Daily Fantasy Expert Picks 15 NFL Players Who Should Have Monster Games In Week 9

Welcome to Week 9 everyone, where we take a look at some top considerations for you to put in your lineups on DraftKings this weekend. As always, if you have any questions this weekend, you can find me on twitter @kevdudz and I’ll do my best to respond.

Tom Brady-New England Patriots- $8500

I’m usually a proponent of paying only a mid-tier price for a quarterback, but this week, there are a ton of value plays at the running back position. Because of this, it allows us some flexibility elsewhere. That being said, I think Tom Brady is the top play at quarterback this week. Facing a banged up Washington Redskins secondary, Brady should be slinging the rock around all day.

Eli Manning- New York Giants- $6900

After participating in an epic shootout last week where he threw for 5 touchdowns, Eli is in another great matchup this week. Facing one of the worst passing defenses in the league in Tampa Bay, I expect Eli to have another 300+ yard game to go with 2-3 touchdowns. He’s an excellent tournament play stacking with Odell Beckham.

Ben Roethlisberger- Pittsburgh Steelers- $6600

Big Ben is in a nice spot this week, and I think the Steelers are going to be one of the highest scoring teams this weekend. Roethlisberger gets to face off against a terrible Oakland secondary, and should have a lot of success through the air, whether getting it to Antonio Brown, or finding some value in his tight end, Heath Miller.

Derek Carr- Oakland Raiders- $5500

I’m expecting Oakland to be trailing in this game, so I expect Carr and Oakland to need to pass a lot to play catch up. Carr has blossomed in his second season, dropping 23 and 32 DK points the last two weeks. I’d expect him to approach those numbers again.

 

RB


Todd Gurley- St. Louis Rams- $6900

It’s getting pretty redundant, but I can’t get away from Todd Gurley. Jeff Fisher has proven that he is going to feed Gurley until he can’t run anymore, and the last two weeks, he’s gotten more involved in the passing game with 4 and 3 receptions. On a ppr site like DK, that helps his floor immensely. I think Gurley is still underpriced, and has a solid matchup against the Vikings.

Devonta Freeman- Atlanta Falcons- $8000

I expect the Falcons to handle San Francisco and Blaine Gabbert rather easily this week. In a game where I expect them to be leading, it creates a positive game flow for Freeman to get a lot of carries in the second half to run the clock. As is the case with Gurley, Freeman is always involved in the passing game, in fact, even more so than Gurley. Freeman makes a great cash game play.

Deangelo Williams- Pittsburgh Steelers- $5500

With the unfortunate injury to Leveon Bell, Deangelo Williams steps into a starting role this week. In week 1 and 2 when Bell was suspended, Williams stepped in admirably, and put up 17 and 31 points in those starts. I fully expect him to put up similar numbers going forward, so at his price, it’s too good to ignore. He’s going to be a top 10 running back for the rest of the year.

Jeremy Langford- Chicago Bears- $4000

Another injury situation has given us another value play this week. With Matt Forte going down, Jeremy Langford steps in, and immediately gets a nice matchup against the Chargers. Langford is a capable pass catcher, and was an amazing runner in college at Michigan State. I expect him to get 20 touches on Monday night, so at $4000, get him in your lineups at a discount.

WR

Odell Beckham- New York Giants-$8800

After going nuts last week in the shootout in New Orleans, Odell showed us that his hamstring isn’t much of an issue to worry about. Facing a terrible Bucs defense, he should be in for another big day. As the focal point of the Giants offense, Beckham should see around 12 targets, and is a dominating red zone presence, catching nearly 50% of his red zone targets. Beckham’s a nice safe cash game play with tremendous upside.

Stevie Johnson- San Diego Chargers- $3200

Another injury situation where we find value, as Keenan Allen went down last week with a season ending injury. On a ppr site like DK, Stevie Johnson is going to be an excellent value. Allen’s role in the offense includes catching a few balls off screens and quick hitters, and I’m expecting Stevie to step into that role. I look for him to get targeted around 8-10 times, making him an outstanding cheap option.

Alshon Jeffrey- Chicago Bears- $6700

Jeffrey is a number one wide receiver, but he isn’t priced like one. The Chargers secondary is banged up, and their top CB is questionable for this one. Averaging 11 targets a game, I love Jeffrey in this matchup, as Jay Cutler should be feeding him early and often. At a discount price of $6700, Jeffrey has the upside to be the top producing WR on the weekend.

Michael Crabtree- Oakland Raiders- $4900

As I mentioned before, I expect the Raiders to be throwing a lot because they are trailing. While some may gravitate to Amari Cooper, I’m going to take the discount and grab Crabtree. Crabtree is getting way more red zone looks over Cooper, and in a tournament, we are looking for the most upside we can get. Because of the red zone targets, we can take a chance on Crabtree this week.

TE

Heath Miller- Pittsburgh Steelers- $2700

Miller is criminally underpriced. He’s basically at the bare minimum for tight ends, and is still one of Big Ben’s favorite targets. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miller get in the end zone this week, which would immediately pay off his cheap salary.

Rob Gronkowski- New England Patriots- $8000

Gronk is always the number one option on a slate. That being said, Brady has been masterful at spreading the ball around. Gronk really isn’t going to ever put up a dud, but because Brady spreads the ball out so much, he may not pay off his salary. More than likely, I’ll save the salary cap space and go to Miller.

Greg Olsen- Carolina Panthers- $6500

As Cam Newton’s favorite and only reliable target, Olsen always makes a fine play. His price is getting up there, so that does give some pause for concern, as you really need him to get into the end zone. However, the consistent targets he receives, should give Olsen a solid enough floor for safety in cash games.

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