Editor’s Note: We may not write up every player we consider to be a top play. Be sure to consult the chart at the bottom of the page. This page will be updated as necessary.
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Understanding optimal lineups for cash games is extremely important, even if you only play tournaments. Players in our cash pool are the ones we believe are the most underpriced, have the best floor/ceiling combo, and typically feature a relatively tight range of outcomes. These are the best plays on the board when considering price, context, and positional scarcity. These are usually pretty good options for GPPs as well.
The optimal GPP lineup will typically mix some of these cash-type plays with higher-variance options, often in correlated lineups. In cash games (where roughly 50% of the field gets paid out), we don’t worry about ownership, game stacks, or correlation. In large-field tournaments, we should be much more mindful of ownership. For more tournament content, check out our projections, and Friday’s live show, Establish The Show: The College Years, with Alex Hardin and Sean Newsham.
With all that said, these are our Top Plays considering the following factors: mean projection, matchup, upside, and value. Ownership is NOT considered here. Generally speaking, these players are what we consider to be “head-to-head and 50/50 considerations”.
They are listed in price descending order (NOT ranked by “best play”). At the bottom, you’ll find suggested rankings by site once salary is accounted for.
Quarterback
Tayven Jackson (IND – DK $7,700, FD $9,600) – After Indiana’s dreadful offensive display last week versus Ohio State, they have named Jackson the starter for Week 2. We have some concerns about him getting 100% of the snaps, but Indiana does have the softest matchup on paper going against FCS Indiana State. It will be interesting to see if the Hoosiers continue to use the triple option like they showed last week and if their passing game will be present whatsoever if they have success running the ball versus an inferior opponent. We really are only considering Jackson as viable because it is a two-game slate and there are some question marks elsewhere. GPP recommendation: Stack with 0 to 2 pass catchers.
Jalon Daniels (KU – DK $7,500, FD $11,800) – After missing the opener with a lingering back injury, it seems as though Daniels is on schedule to start this week versus Illinois. On this two-game slate, he easily has the highest upside at the position, and salary is of almost no concern on this slate. The real questions are: How much will he run? And will Kansas rotate in Jason Bean at all? GPP recommendation: Stack with 0 to 2 pass catchers.
Luke Altmyer (IL – DK $6,400, FD $10,200) – It’s not often you get an Illinois quarterback as the safest play on the slate, but we get just that on this two-gamer. Altmyer has the most secure standing at QB of all four teams on the slate (Jackson at Indiana could have a short leash) and does not have any injury concerns (Daniels could be limited or even possibly sit again). The Ole Miss transfer even showed off some wheels in the opener versus Toledo, as he racked up 69 yards on nine carries on the ground in addition to going an efficient 18 for 26 through the air. While Kansas is pretty efficient offensively, they still have a lot of holes on the defensive side (bottom third in the country in defensive efficiency), so we are not afraid to load up on Illinois this slate despite them being an underdog. GPP recommendation: Stack with 1 to 2 pass catchers.
Running Back
Josh Henderson (IU – DK $6,800, FD $7,400) – While Henderson did start Week 1, his workload was extremely limited, as he only finished with three carries. Head coach Tom Allen said they will continue to use a three-back rotation of Henderson, Jaylin Lucas, and Christian Turner. In a game where they should find much more success, Henderson should have an opportunity to bounce back.
Devin Neal (KU – DK $6,300, FD $10,400) – While this Illinois defense is still very solid, it is a few steps below what they were last year, and on a two-game slate, we are going to have to consider Kansas skill-position players. Devin Neal is the most explosive Kansas back by a good margin (6.1 yards per carry last season) and should see plenty of work in what should be a tight game. He saw a 35% share of carries and 11% of the team’s targets in a Week 1 win versus Missouri State. We view this as a realistic expectation, but he certainly possesses upside on this usage if they cut out some of the back-end guys, such as Tory Locklin and Sevion Morrison, from the rotation.
