FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 9

Welcome back to FanDuel NFL Lineups for the ninth week of the regular season.  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, we had some big hits, but all several misses.  LeSean McCoy and Ezekiel Elliott were two of our top running backs, and they were the top-two FanDuel NFL running backs for week eight.  We also finally got comfortable, again, with Bell’s salary, but he only landed around 13 FanDuel NFL points, not nearly enough to justify his salary.

With over 18 FanDuel NFL points against the 49ers, Carson Wentz was a worthy pick.  But for around the same salary, you got 32 to 35 points with Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson.  Not surprisingly, both Wilson and Watson are now the most expensive quarterbacks on the board in week nine, as their hot streak continues.

We liked the match ups Julio Jones, A.J. Green, and Mike Evans had, but they all landed around eight to 13 points, nowhere near worth the salary.  But our other picks like DeAndre Hopkins and Alshon Jeffrey played out nicely.

We had several fade recommendations, and many went well.  The most aggressive fade idea was to put Antonio Brown on the shelf, concerned he was going to be shadowed by one of the best corners in the NFL, right now.  Boy did that pay off!  Brown only had 9.5 FanDuel NFL points, on a $9.2K salary.  Keenan Allen and T.Y. Hilton also turned out to be great fades in week eight.

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.

NOTE: This article has been updated as a result of the Deshaun Watson season-ending injury, and temporary lifting of the Ezekiel Elliott suspension.

Now, let’s get starting with the Quarterbacks…

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 9 – Quarterbacks

Top Picks

Frankly, the quarterback position this week was supposed to be obvious.  But the Deshaun Watson season ending injury during practice this week, really narrows down the QB picks.  There are a handful of great candidates, and value falls off a cliff,  while risk climbs significantly, as you look beyond Dak Prescott ($8,200).

Starting with Dak, many FanDuel NFL players may be tempted to fade Prescott because of his unusual 7.32 FanDuel NFL result last week in Washington.  But that result was unique, and mostly due to the Cowboys going up early, hitting four field goals, and leaning on Ezekiel Elliott to carry them through the game with 150 yards rushing, and two touchdowns.  There wasn’t much left for Prescott to do, to win the game.

However, the Chiefs are going to attack the run, well, this week in Dallas.  And with news of Elliott potentially sitting, the Cowboys are likely going to lean on their passing game this week.  Dak and his receiving options are all top candidates at each position, and for a reasonable price.

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Drew Brees ($8,300) hasn’t performed well in his last two games at home, in New Orleans.  But he faced a very good Bears passing defense last week, and Darius Slay from the Lions, three weeks ago, shutting down the Saints passing game, to a point.  Still, Drew is an elite quarterback in the NFL and is guaranteed to get you over double-digit FanDuel NFL points each week.

This week, Brees and the Saints have an easier pass defense to dissect, the Buccaneers.  Even better, Jameis Winston is struggling this season, and with the Bucs likely getting several three-and-outs, Brees should have the ball in his hands often on Sunday.  Drew is, again, and elite play on a very reasonable salary.

He’s more pricey, but Russell Wilson ($8,500) is emerging from an incredible fantasy week.  Wilson has been on a role, and has a great match up this week.  Washington’s defense is better this season, but their banged up right now.  Outside of Josh Norman, the Skins have little to threaten Wilson, who’s as dangerous on his feet as he is in the air.  I wanted to play Watson this week, but now leaning toward Wilson as the top play.

Other Top Options

If you’re looking for cheaper, or for a solid GPP play, Matthew Stafford ($7,900) is your best option.  Stafford is heating up, throwing for over 420 passing yards last week against a very good Steelers defense.  While he didn’t have any touchdowns last week, Matthew had five in the two games prior, visiting the Saints and hosting the Panthers.

The Packers offense has been falling apart since Rodgers injury.  But the injury is also exposing holes in their defense as well.  The Packers are giving up over 125 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL, and just under 350 passing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL.  On top of the yards, you can also count on at least 23 points from the Lions this week.  He hasn’t been a sexy play since the early part of the season, but Stafford is a sneaky great GPP play this week.

I jumped on the Tyrod Taylor ($7,500) bandwagon heading into the Bucs game two weeks ago, and I haven’t gotten off.  The Bills travel to New York (technically New Jersey) to face a Jets team giving up a lot of offense this year.  This is the third game in a row where Taylor could easily provide 15 to 20 FanDuel NFL points on a cheap salary.  And, oh by the way, Kelvin Benjamin may be on the field for red zone opportunities.

