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100 to 1000: Draftkings Week 10 Cash Game Options
Published at 11/12/2016
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Hello all and welcome back to the journey from 100 to 1000.  This week presents quite the challenge as far as cash games go.  There is one clear cut, must play on the slate, and that is David Johnson.  His $8400 price tag is actually extremely fair given his talent and match up.  However its going to be difficult paying up for more than one or two of the high priced guys simply because there are no guaranteed high floor, low priced values on the slate as of this writing.  We will see if any open up, but for now lets dive right into who I'm targeting for my cash teams.

I in no way shape for form claim to be an expert.  These are just my thoughts based on what I read, see and hear.

QB: Aaron Rodgers (@ TEN) $7600
Tom Brady (vs SEA) $7400
Cam Newton (vs KC) $6800
Roethlisberger (vs DAL) $6800
Palmer (vs SF) $6500
Winston (vs CHI) $6300
Mariotta (vs GB) $5700

I have almost no problem going back to the well with Rodgers this week.  The two things that scare me a bit are that he is on the road, and Starks might be ready to go, which could damper his projected volume for this match up.  Still though, Tennessee's secondary is exploitable, and Rodgers has been getting it done from a fantasy perspective the past 4 or 5 weeks now.

Elsewhere, I think Roethlisberger and Newton are in prime spots.  I think people are making a little too much noise about Dallas' pace.  They haven't played a QB like Big Ben yet, and he is at home, where he has averaged a whooping 12 more DK points than on the road.

Newton gets a very beatable KC defense (which should still be without Justin Houston) and his rushing upside will always have him in consideration for cash.  If Doug Martin doesn't play, I think Winston will see another high volume game against a very beatable Bears secondary.  Lastly, if you're looking to pay down Mariotta is probably the best bet for cash.  He has had five straight multiple TD games and gets a very beatable GB secondary at home. 

RB: David Johnson (vs SF) $8400
L Bell (vs DAL) $7700
M Gordon (vs MIA) $7100
J Ajayi (@ SD) $7000
D Murray (vs GB) $6900
J White (vs SEA) $4500
D Sproles (vs ATL) $4300
CJ Prosise (@ NE) $3900 (if Michael is out)
C Ivory (vs HOU) $3400

Like I said before, the clear cut number one choice this week is David Johnson.  Even if he flops and gets "only" 21-24 pts, in cash you're not upset with that.  Plug him and don't over think it.

As for the other options, I find is pretty egregious that DeMarco Murray is the 7th highest priced RB this week.  I'm not sure what happened to the pricing algorithm there but its something I'd definitely look to exploit in tournaments.  I don't hate it in cash either, but like I said if you want Johnson, along with a high priced WR and want to pay up at QB, you gotta make the sacrifice somewhere. 

Gordon should continue to be the volume hog he has been all season, while I see no reason the Dolphins would scale back on Ajayi.  Bell should have some positive TD regression coming his way, especially in a bounce back spot for Pittsburgh. 

Going on the cheaper side of things, my number one value guy so far is Darren Sproles.  Yes he will lose work in the redzone to Ryan Matthews and Wendal Smallwood, but should dominate between the 20's.  Atlanta also gives up lots of targets to RB's, which is Sproles' forte.  The one concern I have with him is that the Eagles have said his recent usage has been due to the fact that their game situations dictated 3 WR sets, where they want to use Sproles.  If they go with a run heavy, two TE approach against Atlanta they said Matthews would be in on most of those snaps.  Its not going to completely scare me off Sproles, but its something to consider.

If Christine Michael misses this game, Prosise becomes a near must play given his price and touch floor.  The Seahawks have said they want to get him more work regardless so he may already be in play.  Keep in mind Christine Michael hurt his hamstring during Friday's practice and is considered questionable.  On the other side of the ball is James White.  Dion Lewis should be active this week, but Bellichick has said he (Lewis) will have to take his job from White, who has done a good job as NE's pass catching back.  NE has completely abandoned the run in the past against Seattle, which should give white a nice target floor in what could be a shoot out.

The last RB I want to touch on is Chris Ivory.  The Jags seemed real committed to getting him the ball in their first game with their new offensive coordinator.  Houston's very good corner play combined with Bortles' limitation could create a reverse funnel situation that leads to loads of carries for Ivory.  I don't hate it for cash, but think its more of a tourney play.

WR: J Jones (@ PHI) $9500
M Evans (vs CHI) $9000
A Brown (vs DAL) $8900
K Benjamin (vs KC) $6800
A Jeffery (@ TB) $6600
J Matthews (vs ATL) $5900
D Baldwin (@ NE) $5800
T Williams (vs MIA) $5700
R Matthews (vs GB) $4200
JJ Nelson (vs SF) $4200
A Humphries (vs CHI) $3700
D Inman (vs MIA) $3400
A Wilson (@ KC) $3300

Julio and Brown are always in play for cash, though Julio's price makes it a little difficult given the David Johnson factor this week.  Brown was $10000 in week 6, so getting him at $8900 probably wont last much longer.  I already said I fully expect Pittsburgh to bounce back in this spot so I have no problem with Brown in cash.

