DraftKings NFL 2017: Week 9 Lineup
By Joe Romano
High Priced Defenses
Jacksonville Jaguars ($3,800) – The best defense from the start of this season has been the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have playmakers at every level and may boast the most impressive corner tandem in the NFL. This defense locks down opposing wide receivers and have a ferocious pass rush. They’re on pace to set the NFL record for team sacks in a season. This week the Jaguars play the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati is a middle of the road offense that has elite playmakers. With a struggling offensive line though this could be a long day for the Bengals skill players. Jacksonville could make any offense look pedestrian. It will be interesting to see how much they put the hand in Andy Dalton’s hands versus running the ball.
Tennessee Titans ($3,700) – The Tennessee Titans defense is an under appreciated unit in the NFL. They’ve only allowed 25 points over thast four weeks, second best in the NFL. In Week 9 the Titans welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Nashville. With quarterback Joe Flacco’s status up in the air after a Week 8 concussion, the Titans come in as the second highest priced defense. For how good Tennessee has been on defense they do not score a lot in fantasy. They are the classic good NFL defense but not good fantasy football defense.
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High Value Defenses
Philadelphia Eagles ($3,300) – The past few weeks it has been tough to find value in defenses on DraftKings, this is not that week. With the Denver Broncos travelling to the Philadelphia Eagels on Sunday, the Eagles defense is intriguing. Denver leads the NFL in points allowed to opposing defenses over the last four weeks by a wide margin. The Eagles front four is as good as anyone’s ion the league. The Broncos are reportedly mulling a quarterback change but that offense struggles in every phase. Philadelphia also leads the NFL in interceptions over the last four weeks. The Eagles and Broncos are both trending in opposite directions. Philadelphia looks like a good selection to save a few hundred dollars to spend elsewhere.
New Orleans Saints ($3,400) – If you’re read this column the past two weeks you know I am very partial to this New Orleans Saints defense. They had an impressive outing last week but did not put up the fantasy numbers to match. With the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to town on Sunday, they’re another value play on defense. The Buccaneers quarterbacks, whether it’s Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick love to take gambles. That is the type of team you want to go up against in fantasy. The high powered Saints offense could force the Buccaneers to throw, leading to even more chances for turnovers. They’re DraftKings seventh ranked defense, but could finish much higher than that.