Fades

Matt Ryan ($7,600) – The Panthers have struggled over the last couple of weeks, but their defense is still top five in the NFL.  With a new offensive coordinator, Ryan has struggled all season, and it only gets worse on Sunday.

Derek Carr ($7,800) – I’m routing for Carr to get back to the exciting fantasy football option he was last season, before his injury.  But right now, the Raiders are struggling on offense, and the Dolphins are quietly one of the top defenses in the NFL right now.  No, Thanks!

Marcus Mariota ($7,800) – The Titans welcome the Ravens into Tennessee this week, but Mariota and the Titans are struggling with the passing game, especially against a solid defense like the Ravens.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 9 – Running Backs

Top Picks

Todd Gurley II ($9,100) and Kareem Hunt ($9,000) are elite options against the Giants and Cowboys, but they’re both very pricey.  There are several other great options at running back, who could meet or exceed Gurley and Hunts points this week.

At first I loved LeSean McCoy, but he and the Bills had a surprisingly terrible game against the Jets in New Jersey on Thursday night.  Then, news broke Friday morning that Ezekiel Elliott ($8,900), who was listed as ‘out’ by FanDuel, is now allowed to play this Sunday.  His ultimate season-long fate will be decided next week (Finally!).  In the meantime, Zeek is on fire, feasting on every defense, and faces the Chiefs at home this week, in a VERY favorable match up.  Play Elliott in all formats!

The Saints should get the ball moving in the air, and Brees is likely to target Alvin Kamara ($6,600) often.  Alvin has 11 to 20 points in each of his last five games, and the match up against the Bucs is favorable.  Also, with goal line attempts, and the Saints likely leaning on Mark Ingram ($7,900) to slow the game down in then second half, a Saints stack at running back (believe it or not) is a great option this week.

Other Top Options

If he plays (knee injury), Lamar Miller ($7,500) continues to be our favorite mid-salary option at running back for FanDuel NFL.  Miller is getting the most snaps, and gets 15 to 20 carries per game.  He may not exceed 100 rushing yards each game, but Lamar will get you close to 70 rushing yards, three to five passing targets, and always a few touchdown attempts.  He’s a solid 15 point play this week, in a favorable match up against the Colts in Houston.

Likely flying under the radar for many this week is Alex Collins ($5,900).  We talked about Collins in a podcast several weeks ago as someone to watch, after he broke open for 82 yards in two games straight, against the Jags and Steelers, on only nine carries.

Last week, the Ravens gave the ball to Alex 18 times, and he rewarded them with 113 rushing yards.  Collins also saw two reception targets, for two snags and 30 yards.  This week, the Ravens visit the Titans in Tennessee.  They’ve done a poor job of stopping the run, and Collins provides enormous value at the running back position, for only $5.9K

One last top play note, Joe Mixon ($6,300) is starting to see more rushing reps, and he’s facing a Jags team whose great at stopping the pass, but terrible in the run game.

Fades

Leonard Fournette ($8,600) – The man is a beast and one of my favorite NFL running backs to watch.  We’ve tracked Lenard since his high school senior days.  But from a fantasy perspective, we continue to be concerned about his injury prospects.  And against a bruising Bengals defense, Fournette could struggle, and may leave the game early.

LaGarrette Blount ($5,900) – I’ve been high on Blount (pun intended) all season as a value play at running back.  But with Jay Ajayi now in the mix, and a rough rushing match up against the Broncos, he’s an extremely risky play this week.

Bilal Powell ($6,200) – Powell is getting plenty of carries but with little production to show for it.  On Thursday night, Bilal and the Jets are hosting one of the best run defenses in the NFL.  There’s no format that makes sense to pay $6.2K for Powell this week.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 9 – Wide Receivers

Top Picks

On Thursday morning, our two favorite wide receiver options were DeAndre Hopkins ($9,100) and Will Fuller ($7,800).  But with Tom Savage likely leading the Texans offense this weekend, they’re both a hard fade, especially with this salary.

That leads us to our new top plays, Dez Bryant ($7,700) and Mike Evans ($8,500).  Dez will see more targets than he saw in Washington last week.  Especially with Elliott potentially suspended, Bryant will be the top offensive target for Prescott.  With well over ten targets, Dez could finally have a 100 yard receiving game, and will be targeted in the end zone multiple times.

