Sunday Morning Update
Check back each Sunday Morning around 10:30 AM EST for any changes to the Primary Cash Lineup
SITUATIONS THAT STAND OUT TO THIS WEEK ON THE MAIN SLATE.
- San Francisco (vs ARI) – 28.5 points
- Baltimore (at CIN) – 26.75 points
- Green Bay (at LAR) – 25.25 points
Week 4 Recap
Week 4 was another victorious week for the Primary Cash Lineup taking the season record to 3-1 on the year. It looked like it was going to be a tough one after Atlanta’s defense was 35% rostered at $3,300 and scored two touchdowns last week. Thankfully, the lineup recovered in large part to Chuba Hubbard who was just 20% rostered and ended up with 23.1 points.
Total points scored- 126.22
- QB Jayden Daniels, WAS, $8,200- 25.02
- RB Najee Harris, PIT, $6,600- 8.8
- RB Chuba Hubbard, CAR, $6,500- 23.1
- WR Nico Collins, HOU, $7,700- 30.1
- WR Amari Cooper, CLE, $6,400- 5.5
- WR Diontae Johnson, CAR, $6,200- 17.8
- TE Brock Bowers, LV, $6,500- 4.1
- Flex RB Breece Hall, NYJ, $8,000- 2.8
- TD Las Vegas, $3,700- 9.0
What went right:
- Jayden Daniels at 45% rostered was a key to victory. The quarterback was outstanding last week putting up 25.02 points. His rushing upside that he provides every week is amongst the best in the NFL.
- Nico Collins is emerging as the best wide receiver in the 2024 season.
What went wrong:
- Breece Hall was a disaster as he had just 10 carries for 4 yards in a weird rain-soaked game against Denver. Thankfully Hall was 75% rostered last week, so the overall penalty for not playing him was relatively minimal.
- Amari Cooper at 5% rostered only putting up 5.5 points was tough. Especially since he had an 82-yard touchdown catch called back due to a phantom holding call that was one of the worst calls of the week. Cooper also had a horrendous drop that ended up being intercepted as he continues to have issues with dropping the ball this season.
Injuries Create Opportunity:
We are in the portion of the season where the weekly news isn’t always clear, so continue to check back on this article throughout the weekend to see what has changed as many situations could unfold that would drastically change the lineup.
- The Panthers linebacker situation is abysmal. Shaq Thompson who is the team’s leading tackler is out for the season, while Josey Jewell is also out this week. This was already one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. These injuries should set up extremely well for the Bears’ rushing offense, but the question is whether we believe in the emergence of D’Andre Swift after just one great week and three poor performances.
- Davante Adams is once again out this week with a hamstring injury and desire to be traded. FanDuel raised Tre Tucker’s price to $5,800 to be equal to Jakobi Meyers, which makes it tough to play either one of these guys. Of the two, Tucker likely has more upside as Meyers should be in a tough spot this week against Patrick Surtain II who is one of the few corners who will shadow the number one receiver.
- Zamir White is also out for the Raiders. At $5,800, Alexander Mattison should be a solid value play this week. We’ve gone down this path before with Mattison and there is always risk associated with it dating back to the Minnesota days, but the matchup is looking like a difficult one after they completely shut down Breece Hall last week, but Mattison should see enough volume to be cash game relevant.
- Malik Nabers will miss this week with a concussion. Wan’Dale Robinson will likely be the top target. Robinson is not likely to be cash game viable this week given the lack of touchdown upside that the 5’7’’ receiver has this week.
- The Giants are also likely going to be without Devin Singletary. With no Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr. appears the most likely to get the majority of the carries. At $4,800 he’s a decent value as the Giants have very little behind Tracy the only other running back who has a snap this season is Eric Gray who has not played more than 10% of snaps on the year.
- Jonathan Taylor is out this week with an ankle injury. Trey Sermon at $5,900 will get the start. The matchup is difficult for the Colts against a good Jaguars run defense. Sermon has just one start in his career when he had 88 yards on 17 carries. The issue for Sermon is that he’s shown an inability to catch the ball throughout his career. This could open up doors for more of a pass-heavy approach to Michael Pittman Jr or Josh Downs.
- Rhamondre Stevenson is not going to start this week but will play according to Jerod Mayo. This is a clear stay-away for both he and Antonio Gibson as Stevenson is not starting due to his fumbling issues. The issue here is we have no idea if this is just a punishment for the issues, or if he is becoming the number two back in this offense.
- Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are both doubtful this week. This should consolidate a lot of the work for Green Bay to Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Tucker Kraft. Of the three, Jayden Reed is the guy to target as at just $7,200 should project to be one of the top wide receivers this week.
- Jaylen Warren will once again miss this week. Harris was disappointing last week, but his price at just $6,500 remains extremely low in a favorable matchup with Micah Parsons out for Dallas.
