DFS

With no obvious cheap QBs and TEs on the main slate, DraftKings has some tough pricing decisions at the top. Paying down at one RB slot for a cash lineup makes sense this week. Justin Jackson is a clear lead back in a solid game environment with an elite matchup against the Raiders in a game with the third-highest total on the slate at 51.5 points.

J.K. Dobbins draws another tough matchup against a Colts defense that ranks No. 5 in Defensive Rushing DVOA, but his ability to evade tackles and create explosive runs for himself will allow him to remain efficient. His lack of receiving usage limits his floor, meaning he’ll need another 100-yard game or a touchdown to hit value in a cash lineup, but Dobbins is an exciting tournament option with a massive ceiling.

Mike Williams offers a main slate leverage play off of Keenan Allen for Week 9, with an enticing $5,100 salary on DraftKings and projected rostership at less than 10-percent. His 11.0 Weekly Volatility mark ranks No. 7 among qualified wide receivers and denotes his extreme fantasy scoring fluctuation. With the weather becoming more volatile week-to-week, indoor matchups like this one at SoFi Stadium against the Raiders offer static environments that favor scoring.

With a bye week to prepare the Jaguars offense under Jake Luton, it’s a low-key smash spot for D.J. Chark against the Texans. Houston’s secondary allows +6.90 fantasy points above the mean to opposing receivers, the fourth-highest mark in the league. Chark carries his lowest salary of the season ($5,500) on DraftKings, where it dipped below $6,000 for the first time. His rostership projects to be minimal, offering leverage in a game with a projected total of 50.5 points.

Devin Singletary has the No. 9-ranked Route Participation rate among qualified running backs, while also maintaining a 28.1-percent (No. 15) Juke Rate. Elusive pass catching running backs win weeks. As a bonus, Singletary has a juicy matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who have the perfect combination of beatable defense and transcendent offense that forces opponents into pass-heavy schemes. Singletary is poised for a breakout performance and usable in all formats.

Antonio Gibson seems to be a fixture here on the DFS Value Index in the high single-digits. With Washington finally in a favorable matchup against the lowly Giants, this is a good week to capitalize on his reasonable cost. He averages over 70 total yards per game and has had touchdown success with four (No. 16) on the year. The touchdown rate may come down, but Gibson should be a lock in cash and a worthwhile play in GPPs while he’s this inexpensive.

We’re banking on a get-right game this week for Josh Allen against a porous Seahawks defense. At $7,000 on DraftKings, he has slate-breaking upside. Stefon Diggs is the queen chess piece of this Bills offense. DraftKings priced him up to $7,400 this week in anticipation of the matchup, but his underlying opportunity is still too good to pass up.

Typically a game manager, Teddy Bridgewater will be forced to come out firing this week in order to keep up with a Chiefs offense that will not have problems against the soft Panthers defense. Robby Anderson continues to be undervalued by DraftKings based on the opportunity he’s getting. Bank on the underlying opportunity for the high floor and hope the TDs start to come for the ceiling.

The Chiefs are solid against the pass, ranking No. 5 in Defensive Passing DVOA. The Jets are also massive 19.5-point underdogs, which is actually good for their receivers. They should get down big in the first half and get to operate in garbage time for much of the contest. Denzel Mims will command the lion’s share of those looks without Jamison Crowder sponging up targets in the slot. He also has massive upside given his athletic profile, and you can’t beat that at near-minimum pricing.

The Seahawks should be able to stymie the 49ers rushing attack, meaning Jimmy Garoppolo will be airing it out against this non-existent pass rush and banged-up secondary. That means Brandon Aiyuk will operate as the WR1 in the best game environment and matchup on the slate. His price may seem a little high on DraftKings, but he’s severely underpriced on FanDuel. If he picks up some of the PPR-friendly “tap” passes that Deebo Samuel was dominating, he’ll be a smash on both sites.