My top guy this week is Mike Evans.  His volume this year has been insane, and even if Doug Martin returns this week, I don't see a hobbled Martin cutting into Evans' workload.  He is the league leader in targets by a pretty wide margin, and gets the very beatable Chicago secondary at home.  It isn't cheap but it's everything you want in a cash game WR.

On the other side of the ball in that game you have Alshon Jeffery.  Cutler is back, and he has always loved looking in Alshon's direction.  As mentioned many times by Walt, Tampa's secondary is atrocious, and Jeffery has been priced as high as $8500 in the past, so you're getting an elite talent against a poor secondary at a mid tier price with lots of volume coming his way.  I don't see how you pass this up.  I've heard some say the return Eddie Royal might cut into his workload, but I'm not buying it. 

I like Kelvin Benjamin more for tournaments, but he is in a great spot against a KC secondary which gives up some of the most points to opposing WR's.  Matthews will be running most of his routes from the slot, where Atlanta struggles to cover WR's.  He has been getting a lot of targets all year, and in a game with a 50 pt total where I expect the Eagles to play well, Matthews is firmly in play.

Rishard Matthews has emerged as Mariotta's favorite WR and favorite target in the red zone, securing 5 TD's his past three games.  JJ Nelson has been named the Cardinals NO.2 WR by Bruce Arians himself, and given SF's high pace of play, I have no problem going with two Cardinals this week in cash.

If you don't want to pay up for Evans but still want exposure to the Bucs passing game, Adam Humphries is pretty entrenched as the NO.2 wideout after Evans.  Dontrelle Inman has seen his playing time soar in recent weeks, and with Travis Benjamin doubtful, he should see enough work to easily pay off his price.  Last but not least, Albert Wilson came in last week in relief for Jeremy Maclin and played pretty well.  Maclin has already been ruled out for this week's game, which sets up Wilson with a great match up against a straight up bad Carolina secondary.

TE: R Gronkowski (vs SEA) $6900
G Olsen (vs KC) $5900
T Kelce (@ CAR) $5600
D Walker (vs GB) $4600
Z Ertz (vs ATL) $3700
Z Miller (@ TB) $3600
L Kendricks (@ NYJ) $3000

The one thing you have to be careful about with Gronk is that Kam Chancellor could be back, which could put a damper on the entire NE passing game.  Not so much to make me completely back off, but enough to give some hesitation.  That said, Gronk is Gronk, and we could be seeing several Gronk windmills this week. 

KC is ranked pretty highly in defending TE's, but they haven't played ANY relevant TE's to date.  They do have Eric Berry, but I don't hate going to Olsen, one of the most consistent TE's in the league.  On the other side of the ball, Carolina's secondary is woeful all over, so don't hesitate to fire up Kelce; just hope he doesn't throw any towels at any more officials.

One of my favorite plays this week is Ertz against Atlanta.  He finally had a bounce back game last week, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Atlanta is abysmal at defending TE's, so Ertz should be able to exploit this match up.  Cutler likes throwing to his TE almost as much as he likes throwing to Jeffery.  A play I would like a whole lot more if it weren't for a sub 40 game total is Lance Kendricks.  He has really come on in recent weeks, emerging as Keenum's safety blanket.  He gets another easy match up this week against the Jets.

DST: Cardinals (vs SF) $3700
Redskins (vs MIN) $3000
Rams (@ NYJ) $2900
Jets (vs LA) $2800
Eagles (vs ATL) $2600
Bears (@ TB) $2500

Cardinals are the chalk defense this week no questions asked.  If you can afford them plug them in. 

The Redskins should be able to take advantage of Minnesota's woeful offensive line. 

The Rams and Jets are both in play.  I'd like the Rams more if it weren't a 1pm EST start time. 

The Eagles may come as a shock to you, but I absolutely love them this week.  They will have all of the opportunities in the world to sack and pick off Ryan outside of the dome.  The Falcons could score over 28 pts, but even so, the Eagles thrive at making big plays, and in a game with a high total there will be plenty of big plays to be made. 

If Winston throws the ball as much as I think he is going to the Bears will be in the same spot as the Eagles.  Winston loves to turn the ball over, and this Bears defense isn't as bad as the rankings indicate.  They'll be able to pressure Winston and maybe force him into some mistakes.  Keep in mind Winston also hurt his knee last week, which could hamper is mobility.

That's all I have for the cash game portion of this week.  Hope you enjoyed it and please, feel free to leave a comment, hit me up on Twitter or email me.  Good luck everyone and thanks for reading!

email: semaj0789@icloud.com
twiter: @semaj0789



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