Week 8 isn’t quite over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look ahead to the Week 9 NFL DFS Pricing on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft and give out some NFL DFS Picks along the way. We’ve got a few early stand out options at each position and in each price range and looking like there are a couple of locks already. Team pay up and running back is in for a fun week, with Le’Veon Bell, Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook all in smash spots.
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Week 9 of the NFL DFS season is already intriguing from a game theory and ownership perspective. With a load of expensive bell-cow running backs in plush spots, this is looking like a pay-up situation and ownership is going to concentrate. Concurrently, there are no wide receivers priced highly on any sites. Adam Theilen is the top dog on Draftkings at $7,800. My guess is, DFSers are going to avoid paying up at receiver, opting to heavily roster Dalvin Cook, Le’Veon Bell and Christian McCaffrey and leave an ownership vacuum at the top.
Week 9 NFL DFS Picks Quarterbacks
High-priced options
- With a slate-high 30 implied points, up against the pass-funnel Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Russell Hustle Bustle Man-Muscle Wilson is sure to be popular. He is, deservedly so, the highest-priced option on both DraftKings and FanDuel. And of course, with no Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson on this slate, that makes rostering Wilson in this spot even more appealing. I love game stacks here, given the 53.5 game total. Stack Wilson up with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf and cross your fingers because the target volume hasn’t been there week in and week out.
Cheap options
- It’s grim down here. Philip Rivers has caught my eye at $5,100 on DraftKings. This Chargers team is in shambles right now, so it’s not pretty. Derek Carr and the Raiders hosting the Lions is probably my favorite spot down here. The Lions rank 26th in DVOA against tight ends, so fire up the Waller stack and add in Tyrell Williams if you want to get creative. With so many options to pay up for at running back, paying down at quarterback and wide receiver should be the key to the slate.
Week 9 NFL DFS Picks Running Backs
High-priced options
- Finally, we have a running back priced up above $10,000 on DraftKings. Bet you can guess who it is. Christian McCaffrey gets a decent matchup against the once-stout Titans run defense, who have not been their usual selves this season. They rank 22nd in DVOA against the run and have given up the 15th-most points to opposing backs. McCaffrey continues to dominate the NFL in snaps (96%) and touches per game (25.7).
- We’re only a couple hours in here, but I can pretty much guarantee that Le’Veon Bell will be the highest-owned running back on the Week 9 NFL DFS slate. He’s $7,700 on DraftKings and just $7,000 on FanDuel, which is absolutely nuts. The Jets are favored and the Dolphins rank last in the NFL in run DVOA and fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Might be time to hit the lock button. Bell ranks second in the NFL in offensive snap share at 92.2%, trailing only Christian McCaffrey.
Cheap options
- Derrius Guice was back at practice on Monday. That’s encouraging. With Chris Thompson banged up and the season lost, Washington will likely start feeding him the ball to see what they’ve got in their second year back. Their matchup against the Bills isn’t ideal this week, but Buffalo does have a run-funnel defense that ranks first against the pass and 26th against the run in fantasy points. Guice is cheap across the industry, but especially on DraftKings at $4,200. Best to take a wait-and-see approach to this one, but get those season-long waiver wire claims in for Week 9.
Week 9 NFL DFS Picks: Wide Receivers
- As noted above, it’s not pretty at the top this week. No Michael Thomas, no Cooper Kupp, no Julio Jones. We’re left with a number of previously elite wide receivers priced down due to a lack of 2019 production. A few weeks ago, we’d all be jumping at the opportunity to roster $6,600 Odell Beckham Jr. or $6,300 JuJu Smith-Schuster. Ownership aside, this is the week to pay down for value
Cheap options
- He’s going to be popular in GPPs, so rostering him will likely come down to ownership, but Robby Anderson at $5,500 on DraftKings and $6,200 on FanDuel, could break the slate with a matchup against the Dolphins. On the plus side, the Dolphins have actually done a decent job at limiting big plays this year, so a fade might be in order.
- Miami might have a shot in Week 9 with a home date against the New Jets. Albert Wilson, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker are cheap across the industry and make for decent low-priced contrarian options, either as solo plays or as part of a comical Fitzpatrick-led GPP stack. Parker is second in the NFL in average targeted air yards this year (17)
Week 9 NFL DFS Picks: Tight Ends
- Cameron Brate was the most popular cheap option for Week 8, and that’s likely not going to change. With O.J. Howard out against the Titans, Brate ran a season-high 36 routes, with six targets. Howard is both injured and firmly on the trade block, so rostering Brate at a meager $3,100 on DraftKings and $5,100 on FanDuel in your Week 9 NFL DFS lineups makes a lot of sense.
As to your comment on Watson and Mahomes? Mahomes is back for the upcoming Vikings game. According to our local sports broadcasters.