Week 15 NFL DFS Cash Game Lineup Advice & Strategy

Week 14 flipped the MVP race on its head, launching Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles) to the new betting favorite toward winning the 2022 NFL MVP. Hurts showcased his arm and legs after shredding Tennessee’s porous pass defense for 380 yards and four total touchdowns back in Week 13 without any of his mobility being utilized. The Eagles signal-caller scored 30 points in DFS lineups with two passing touchdowns and 77 rushing yards on just seven carries, which included a well-designed quarterback draw against the New York Giants to keep Philadelphia in cruise control within the NFC East. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes (QB – Chiefs) went to work early against Denver, tossing two first-half touchdowns to Jerick McKinnon (RB – Chiefs), while dialing up a third for JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – Chiefs) against one of the league’s best secondaries. Mahomes fell out of the MVP betting favorite but still sits comfortably in second, but he did throw three interceptions, which allowed the Broncos to make it a competitive game in the final couple of quarters.

Surprisingly, two Jacksonville Jaguars, Evan Engram (TE – Jaguars), and Trevor Lawrence (QB – Jaguars) logged massive days to sit atop the DFS production scoring in Week 14. Lawrence has been playing well recently and was handed arguably the best matchup for any quarterback against the Titans secondary, which he took full advantage of to the tune of 368 passing yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Engram. Minnesota proved the oddsmakers right by losing 34-23 against the red-hot Detroit Lions, but star wideout Justin Jefferson (WR – Vikings) still had a massive day with 11 receptions for 223 yards. Jerry Jeudy’s (WR – Broncos) first game back from injury netted three total touchdowns against a bad Kansas City pass defense, while Christian McCaffery (RB – 49ers) and Miles Sanders (RB – Eagles) each dominated with a pair of touchdowns and over 100 rushing yards.

Some of my best calls in Week 14 were to tail Kirk Cousins (QB – Vikings) and Jared Goff (QB – Lions), as they both threw well over 300 passing yards and at least two touchdowns in a battle for the NFC North. They wound up finishing as QB3 and QB4, while Jalen Hurts continued to impress during his MVP campaign, winding up as the QB2. Tony Pollard (RB – Cowboys) drew an RB7 finish with two touchdowns for Dallas, while Sanders eviscerated New York’s bad run defense with nearly 150 rushing yards and two scores to wind up RB3. I nailed Jefferson, but Chris Godwin (WR – Buccaneers), Christian Kirk (WR – Jaguars), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – Lions) were all relatively disappointing based on their matchups. Chig Okonkwo (TE – Titans) hauled in a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give Tennessee some offensive burst in the passing attack as a tight end, while T.J. Hockenson (TE – Vikings) continued to feast on targets (8), finishing as the TE6 with 12.7 points in DraftKings lineups. I whiffed on the Dallas D/ST against Houston, but Kansas City’s defensive touchdown catapulted them to D/ST2 behind only New England, so that wound up being a great recommendation.

Now that we’re out of Bye Weeks, there is ample opportunity and value to obtain when constructing lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. With only two games exceeding a seven-point spread, oddsmakers expect a lot of close, entertaining games on a full Week 15 slate. Don’t forget about the three games being played on Saturday, which starts with Minnesota hosting Indianapolis and ends with Tua Tagovailoa (QB – Dolphins) and the sputtering Miami Dolphins traveling to a potential snow game in Buffalo. Let’s cash out our builds by tailing these recommended players in DFS.

Quarterbacks

DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles): $8,200
Yes, we’re immediately starting off with chalk in Week 15. How can we fade the new MVP frontrunner in an extremely juicy matchup on the road against Chicago’s 27th-ranked run defense and 30th-ranked scoring defense? We can’t. Hurts has been using his legs effectively against bad run defenses, so he could deliver another 70 to 100 rushing yards with at least one score on the ground. As for his passing upside, the Eagles are reportedly going to get tight end Dallas Goedert (TE – Eagles) back in the mix on Sunday, which means Hurts will have three bonafide weapons to target. Wheels up for Hurts in DFS lineups of all shapes and sizes.

