Welcome to Break The Slate DFS Money Makers Week 1 cash game picks. This weekly article is the brainchild of years of consuming content across the industry. I find that the majority of DFS content either gives 3-4 core plays, which tend to be the uber chalk that anyone can see. The other method is to write up a large number of players at each position and then claim victory when any one of them hits. That is NOT what we do here. I am going to be giving you a tight, concise player pool.
This article will cover both DraftKings and FanDuel, but please note that my focus leans towards FanDuel. I find FanDuel to have a softer field compared to DraftKings. I have had six straight winning NFL Cash Game seasons. Last year on FanDuel, my weekly record was 11-5-2.
In Week 1 especially, there is always value to be found because the salaries have been released so early.
This season is no exception. You will be able to build a full lineup with the picks here, but I encourage you to develop your own process and use this as a sounding board to complement your own research. Plays are not ranked or in any specific order. If they are here, they are a strong play. Without further ado, let’s make some money!
Week 1 DFS Cash Game Picks:
QUARTERBACK
Anthony Richardson
FanDuel: $6700
DraftKings $5600
There are really two options at quarterback this week: play Richardson or pay up for the top option. Yes, we are supposed to mitigate risk in cash games, but I do like to take these risks on cheap running quarterbacks. I want to provide you with concrete answers regarding the player pool, but I’m genuinely torn on this.
Anthony Richardson Athleticism scores
Perhaps I’m still wary from watching Malik Willis last year, but I’m not ready to lock him in just yet. One interesting thing I’ve noticed when building lineups is that generally, his salary savings doesn’t drastically alter my overall lineup. It simply allows me to transition from one value wide receiver to a second high-priced option. Because of this, I’m leaning towards choosing our next option and playing the value wide receiver.
Jalen Hurts
FanDuel: $9000
DraftKings: $7800
Hurts is my top quarterback for the week. The game has evolved, and so must our strategy. Paying up for quarterback now makes a lot more sense than in previous years. 3-4 QBs were pushed up this year into the third round of high-stakes season-long leagues, reflecting the shift in philosophy, which also applies to our cash game strategy. In 2022, Hurts averaged 25.6 fantasy points per game (No. 1 amongst quarterbacks). Expect him to continue where he left off.
Honorable Mention: Justin Herbert on DraftKings $6900
RUNNING BACK
Raheem Mostert
FanDuel: $5900
DraftKings: $5400
This will be a messy backfield throughout the year. Week 1 should run through Mostert. Jeff Wilson is on the IR and rookie Devon Achane had a shoulder injury in camp that has slowed his progression. Mostert’s main issue the last few years is his ability to stay healthy. Week 1 should be the healthiest he is all year. Plug him in and enjoy the salary savings.
Bijan Robinson
FanDuel: $7800
DraftKings: $8000
Robinson starts out as a lock for me on FanDuel where he comes in $200 cheaper than on DraftKings. I expect he will only go up in price from here. Get on him early. A bit more thought will be required on DraftKings where we have several viable options that are significantly cheaper.
Bijan Robinson College Statistics
Robinson capped off his college career with a 20 touchdown season. With a great final season and insanely high draft capital for a running back (1.08) expect an immediate impact from the rookie.
Not on the List
Joe Mixon pops up in the projections as a top points per dollar play. I am not including him here because I just can’t bring myself to roster him as of this writing. One reason is, spoiler alert, I have his teammate listed in the next section, and if you review my rules article you will see that is a violation. However, that is not the only reason. He really struggled last season and I want to see him prove he is back first.
