It’s easy to let your DraftKings FLEX spot be left up to the amount of salary remaining after you fill out the rest of the squad. That’s the ‘flex-by-default’ strategy. The purpose of this Week Nine DraftKings DFS article is to help you avoid it. You can and should use the FLEX spot to strengthen and diversify your daily league lineups for Week 9 of the NFL season.

A couple of thoughts: 1) You don’t have to spend all the salary cap. A better player in a better situation may force you to leave a few hundred salary cap dollars on the table. Force yourself to roster the best lineup, even if it fails to use the whole cap. 2) As a scientist, I like to use players for which I can build a case based on multiple pieces of evidence. I look at things like opportunities, efficiency, opponent and game flow to start my research. I want as many players that are positive in all categories as I can fit. Having an idea of the players I want before I work with salaries helps me with #1 too.

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Week 9 DraftKings FLEX Options - Daily Fantasy Football Picks

Use this list as your flex cheat sheet; if a player is on here, there’s good reason to roster him in your last spot.

I assume that you have $6,500 or less to work with for this final spot on the roster. I also assume you’ll arrange accordingly so that the player with the latest game start is in the flex in case you should need to swap someone out.

Safe Options - Week 9 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Michael Thomas $5,500: The leading receiver for the Saints in two consecutive weeks, Thomas now finally gets a defense that isn’t known for stifling opposing passing games. In fact, San Francisco gives up more points per game than even New Orleans (#2 in that category), and the 11th-most fantasy points to receivers. Expect Brees, on the road, to rely on his arm as usual and target both Brandin Cooks and Thomas heavily this weekend.

Emmanuel Sanders $6,300 and DeMaryius Thomas $6,000: We can all agree that the one thing Oakland doesn’t do is defense, so even though Trevor Siemian hasn’t looked great over the past few games, I’m trusting his top receivers against the Raiders on Sunday. Sanders has 12 red zone targets, while Thomas has 10, and both guys saw 10 targets in last week’s game with San Diego. The volume is there, and with Devontae Booker perhaps dealing with a banged up shoulder, it could be even higher this week. 

Davante Adams $5,900: We are waiting to hear about the availability of Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb (both limited), but Adams may retain the role he’s carved out even if one or both returns. Green Bay has the highest implied team total of the week and Aaron Rodgers is coming off a terrific game with four passing touchdowns. Adams garnered 14 targets last week, and thus has 30 over his last two games (25 receptions). That’s PPR delight whether he catches a touchdown or not. I bet he does.

Upside Options - Week 9 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Derrick Henry $5,000: Henry’s upside relies pretty heavily on whether DeMarco Murray’s foot injury is something he wants to play through. San Diego is a great rushing matchup, so if Murray is going to rest, fire up Henry as the top value play. We saw Murray play through the pain last weekend, and Henry had limited value…I wouldn’t waste the roster spot on Henry if Murray looks like a full go.

Allen Hurns $4,900: I expect Blake Bortles to have to pass to stay in or catch up to the heavily favored Chiefs in Kansas City. While that may open him up an interception or two, as it usually does in KC, it hasn’t negatively affected the fantasy stats for wide receivers. The Chiefs have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to WR. Hurns has just two games under 10 fantasy points, and overall has been a more efficient player than Allen Robinson this season.

Corey Coleman $4,500: Obviously, you’ll stay tuned to make sure Coleman progresses as expected, which is to say that he’s on track to play without impediment in Week 9 but not confirmed starting. Dallas is a decent favorite in Cleveland this weekend, and the Browns definitely need a spark on offense. Before breaking his hand, Coleman had a 5/104/2 line in Week 2. It’s probably too much to expect him to repeat that after eight weeks, but the ceiling is waaaaaayyyyy up there with Coleman.

Value Options - Week 9 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Dontrelle Inman $3,100: If Travis Benjamin, who was told he doesn’t need surgery on his knee, sits out in Week 9, I think it’s Inman who stands to benefit the most. Of course, Tyrell Williams is in a great spot too, but he’s been holding his own all season and his higher salary acknowledges that. Inman gets the spike in value when someone is out. This is a good spot for San Diego’s pass offense on the whole, and Inman is the dirt cheap way to get some exposure.

Charcandrick West $4,400: Things are topsy turvy in Kansas City, where Alex Smith didn’t suffer a concussion but isn’t playing and Spencer Ware did suffer a concussion but has a chance to play. Hopefully he takes the requisite time to heal, and if that includes missing Week 9, West is the next man up. He was excellent in relief of Jamaal Charles last season, even in some really tough matchups, and gets a mediocre Jaguars run defense this week. If he starts, he’s a very safe play as KC has relied on their run game heavily all year long.

Rashad Jennings $3,900: The Giants have said this week that they need to sort out their muddled running back situation. Jennings scored last week and looks to be first in line for a lead back role. The matchup with Philadelphia is an interesting one, because they started out totally shutting down opposing quarterbacks and running backs, but have loosened up on both sides of the ball since their Week 4 bye. At this price, it’s rare to get an experienced lead back in an okay matchup, so while it’s hard to trust him and I don’t expect a monster game, I think 12-15 fantasy points is well within reach.