Justin Herbert (QB – Chargers): $7,200
We’ve now had four straight games where Justin Herbert has delivered a 20-plus point outing on DraftKings, so there’s no way you can fade him against Tennesse’s pass defense, which is the second-best matchup for fantasy quarterbacks. A full complement of weapons is all that Herbert needed, asides from a few weeks to restore his injured ribs, to turn up the production scale. He’s priced at a reasonable salary, so don’t hesitate to insert him into lineups with confidence during Sunday’s late afternoon slate.

Honorable Mention: Dak Prescott (QB – Cowboys) ($6,200) hasn’t been a world-beater this season, nearly blowing a win over Houston with an untimely interception, but he gets a soft matchup on the road against Jacksonville’s pass defense in Week 15. Prescott has CeeDee Lamb (WR – Cowboys), Dalton Schultz (TE – Cowboys), and Tony Pollard to favor as his top targets, so expect increased production from Prescott, who’s been functioning as a glorified game manager behind a strong two-headed rushing attack for the Cowboys.

FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000

Joe Burrow (QB – Bengals): $8,000
We finally saw Joe Burrow look a bit pedestrian in Week 14 against a stingy Cleveland pass defense, falling to 17.5 FanDuel points. He still has Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals), who could wind up feasting against a vulnerable Tampa Bay secondary on the road in Sunday’s late window. Burrow should return to his usual top-ten finishes, making him a solid, yet expensive, quarterback to acquire in DFS lineups.

Trevor Lawrence (QB – Jaguars): $7,400
Jacksonville has some nice weapons at Trevor Lawrence’s disposal, but it has only been within the past few weeks that we’ve seen it all come together for the second-year quarterback. The Jags get a tough matchup against Dallas, as Lawrence will face a bottom-five matchup, much different from a week ago against Tennessee, but he still has confidence and enough arm talent to return good value in DFS builds.

Honorable Mention: Mac Jones (QB – Patriots) ($6,200) lands a top-six matchup for fantasy quarterbacks, going up against Las Vegas’ porous defense on the road on Sunday. We haven’t quite seen Jones put it all together in his second year, dealing with volatility from his OC Matt Patricia, but if Jones can sustain a completion rate over 60 percent, he could wind up with his second two-touchdown performance of the season. It’s a bit of a stretch but the matchup warrants consideration at $6,200.

Running Backs

DraftKings

Derrick Henry (RB – Titans): $8,000
It’s been a relatively quiet stretch for Derrick Henry lately, but he still possesses monstrous upside against the Los Angeles Chargers run defense. Tennessee will likely funnel its play calling to Henry and continue peppering him with three to five targets, which raises his floor in case he doesn’t find the end zone. He looked fantastic early against the Jaguars in Week 14 but was held in check during the second half, but all we need is one big play and/or a touchdown from Henry to return value at $8,000 on DraftKings.

Miles Sanders (RB – Eagles): $6,500
Philadelphia’s rushing attack is the best in the league right now, featuring RB1 Miles Sanders. The Eagles’ offensive line deserves more recognition than it gets, but Sanders cashes in seemingly every week. He’s scored over 30 DK points in two of his past three games played, while his floor was shown against Tennessee’s stout front, which still delivered 11.8 DK points. Chicago is the fourth-best running back matchup, so smash Sanders, especially with such a good value at $6,500.

Honorable Mention: Ezekiel Elliot (RB – Cowboys) ($6,200) continues to handle 15-17 carries per game and now has a six-game touchdown streak intact entering Sunday’s road contest in Jacksonville. The Jaguars aren’t the easiest defense to run on, but Dallas’ identity will keep Elliot at the forefront of its scoring, as they could wind up with several lucrative red zone opportunities for the seventh-year running back to convert.