The most dominant running back in the NFL today, Derrick Henry is No. 1 since 2018 with 3,262 total rushing yards. So far in 2020, Henry averages 28 carries and 117 rushing yards per game on the road. Coupled with Cincinnati’s inability to stop the run, ranking No. 28 and allowing 113 yards per game, Henry is a smash on Sunday.

In 2020, Russell Wilson has surpassed 310 passing yards in four games. Though in 16 career games against San Francisco, Wilson has never thrown for over 260 yards. Wilson will again be asked to “cook” against a battered 49ers defense. While PlayerProfiler’s No. 2-ranked cornerback Jason Verrett takes on D.K. Metcalf, Jamar Taylor is manning the slot and is ranked No. 110 among cornerbacks. Expect the Tyler Lockett connection to stay hot on Sunday. 

Marquise Brown last appeared in this article series entering Week 5. He proceeded to post his best game of the season, catching six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Hollywood’s success is highly contingent on Lamar Jackson connecting with him on the deep ball. He’s a boom and bust wide receiver that will look to catch a couple of deep balls against a Steelers defense that just got shredded by A.J. Brown.

Someone get Darnell Mooney a quarterback! The precocious rookie wide receiver is No. 7 among all qualified wide receiver in Unrealized Air Yards. He has just missed several big plays in the receiving game, including a would-be 96 yard touchdown last week. With Allen Robinson looking unlikely to play, Mooney will be the de facto WR1 for Chicago in Week 8 against the Saints. With even more opportunity likely headed his way, Mooney should finally realize some Air Yards.

Brandon Aiyuk has a 97.5-percent (No. 15 among qualified wide receivers) Route Participation rate and has drawn six (No. 18) Red Zone Targets. He has displayed impressive ability as a runner on jet sweeps and in Yards After Catch, where he ranks No. 24 at his position. He draws a dream matchup in Week 8 against a Seattle team that has been historically bad against the pass and has surrendered the most fantasy points to wide receivers. Fire him up at a reasonable $5,800 on DraftKings.

The top two receivers for the Jets, Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder, are likely to miss Week 8, so Denzel Mims will operate as the WR1 against the Chiefs. He will be peppered with garbage time targets with the Jets being massive underdogs in this one. With 4.38 speed, he is capable of beating a defense for a big play, a key trait in a good tournament play. This pick can easily go south, but at $3,200 it would be a mistake to not get Mims into some Week 8 lineups.

Coming off a bye and carrying the fourth-highest Weekly Volatility score (14.1), Justin Jefferson offers a massive ceiling at low projected rostership. In a divisional showdown against the Packers with the chance for fireworks given the 51.5 over/under, it’s a potential smash spot for the rookie. His $6,500 salary on DraftKings doesn’t reflect his potential for another blowup game, and his rostership projects to be lower than 10-percent.

Henry Ruggs faces a Browns secondary that hemorrhages fantasy points to wide receivers. Cleveland allows +13.63 fantasy points above the mean to the position, the second-highest mark in the league. Ruggs’ boom-bust volatility hasn’t peaked yet, evidenced by his modest 7.8 (No. 30 among qualified wide receivers) Weekly Volatility score. Still, gamers won’t want to miss out when he hits for 6-150-2 and melts faces on his way to winning tournaments.

It seems as though Carlos Hyde will approach a workhorse role with Carson’s injury sidelining him for the next couple of games. Hyde also has an injury designation, so his status should be monitored. If he sits, he can be swapped with DeeJay Dallas, the next man up in Seattle. The Seahawks running back du jour, whoever it is, will be the free square play of the week and should only be faded if ownership gets too high.

Maybe not all fantasy gamers have noticed yet, but Myles Gaskin has been a revelation this year in Miami. He averages 87.0 total yards per game and has seen nearly all of the passing down work in Miami. With the QB switch to Tua Tagovailoa, his floor is lower now with a greater degree of uncertainty, but the ceiling has busted through the roof. Play Gaskin with confidence this week especially in GPP formats.