Welcome to the First Look! We’ve eclipsed the halfway mark of the NFL season, and Week 9 brings a brand new slate to analyze. Looking at the DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy football main slate, here are a few first look values to target in NFL DFS lineups. We have some nice looking bargains and a few contrarian NFL DFS picks to get into.
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Week 9 First Look | DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Picks
NFL DFS Picks: Quarterback
Lamar Jackson — Entering the Week 9 slate with a plummeting price, Jackson enters the pictures at $6,900 on DraftKings and $8,100 on FanDuel. Jackson has taken a step back as a passer without a single 300-yard passing game on his record this year. However, the rushing upside makes Jackson intriguing here. Jackson has 108 and 65 rushing yards, respectively, in each of his past two games. This week, Jackson finds himself in a tough game environment against a strong Colts’ defense. However, Jackson’s upside as a rusher makes him an interesting DFS play given his falling price on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Matthew Stafford — Unlike Jackson, Stafford has now turned back-to-back performances with at least 336 yards passing. On the season, Stafford is completing 61.4% of his passes for 7.8 yards per attempt. While the numbers are middling, Stafford finds himself matched up against the Vikings’ struggling secondary. On the year, the Vikings allow the third-most yards per pass attempt (8.0). Top corners Holton Hill and Mike Hughes are banged up, potentially sweetening the matchup. With the total currently at 53 points, Stafford looks like a solid option at quarterback at first glance.
NFL DFS Picks: Running Back
Chase Edmonds — With Kenyan Drake expected to miss Week 9 with an ankle injury, DraftKings and FanDuel priced Edmonds at $6,800 and $6,700, respectively. Already arguably out-performing Drake, Edmonds has had some standalone value as a receiving back prior to the injury. With Drake leaving Arizona’s most recent game, Edmonds handled five carries for 58 yards and seven receptions on seven targets for another 87 yards. This week, Arizona faces off against a brutal Miami Dolphins’ run defense that allows the fourth-most yards per rush attempt (4.9). With Arizona favored by 4.5 points in a game totaled at 47.5, Edmonds is too cheap in NFL DFS for his projected role in Arizona’s offense.
Antonio Gibson — Another running back quietly seeing elevated opportunity, Gibson draws a stellar matchup against the New York Giants coming out of the bye. Washington holds a 3-point advantage according to bookmakers, but Gibson’s touches should persist through all game scripts. Gibson has averaged 17 touches per game in his four most recent games, including 14 total targets in that span. While the Giants are strong upfront, game script points to heavy Gibson usage at a discounted price.
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NFL DFS Picks: Wide Receiver
Marvin Jones — With Kenny Golladay expected to miss Detroit’s showdown against Minnesota, Marvin Jones appears poised for a larger workload. Jones enters the fold priced at $5,100 on DraftKings and $6,100 on FanDuel. With Golladay missing time last week, Jones registered seven targets, which he turned into three catches, 39 yards, and a pair of scores. Jones entered Week 8 with just a 15.5% target share, but he had run a route on over 95% of Detroit’s dropbacks. Playing in the aforementioned potential shootout between Detroit and Minnesota, Jones looks like a solid price-adjusted play in NFL DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Brandin Cooks — Coming out of the bye, Cooks and the Texans face a depleted Jaguars team. As it stands, Houston enters this contest favored by 6.5 points with a 51-point total. Improving matters further, Jacksonville allows the most yards per pass attempt in the NFL (8.4). Since Bill O’Brien’s firing, Cooks hasn’t seen fewer than nine targets in any game, out-targeting Will Fuller 30-to-25 in that span. With Deshaun Watson also playing efficient football, Cooks is a first-look value at $5,500 and $6,100 on DraftKings and FanDuel, respectively.
NFL DFS Picks: Tight End
Hunter Henry — With Justin Herbert routinely throwing touchdowns to create-a-players, Henry’s price tag continues to plummet on DFS platforms. As it stands, Henry is priced at $4,100 on DraftKings and $5,600 on FanDuel. Henry has seen at least seven targets in all but two games this year, while scoring just one of four touchdowns thrown to the tight end position in Los Angeles’ offense. Helping Henry’s case, the Chargers face a Las Vegas secondary allowing 7.4 yards per pass attempt. The Raiders have struggled to defend opposing tight ends, allowing either 100 yards or a touchdown in back-to-back games prior to facing Cleveland in a game influenced by the wind.
Logan Thomas — Another member of the Football Team entering the week with a discounted price tag, Thomas continues function as a mainstay of the Washington passing attack. Thomas has a 17.2% target share in the offense and runs a route on 85% of the team’s dropbacks. With Kyle Allen delivering catchable balls, Thomas has scores in back-to-back games. The Giants also struggle to defend tight ends, allowing at least 85 receiving yards or a score to each of their last three opponents. At first look, Thomas provides value on DraftKings and FanDuel on the Week 9 DFS main slate.
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