FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 8

Welcome back for the eighth week of FanDuel NFL Lineups.  We’re a Daily Fantasy Football column focused on top picks and best value for your weekly FanDuel NFL lineups.  We arm you with information for a big FanDuel NFL payday each week.

Last week, two of our top plays worked out well at quarterback.  We stuck with Carson Wentz again, who was our top GPP play two weeks ago, and Carson threw four touchdowns against a solid Washington defense, piling up over 32 FanDuel NFL points, the most of all quarterbacks, and third most of any NFL player.

But our sneaky bargain play at quarterback also worked out well.  Tyrod Taylor was a cheap $7,000 option at quarterback, yet earned us over 20 FanDuel NFL points, a top 25 pick among all NFL players in week seven, and a great way to pile up points for GPP plays.

But, we faded Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Trevor Siemian.  Only Siemian turned out to be the great fade, with under seven FanDuel NFL points in the game.  Wilson played well, with Doug Baldwin emerging as a top wide receiver in week seven.  Kirk maintained his status as a top ten fantasy quarterback this year, but earned a good chunk of his points in garbage time.

While it was hard to know whether Ezekiel Elliott was going to player earlier last week, as we got closer to game-time, Elliott was granted another opportunity to push off his suspension.  Zeek was the top play at running back last week, piling up over 40 FanDuel NFL points.  In fact, Elliott was the top play among all NFL players, and is a strong consideration again this week.

But the big surprise of the week was the emergence of Amari Cooper, on Thursday night against the Chiefs.  Cooper had been playing poorly all season.  With plenty of targets, Amari was catching the ball only around 30% of the time, one of the worst rates in the NFL.  But on Thursday, Cooper racked up 210 receiving yards and two touchdowns for over 38 FanDuel NFL points.  Now, the question is, how consistent will Cooper be in the second half of the season.

Once again, FanDuel is offering several slate options, including a Thursday through Monday slate covering all 13 games.  We’re going to focus our lineup options on all 13 games, and you can pick as you like, to build your top lineups for each slate.  Hopefully this helps you cover the slates you’re targeting this weekend.

Now, let’s get starting with the Quarterbacks…

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 8 – Quarterbacks

Top Picks

If you’ve been playing FanDuel NFL all season, followed along with the NFL last week, or hopefully read my first page, this top pick should be obvious.  The Eagles are playing at home against arguably the worst team in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers.  The 9ers have some things to look forward to in the future, but that future doesn’t start this season.

The 49ers defense is 25th against the pass, 29th against the run, and are giving up over 26 points-per-game, 30th in the NFL.  Meanwhile, the Eagles are third in the NFL in total points scored, and haven’t lost a game at home.

We saw what Carson Wentz ($7,900) could do against a better defense at home last week, four touchdowns and over 32 FanDuel NFL points.  Over the last three games, Carson has 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions.  That includes a three-TD game in Carolina, against a very good Panthers defense.

Wentz is now 22.24 FanDuel NFL points-per-game, fourth among all quarterbacks.  But against a terrible defense at home, Carson is definitely among the elite FanDuel NFL quarterbacks this week, with a very reasonable salary.

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Dak Prescott ($8,600) is coming from a nearly 30 FanDuel NFL point performance against the 49ers last week, in San Francisco.  But Dak has scored over 22 points in each of his last four games, against the 9ers, Packers, Rams, and Cardinals.

Most of those defenses won’t scare you from a passing game perspective, but Prescott also has Elliott on the field, making him even more confident.  This week, there could be some risk.  The Redskins defense is better this season, and if Josh Norman is on the field, unlikely Monday in Philly, he could get Bryant and Prescott some problems.

Also, in cash games, it never hurts to go Tom Brady ($9,400) or Drew Brees ($8,500).  Yes the Bears passing defense looked great last week, but Brees performs well against almost anyone, especially in New Orleans.  And the same goes for Brady.  However, paying up for risky defensive match ups isn’t my weekly goal.

Other Top Options

Last weeks sneaky GPP play at quarterback was Tyrod Taylor ($7,600), whose once against a great option for GPP against a suspect Raiders defense this week.  But Taylor is going to be on  more radars this week.  Instead of Taylor, we really like Andy Dalton ($7,600).

The name along makes many fantasy football players cringe.  But the Bengals offense is bouncing back since their offensive coordinator change, and the Bengals had a tough match up against the Steelers last week.  This week, Dalton and the Bengals are hosting the Colts, who have struggled in every facet of their defense this season.  Andy should flirt with 30 FanDuel NFL points, on a cheap $7.6K salary.

Derek Carr ($7,800) and the Raiders passing game finally emerged last week.  This week, the Raiders head into Buffalo, where the Bills just had a tough time controlling the Bucs mediocre passing game.  Carr and the Raiders are a solid passing play this week.

Fades

Jameis Winston ($7,600) – The Bucs passing offense looked better last week in Buffalo.  But Jameis is clearly still battling a shoulder injury which likely catches up to him at some point.  Also, while the Bucs are playing in Tampa this week, they’re also playing the Panthers, one of the toughest defenses in the NFL right now.

