to that just how cheap Jones is at $5,400 and he is a must start this week.
Tight End
With Rob Gronkowski out, Martellus Bennett should see a healthy amount of targets. IT’s not the best matchup he’ll get, but sometimes opportunity trumps a matchup and the Black Unicorn should have plenty of opportunity. Plus he has a nice price at $5,100. I also like the Steelers Jesse James and the Raiders Clive Walford for cheap tight end plays.
Kicker
I like the Lions to put up some decent points in Indianapolis and they’ll also ne in a dome. That should allow Matt Prater some easy points and easy kicking.
Defense
Defenses in FanDuel are my least favorite position next to kicker of course, but they don’t really count. A defense can kill you or put you over the top quickly, so don’t take them lightly. This week I’m going with the Houston Texans in Houston. J.J. Watt will be back for one thing, but the Bears are also going to be terrible. Kevin White is hurting and hasn’t shown his potential yet. Jeremy Langford is a competent back, but he’s not going to beat that Texans D-line with any consistency. Then add in a sometimes-erratic Jay Cutler and I think we have a chance for a true blowout.
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