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Juan's top NFL DFS value plays for Week 9 of the 2023 season. These sleepers are cheap on FanDuel, DraftKings, and Yahoo daily fantasy football contests.
Welcome to the Week 9 main slate edition of RotoBaller's NFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players across the industry who find themselves in favorable matchups and/or suddenly expanded roles.
Each week, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit. On this ninth main slate of the 2023 campaign, I'm glad to report there is an abundance of value-salary players on Yahoo, FanDuel, and DraftKings.
In addition to offering multiple candidates at each position, I'll also list at least one more player to consider, along with some site-specific value plays when applicable.
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NFL DFS Bargain Bin Intro
Before we go NFL DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about format and content.
The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a rollercoaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article! Naturally, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an upside to be had. All of these selections are therefore suitable for GPPs and can also often serve as solid cash game plays, while often helping you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.
Typically, I’ll suggest players that are value-priced across three major DFS sites (DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo). However, there are certainly occasions where one or more sites price a player significantly lower than others. Whenever possible, I’ll typically at least note those players as an “XYZ site special.”
This article is by no means intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all value options for the week. Rather, it’s meant to take a deeper dive into those I feel offer some of the best combinations of savings and upside.
The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to say a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criterion.
Quarterback DFS Value Plays
Derek Carr, NO vs. CHI | DK: $5,700, FD: $7,100, Yahoo: $23
There's a general perception Carr has been underwhelming thus far in his Saints tenure, but he's actually generated four 300-yard efforts already and is displaying increasing chemistry with his talented receiver corps. That was particularly evident in the Week 8 win over the Colts, where Carr and Rashid Shaheed burned Indy's secondary on a couple of occasions on the way to a 310-yard, two-touchdown tally for the veteran quarterback.
Carr is now back home in Week 9 and draws another favorable matchup against a Bears defense that's allowing 319.3 passing yards per road game, along with 10.6 yards per completion in that split. He's also got access to a fully stocked pass-catching corps now that Juwan Johnson has returned from his calf injury and the top trio of Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Shaheed are healthy.
Bryce Young, CAR vs. IND | DK: $5,100, FD: $6,900, Yahoo: $20
We keep waiting for Young to have his first true breakout game as a pro, and I'm banking on him potentially getting there this week against the same Colts secondary we just referenced that Carr found plenty of success against a week ago. Young has put up serviceable numbers since a one-game absence in Week 3, throwing for over 200 yards in each contest while completing 66.9 percent of his passes and generating a 5:2 TD:INT.
Young's salaries remain extremely reasonable, and Indy's spotty pass defense could be the one that finally coaxes a 300-yard day out of the first overall pick. The Colts check in surrendering 247.3 passing yards per game overall and 11.9 yards per completion over the last three games, and Indianapolis has even given up a co-league-high four rushing TDs to quarterbacks.
ALSO CONSIDER:
- Jordan Love, GB vs. LAR | DK: $5,500, FD: $7,300, Yahoo: $23
- DK-Yahoo Special: Dak Prescott | DK: $6,500, Yahoo: $28
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Running Back DFS Value Plays
Zack Moss, IND at CAR | DK: $5,800, FD: $6,700, Yahoo: $22
I'm going to take the unusual step of actually recommending two backs from the same team this week -- Jonathan Taylor is listed below as a DK-only special -- as the Colts' two-headed backfield has put together enough productive performances where both players have proven worthwhile to convince me to take this step.
In the case of Moss, the expected decline in opportunity as Taylor got back to a normal workload has yet to transpire, with the former rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries while adding a pair of receptions. It's a tough week to find value at running back, and considering Moss' matchup, he deserves consideration against a Panthers defense allowing a bloated 139.4 rushing yards per game.
Darrell Henderson, LAR at GB | DK: $5,100, FD: $6,100, Yahoo: $13
Henderson's presence in this week's article is another sign of how light the value running back value pool is this week, but it's actually not too difficult to make a case for the Rams' apparent primary running back for the time being. In that role over the last two games, Henderson has logged 30 rush attempts alongside a 4-59 line through the air.
His opportunities were naturally limited in Week 8 against the Cowboys due to the lopsided game script, but this week, Henderson should have an opportunity akin to the 18-carry workload he logged in Week 7 versus the Steelers. He is in a solid matchup versus a Packers defense that's yielded 132 rushing yards per game and a 42-267 receiving line to running backs as well.