Week 5 Strategy- Expensive Wide Receivers
Determining where to spend your salary this week is going to come down to the wide receiver position. While Nico Collins and CeeDee Lamb should both be in a great spot this week, they’re prohibitively expensive on a week where there are so many running back injuries. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to take chances on some of these low-end running backs or instead look at some of these mid-priced wide receivers that seem undervalued such as Brian Thomas Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., George Pickens, or Terry McLaurin.
Here’s the thing. While Nico Collins appears to be emerging as an elite wide receiver, this still feels different than prime Cooper Kupp or even Tyreek Hill/CeeDee Lamb last season. At $8,800, he either needs to score a touchdown or top 100 yards to hit value. He’s done that in three of his four games this week, but this Buffalo secondary has been amongst the league’s best. Buffalo eliminated both Tyreek Hill even with Tua in the game and Marvin Harrison Jr. back in Week 1. They’ve allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. With three elite options at running back with Jordan Mason, Kyren Williams, and Derrick Henry as well as Lamar Jackson being a great play, the dropoff from Collins down to some of the cheaper receivers does not seem as big as the dropoff at running back and receiver.
Player Pool
| Quarterback | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | FBG Projection | Salary | Comment |
| 1 | Brock Purdy | 19.8 | $7,700 | Brock Purdy is an interesting one this week as he's been outstanding this season, but is largely going under the radar. Over the last three weeks, Purdy has 23, 35, and 18 FanDuel points while throwing for 280 yards or more in each game. Taking on an Arizona defense this week that is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, Purdy should be in a tremendous spot to have a massive game this week. At just $7,700, he's about $400 too cheap this week. |
| 2 | Lamar Jackson | 23.57 | $8,800 | Lamar has quietly been great this season. After a huge Week 1 against Kansas City, he's quietly put up 19.8, 28.8, and 29.2 FanDuel points and is second in FanDuel points per game just behind Jayden Daniels. For Lamar, this is another must-win game after the team started 0-2. Jackson over his last five games against Cincinnati has topped 20 FanDuel points in four of them, and with Sheldon Rankins still out for the Bengals, he should have plenty of ability to run the ball this week. We saw what Jayden Daniels could do to this defense putting up 28.02 FanDuel points back in Week 3. The only question is whether you can afford him as he's $8,800 which does make it difficult this week. |
| 3 | Geno Smith | 19.48 | $7,400 | On paper, the Giants should be an easy matchup, but statistically, they haven't been allowing big games to opposing quarterbacks this season. No quarterback has topped 18.44 as they completely shut down Dak Prescott, Jayden Daniels, and Sam Darnold. Smith has been great this year leading the NFL in passing yards and the price does not accurately reflect that. There is certainly an upside here, but there's also risk given the Giants' defense so far this year combined with the Giants being without Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary. How much offensive threat will they pose to force the Seahawks to keep throwing the ball? |
| Running Back | ||||
| Rank | Player | FBG Projection | Salary | Comment |
| 1 | Jordan Mason | 19.24 | 8700 | Through four weeks, Mason has been the best running back in the NFL this season and is now in a favorable matchup this week against Arizona. Mason has topped 100 yards in three of the four games this season and is taking on an Arizona Cardinals defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Brian Robinson Jr and Jeremy McNichols combined for 169 yards last week, while David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 188 yards in Week 3. |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | 17.92 | 9200 | Derrick Henry is on pace for a 2,000-yard season after a dominant last two weeks. Over the last two games, Henry has 151 yards and 2 touchdowns against Dallas and 199 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo last week while also hauling in a receiving touchdown in that game. The only issue for Henry compared to Jordan Mason is that the downside of Henry is a little bit higher than Mason. With Lamar Jackson at quarterback, it adds another threat in the red zone to take the rushing touchdown away from Henry. Henry likely has more upside here, but he does have two sub-100-yard games this season. |
| 3 | Najee Harris | 16.18 | 6500 | Najee Harris struggled last week but should be another great option once again in Week 5. Last week, the game got away from Pittsburgh a little bit as they only ran the ball 13 times with Harris. With no DeMarcus Lawrence or Micah Parsons this week, this should alleviate some pressure off of Pittsburgh's offensive line allowing them to more easily run the ball. |
