DraftKings Week 3 Cash Game Picks and Strategy

Sep 24, 2020

Pool/Getty Images

Below you'll find my Week 3 DraftKings cash game picks and strategy. By offering a general approach to the week, along with a player pool to consider, you should walk away feeling well-equipped no matter your bankroll strategy or game selection process.

In general, my cash game strategy revolves around the running back position. My main focus is to roster three running backs with workhorse-type roles that simultaneously allow me to build a high-floor lineup at the other positions. Certain weeks, we'll be able to jam in multiple high-priced running backs because of the value that presents itself at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end. Other weeks we may have to dip into the mid-range at running back because value hasn't emerged at the other positions. Because quarterback is a position with a narrower range of outcomes, it often makes sense to pay down for a signal-caller. As always it will depend on the makeup of the entire lineup, but I'll usually favor spending down at quarterback.

For up-to-the-minute and Sunday morning updates, be sure to join the 4for4 DFS subscription-only Discord channel.

I'm not opposed to paying up at wide receiver or tight end if the constraints of the week dictate that it's the most prudent lineup construction. However, with the propensity to allot the most salary to the running back position, I usually attempt to roster the most targets per dollar at wide receiver. It often results in rostering mid-tier wide receivers and tight ends. Given the volatility and variance week-to-week in pass-catchers, it makes sense to not use a ton of salary there as a general rule of thumb. Defense/special teams usually comes down to the cheapest defense with a respectable matchup and a relatively high sack rate, as pressure is what creates the plays defenses need to score fantasy points.

Update:

First off, I got some questions about Kyler being the only quarterback in the cash game article. I'd like to address that by saying, he's the only quarterback that I want to play. You can absolutely play Dak or Russ, or drop down to someone like Wentz if you need the savings.
Additionally, I think it's very hard to play Kyler and Kenyan Drake on the same cash team. They've correlated negaitively in their nine games together thus far and it's easy to see why. Drake's big game comes when he scores rushing touchdowns and Kyler's big games comes when he scores rushing touchdowns. Because Drake isn't a huge player in the passing game, I find it difficult to play both in cash. I would get off whichever one you like less. Of course the game could have 70 total points and Murray/Drake meet value individually, but that's not an outcome I want to bank on in cash.
Devin Singletary moves ahead of my want for Mike Dave and Jerrick McKinnon. He should see a heavy workload against a Rams team who is making their second trip east in as many weeks and have been beaten by RBs through two weeks. At least with Singletary he's the RB1 that is just getting an uptick in usage because of an injury to the RB2, rather than counting on full workloads from guys buried on the depth chart
Darius Slayton will be in consideration with Shepard and Saquon out as well as Tate ailing. I don't mind dropping down to Slayton from a mid-tier WR if you really need to.
I'm also a little afraid to be under exposed to the Cowboys/Seahawks game in cash so I think it's viable to use something like Cooper/Lockett in stead of Hopkins/Slayton

Quarterback

It looks like I'll be going back to Kyler Murray ($6,800) if I'm paying up at quarterback, which is a possibility this week given some of the savings across the board. The Cardinals are playing at an absolutely breakneck pace, averaging 80 plays run over the first two games. The Lions have also been playing extremely fast, ranking top 10 in seconds per play and first in pace in close game situations. Murray has been electric on the ground, averaging about 16 fantasy points per game with just rushing production. The Lions defense ranks third last in adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) against quarterbacks. This is setting up to be another smash spot for Kyler. As long as the value shakes out and we can fit cheaper players in at other spots, he's my favorite quarterback play again this week.