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Week 15 DraftKings Cash-Game Picks

Top Plays for DraftKings Head-to-Head and 50/50 Contests

Here are the guys I’m considering for DraftKings Week 15 head-to-heads and 50/50s:

Quarterback

Jameis Winston, Browns ($5,500)

Winston isn’t the prototypical cash-game play. He’s a streaky QB. His six starts this season have produced three games of 27+ DraftKings points but also three under 18.

But I like his chances for a boom game this week. 

We know the volume will be there. Winston has thrown 41+ times in five of his six starts, with the other being the snow game against the Steelers.

Sunday’s game against the Chiefs is the second-fastest-paced matchup of the week, which should elevate play volume.

And this Chiefs pass defense has been beatable since losing CB Jaylen Watson in Week 7. In the seven games since, Kansas City has allowed:

• A 70% completion rate
• 7.4 yards per attempt
• 243 passing yards per game
• 1.6 passing TDs per game

Running Backs

James Conner, Cardinals ($6,600)

Conner has continued to control the Arizona backfield. He’s tallied 19+ opportunities (carries + targets) in two straight games and six of his last seven. Conner has averaged 16.9 DraftKings points across those seven.

Sunday brings a pristine spot with the Cardinals six-point home favorites with a 26-point implied total vs. the Patriots. New England ranks 28th in run defense DVOA and 22nd in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. Only five teams have coughed up more rushing yards to RBs.

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers ($6,500)

With RBs Jonathon Brooks and Miles Sanders sidelined, Hubbard projects for uber-workhorse usage this weekend. He racked up 31 opportunities (26 carries, five targets) last week, with Brooks exiting in the first quarter.

Hubbard’s Panthers are favorites this weekend (for the first time in 33 games!) at home for the Cowboys. Dallas has been better against the run lately, allowing 4.2 yards per carry and ranking 14th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs over the last five weeks.

But this is at worst a neutral matchup for a RB who’s $1,000 underpriced for his projected volume.

Rico Dowdle, Cowboys ($6,100)

Flipping to the other side of this Cowboys-Panthers game, Dowdle is also underpriced based on his recent role.

Over the last three weeks, Dowdle has registered:

• A 70% snap rate
• 19.7 carries per game
• 2.7 targets per game
• 15.0 expected PPR points per game (16th among RBs)
• 16.4 actual PPR points per game (13th)

The Panthers still rank dead last in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs on the season. They’ve coughed up 100+ rushing yards to a RB in four of their last five games.

Also consider:

• Chase Brown, Bengals ($7,200)

Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals ($8,400)

Chase has seen 9+ targets in six straight games and 11+ in five of those. He’s topped 20 DK points in five of the last six, including spikes of 58.4 and 48.1 points.

With virtually no chance to make the playoffs, the Bengals’ biggest goal at this point might be to get Chase the triple crown. He currently leads the league in catches, receiving yards, and TDs.

Expect double-digit targets again this weekend against Tennessee. The Titans rank sixth in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs on the season but are down to 13th over the last five weeks. And they actually rank 24th against outside receivers over the last five weeks. Chase has run 64% of his routes from the outside this season.

Garrett Wilson, Jets ($6,500)

Wilson busted out of a three-game slump last week with a big 7-114-0 receiving line vs. a tough Dolphins secondary. 

The volume has remained strong all along, though. Wilson has seen 10 targets in two straight games and 8+ in six of seven games with Davante Adams. Only 10 WRs have averaged more expected PPR points per game over that span.

That’s excellent usage for a $6,500 WR. 

Wilson gets a Jaguars pass defense that’s been better lately. But they still rank a middling 15th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs over the last five weeks.

Adam Thielen, Panthers ($5,400)

A fresh-legged Thielen has strung together 8-99-1 and 9-102-1 receiving lines over the last two weeks. He’s racked up 21 targets on a 26% share in those games.

Thielen gets a fine matchup on Sunday against the Cowboys, who rank 23rd in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs and 20th against slot receivers.

Also consider: 

• Courtland Sutton, Broncos ($6,600)

Tight Ends

Brenton Strange, Jaguars ($2,500)

Strange edges out Stone Smartt as the cheap TE play of the week – mostly because we’ve seen Strange’s usage without Evan Engram this season.

With Engram out across Weeks 2-5, Strange averaged:

• A 66% route rate
• 4.5 targets
• 3.0 catches
• 30 yards
• 0.5 TDs

He averaged 9.0 DraftKings points over that span, with 9.2+ points in three of the four games. And all four of those came with WRs Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, who are now out.

Also consider:

• Hunter Henry, Patriots ($4,300)
• Dalton Schultz, Texans ($3,300)
• Stone Smartt, Chargers ($2,600)

Defense/Special Teams

Browns ($2,200)

The Chiefs have gone back to being extremely pass-heavy (2nd in pass rate over expected since Week 8) but are struggling to pass protect.

As a result, QB Patrick Mahomes has taken 3.4 sacks per game over the last seven.

Now he faces a Browns defense that ranks:

• 13th in sacks
• 12th in blitz rate
• 1st in pressure rate

Also consider:

• Cardinals ($3,000)

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks 1st among 133 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.