| 4 | Chuba Hubbard | 14.81 | 6800 | Why has Hubbard's price not increased to above $7,000? Over the last two games against Las Vegas and Cincinnati, Hubbard has 30.9 and 25.1 FanDuel points. With Andy Dalton at quarterback, this is a completely different offense. One that defenses have to at least respect the threat of a passing game which opens up opportunities for Hubbard and this rushing attack. This week, the matchup is one that looked difficult to start the year, but the Bears defense over the last two weeks has allowed 29.0 FanDuel points to Jonathan Taylor and 18.4 to Kyren Williams. Hubbard has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as he has four or more receptions in each of his last three games. |
| 5 | Kyren Williams | 18.62 | 8400 | Kyren Williams has quietly been fantastic for Los Angeles. With the injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Williams has faced three of the best-run defenses in the NFL this season in San Francisco, Chicago, and Detroit and has averaged 18.7 FanDuel points per game this year. The matchup does get a little bit easier this week taking on Green Bay who have allowed 90 rushing yards or more to lead backs in three of their four games this season as Saquon Barkley, Aaron Jones, and Jonathan Taylor all were able to top 90 against this defense. The concern for Williams is the floor compared to Mason or Henry. We saw in the first two weeks, that Williams has just 75 total rushing yards, and while he has 183 over the last two games, paying for a running back at $8,400 that is essentially relying on a touchdown to hit value is not a must start. He's going to be popular, but not necessarily someone that you should have full confidence in, as 70 yards rushing and 25 yards receiving seems like a likely outcome. With the addition of the 100-yard bonus on FanDuel, Henry and Mason are the clear top two high-end plays. |
| 6 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 11.47 | 4800 | On a week where there is little value at the wide receiver position, looking at Tracy this week at $4,800 could be a unique way to build a roster. At $4,800, Tracy does not need to do much to reach value as he should see 15 touches in this game especially with Malik Nabers also being out for the Giants. Tracy in limited playing time has shown an ability to catch the ball as he has four receptions despite his limited role this year with just 12 carries. Overall, if you want to go with Derrick Henry and Jordan Mason in the same lineup, Tracy is an effective way to provide salary relief to get the two running backs in your lineup. |
| Wide Receiver | ||||
| Rank | Player | FBG Projection | Salary | Comment |
| 1 | Michael Pittman Jr (Only if Joe Flacco Starts) | 11.62 | 6100 | If Joe Flacco starts, Michael Pittman Jr is a must-play at $6,100. Last week, Pittman had 113 yards with Flacco throwing to the receiver. We've seen what Flacco can do with number one receivers as we saw Amari Cooper have the best year of his career last year with Flacco seeing significant playing time in 2023. If Anthony Richardson gets the start, Pittman is a no-play this week as we just have not seen consistency with Richardson being able to find Pittman hence the price being as low as it is. |
| 2 | Jayden Reed | 15.81 | 7,200 | With no Romeo Doubs and no Christian Watson, the options in Green Bay are going to be limited. For Jayden Reed, no one was happier that Jordan Love returned to quarterback as Reed was dominant last week with 7 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. This is a situation where in the two games with Jordan Love at quarterback, Reed has topped 130 yards in each of those two games scoring a touchdown in both contests. At $7,200 his price is still deflated due to Malik Willis starting two games for this team. |
| 3 | Diontae Johnson | 14.31 | 7,100 | We saw Johnson's price increase from $6,200 to $7,100 this week after being one of the most popular plays of last week. Johnson has been fantastic with Andy Dalton starting as he has topped 20 points in each of his last two games. The Bears' defense has been good, but the Panthers have very few other options at receiver this week. |
| 4 | Brian Thomas Jr. | 12.04 | 6,100 | Brian Thomas Jr. is emerging as the top receiver in Jacksonville as Gabe Davis has struggled to find a role in Jacksonville while Christian Kirk has turned into a possession receiver. For Thomas, he's just $6,300 and coming off of an 86-yard game with a touchdown. Thomas has 9 targets in each of his last two games and is taking on a Colts defense that has allowed 110 yards or more to Rome Odunze and George Pickens over the last two weeks along with Nico Collins back in Week 1. The only team that didn't have a receiver that topped 110 yards was Green Bay with Malik Willis starting. |
| 5 | Nico Collins | 17.66 | 8,800 | Collins has been dominant so far this season, but as we discussed earlier, it's just tough to get up to him at $8,800 this week. Buffalo's defense has been great at shutting down number-one receivers this season. |
