Week 8 is in the books and it’s back to more teams on bye again. One of my favorite parts is fantasy football. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings. Every week is like a new puzzle to figure out. Whether you are more of a cash game player or a tournament player, each presents a unique challenge. Let’s take a look at my favorite Week 9 DraftKings plays.
Week 9 DraftKings Plays
Week 8 Recap
It’s always good to be completely transparent and demonstrate accountability. That’s what I like to do with everything I do and that goes for fantasy football as well. Whether it’s bold takes or DraftKings recommendations, I always like to keep track of wins and losses. It’s not only good for the readers to know, but also helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.
🚨RECAP THREAD🚨
For full transparency each week I'll recap my suggested #DraftKings plays to see if they hit the 2.5x we generally shoot for each week in cash builds!#FantasyFootball#NFL#NFLTwitter#DFS@BlazedRTs@MyFantasyLeague@LastWordOnNFL
https://t.co/KVEbBscUkV— ✴️Rob Norton✴️ (@norton0723) November 2, 2021
Looking back at Week 8, it was slightly better than Week 7. This week 56% of the recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. This time the quarterback group led the way again with an 80% success rate. Meanwhile, the tight end group brought up the rear this week with a 40% success rate. It was another week in the negative, unfortunately. The cash build won zero of the seven double-ups and went 2-14 in H2H’s. We’ll look to do even better with the picks and get back in the profits in the Week 9 DraftKings plays.
- Week 8 – $364 → $78 ($286 LOSS)
- Year Total – $2,486 → $2,551 ($65 PROFIT)
Week 9 DraftKings Plays
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson (BAL) – $7,300 v MIN
Lamar Jackson is averaging the third-most DraftKings points this year among all quarterbacks and yet his season feels like somewhat of a letdown. It might be because his TD% is a measly 4.4%. Jackson has always been more of an outlier on the higher end because of how much they rush so it’s likely that number will creep up as the year goes on. Let’s just hope this week is the start of that. This week the Baltimore Ravens get a nice matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings secondary is once again one of the worst in the NFL. On top of that, the Ravens have suddenly become one of the pass-heaviest teams in the league and he’s still buoyed by all the rushing production. This game also has the highest combined total on the slate at 50 points. The Ravens are favored by six with an implied total of 28.
Lamar Jackson is currently QB3 with 24.39 PPG, but his 4.4% TD rate ranks 18th among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts.
Just imagine what could happen if we see some positive touchdown regression.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) November 6, 2021
Jordan Love (GB) – $4,400 @ KC
This is purely a case of pricing coming out before the information came out. Aaron Rodgers is on the COVID reserve list and is now ruled out for this game. This price for Jordan Love was put in place when he was expected to be the backup. Either way, Love will get a shot to start and this price is way too low. Anytime this much salary can be saved at the quarterback position, that’s something to consider for both cash and GPP builds. The matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs presents a soft landing spot for Love’s first start as well. The Chiefs have allowed the third-most DraftKings points to quarterbacks so far this year. The Chiefs can put up points on offense as well and the Green Bay Packers are 7.5-point underdogs so the game script sets up perfectly as well. Love should have no issue returning value this week.
Others to Consider: Josh Allen (BUF) – $8,200 @ JAX, Jalen Hurts (PHI) – $6,700 v LAC, Daniel Jones (NYG) – $5,600 v LV
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler (LAC) – $7,900 @ PHI
Don’t look now but Austin Ekeler trails only Derrick Henry in DraftKings points per game. He has the third-most targets and receptions among all running backs. That’s despite having no targets in the opening week. Remember when everyone panicked about that? That sure was cute. It seems like years ago when that happened at this point. Ekeler has seen at least five targets in every game since and scored at least 22 DraftKings in all but one game. He’s also getting all the work near the goal line as well so he’s seeing all the highest value touches. The Los Angeles Chargers are one of the fastest-paced offenses and this week they take on the Philadelphia Eagles who are also one of the fastest-paced offenses in the league. The Eagles also have a tough time against pass-catching running backs and have allowed the sixth-most DraftKings points to running backs this season. This game also has the second-highest total on the slate at 49.5 points. It’s wheels up for Ekeler this week.
RB rankings for Week 9
🥇 Austin Ekeler
🥈 Najee Harris
🥉 Alvin Kamara@dwainmcfarland fantasy rankings 👇 https://t.co/a8oghzDgyP— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) November 4, 2021
Dalvin Cook (MIN) – $7,700 @ BAL
It’s a bit of a weird slate where there are a few strong plays at the top and the midrange is a bit more bare than usual this week. It’s also not often that Dalvin Cook is this affordable either. He’s been battling an ankle injury most of the year which has forced him to miss two games. Cook had a bye in Week 7 and is now a few weeks removed from his last missed game so he should be a full-go this week. Last week he saw 18 carries and should be able to handle more this week. Hopefully, the Vikings can get him back involved in the passing game, especially with them being underdogs, as that will raise the floor. As mentioned before, this game has the highest combined total on the slate. This Ravens defense is not your Dad’s Ravens defense. They’ve allowed the ninth-most DraftKings points to running backs this year. This could be a nice bounce-back spot for Cook.
Elijah Mitchell (SF) – $5,800 v ARI
If we can give Kyle Shanahan one thing it’s that he knows how to design a great run scheme. For years running backs have consistently succeeded in the Shanahan scheme even without pedigree. This year it’s been mostly Elijah Mitchell carrying on the tradition. He started out with a bang in the opening week when Raheem Mostert went down. Mitchell himself then dealt with an injury but has come on strong the past two weeks. He’s had at least 100 rushing yards and a score each of the past two weeks. The most surprising part is that Mitchell is being used in a workhorse-type role. There is a low floor when playing Mitchell due to his lack of involvement in the passing game. He only has four receptions on the entire season. The upside is huge though in this scheme. As it sits right now the San Francisco 49ers are 2.5-point favorites over the Arizona Cardinals and the game has a 45-point combined total. Assuming Kyler Murray misses this game, the game script should be in favor of Mitchell seeing another big workload.