Jaylin Lucas (IU – DK $6,200, FD $8,600) – Indiana is a challenging team to peg for touches, which is something we must work through considering they have the highest total team on the slate. In the opener, Lucas did not start but was clearly the RB1 in terms of workload, as his 33% market share of carries trumped starter Josh Henderson (9%) and reserve Christian Turner (21%). There comes some risk, but we view Lucas as the best clear talent of the group and he has the best chance to separate within the committee approach.
Josh McCray (IL – DK $4,500, FD $6,800) – While Reggie Love started the last game at running back, Josh McCray played slightly more and historically has been more productive. We view this as a pretty even workload split situation, so we side with the more talented back when making a decision between the two. It should be noted that these were the only two RBs for Illinois who played last week, so we do believe there is enough usage to go around where you could play both in the same lineup on the slate.
Reggie Love III – (IL – $4,400, FD $8,300) – We prefer Josh McCray as an Illinois running back on this slate, but certainly Love is viable in all formats as well considering the volume will likely be split fairly equally. There is a good chance we only see Love and McCray at running back for the Illini as compared to 3-5 running backs for Indiana and Kansas.
Wide Receiver
Cam Camper (IU – DK $6,700, FD $8,200) – The quarterback play is an extreme concern for Indiana wide receivers, but we are quite confident that Camper will have the best shot to be the leading target earner most weeks in this offense. Coming off an ACL tear during the 2022 season (82 targets last year in only seven games), Camper returned last week and led the team with five targets. Indiana should have a bit more success here versus Indiana State as compared to last week when Ohio State stifled them for four quarters.
Pat Bryant (IL – DK $6,400, FD $8,800) – While Bryant ran far fewer routes (18) than teammates Isaiah Williams (31) and Casey Washington (27), he did earn the second-most targets and scored two touchdowns, which boosted his fantasy totals. We do prefer the price tag on Washington, but Bryant is certainly in play because salary does not matter much at all on this slate and Bryant has a fairly large sample of possessing higher touchdown equity.
Isaiah Williams (IL – DK $5,500, FD $7,200) – The Illini slot man led the team with eight targets (33% share) and 31 routes run last week. Williams has historically been a great scorer on full-PPR DraftKings, and we expect him to continue to get peppered with targets, providing him a massive floor as compared to other receivers on the slate. The matchup versus Indiana is certainly favorable and makes Williams an easy priority on the slate.
Quentin Skinner (KU – DK $5,200, FD $7,600) – If Luke Grimm misses, we would have a bit more interest in Kansas WRs Lawrence Arnold or Quinten Skinner, but it seems like he is trending toward being available. Even with Grimm playing, Skinner is still super viable on the two-gamer, as he should be a safe bet for 4-6+ targets in what should be the better back-and-forth game environment.
Dequece Carter (IU – DK $5,100, FD $7,100) – It was a rough FBS debut for Carter last week versus Ohio State, as he really felt that step up in competition, only grabbing one catch for 16 yards. Last year at Fordham, he had 56 catches for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns. What stands out here is that Carter has a lot of big-play potential (over 20 yards per reception). Playing mostly as a slot receiver on passing downs last week, he ended up running just as many routes as Cam Camper but only saw three targets. In a game where Indiana should be able to move the ball much more effectively, I think we have a chance to see Carter’s big-play upside showcased.
Dakota Canton (INST – DK $4,300, FD $5,700) – An interesting punt play on a slate where it’s not necessarily needed, Canton had a whopping 14 targets last week in Indiana State’s 27-0 loss to Eastern Illinois. This Indiana State team is bad offensively, ranking near the dead bottom of many efficiency metrics in all of FCS. With that said, he could see 12-15 low-aDOT targets that could help him become a viable piece on DK just through volume alone (thinking five catches for 50 yards). This would be more interesting on a slate where pricing was a bit tighter, however, if we are discussing the true floors of all of the wide receivers on the slate, Canton has to be in the discussion. Oddly enough, Canton is probably more useful on FanDuel where the pricing is tighter.