| 6 | George Pickens | 13.36 | 6,000 | If you're looking at wide receivers in the low 6k range, you need upside. Pickens had a big game last week against Indianapolis as he had 7 receptions for 113 yards for 21.3 FanDuel points. Pickens has at least 10 points in three of his four games this season, and with no Micah Parsons or DeMarcus Lawrence, this should open up more time for Justin Fields to connect with Pickens on a deep play. Last week, Dallas struggled with stopping Malik Nabers as he had 12 receptions for 115 yards while Wan'Dale Robinson added 11 catches for 71 yards. |
| 7 | Wan'Dale Robinson | 13.06 | 6,100 | With no Malik Nabers or Devin Singletary this week, Wan'Dale Robinson is going to see a significant number of targets. Last week, Robinson caught 11 of his 14 targets for 71 yards. At $6,100, Robinson is the opposite of Brian Thomas Jr. or Pickens. He provides as solid of a floor as you can get in the low 6k range, but at just 5'7'', he's a pure possession receiver averaging just 7.5 yards per catch. For cash, we're looking at 2x your salary minimum, and Robinson could get there with 10 receptions for 70 yards which seems more than reasonable with the Giants' playmaker options being extremely limited. |
| 8 | Terry McLaurin | 11.44 | 6,600 | McLaurin and Jayden Daniels are starting to find the chemistry that was lacking in the first two weeks of the season. Over the last two weeks, McLaurin has 21 and 14 FanDuel points as he has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. With Noah Brown out for Washington, McLaurin will be looked upon to do even more this week as Luke McCaffrey has not shown he has the ability to be an every-down starter yet in the NFL. |
| Tight End | ||||
| Rank | Player | FBG Projection | Salary | Comment |
| 1 | Jake Ferguson | 10.56 | 6,200 | Since returning from injury, Jake Ferguson has re-established himself as the second option in Dallas. Over the last two weeks, Ferguson has 18 targets. The Steelers have not faced an elite pass-catching tight end this season as only Kyle Pitts has topped 10 FanDuel points against this defense. This is an abysmal tight-end slate, and Ferguson seems to be the only player we can trust to have a significant number of targets. |
| 2 | Tucker Kraft | 7.54 | 5,300 | At $5,300, Kraft is another player undervalued due to the time that Jordan Love has missed this season. With no Romeo Doubs or Dontayvion Wicks, the Packers are going to need to rely on Kraft to be a strong receiving option this week. Last week, Kraft had 6 catches on 9 targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. |
| Team Defense | ||||
| Rank | Player | FBG Projection | Salary | Comment |
| 1 | Washington Commanders | 10.04 | 3,500 | Continue the trend of targeting defenses against this Browns offense. The Browns may get some help this week with some offensive line returning, but this is a team that leads the NFL in sacks allowed with 19 this season and has looked completely inept at times. |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | 12.5 | 4,000 | One of the surprises of the 2024 season has been the Denver Broncos as their defense has been a big reason why they're 2-2 to start the season. The Broncos have the second-most sacks in the NFL this season and taking on a Raiders defense that is without their top wide receiver and running back this week. If you can afford them, they're a great option, but getting up to $4k is a tough one. |
LINEUPS
SAMPLE ROSTER 1 ($60K) – PRIMARY CASH- (FBG PROJECTED POINTS = 134.7)
- QB Brock Purdy, SF, $7,700
- RB Najee Harris, PIT, $6,500
- RB Kyren Williams, LAR, $8,400
- WR Jayden Reed, GB, $7,200
- WR Michael Pittman Jr., IND, $6,100
- WR George Pickens, PIT, $6,000
- TE Tucker Kraft, GB, $5,300
- Flex RB Jordan Mason, SF, $8,700
- TD Denver, $4,000
SAMPLE ROSTER 2 ($60K) – Cash Plus Lineup FBG PROJECTED POINTS = 134.8)
A cash-plus lineup is designed to be used in something like a 100-player or less contest where 20-30% of the prize pool cashes. These can also be used for 3-person or 5-person contests where the top person wins. Often these will have a heavier emphasis on stacking built into them, but not factoring in roster percentages compared to a true GPP lineup which may avoid some of the higher projected rostered players.
- QB Lamar Jackson, BAL, $8,800
- RB Najee Harris, PIT, $6,500
- RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG, $4,800
- WR Jayden Reed, GB, $7,200
- WR Michael Pittman Jr., IND, $6,100
- WR Nico Collins, HOU, $8,800
- TE Jake Ferguson, DAL, $6,200
- Flex RB Jordan Mason, SF, $8,700
- TD Denver, $4,000
SAMPLE ROSTER 3 ($60K) – GPP Lineup (FBG PROJECTED POINTS = 136.1)
A GPP lineup is often going to avoid some of the higher-rostered players and try to create stacks or game stacks that could pay off. This often is a riskier approach and is more designed to help you understand the philosophy rather than a direct copy of the lineup. We have a GPP article written by Dan Hindery that I highly recommend if you’re looking for GPP guidance.
- QB Brock Purdy, SF, $7,700
- RB Najee Harris, PIT, $6,500
- RB Antonio Gibson, NE, $5,400
- WR Jayden Reed, GB, $7,200
- WR Michael Pittman Jr., IND, $6,100
- WR Deebo Samuel Sr., SF, $8,000
- TE Jake Ferguson, DAL, $6,200
- Flex RB Jordan Mason, SF, $8,700
- TD Denver, $4,000
Photos provided by Imagn Images
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