ALSO CONSIDER:
- Bijan Robinson, ATL vs. MIN | DK: $6,100, FD: $7,100, Yahoo: $23
- Jerome Ford, CLE vs. ARI | DK: $5,300, FD: $7,000, Yahoo: $22
- DraftKings-Only Special: Jonathan Taylor, IND at CAR | $6,400
Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays
Jordan Addison, MIN at ATL | DK: $6,000, FD: $7,100, Yahoo: $19
Addison proved his standout Week 7 performance against the 49ers was no fluke in Sunday's road matchup against the Packers, despite often drawing coverage from Green Bay's top corner in Jaire Alexander. The rookie's 7-82-1 line netted 21.4 DK/17.9 FanDuel and Yahoo points. Despite the fact Kirk Cousins did suffer a season-ending Achilles injury in the contest, Addison remains very much in consideration in a dome environment in Week 9 while still serving as the clear alpha receiver in Minnesota's offense while Justin Jefferson (hamstring) remains on IR.
The Falcons allowed four touchdowns through the air in Week 8 against the Titans, three of those going to Tennessee's top target DeAndre Hopkins. Atlanta has yielded the third-most touchdowns to wide receivers overall (10), surrendering an average of 32.4 DK/26.2 FD and Yahoo points per game to the position. Addison should remain the primary target for whoever is under center, making him worthwhile at his salaries.
Tank Dell, HOU vs. TB | DK: $5,300, FD: $5,800, Yahoo: $17
The Texans passing game as a whole was expected to encounter more success against the Panthers in Week 8 than what actually transpired, but that doesn't lessen Dell's appeal for me at all in a home matchup against a Buccaneers defense that can be beaten on the perimeter. Dell doesn't figure to generate a very high roster rate after only producing 31 yards on six touches versus Carolina, yet the rookie wideout still carries no shortage of ceiling and should continue playing an ample amount of snaps with Robert Woods (foot) looking likely to head into the weekend with either a doubtful tag or ruled out altogether.
The Buccaneers are ranked in the bottom half of the league with 1,324 yards allowed to receivers, along with 103 receptions and six touchdown catches, all across seven games. Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean, whom Dell is likely to see plenty of with Carlton Davis projected to spend plenty of time on Nico Collins, is a very good target as well, as he's surrendered a 67.9 percent completion rate in primary coverage.
Rashid Shaheed, NO vs. CHI | DK: $4,500, FD: $6,200, Yahoo: $16
Shaheed's salaries remain surprisingly reasonable despite his clear ascension in the Saints passing attack, with the Weber State product having recorded multiple catches in four straight games, including a three-catch, 153-yard, one-touchdown effort in Week 8 against the Colts.
Shaheed's routes did drop from back-to-back 45-plus tallies in Weeks 6 and 7 to just 16 last week, but at his salaries and with his explosiveness, it's worth taking a shot with the speedster in a solid matchup against a Bears defense whose vulnerabilities to the pass were already enumerated in Carr's entry. In addition to the metrics cited there, it's also worth noting Chicago is also tied with several teams for the fourth-most touchdowns allowed to receivers (nine).
ALSO CONSIDER:
- Christian Watson, GB vs. LAR | DK: $4,900, FD: $6,000, Yahoo: $14
- Demario Douglas, NE vs. WAS | DK: $4,000, FD: $5,400, Yahoo: $13
Tight End DFS Value Plays
Taysom Hill, NO vs. CHI | DK: $4,700, FD: $6,500 (listed as QB on Yahoo- $22)
As noted above, you won't be able to roster Hill at tight end on Yahoo, but he's an eye-catching option for tournaments on DK and FD. There's undeniably some volatility to the jack-of-all-trades veteran's production, but he's worth a look after posting 44 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 14 receiving yards against the Colts in Week 8.
Given the success and the Bears' spotty track record versus TEs -- Chicago has surrendered the second-most receptions (49) to the position and is tied with several teams with the third-most touchdowns given up to tight ends as well (three) -- Hill could overdeliver on his very reasonable salaries again this week.
Jake Ferguson, DAL at PHI | DK: $4,000, FD: $5,100, Yahoo: $14
Ferguson came through with a highly impressive touchdown reception against the Rams to help ignite the Cowboys' offense in Week 8, and he finished with a solid 4-47-1 line overall in a game where Dallas was able to take its foot off the gas in the second half. Ferguson's salaries remain reasonably near minimum on all three sites, and in what should be much more of a competitive game in Week 9 against an Eagles defense that's given up some production to tight ends, he becomes a potentially rewarding salary saver.
Philadelphia has given up a 35-347-4 line to tight ends, along with an extremely elevated 79.5 percent catch rate. The Eagles could also devote plenty of resources to CeeDee Lamb after his breakout effort against the Rams in Week 8, leaving Ferguson, who has an impressive 75.8 percent catch rate in his own right, with plenty of opportunities to post strong scores relative to his salaries.
ALSO CONSIDER:
- Cade Otton, TB at HOU | DK: $3,000, FD: $4,900, Yahoo: $11
- DK-Yahoo Special: T.J. Hockenson, MIN at ATL | DK: $5,200, Yahoo: $20
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