Philip Rivers ($7,500)- Rivers typically has a terrible start and strong finish, but this season it’s start to look the other way around.  However, this is a trap play.  The Pats defense is getting better, and in New England Rivers likely struggles.

Alex Smith ($7,700) – This is a risky fade.  But while Smith has been incredible against marginally good, or bad, defenses this season, he’s not doing as well against the tougher teams.  Against top-15 passing defenses, Alex is only averaging around 15 FanDuel NFL points-per-game, not worth the salary.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 8 – Running Backs

Top Picks

I recommended fading Le’Veon Bell ($9,400) last week, thinking the Steelers had a tough run defense, and Bell was inconsistent.  Stupid, stupid, stupid!  Bell is clearly getting back into regular season shape.  Over the last four games, three of which was against great run defenses, Le’Veon had over 32 carries and 130 yards in three of those games.

This week, Bell and the Steelers face another decent run defense, but has that really stopped him recently?  No.  Also, Darius Slay, the Lions top corner, is having a great season and is likely going to shadow Antonio Brown all game.  That will likely lead to the Steelers leaning on Bell more, for the run and passing game.  He’s an absolute lock in cash games for week eight.

We already discussed how Ezekiel Elliott ($9,000) is likely in for another solid game, but don’t expect another 40+ FanDuel NFL point performance from Zeek this week.  Instead, I’ll save $600 and grab LeSean McCoy ($8,400) who matches up well with the Raiders defense in Buffalo this week.

Like Bell, McCoy is heating up and is getting the ball more often.  LeSean has around 20 carries per game over the last three games, and is getting around seven passing targets per game as well.  McCoy is piling up over 100 yards-per-game from scrimmage lately, and saw the end zone twice last week.  McCoy is a 25-30 point candidate this week, on a more reasonable salary than Bell or Elliott.

Other Top Option

Jordan Howard ($6,900) didn’t have to do much last week to beat the Panthers, the Bears defense did most of the work.  So he had 21 carries for 65 yards, no touchdown, and no receptions.  But again, the Bears offense was able to be quiet.  Prior to that game, Howard was hot, averaging around 15 FanDuel NFL points-per-game since a 29.1 point effort against a great Steelers defense in late September.

This week, the Bears travel to New Orleans.  It’s expected the Bears will have to pass the ball more to keep up with Brees and the Saints.  But John Fox loves to pound the football on the ground, and he likely won’t give up on the run game.  Also, Fox will use Howard’s 30 carries to try to keep the ball out of Brees’ hands.  Howard is a strong play for only $6.9K this week.

We love the Eagles offensive passing game this week against the 49ers, and they’re likely to lean on LaGarrette Blount ($6,100) to run the ball a lot in the second half.  When the Eagles have an opportunity to run the ball more, they’ve been using it, and this is another run-heavy situation.  Blount should also get a few shots into the end zone this week.

The Bears defense continues to look solid this season, but as we’ve mentioned earlier, that won’t stop Brees and the Saints offense at home.  Alvin Kamara ($6,400) continues to get nearly ten passing targets per game, and is now getting around ten carries per game.  This is leading to nearly 100 yards per game of offensive production, and with a touchdown, Kamara could be a top-ten fantasy running back this week.  Not bad for only $6.4K.

Fades

Kareem Hunt ($8,500) – I’ve been up and down with Hunt this year.  I’ve loved him the first several weeks, but have been fading him lately.  The awesome rookie running back for the Chiefs is still very productive in their offense, but he’s been cooling off lately, from a fantasy perspective.  Kareem hasn’t seen the end zone in the last four games, and isn’t producing ore than 14 FanDuel-NFL points per game in the last month.  For $8.5K and against a very good Broncos defense, this feels like a rip-off!

Melvin Gordon ($7,900) – I like Gordon this season, and he had a great couple of weeks this month.  It’s tempting to grab Gordon against the Pats defense, but again, they’re getting better as the season progresses.  Also, Melvin is battling a foot injury.  This is a very, very, very risky play for $7.9K.

Jay Ajayi ($6,900) – He’s getting the ball over 25 times a game, yet is only averaging less than 10 FanDuel NFL points-per-game in the last month.  Oh, and they’re in Baltimore against a solid Ravens run defense.  No, thanks!

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 8 – Wide Receivers

Top Picks

There is a plethora of great options at wide receiver this week, and we have plenty of cash to spend with a lot of value options at the other positions.  So, we’re going to make a splash at this position this week.

After a quiet September, Julio Jones ($8,700) is starting to make some Fantasy NFL noise this month, and finally found the end zone last week, in New England.  Jones saw 13 targets against the Pats, had nine receptions, 99 yards, and a touchdown.  This week, Julio has an even better match up in New York, against the Jets.  Jones is an elite option this week, even if it looks like Ryan is struggling with their new offensive game plan, under Sark.