We don’t love the Bucs offense right now, and Jameis Winston is struggling.  But regardless, Evans is getting a consistent ten targets every week, is constantly landing around 60 to 95 yards per game, and has four touchdowns in seven games.  Against the Saints, Evans is a solid 15 to 20 FanDuel NFL point lock.

Other Top Pick

We would like to jump on Doug Baldwin ($7,900) while Russell Wilson is hot, but he’s likely getting shadowed by Josh Norman, who was outstanding last week.  With that in mind, stacking Tyler Lockett ($5,500) and Paul Richardson ($5,800) is now even more attractive against the Redskins.  Richardson and Lockett each had over 100 receiving yards against the Texans last week, and Wilson will likely look their way often on Sunday.  Given their salaries, this is a fantastic value.

Tyreek Hill ($7,700) has seen some tough defenses over the first half of the season, and that has suppressed his receiving stats this year.  But two weeks ago, the Chiefs were in Oakland, where Hill piled up 125 yards on six receptions for a touchdown.  The Cowboys pass defense is a little better than the Raiders, but this should be another bounce-back opportunity for Hill.

Fades

A.J. Green ($8,200) – The Jags are one of the best passing defense in the NFL, and Green will likely be shadowed by an elite corner back.  For $8.2K, that’s a rip-off!

Julio Jones ($7,900) – Jones isn’t as pricey this week, but there’s a reason.  The struggling Falcons passing offense will be facing one of the best passing defenses in the NFL, on their turf.  Jones isn’t worth it this week.

Davante Adams ($6,500) – Adams is still getting a lot of targets, without Rodgers taking snaps.  But Davante is likely to match up with the Darius Slay, one of the leagues elite corner backs.  Don’t expect much out of Adams this week.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Week 9 – Tight End / Kicker / Defense

With Gronk off this week, everyone will try to grab Zach Ertz ($7,600) and Travis Kelce ($7,000) at tight end, for cash games.  Zach is consistently in double-digits for FanDuel NFL points, averaging 13.52 per game, but no less than eleven in any one game.  Ertz also has six touchdowns in the Eagles last six games.  He’s worth the salary.

Kelce isn’t as consistent, but his upside is enormous.  Travis has the ability to take over an offense, put them on his back, and rack up 20 to 30 points every now and then.  He’s just not as consisent as Ertz.  Cameron Brate ($6,100) and Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($6,000) have ermerged as cheaper consisent point beasts in the position over the last month.

But my favorite tight end pick this week is Evan Engram ($6,300).  While the Rams corners have done a great job of containing the sidelines, their linebackers have struggled against tight ends.

And with all of the receiver injuries for the Giants, Manning is targeting Evans more than ever, 19 times over the last two games.  Engram had 82 yards and a touchdown against the stellar Broncos defense, so the Rams shouldn’t scare him.  For only $6.3K, Evan is going to flirt with 20 FanDuel NFL points.

At kicker, we’re staying New York and grabbing the Rams Greg Zuerlein ($5,300).  Greg has been locked in lately, hitting 14 3-point field goals in 15 tries over the last five games.  The Rams have also been scoring more touchdowns this season, and have the most points/game of any NFL team, inflating Zuerlein’s value even more.  Against the Giants, it’s obvious why Greg is the most expensive kicker, but he’s still an affordable double-digit point pick at kicker.

I’m going with another top option on defense, thanks to the many savings offered at the running back and wide receiver positions this week.  The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the best fantasy team on defense all season.

They’re averaging over 15 FanDuel NFL points-per-game, and are facing a Bengals offense who’s struggled all year.  Their top corners will lock down A.J. Green, and they should be able to focus on the Bengals running game, limiting points and causing turnovers.

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 9 lineup:

QB – Wilson (SEA $8,500)

RB – Elliott (DAL $8,900)

RB – Collins (BAL $5,900)

WR – Evans (TB ($8,500)

WR – Richardson (SEA $5,800)

WR – Lockett (SEA $5,500)

TE – Engram (NYG $6,300)

K –  Zuerlein (LAR $5,300)

D –  Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,300)

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: NBA FanDuel Picks & Pivots

Good luck with your FanDuel NFL plays week 9, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!