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The top daily fantasy football lineup picks for DraftKings in Week 9. Ben Rolfe's NFL DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Week 9 was always going to be a tough week to find value. We have six teams on a bye and a Sunday Night Football matchup between Green Bay and New England. However, fortunately for our DFS slates the Rams and the Saints matchup is on the afternoon slate rather than in prime time. We also have the Chiefs and Chargers offenses available on the slate. The presence of those four teams sets the prices for the slate and then from that we can look for our bargains. This is a week full of fascinating games and poor defenses for you to select your DFS options from. Below are my DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks for Week 9.
These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based on matchups, performances so far, overall upside/talent levels, opportunity, and other factors such as Vegas odds, home field advantage, and more. There are quite a few great value plays available, so read on to find out which players are the best for Week 9.
Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups!
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DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks - Week 9 Picks
Jared Goff - LAR @ NO (DK $6,000)
I cannot see this game being anything other than a back-and-forth slug match between two high powered offenses. Playing in the dome down in New Orleans will be tough but Goff has so many weapons I can see him being successful. Goff's value is boosted by the loss of Marcus Davenport for the Saints, as Davenport had become a bigger part of that pass rush as the season wore on. The over/under on this game is 59 which indicates Vegas also expects a lot of scoring. Goff is not going to be able to throttle back in this game and will likely be throwing until the final minutes.
Russell Wilson SEA vs. LAC (DK $5,900)
Wilson is coming around as the season progresses. He has averaged over 20 points on DraftKings in his last three games and now he faces a defense which has ranked 24th against the quarterback. As always with Wilson and the Seahawks offense, they have grown into the season. I expect this to be a tight game meaning Wilson will not be able to just hand the ball off for large parts of the fourth quarter, and that should help him get over 20 points once again this week.
DraftKings DFS Running Backs - Week 9 Picks
Kareem Hunt - KC @ CLE (DK $7,700)
The Cleveland Browns are allowing over 100 yards per game rushing to opposing running backs and an average of 1.3 rushing touchdowns per game. In addition, they have been allowing nearly 50 yards per game through the air to running backs. The weather in Cleveland has a chance to be bad this week and I think the Chiefs put the ball in Hunt's hands a lot. With Todd Gurley facing a tough Saints run defense, Hunt is once again the cream of the crop among running backs this week.
Latavius Murray - MIN vs. DET (DK $5,100)
Murray continues to have success for the Vikings with Dalvin Cook still recovering from a hamstring injury. There is a chance Cook is active this week but I am not expecting much from him even if he is active. The Vikings are hoping to go deep into the playoffs again this year and a fresh Cook could be key. I expect to see Murray get the bulk of the work against a run defense which has allowed over 130 yards rushing and over 40 yards receiving to running backs per game. The addition of Damon Harrison will have improved the Lions run defense but I still expect Murray to have success in this one.
Isaiah Crowell - NYJ @ MIA (DK $4,200)
It has been a tough few weeks for Crowell but I think that gets better in Miami this week. The Dolphins allow close to a rushing touchdown per game, over 120 rushing yards and over 50 yards receiving per game to running backs this season. On average they are surrendering over 25 points per game to running backs, giving Crowell a great chance to get back into the groove in Week 9.
DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers - Week 9 Picks
Robert Woods - LAR @ NO (DK $7,000)
I am not buying into this thing about the significant improvements on the Saints defense. The Vikings marched down the field twice in the first half and were on their way a third time before the Adam Thielen fumble. After that, the Vikings got themselves in a mess and were chasing the game. This is going to be a shootout and I think most of the main guys in this offense have good days. Woods has seen less than seven targets once this season and should be a key part of this offense again this week. He has not found the end zone since Week 3 and I think that changes this week.
Devante Parker - MIA vs. NYJ (DK $4,600)
I think Parker is really good and now the Dolphins need to use him. Kenny Stills will be at best limited and Albert Wilson is on the injured reserve. That means the biggest target in this offense is now Parker. The Jets rank 28th against the wide receiver on DraftKings and at this extremely cheap price, I like Parker for another big week and possibly his first touchdown of the season.
D.J. Moore - CAR vs. TB (DK $4,300)
Speaking of really good, the first round rookie in Carolina is pretty talented himself. Moore has been becoming more and more a part of this offense as the season wears on. This week they face a Tampa Bay side that brings a great combination for offensive players. They have a leaky defense and an offense that does not know how to quit. That should open up plenty of opportunities for a playmaker of Moore's ability in a game which has an over/under of 54.
DraftKings DFS Tight Ends - Week 9 Picks
O.J. Howard - TB @ CAR (DK $4,300)
The Carolina Panthers have taken the Buccaneers spot as the worst defense against the tight end. On average they are surrendering close to seven receptions, 80 yards and 0.7 touchdowns per game to the position. For his part, Howard has had over 60 receiving yards each of the last three games and scored a touchdown in two of those three games. In that three-game span, he has averaged over 14 points per game on DraftKings and should be able to take advantage of a great matchup this week.
If you are desperate to fit some more high priced guys into your lineup Cameron Brate at $2,600 is a deep pick to have a nice game in this one.
Jordan Thomas HOU @ DEN (DK $2,900)
This one is going to take some bravery from you. Thomas had a two-touchdown, 18 point fantasy game last time out, despite having just four targets. This week the Texans will be without Will Fuller, and Demaryius Thomas will likely be limited given he has only been with the team since Tuesday. Deshaun Watson is going to need another target than just DeAndre Hopkins and at this price, I would gamble on Thomas against the 23rd ranked defense when it comes to facing the tight end.
DraftKings DFS Defenses - Week 8 Picks
Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills (DK $4,100)
It is a lot of money to pay for a defense but just to remind you here are the names of the three potential Buffalo quarterbacks in this game: Derek Anderson, Nathan Peterman, and Matt Barkley. Enough said.
Denver Broncos vs. Houston Texans (DK $2,300)
The Texans offense looked really impressive against the Miami Dolphins defense. They kept Watson upright and allowed him to make big plays to Hopkins and Fuller. However, doing that at home against a Miami team who has played two weeks in the heat and coming off a short week is one thing. Doing it in Denver is a completely different thing. The Broncos pass rush is significantly better than the Dolphins and should be able to get after Watson and put him on the ground a decent number of times. In addition, the atmospheric conditions are going to make it incredibly tough for Hopkins to be on the field the whole time for this offense. Finally, the thinner air is probably not something you want when you have bruised lungs. Do not be surprised if we see Watson and the offense gassed late in this game.
