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Tom Vecchio highlights the top FanDuel NFL DFS lineup picks for Week 9, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
RotoBallers, welcome to Week 9 of the daily fantasy football season. In this column, you will find my recommended FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks to target for Week 9 of the NFL season. You can also click here to find more DFS analysis articles and tools.
The goal is to identify players to start on FanDuel this week based on various factors including the opponent, the player's opportunity, analysis of the game's matchups, and the FanDuel price.
Let's find some DFS lineup sleepers, and win on FanDuel. Good luck in Week 9! Find me @DFS_Tom if you have any questions.
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FanDuel Quarterbacks - Week 9 DFS Picks
Philip Rivers - QB, LAC @ SEA (FD - $8,000)
Rivers has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the entire league and is going largely unnoticed for it, but you should be looking to lock him into your lineups this week. Rivers has posted two or more touchdowns in every single game this season and is now facing off against the Seahawks in a game where the over-under is set at 48 points. The Seahawks defense is a bit overrated right now, as they have faced a few easy opponents recently, which has inflated their stats. His price makes him more of a tournament play this week and should be one of the lower owned quarterbacks.
Case Keenum - QB, DEN vs HOU (FD - $6,800)
Keenum certainly isn't a safe option on a week to week basis, but he is so cheap, he opens up a ton for the rest of your lineup. He has multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games, along with passing for over 300 yards twice in that span. In those games, Keenum has put up 16 or more FanDuel points, which is truly solid for his price point and if you take the savings with him, you will have plenty of salary to spend up at running back and receiver.
FanDuel Running Backs - Week 9 DFS Picks
Christian McCaffrey - RB, CAR vs TB (FD - $7,900)
McCaffrey should be a core cash game building block this week and comes in with one of the best matchups on the entire slate. He is facing off against the Buccaneers who have the 32nd DVOA versus the pass and the 29th DVOA versus running backs in the passing game. McCaffrey has seen 15 total touches or more in six of his seven games this season and is playing on 98% of the offensive snaps. This game has an over-under set at 54.5, which is the second highest on the slate, so we should be looking at plenty of offense here and McCaffrey will be involved.
Latavius Murray - RB, MIN vs DET (FD - $6,700)
Murray has been outstanding over the past few games with 13 or more carries in three straight weeks, four touchdowns, and eight receptions in that span. His price as a home favorite in a divisional game makes him a very viable play since he will continue to see the majority of the work with Dalvin Cook sidelined. The matchup is as good as it gets for Murray since he is up against the Lions, who come in with the 30th DVOA vs the rush this season. Rostering him with the slight bit of savings can help you get up to Gurley or a high priced receiver this week.
FanDuel Wide Receivers - Week 9 DFS Picks
Courtland Sutton - WR, DEN vs HOU (FD - $5,500)
Sutton is now the clear number two receiver for the Broncos since they traded Demaryius Thomas to the Texans and should be another key player in your lineups this week. Sutton has seen four or more targets in four of the past five games, which should be on the rise with Thomas now gone. This is the ideal spot to roster Sutton, as his price has not been increased to reflect the new role he has in the offense. The over-under is set at 46 points, which is decent, but we are looking at a game with a spread of only -1 for the Broncos, meaning we shouldn't have blowout potential and full snaps and chances for Sutton.
Tre'Quan Smith - WR, NO vs LAR (FD - $5,100)
Smith is another lower priced wide receiver, who is being used in a larger role in the offense, but his price has yet to change. With Ted Ginn going to IR, Smith is the number two receiver for the Saints and is playing on over 70% of the snaps in each of their last two games. He should be lined up against Rams' corner Marcus Peters, who is giving up 0.44 fantasy points per route run this season, which presents plenty of upside for him. This game has a massive over-under sitting at 60 points, so you certainly want to get plenty of exposure to this game and Smith is a cheaper way to do so.
FanDuel Tight End - Week 9 DFS Pick
Vance McDonald - TE, PIT @ BAL (FD -$5,300)
McDonald and the Steelers are on the road in what should be a tougher matchup against the Ravens, but he still brings solid fantasy value. The Ravens are strong against the rush with the 5th DVOA overall, strong against the pass with the 10th DVOA, but they struggle specifically versus tight ends, as they have the 23rd DVOA against them. We saw this in their first matchup this season where McDonald had five receptions on five targets for 62 yards. We are dealing with Big Ben's home-road splits here, which isn't great, but McDonald offers a safe option in the passing game and at his price, he doesn't have to do a whole lot to reach value.
FanDuel Defense - Week 9 DFS Pick
Washington Redskins vs Atlanta Falcons (FD - $3,400)
The Redskins are home favorites in one of the lower scoring games on the slate, which makes them a viable play this week. They have produced 11 sacks in the past two weeks, which has helped generate, two interceptions and two fumbles in that span. They make a nice pivot off of the Broncos, who are gaining a bit of interest from the DFS community as a whole.