FanDuel

Tony Pollard (RB – Cowboys): $8,200
Speaking of Dallas’ rushing attack, Tony Pollard possesses the ceiling that Elliot lacks. The fourth-year running back finished Week 14 with two touchdowns, including Prescott’s only passing touchdown, so he’ll remain a big piece of the Cowboys’ offense in a top-ten matchup against the Jaguars. Pollard has scored at least 20 FD points in five of his past six games, while dudding against the New York Giants, ceding the goal-line work to Elliot. Due to his ceiling and high usage, Pollard is $700 more expensive than his counterpart but well worth the investment.

Isiah Pacheco (RB – Chiefs): $7,600
Kansas City has found its running back in rookie Isiah Pachecho. The Chiefs continue giving Pacheco double-digit carries while limiting his usage in the passing game. We’re not getting a big upside with Pacheco in most matchups, but he gets the best run defense to take advantage of in Week 15 on the road against Houston. The Texans are allowing 27 FD points per game to opposing running backs, so fire up Pacheco in a sneaky tough matchup for Patrick Mahomes against a stout pass defense.

Honorable Mention: Rachaad White (RB – Buccaneers) ($6,900) is a factor in most matchups due to Tom Brady’s (QB – Buccaneers) quick-paced release, finding his running back in the flat to extend plays and move the sticks. White has been a solid rookie for the Bucs this season, and he could deliver his fourth double-digit PPR finish in five games against Cincinnati on Sunday. It’s a tough matchup, but it’s easier to run against the Bengals than throw it, so he’ll be handling roughly 15 to 20 touches with a high floor.

Wide Receivers

DraftKings

Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals): $8,300
Let’s not overcomplicate things when it comes to rostering wide receivers. Pay up to land Cincinnati’s star wideout, Ja’Marr Chase, who exploded for 31.5 DK points in a tough matchup against Cleveland’s secondary in Week 14. Tampa Bay is dealing with injuries in its own secondary ahead of a Week 15 home game against the Bengals, which means Chase could handle another 10 to 15 targets. Pay up to acquire one of the most consistent players with a high ceiling in DFS.

Keenan Allen (WR – Chargers): $6,800
It’s been fun to watch Keenan Allen’s return bolster Justin Herbert’s production and confidence. The veteran wideout has returned value with 13.4 DK points or more since Week 11 against Kansas City while breaking 20 points in each of his past two games against the Raiders and Dolphins. Allen lands the best fantasy wide receiver matchup at home against the Titans in Week 15, so at $6,800, he’s an automatic smash and should be locked into all DFS lineups.

Honorable Mention: Chris Olave (WR – Saints) ($6,500) hasn’t been delivering ceiling performances lately, but can you really fault the rookie when his quarterback is Andy Dalton (QB – Saints)? It’s been a disappointing year for New Orleans, but at least they have something special in Olave. At $6,500 in a top-five matchup against Atlanta’s secondary in Week 15, Olave is worth the investment, as he could deliver his fourth 20-point game of the season against the Falcons.

FanDuel

CeeDee Lamb (WR – Cowboys): $8,100
Week 14 was a wildly disappointing result for CeeDee Lamb’s production, although he did face a stiff Houston pass defense. The Cowboys’ star wideout was held to 5.8 FD points, hauling in five of six targets for 33 yards, but he possesses enough upside to be a good investment in a plus-matchup against Jacksonville in Week 15. We’ve seen Lamb deliver at least 15 FD points in four of his past six games, so even with a red-hot run game, paying up for Lamb is a good choice in a top-ten matchup.

Jerry Jeudy (WR – Broncos): $7,400
Jerry Jeudy’s return to Denver’s lineup resulted in a massive, three-touchdown game against Kansas City’s vulnerable secondary. Jeudy caught eight of nine targets for 73 yards, but he found the end zone three times, launching him above 20 FD points for the first time in 2022. Russell Wilson’s (QB – Broncos) health is still very much in question after a brutal concussion, but Jeudy lands a decent matchup against Arizona’s secondary, which ranks just outside of a bottom-12 matchup for fantasy wideouts. There isn’t a whole lot else going on within the Broncos’ offense, so consider Jeudy despite a hefty $7,400 salary.

