FanDuel – Target Score 120
Quarterback
One of the things I do with Week 1 at the QB/RB position in cash games is focus on the top 3-5 players at each position. But also are there any players who are significantly mispriced to where it makes them a must play?
With QB pricing a tad soft, and so much value in Week 1 already, I'm OK paying up a little. All four quarterbacks are in high projected total games and favored.
Marcus Mariota - $7,800
Cam Newton - $7,900
Ben Roethlisberger - $8,200
Aaron Rodgers - $8,300
Running Back
Much of the strategy last year was to pay up at both RB spots with a top-5 projected player. The only exceptions were Melvin Gordon and Jordan Howard, who crushed value every week. I'm looking at Christian McCaffrey as that guy in Week 1. He's got a great matchup against the 49ers, and I can see the Panthers getting him the ball in a variety of ways with big play potential.
Le'Veon Bell - $9,300
David Johnson - $9,400
LeSean McCoy - $8,500
Devonta Freeman - $8,300
Christian McCaffrey - $6,500
Wide Receiver
Because I'm choosing to pay up at the RB position, the WR is all about getting value and finding mispriced players. Look for a WR1 or WR2 with a good matchup against a weak secondary, favored, in a projected higher-scoring game with a decent QB getting him the ball. These are the nine wide receivers I will target in building cash game lineups between $6,000-$7,500.
Rishard Matthews - $6,100
Terrelle Pryor - $6,200
Larry Fitzgerald - $6,400
Martavis Bryant - $6,500
Jamison Crowder - $6,500
Pierre Garcon - $6,600
Davante Adams - $6,800
Michael Crabtree - $6,900
Doug Baldwin - $7,500
Tight End
TE is another position I look to save money on in cash games. I focus on targets and red-zone opportunities along with being a top-12 projected tight end. Another sneaky strategy is look for a tight end in which one of the top two wide receivers is out.
Jason Witten - $5,400
Martellus Bennett - $5,700
Zach Ertz - $5,900
Delanie Walker - $6,100
Kicker
Look for the cheapest kickers in the $4,500-$4,700 range. Teams that are favored with a high projected total or a projected close game. Domes are always a plus.
Blair Walsh - $4,500
Phil Dawson - $4,500
Ryan Succop - $4,600
Defense
Focus on the top defenses for the week. Build rosters with the least expensive and if you have money leftover to upgrade you can.
Rams - $4,600
Bills - $4,700
Steelers - $4,700
Texans - $5,100
Once I build my cheat sheet, I go to the RotoWire Lineup Optimizer and start playing around with building lineups. I start with the highest-ranked players I have based on salary, except the RB spot where I've decided to look at Johnson/Bell right off the bat.
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | OPP | SPRD | O/U | TM/P | SALARY | FPTS | VALUE |
| Marcus Mariota | QB | TEN | OAK | 0 | 52.5 | 26.3 | $7,800 | 19.6 | 2.51 |
| David Johnson | RB | ARI | @DET | 2.5 | 49.5 | 23.5 | $9,400 | 18.4 | 1.96 |
| Le'Veon Bell | RB | PIT | @CLE | -9.5 | 47.5 | 28.5 | $9,300 | 19.4 | 2.08 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | @DET | 2.5 | 49.5 | 23.5 | $6,400 | 12.0 | 1.87 |
| Terrelle Pryor | WR | WAS | PHI | -2.5 | 47.5 | 25.0 | $6,200 | 13.5 | 2.18 |
| Rishard Matthews | WR | TEN | OAK | 0 | 52.5 | 26.3 | $6,100 | 11.3 | 1.86 |
| Jason Witten | TE | DAL | NYG | -6 | 50.5 | 28.3 | $5,400 | 6.9 | 1.27 |
| Los Angeles Rams | D | LAR | IND | 3 | 48.0 | 25.5 | $4,600 | 6.8 | 1.47 |
| Blair Walsh | K | SEA | @GB | 3 | 50.0 | 23.5 | $4,500 | 8.4 | 1.86 |
| Totals | $59,700 | 116.3 | 1.95 |
I have $300 leftover with this lineup, so putting some toward a WR would make sense. I could upgrade Pryor with Martavis Bryant. If I wanted to upgrade additionally at WR, then moving down at RB to McCoy would be an option. This frees up $1,200 overall, which could be Doug Baldwin over Fitzgerald. Or you could spread it around and go up to Aaron Rodgers at QB and Davante Adams over Rishard Matthews.
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | OPP | SPRD | O/U | TM/P | SALARY | FPTS | VALUE |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | GB | SEA | -3 | 50.0 | 26.5 | $8,300 | 23.6 | 2.85 |
| Le'Veon Bell | RB | PIT | @CLE | -9.5 | 47.5 | 28.5 | $9,300 | 19.4 | 2.08 |
| LeSean McCoy | RB | BUF | NYJ | -6 | 42.0 | 24.0 | $8,500 | 14.2 | 1.67 |
| Davante Adams | WR | GB | SEA | -3 | 50.0 | 26.5 | $6,800 | 12.1 | 1.79 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | @DET | 2.5 | 49.5 | 23.5 | $6,400 | 12.0 | 1.87 |
| Terrelle Pryor | WR | WAS | PHI | -2.5 | 47.5 | 25.0 | $6,200 | 13.5 | 2.18 |
| Jason Witten | TE | DAL | NYG | -6 | 50.5 | 28.3 | $5,400 | 6.9 | 1.27 |
| Los Angeles Rams | D | LAR | IND | 3 | 48.0 | 25.5 | $4,600 | 6.8 | 1.47 |
| Blair Walsh | K | SEA | @GB | 3 | 50.0 | 23.5 | $4,500 | 8.4 | 1.86 |
| Totals | 116.9 | 1.95 |
One final lineup construction this week will take a look at pairing Cam Newton with Christian McCaffrey. The initial lineup had $2,400 leftover, which we want to definitely reallocate toward WR and possibly TE. Swapping Pryor for Baldwin gets us to $1,100, leftover. Upgrading Larry Fitzgerald to Michael Crabtree leaves us with $600 to play with. There are a couple options left. We can upgrade Witten to Zach Ertz, or upgrade the Rams D to the Steelers/Bills/Texans.
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | OPP | SPRD | O/U | TM/P | SALARY | FPTS | VALUE |
| Cam Newton | QB | CAR | @SF | -4 | 48.5 | 26.3 | $7,900 | 21.4 | 2.71 |
| Le'Veon Bell | RB | PIT | @CLE | -9.5 | 47.5 | 28.5 | $9,300 | 19.4 | 2.08 |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | CAR | @SF | -4 | 48.5 | 26.3 | $6,500 | 10.9 | 1.68 |
| Doug Baldwin | WR | SEA | @GB | 3 | 50.0 | 23.5 | $7,500 | 14.1 | 1.88 |
| Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | @TEN | 0 | 52.5 | 26.3 | $6,900 | 12.4 | 1.8 |
| Jamison Crowder | WR | WAS | PHI | -2.5 | 47.5 | 25.0 | $6,500 | 11.5 | 1.77 |
| Delanie Walker | TE | TEN | OAK | 0 | 52.5 | 26.3 | $6,100 | 11.1 | 1.81 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | D | PIT | @CLE | -9.5 | 47.5 | 19.0 | $4,800 | 8.3 | 1.72 |
| Blair Walsh | K | SEA | @GB | 3 | 50.0 | 23.5 | $4,500 | 8.4 | 1.86 |
| Totals | $60,000 | 117.5 | 1.96 |
