People throw around the term “core play” in DFS way too casually.
- A core play isn't just a guy you like.
- It isn't just a popular player.
- It isn't just someone with a high floor.
- A true core play gives you both.
High floor + legitimate tournament-winning ceiling.
That's the standard.
That's why a core play is someone we want in a lot of our lineups.
Not necessarily 100%.
You can always make a strategic decision to fade someone for ownership/game theory reasons.
But understand what you're doing when you do it.
You're betting against a player who has a relatively low chance of dudding and a very real chance of posting the score that wins the slate.
That's a big bet.
Let's look at Week 3's Core Plays and decide...
Sep 26, 2026 · 4:28 PM UTC
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Kenneth Walker is another one.
- 23.5 carries per game.
- Top-10 target volume.
- Massive favorite.
- And...Miami has been getting crushed by opposing RBs.
This is exactly what we're talking about when we say floor + ceiling.
The workload gives him the floor.
The game environment gives him the ceiling.
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Then there's JSN.
- 44% prime target share.
- 54% first-read share.
- And a matchup against Washington that's allowing plenty of production to WRs.
The reason he's a core play isn't because “JSN is good.”
It's because the opportunity is becoming impossible to ignore.
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Tetairoa McMillan is a different version of the same idea.
The production hasn't completely caught up yet.
But the opportunity is there:
- ~9 targets/game
- Red-zone involvement
- Elite matchup grade
- Browns playing a ton of man coverage
Sometimes you're buying the production. Sometimes you're buying the opportunity before the production catches up.
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And Chris Olave is basically getting force-fed.
- 11.5 targets/game.
- 51% of the team's air yards.
- Top-end DK production.
- And he's getting a matchup against a Raiders defense that has struggled in the slot.
That's another player where the path to a ceiling game is obvious.
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That's the difference between a core play and a player you're simply “high on.”
Core plays should make up a significant portion of your player pool because you're betting on multiple things going right:
✅Opportunity.
✅Floor.
✅Ceiling.
✅Game environment.
✅Matchup.
You don't need all five to be perfect.
But you need enough of them to make the player difficult to fade.
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And here's where DFS gets interesting.
The most crowded game on the slate is NYJ @ DET.
Everyone has multiple pieces. So yes, you can play the core pieces.
But you also need to ask:
Where is the field vulnerable because everyone is looking in the same place?
That's where the pivots become valuable.
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Geek is also breaking all of this down on the VIP Players Club podcast TODAY.
If you want the full process instead of just a list of names, that's where I'd start.
Join the Players Club with code DFSARMY and you can watch it today.
The Discord link to the War Room is waiting for you inside.
Less picks. More why. Better decisions. dfsarmy.com
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