Value Plays

D.J. Moore is coming off a disappointing Week 8 performance against a highly exploitable Falcons secondary where he failed to crest double digits fantasy points. However, those disappointed with him this season need to keep the faith. The last time he appeared on this list, he exploded for 25.3 fantasy points, finishing as the WR6 in Week 7. Moore should see penalty of opportunity in a negative Game Script against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Darius Slayton appears to have taken a back seat to Sterling Shepard in the Giants passing game. However, he still led the Giants with 122 Air Yards last week. Slayton previously scored 11.8 fantasy points against Washington in Week 6. With Shepard back to divert the attention of Washington’s defense, he should be able to realize some more Air Yards this week.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Phillip Lindsay exited Week 7 with a concussion and hasn’t returned to practice yet. This sets up Melvin Gordon for another week of all the work. He’s been underrated as the bell-cow for Denver, averaging 16.7 DK fantasy points in games that Lindsay has either missed or left early. That average means he would easily 3x his $5600 salary, making him cash viable on this slate.

The Rams are most vulnerable on the ground, ranking No. 18 in Defensive Rushing DVOA. We haven’t seen much action from Tua Tagovailoa, so we should expect the Dolphins to skew run-heavy and take advantage of LA’s weakness. Even if Miami falls behind early, Myles Gaskin has the ideal passing-down role for a comeback effort. A three-down workhorse priced at $5200, Gaskin offers leverage off the higher-owned stud RBs and allows us to afford elite TEs or mid-priced WRs.

Despite a pretty solid game against James Bradberry and the Giants, DraftKings added only $100 to Terry McLaurin’s salary. He remains modestly priced heading into a matchup against a terrible Cowboys defense. McLaurin is the only wide receiver of relevance in Washington’s passing game, amassing a 44.2-percent (No. 2 among qualified wide receivers) Air Yards Share. While he has yet to convert this opportunity into consistent WR1 production, he is set to explode in Week 7.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the clear number two option in the Packers passing game behind Davante Adams. However, he has seen more Air Yards in the two full games the receivers have played together thus far this season. With an 18.9 (No. 2) Average Target Distance mark and 12 (No. 5) Deep Targets, Valdes-Scantling is the go-to receiver for the bulk of Aaron Rodgers’ downfield bombs. He is bound to find the ball in his hands at some point, and he will win someone a GPP when he does.

Nothing James Robinson has done should have those playing him concerned. He is the team’s primary back and takes the majority of the receiving and goal line work. He has already shown that he can provide boom weeks when everything falls into place. Robinson should be in consideration every week as long as he is priced below the league’s other featured backs.

The Buffalo offense has looked much more stoppable against the Chiefs and Titans over the last two weeks. If they can return to their early season form, Devin Singletary will be a smash value. An easy matchup against a Jets team that barely plays football is exactly what they need. Singletary is in a great spot to return value in cash at only $6,200.

Not only has Marquez Valdes-Scantling broken a 90.0-percent Snap Share in three straight weeks, he has a 38.3-percent (No. 7 among qualified wide receivers) Air Yards Share and has drawn 12 (No. 5) Deep Targets. This matchup with the Texans has the highest total on the slate at 57.0, and the Packers have the highest implied team total at 30.25. Gaining cheap exposure to this game is an easy strategy in DFS, and MVS checks all the boxes.

The Titans have been beatable through the air, ranking No. 24 in Defensive Passing DVOA. They have also been incredibly efficient on offense, ranking No. 3 in Offensive DVOA. The Steelers offense hasn’t been pushed much given their elite defense, but this Titans offense is equipped to turn this game into a shootout. That would be massive for this passing attack and for Diontae Johnson’s DFS upside.