With the Patriots and Ravens kicking off on Sunday night, you might be looking for a way to spice up the daytime slate. It's a good time to play around with some lineups on DraftKings. As always, I have some suggestions.
Looking for seasonal advice? For my take on every relevant skill player for Week 9 fantasy purposes, check out my lineup rankings at rotobahn.com. It's completely free. No registration. No signing in. Just follow the link and enjoy. They get updated on Saturday afternoon.
All pricing in this article was sourced from DraftKings.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks vs. Bucs, $7,100
Russ is a potential monster in this spot and he's priced that way. Per Establish The Run's Evan Silva, Wilson "leads the NFL in passer rating when blitzed. Bucs DC Todd Bowles' defense blitzes at the highest rate in the league." That's good stuff. We know HC Bruce Arians will be aggressive, so this game sets up well. Not only do the Bucs blitz, but they are shaky on the back end. That could be shootout synergy. Wilson is always a dangerous QB in terms of big games. You get foot-point potential and he's obviously hugely efficient. The only thing we need is some volume. If we get it, we have a lot of avenues to a top score. In GPPs, I'm definitely looking at Wilson. I think he'll be the QB who I have the most exposure to in Week 9. For what it's worth, newly acquired Josh Gordon will not play in this game. Jim Hackett and I will dive a little deeper into this matchup on Sunday's show.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings at Chiefs, $9,500
Cook has yet to register fewer than 18 touches in a game this year. On the season, he's averaging 23.1 touches per game. He's on pace to catch about 60 balls, so he's a good fit for DraftKings PPR scoring. With five 100 plus yard rushing games, Cook is a solid bet to hit for bonuses. His matchup with the Chiefs is not a big concern. I'd wager that the Chiefs are more concerned about Dalvin than he is about them. The only real concern with rostering Cook is the cost. Check out my free DFS podcast before locking in your lineups. I'll be focusing on cost-saving options, because we have some great plays on the top end this week--Cook being my favorite. If you are playing a slate that includes Monday Night Football, I love Zeke Elliott at $8,900 units in a game where I expect the Cowboys to play with a lead at home.
Jaylen Samuels, RB, Steelers vs. Colts, $4,000
He's this week's free square assuming all the stars align, and they should. Benny Snell (knee) has already been ruled out and James Conner (shoulder) is now listed as doubtful. This should leave Samuels as the lead back and he could carry a large workload. Vegas sees this game as close with both teams projected to score in the low 20s. Samuels should be at the heart of Pittsburgh's game plan and what's better for those who play him, is that his skill set protects him from negative game flow. Said differently, he's a good receiver in addition to being a bruising runner. Assuming Conner stays out, I expect Samuels to be the most-rostered player on the main Sunday slate. I see him as a necessary element in cash lineups and also a good player to get some exposure to in tournaments.
Chris Godwin, WR, Bucs at Seattle, $7,300
Mike Evans was the hot Bucs receiver last week and I'm thinking things could swing back to Godwin at Seattle in Week 9. The Seahawks have been charitable to slot receivers. Seattle also plays a lot of zone and Godwin has had a lot of success against zone according to Fantasy Pros' Mike Tagliere. I think it's worth having exposure to both Evans ($7,200) and Godwin, because the Bucs tend to concentrate targets pretty heavily between the two. The Bucs set up very well for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offense, so Bruce Arians should know that his team needs points from the drop. Expect an aggressive air-oriented approach.
Lastly, please remember to play within your own comfort level. You can have loads of fun playing DFS without spending more than ten bucks a week, so please play responsibly.
Jim Hackett and I will get into all of our favorite Week 9 plays on the Fantasy Football Hour, live on 93.7 at 8 a.m. on Sundays. Join us!
