RADIO
The NFL has gotten a little wacky on us, and after a handful of weeks with teams on a bye, this week everybody has a game. It’s rare to see a 13-game slate at this point of the season, but with many high-volume teams facing weak competition, it’s going to go a long way in keeping ownership numbers down.
Last week the Chiefs were the clear top option and they ended up smashing. This week they have a similarly good matchup but thankfully so do the Eagles and Ravens. Lower-volume teams like Indianapolis, New England, Carolina, and Atlanta have sneaky good matchups and that could help them find their way into tournament-winning lineups. There are many ways that you can go on this slate and still have a realistic chance of making bank.
There are quite a few great plays available on DK for Week 8, but my goal is to create a hierarchy of plays so you know who to prioritize when building your lineups! Also, be sure to check out all of our other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big!
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens - $8100)
This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make all year as Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts both should have great weeks given their matchups. Ultimately the decision to land on Lamar Jackson came down to health. Jalen Hurts got banged up a little bit on Sunday night and that may cause him to spend more time in the pocket than usual. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is looking as good as he has in years and gets a vulnerable Cardinals defense.
Jackson’s good health means that he’s going to keep on running and that rushing upside gives him the kind of floor we are looking for in cash games. He has had at least six rushing attempts in every game this year, with nine or more rushes in five of seven games. Based on his per-game averages alone, he starts with about a nine DraftKings point floor solely on his rushing ability. The Cardinals have allowed strong passing performances to just about every quarterback they’ve faced so far this year, meaning there’s a ton of upside to go along with Jackson’s sizable rushing floor.
Lamar Jackson: 95.9 passing grade on throws past the sticks this season
1st in the NFL 👀 pic.twitter.com/hXTYpAemgh
— PFF (@PFF) October 24, 2023
2. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles - $8200)
3. Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers - $5600)
Others in consideration: Gardner Minshew, Tyrod Taylor, Patrick Mahomes
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles - $8200)
While the injury sustained by Jalen Hurts gives some pause to using him as a cash game option, it shouldn’t prevent his usage in GPPs. Hurts gets the luxury of facing a Commanders defense that has been atrocious against the pass this year, so even if he runs a little less he should be able to feast from the pocket.
He has thrown for at least 277 yards in each of his last five games, and he’s added at least one passing touchdown in all of those games. Hurts hasn’t scored less than 21 DraftKings points in a game since Week 1, and he’s got three strong stacking options in A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert, and DeVonta Smith (if you’re feeling risky). With so many games on the slate, it’s unlikely that any of the players in this stack will see a ton of ownership, making them a perfect high-upside tournament option.
2. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens - $8100)
3. Gardner Minshew (Indianapolis Colts - $5400)
Others in consideration: Patrick Mahomes, Desmond Ridder, Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy, Bryce Young
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Running Backs
1. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints - $7300)
In the four games Alvin Kamara has played this year, he’s accumulated 39 targets. That’s an absurd number for a top-end wide receiver, let alone for a running back. Priced at only $7300, Kamara is a huge value given that he’s also seen 17 or more carries in each of his last three games. Overall, he hasn’t had less than 25 opportunities (carries + targets) in any of his four games, giving him a monster floor for cash games.
This week he gets to face a Colts defense that has allowed 29 or more real-life points in three of their last four games, and who has given up over 150 rushing yards in three of their last five games. Kamara is the focal point of the Saints offense, and if Chris Olave misses this game after his arrest earlier in the week, it opens up even more usage for him. He’s an easy cash game lock and you can pair him with a value option like Darrell Henderson to allow you to spend up at quarterback or wide receiver.
Alvin Kamara is averaging 21.7 fantasy PPG, has scored at least 17 and been a top 10 RB every week
He was such a steal in drafts
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) October 20, 2023
2. Darrell Henderson (Los Angeles Rams - $4800)
3. Saquon Barkley (New York Giants - $8000)
Others in consideration: Christian McCaffrey, Travis Etienne, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Emari Demercado, Breece Hall
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Running Backs
1. Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs - $6100)
The Kansas City Chiefs passing game was on fire last weekend, and against a bad Broncos defense, it would be likely that people will go right back to them once again. Thankfully, Isiah Pacheco has become a part of that passing game with three or more targets in five of seven games this year. That said, the true weakness of the Broncos defense is against the rush.
They’ve allowed 120 or more rushing yards in five of seven games this year, with three games of 171 or more yards allowed. One of their stronger games was against the Chiefs in Week 6, but it’s not like Pacheco got totally snuffed out in that game. He had 16 carries and six receptions for a total of 15.8 DraftKings points. On volume alone, that’s not a bad game. If he were to duplicate that performance but fall into the end zone this week, he’d score 21.8 DraftKings points; a great return on a $6100 price point.
2. Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars - $7200)
3. Breece Hall (New York Jets - $5900)
Others in consideration: Raheem Mostert, Christian McCaffrey, Alexander Mattison, Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor
DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Wide Receivers
- Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers - $6600)
While it’s unlikely that Adam Thielen can continue to command the type of volume he’s seen so far this year, he doesn’t need to at his price point of only $6600. He has been targeted 13 or more times in three of his last four games, with eight or more targets in five straight games. That has translated to four games of 20 or more DraftKings points in four of his last five games. It’s obvious that he’s Bryce Young’s security blanket.
The Texans pass defense is their weakness, as they’ve allowed 288 or more passing yards in three of their last four games. With an extra week to rest, and playing in a warm-weather stadium, there’s no reason to think that Thielen’s regression should start this week. He’s a high-floor player who is priced perfectly to anchor your cash game receiver corps.
2. Josh Downs (Indianapolis Colts - $4800)
3. A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles - $8000)
Others in consideration: Christian Kirk, Zay Flowers, Drake London, Diontae Johnson, Demario Douglas, Brandon Powell
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Wide Receivers
1. A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles - $8000)
The Commanders weakness is their pass defense. A.J. Brown has 125 or more receiving yards in five straight games. He hasn’t scored less than 21.7 DraftKings points in any of those five games, including two games of 30 or more DraftKings points. Somehow he’s only the fourth most expensive wide receiver on the slate. Jalen Hurts got banged up a little bit on Sunday night, so it’s not out of the question to think that he may focus more of his attention on the passing game rather than scurrying out of the pocket.
It’s easy to stack Brown with Dallas Goedert to lower the average cost of the stack. Goedert seems to have passed DeVonta Smith in the fantasy pecking order, scoring 18 or more DraftKings points in two of his last three games; a number Smith hasn’t hit since week 2. Jalen Hurts hasn’t scored less than 21 DraftKings points since Week 1, giving this stack as much upside as any on the slate and they come in a tick cheaper than a Chiefs stack.
From Week 3 on, AJ Brown is the WR1 Overall and is averaging 25.8 PPR Points Per Game.
League winner.
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) October 25, 2023
2. George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers - $5600)
3. Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers - $6600)
Others in consideration: Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman, Christian Kirk, Rashid Shaheed, Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, Courtland Sutton, Rashee Rice, Drake London, Kendrick Bourne, Jalin Hyatt
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - Tight Ends
1. Darren Waller (New York Giants - $5200)
It’s really hard to spend up on a tight end that costs $8400, which is why Travis Kelce will rarely be the top player at the position in these rankings. Is he most likely to have the highest score of any tight end on the slate? Clearly, but using him inhibits what you can do with the rest of your lineup because he’s so expensive. On the other hand, a punt tight end like Trey McBride may not be the best option this weekend either because so many top players at the position have strong matchups and the less expensive tight ends are so unreliable.
That’s where a guy like Darren Waller comes in so handy. He’s priced in a sweet spot that’s not too expensive, and his upside makes it possible that he can return an acceptable value. He’s had seven or more targets in all but one game since Week 2, including an average of 8.7 targets over the last three weeks.
This week he faces a Jets team that is the second most generous in the league to tight ends. He’s preferable as a cash game play, but you can use him as part of a mid-range priced secondary stack with Breece Hall in GPPs.
2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs - $8400)
3. Dallas Goedert (Philadelphia Eagles - $4600)
Others in consideration: Mark Andrews, Hunter Henry, Jake Ferguson, Logan Thomas, Trey McBride
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - D/ST
1. Minnesota Vikings - $2500
It would be so easy to just grab the Eagles against a Washington team that can’t keep their quarterback upright, but $4200 is a lot to spend on defense. Maybe in a GPP that’s the way to go, but for cash games it makes more sense to save the $1700 and spend down on a team like the Vikings. Minnesota is averaging over eight DraftKings points per game this year and has scored at least five DraftKings points in four of their seven games.
Their success in fantasy this year has a lot to do with their ability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Vikes are averaging nearly three sacks per game and have forced three turnovers in each of their last two games. Jordan Love has regressed significantly since his hot start to the season, and he has eight interceptions over his last four games. The Packers are no longer a scary offense, and they are one we can attack with defenses in our DFS lineups.
2. Philadelphia Eagles - $4200
3. Seattle Seahawks - $3400
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