We love Andy Dalton‘s value this week, and A.J. Green ($8,500) was hot before the Bengals offense hit a buzz-saw in Pittsburgh last week.  Green has three touchdowns in his last four games, is getting around ten targets a game, and has over 100 receiving yards in two of his last four games.  The Bengals are hosting a terrible Colts defense this week, and A.J. should have one of his best games of the season.

Mike Evans ($8,200) has seen some solid coverage from cornerbacks this season, yet it doesn’t seem to impact his results.  This week, the Bucs face a tough Panthers defense in Tampa, but Mike will still see around ten targets, has another shot at nearly 100 receiving yards, and should get another touchdown.  He’s lower-price this week because of the match up, making him a bargain in week eight.

Other Top Picks

It’s a riskier play because of the match up, and DeAndre Hopkins ($8,000) only saw four targets against the Browns last week, but he still saw the end zone.  Also, against some of the best corners in football on September 10th, Hopkins had seven receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Jags.  He should be able to handle the Seahawks as well.

Also in Seattle, Doug Baldwin ($7,700) is getting hot and will continue to get a lot of looks from Wilson this week, he’s a great play for only $7.7K.  The Texans match up well against the Seahawks passing game, but their pass rush isn’t as good as it was earlier in the season, thanks to several injuries.

Wentz threw some deep balls last Monday, and we like him against the Niners this week.  That makes Alshon Jeffery ($6,600) and Nelson Agholor ($6,000) great values in week eight.  Jeffery will see more targets than Agholor, but Nelson is doing very well in the slot, and is a touchdown target for Carson.  Between the two, we like Agholor more, but this is a situation where Jeffery finally sees a 100-yard game.

Fades

Antonio Brown ($9,200) – Brown is a fantasy football superstar.  And fading Brown is generally stupid in DFS NFL.  However, Antonio will be shadowed by one of the NFL’s top corners in the league.  Big Ben likely has to look around the field, and the Steelers should lean on the run game more.  Brown could still have double-digit FanDuel NFL points this week, but for $9.2K, there are many other better options.

Keenan Allen ($7,800) – He’s the Chargers target machine, and should see many again on Sunday.  But Allen is struggling to get much offensive production this month, even with around ten targets a game, averaging below ten FanDuel NFL points-per-game.  We don’t like Rivers this week, nor his top target.

T.Y. Hilton ($7,200) – I like the Bengal defense this week, and for the same reason we faded Hilton last week, he’s facing another great defense and has been producing very little this month.  Even in a random GPP play, Hilton isn’t worth the risk with a $7.2K salary.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 8 – Tight End / Kicker / Defense

At tight end, once again, the consistently dominate Rob Gronkowski ($8,400), Travis Kelce ($7,200) and Zach Ertz ($7,300) are the top options.

But we’ve ridden Ertz all season, and his salary is not getting too pricey, in the range of the top-three elite tight ends.  So last week, we grabbed Cameron Brate ($5,800), who’s emerging as a Ertz-like weekly lock.  But Cameron and the Bucs have a tough match up against the Panthers this week.

So we’re going to snag the currently popular fantasy tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($6,300).  Austin was a hot name for tight end picks over the last couple of years, in Tampa.  But Seferian-Jenkins never lived up to the hype with the Bucs.

In New York though, Austin is emerging as a consistent touchdown target for the Jets.  This week, the Jets host the Falcons, and Austin should get about seven or so targets, with a few shots in the end zone again.

Over the last two months, I’ve been consistently grabbing rookie Eagles Kicker Jake Elliott ($4,800).  Elliott has double-digit FanDuel points in all but one game, a nine point effort in his first NFL start.  This week, Jake should get numerous opportunities against the 49ers, and hopefully continues to get some long shots for three points.

For defense, while I like the New Orleans Saints ($4,800) against a terrible Chicago Bears offensive unit, we already talked about how we like the Bears run game this week.  So instead, we’re going to target another bad offense, the Colts, and go with the Cincinnati Bengals ($4,800).

The Bengals defense has played consistently well all season, struggling only to the Steelers in Pittsburgh last week.  But against a bad offense, they’re a lock to score 8-14 points, not bad for a $4.8K salary.

So after reviewing all the options, we put together our favorite lineup for the week.  Here’s a look at our Final FanDuel NFL Week 8 lineup:

QB – Wentz (PHI $7,900)

RB – Howard (CHI $6,900)

RB – Blount (PHI $6,100)

WR – Jones (ATL $8,700)

WR – Green (CIN $8,500)

WR – Agholor (PHI $6,000)

TE – Seferian-Jenkins ($6,300)

K – Elliott (PHI $4,800)

D – Cincinnati Bengals ($4,800)

This leaves us with $0 left, maximizing our picks using value in two receiver positions, defense, and kicker and loading up on some big point potential at quarterback, running back, and receiver.

Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for the week.  You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building FanDuel NFL lineups.  We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks & Pivots

Good luck with your FanDuel NFL plays week 8, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!