Honorable Mention: Josh Palmer (WR – Chargers) ($6,500) is buried on the depth chart behind Mike Williams (WR – Chargers) and Keenan Allen, however, he’s produced when given the opportunity. The third-year wideout is the WR3 in a pass-centric offense led by Justin Herbert and he gets the best possible fantasy wide receiver matchup against the Titans. He’ll need to deliver with a reduced target share, but Palmer has reached at least 50 receiving yards and four receptions in four consecutive games.

Tight Ends

DraftKings

Travis Kelce (TE – Chiefs): $7,800
Patrick Mahomes may struggle to target his wideouts against Houston’s shell, cover-2 defense run by head coach Lovie Smith. Travis Kelce should hit at least 10 DK points as a result, although he hasn’t gone over 20 since a fantastic prime-time performance against the Los Angeles Chargers back in Week 11. He gets six to 17 targets per game, so expect Kelce to return value as the highest-priced tight end, per usual, on a busy slate.

Honorable Mention: Gerald Everett (TE – Chargers) ($4,300) is also a victim of a healthier Chargers’ wide receiving corps, but he still has logged 14 targets in the previous two games. At $4,300 on DraftKings, Everett is a nice salary-saver option against the porous Tennessee pass defense.

FanDuel

Dalton Schultz (TE – Cowboys): $6,500
Dak Prescott’s favorite target seems to be Dalton Schultz instead of CeeDee Lamb. The big-bodied tight end has not caught a touchdown in the past two games played but he finished with a season-high 87 receiving yards against Houston last week, hauling in six of ten targets. It’s a volatile position, so you could do a lot worse than firing up Schultz on the road against Jacksonville’s lackluster pass defense.

Honorable Mention: Hunter Henry (TE – Patriots) ($5,200) nearly broke a huge touchdown in Week 14 against Arizona but was tackled just short of the goal line. Mac Jones found Henry on a couple of big throws downfield and he’ll get another good matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, who are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. Expect a slight uptick if wideout Jakobi Meyers (WR – Patriots) continues to sit, as the backfield will be limited without a healthy Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – Patriots).

Defense/Special Teams

DraftKings

Eagles D/ST: $3,900
Yes, the Eagles are on the road against Justin Fields (QB – Bears), but it’s one of the strongest defensive units in the league. Fields will have a difficult time passing the ball against Philadelphia’s secondary, which is arguably the best with Darius Slay and James Bradberry (CB – Eagles) paving the way. The run defense is a weakness that Fields can expose, but expect a loaded box with consistent spying to keep the second-year quarterback from busting out the massive touchdown runs that we’ve seen happen several times this season.

Honorable Mention: Panthers D/ST ($3,300) isn’t sexy or name-brand, but it’s getting the job done effectively. Pittsburgh is a bad offense and will be without Kenny Pickett (QB – Steelers), so Jaycee Horn (CB – Panthers) and Brian Burns (LB – Panthers) should perform well back home against an ineffective, short-handed Steelers offense.

FanDuel

New York Jets D/ST: $4,100
New York is back to Zach Wilson (QB – Jets) under center, but that doesn’t mean the defense is going to fold and collapse. Jared Goff is notably better at home than on the road, so against one of the league’s most dynamic secondaries led by rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner (CB – Jets) and D.J. Reed (CB – Jets), expect another strong showing from the Jets defensively in a must-win game to salvage its playoff hopes.

Honorable Mention: Denver Broncos D/ST ($3,700) got shredded early by Mahomes in Week 14, however, they still recorded three interceptions and held the Chiefs in check for the majority of the second half. Arizona is without Kyler Murray (QB – Cardinals) rest of season due to a torn ACL, so expect the Broncos’ defense to show up to help secure its fourth win of the season at home in Empower Stadium.