WIDE RECEIVER
Courtland Sutton
FanDuel: $5900
DraftKings: $5200
AND Marvin Mims
FanDuel: $4700
DraftKings: $3000
The Broncos WR Corps has been decimated by injury. Sean Payton is now running the offense. The jury is still out on whether Russell Wilson can resurrect his career with the help of Payton. For the price though, Sutton has both the floor and upside we need in cash games. Mims is also an option, but as I discussed in the 10 DFS Rules to Live By article I am not plugging both in the same cash game lineup. A heck of a value stack for large field GPPs is Russell Wilson stacked with two of Sutton, Mims, or Greg Dulcich
Johan Dotson
FanDuel: $6100
DraftKings: $5000
This is dependent on injury news. If Terry McLaurin is out, Dotson will be the WR1 in a matchup where the Commanders should put up some points. If McLaurin is in I am going to look at better options. As the week has progressed, I am less confident that McLaurin sits. Thursday practice reports has McLaurin as a full participant. Follow the news and adjust accordingly.
Editor’s Note: This article was written before the news broke that Terry McLaurin plans to play this Sunday.
Calvin Ridley
FanDuel: $7000
DraftKings: $6500
Ridley has continued to rise up the ranks this summer. He was just drafted in the second round of an FFPC draft I did tonight. He was drafted ahead of Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith. It’s funny how things go as he was left for dead in dynasty just a year ago.
It’s hard to reference many stats when his last game was two seasons ago. Taking all that into consideration, the camp reports have been great for him. Additionally, he has looked good in the preseason games he has appeared in. If those reports are correct, this is the cheapest we will see him all year. Take it while you can.
Deebo Samuel
DraftKings ONLY: $5500
This will be short. I don’t love Samuel. He is not in play on FanDuel. This is strictly a salary play. For his talent, he is priced to low. In season long drafts, he has been steamed up to a late second round, early third round ADP.
Deebo Samuel 2022 Opportunity Statistics & Metrics
San Francisco has a lot of target competition though, and last year Samuel had some abysmal opportunity metrics. Some other wide receivers to consider in that salary range on DraftKings are Chris Godwin and Mike Williams.
Ja’Marr Chase
I really wanted to make Justin Jefferson my spend up WR this week. After digging into the stats and salaries though, I have to trust the data and go with Chase. He is significantly cheaper than Jefferson on both sites. The Bengals may end up being exposed early in the season on defense as they lost two top safeties in Vonn Bell and Jesse Bates to free agency. This may lead to more shootouts and more opportunity for Chase to ball out.
TIGHT END
Tyler Higbee
FanDuel: $5300
DraftKings: $4800
This will be my FanDuel TE. The DFS Cash Game Optimizer seems to agree as well. Higbee keeps popping up in almost any lineup I generate.
Results from the DFS Cash Game Optimizer
He is a slightly better play on FanDuel than DraftKings. The Rams have a light receiving corps, and with Cooper Kupp banged up Higbee should have a nice floor with the ability to score a TD. On DraftKings, there are a few other tight ends you can consider in the 4k salary range.
DEFENSE
Washington Commanders DraftKings ONLY $2800
My defensive strategy is to find the lowest salary that is viable. Analysis for DEF will be short and sweet. The Commanders are facing the worst starting QB in the league. This will be Mega Chalk on DraftKings, but I don’t care. Play the best plays. Just remember to fully fade the high ownership defenses in tournaments.
Seattle Seahawks FanDuel ONLY $4200
I don’t love spending $4200 on defense, but the options are really limited on FanDuel this week. The other option is Tampa at $3100. The issue is they play the Vikings on the road as underdogs. The Vikings don’t turn the ball over much, so that leads us back to the Seahawks. The Rams are missing Cooper Kupp as he is already announced out. They were bad last year and are looking to be headed down that same path. All in all, the Seahawks appear to be the best option on FanDuel.
GPP Bonus:
My Game stack of the week is both sides of the Dolphins, Chargers game.
Conclusion:
That wraps up our Week 1 DFS Cash Game picks. Don’t forget to review the 10 Rules to Live By, as that will set you up for success for this season in cash games. If you have specific questions, feel free to reach out to me on Discord or twitter, and I will be happy to answer them. Any critical updates that come in late on Saturday night will be posted in Discord. Please understand that Sunday mornings may be challenging for me to make updates, as I have a high volume of High Stakes Season Long teams to manage in addition to my own DFS lineups. Thank you for reading and let’s have an awesome season while making some money!