Others to Consider: Aaron Jones (GB) – $7,200 @ KC, Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) – 7,000 v DEN, Nick Chubb (CLE) – $6,700 @ CIN, Devontae Booker (NYG) – $5,800 v LV
Wide Receivers
Tyreek Hill (KC) – $7,900 v GB
Like Lamar Jackson, Tyreek Hill has seemed like a bit of a disappointment this year. In reality, he trails only Cooper Kupp in DraftKings points per game. For some reason, his salary keeps going down. With Kupp not on the slate and Davante Adams not having Aaron Rodgers this week, this is the time to take advantage. Hill has as much upside as anyone and just saw 18 targets last week. He’s scored double-digit DraftKings points in every game but one so far this year. This week’s matchup against the Packers isn’t great from a matchup standpoint but the game environment should be good. Even without Rodgers, this game has one of the highest combined totals at 48. The Chiefs have an implied total of 28 points. Hill looks like a great play on this slate.
Tyreek Hill hauled in 12 catches against the Giants. He only needs 7 to cash (-135) his prop this week 👀 pic.twitter.com/b82TMBpWDy
— PFF Bet (@PFF_Bet) November 5, 2021
Amari Cooper (DAL) – $5,700 v DEN
Amari Cooper was going through a bit of a rough stretch but seemed to look awfully healthy coming out of the bye last week. With Dak Prescott sitting that game out, Cooper put up 29.2 DraftKings points on 13 targets from Cooper Rush. This week Dak Prescott is back which raises the ceiling of this entire offense. This game also has one of the highest combined totals on the slate at 49. The Dallas Cowboys implied total is one of the highest as well at 29.5 so there should be plenty of stats and scoring to go around. CeeDee Lamb has seemingly become the top target but the price difference is far too much this week when they’ve seen almost the exact same number of targets. Ultimately this price is simply too cheap for Cooper.
Hunter Renfrow (LV) – $4,800 @ NYG
Hunter Renfrow has been remarkably consistent this season. He’s scored between 10 and 19 DraftKings in every game but one so far. Renfrow has seen at least five targets in every game this year. He’s the epitome of the “high floor, low ceiling” PPR play. He’s safe but sometimes safe is what’s needed, especially in cash builds. His target share should be locked in with a possible bump following the unfortunate Henry Ruggs situation. This week’s matchup against the New York Giants represents a great spot as well. The Giants defense and secondary are simply not good. The Las Vegas Raiders have a nice implied total as well at 25 points.
Others to Consider: Justin Jefferson (MIN) – $7,500 @ BAL, Tee Higgins (CIN) – $5,300 v CLE, Marquise Brown (BAL) – $6,000 v MIN, Jarvis Landry (CLE) – $5,100 @ CIN, Rondale Moore (ARI) – $4,200 @ SF
Tight Ends
Darren Waller (LV) – $6,200 @ NYG
After that first week when Darren Waller had 10 receptions on 19 targets, he has not had more than eight targets or five receptions in any other game. He’s averaging 14.3 DraftKings points per game on the season. That’s definitely good for a tight end but somewhat disappointing for Waller. Even still, he’s the top receiving weapon for the Raiders. As mentioned before, they are facing the Giants who do not have a good defense. This could be a perfect spot for Waller to have a bounce-back performance.
Tyler Conklin (MIN) – $3,000 @ BAL
This week’s premier punt play looks like it’s going to be Tyler Conklin. Conklin has been surprisingly involved on a weekly basis so far. He’s seen at least four targets in every game except one this season. It hasn’t always led to a ton of DraftKings points but it’s always nice to see a tight end this cheap very involved. Conklin has now scored double-digit DraftKings points in two straight games. This week’s matchup against the Ravens looks great as well. The Ravens are allowing the second-most DraftKings points to tight ends this year. Tight-end defense can be tricky but they’ve actually been bad at covering tight ends. The Vikings are six-point underdogs as well so the game script should be in Conklin’s favor to help him hit value in this one.
Tyler Conklin: TE Streamer and DFS Punt Play
▪️ 12 targets, 84% snap share last two games
▪️ Ravens allowing 19.5 PPR PPG to TE (32nd)
▪️ Conklin is only $3,000 on DraftKings
▪️ Good game environment: 50 point total— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) November 5, 2021
Others to Consider: Mark Andrews (BAL) – $5,500 v MIN, Dallas Goedert (PHI) – $4,500 v LAC, Albert Okwuegbunam (DEN) – $2,600 @ DAL
Defense/Special Teams
In terms of choosing a defense/special teams, it’s the last spot I fill in every week. It’s pretty random but there are a few areas to gain an advantage. I look to target the heavily favored teams as they usually are playing with a lead. This forces their opponent to throw it more often which can help lead to extra sacks and turnovers and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. My advice is to fill out the rest of your lineup first and then pick your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.
My Tentative Cash Game Lineup
- QB – Lamar Jackson
- RB – Dalvin Cook
- RB – Devontae Booker
- WR – Keenan Allen
- WR – Amari Cooper
- WR – Mecole Hardman
- TE – Albert Okwuegbunam
- Flex – Austin Ekeler
- DST – Kansas City Chiefs
Make sure to tune in next week to see the results from my Week 9 DraftKings plays and to see the best picks for Week 10. Best of luck to everyone and let’s all enjoy some football and win some money!
[pickup_prop id=”6205″]
Main Image:
