I play about 60% of my action each week in “cash games”. Cash games refer to any match where about 50% of the field is paid, such as head-to-head, double up, or 50/50. I try to get as much head-to-head action as possible each week and supplement that with other cash games.

Every week I will discuss my cash game lineup in this space. Sometimes I lose, but hopefully more often I win. Either way, I will post it here and give you my thought process.

I thought there were two big keys to this slate: pick the right three RBs out of the six in play. And determine if a mid-range tight end was worth the splurge.

MY MUST PLAY
* The 49ers were without Deebo Samuel (calf), Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and George Kittle (hamstring). Not only did the injuries create a ton of targets, they also created a ton of red-zone opportunities. The Niners also faced a Rams defense that ranked dead last in yards per play allowed through two weeks.

That made both Brandon Aiyuk ($6200) and Jordan Mason ($6200) absolute musts. They were priced as if both Deebo and Kittle were playing.

MY MITTEN PLAYS
* With Kenneth Walker (abs) out in week 2, Zach Charbonnet had the best RB usage in the entire NFL. I expected that role to continue into Week 3, but this time for a home game against the Tua-less Dolphins. A running back who gets 100% of the RB touches, who is excellent in the passing game, as a 4.5 point favorite at home, for $6,000 is a very clean deal for the money. Charbonnet would have been a “must have” on a weaker RB slate.

* Alvin Kamara was almost a must. But the RB position was so insanely strong this week, I thought it was possible to go the other way. We had Cam Akers ($4700) without Joe Mixon + Dameon Pierce, Saquon Barkley in an absurd role from the Eagles for only $200 more than Kamara, and De’Von Achane ($7000) without Raheem Mostert.

Ultimately, the elite passing game ability plus workhorse role for Klint Kubiak really made Kamara strong, especially when Taysom Hill (chest) was ruled out, reducing the chance of goal-line coverage.

* We talked about Chris Olave all week as perhaps the best “Buy Low” in fantasy. The Saints have a very focused offense under Klint Kubiak, with very few WR3, RB2, or TE targets. So if they were to remain a plus offense and also play from neutral or behind, Olave would get slapped in the face with positive regression. The mere $1,000 difference between Olave and Rashid Shaheed wasn’t enough.

* The third WR spot this week was really tough. I thought Jauan Jennings (no Deebo or Kittle), Rome Odunze (no Keenan Allen), Tank Dell (too cheap at $5200), Rashid Shaheed, Devonta Smith, and Nico Collins were all options. Ultimately, I wanted a floor. And in our projections, Jaxon Smith-Ngijba had the highest floor among the low-$5K options. I also thought JSN’s 16 Week 2 targets were notable, simply because deep-route running Dell and Shaheed never got a whiff of that.

* I thought there were four quarterback options: Jalen Hurts ($7,300), Kyler Murray ($6,900), Derek Carr ($5,800) and Geno Smith ($5,600). In the current NFL climate of 2-high safeties, light defenses and run-based playcalling, I think we have to be cautious with QB spending. But the pricing reflected that — Kyler Murray’s dual-threat ability was only $1,100 more than the pocket-passing Carr. So I figured taking Kyler or Hurts was a good idea, especially if you’re going to punt at tight end. In this lineup, I only had enough for Kyler.

* We didn’t have positive values ​​for a tight end in this slate. I liked Jake Ferguson at $4,500, but he was coming off an MCL injury and was a fitting price.

But given the way the tight end slate was priced, I felt it was right to drop the position. I wasn’t expecting any real points, but when the majority of the position is failing, it works to spend as little as possible. More importantly, I want to prioritize WR spending when it’s close – that’s the position we make our money on.

Anyway, the last 2v2 I watched was Foster Moreau And Titans D/ST or Eric Saubert and Bucs D/ST. Moreau is a decent pass catcher, while Saubert’s long history in the NFL is as a blocker. So with Malik Willis starting for the Packers, I went with the Moreau/TEN side.

Results week 3
I clearly lost to everyone who played Jauan Jennings. Considering Jennings was in the game for money, I feel fortunate to have a break-even week. A major key was prioritizing Zach Charbonnet over Cam Akers – that difference could have been even greater had Akers not scored a garbage-time receiving touchdown.