DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 9
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DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays is back for Week 9. This is a fantasy football column dedicated to providing value plays with high upside to help you cash in on big prizes in DraftKings tournaments.
Welcome to Week 9 of DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays. Here you’ll find a handful of players from each position who are underpriced and poised to outperform their salary. These bargain plays are ideal candidates when constructing your lineups for DraftKings GPPs.
Week 9 has a Main Slate of 10 games now that bye weeks are in play. There are plenty of tournaments offering large top prizes. Make sure to secure a spot in the NFL Fantasy Football Millionaire and the Fantasy Football World Championship Qualifier.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays is a resource for evaluating players with the best chance of finishing the week with a high fantasy points per dollar performance. Not every pick is meant to be used in the same lineup. Use this column to select one or two bargain plays, which allow you to pay up for higher priced stars.
DraftKings has done a great job of pricing players this week, which greatly decreases the amount of value plays and good ones at that. Note that when you’re building your rosters this week there aren’t going to be too many spots to comfortably save money.
Let’s check out some bargain play quarterbacks.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 8 – Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston ($5,800) vs. NO
Winston was terrible against the Panthers last week in what ended up being an ugly game, but could be in for a nice bounce back performance. The Saints defense has been getting praise over the past few weeks, but if you take a look at the opposing quarterbacks, they’ve faced Brett Hundley and Mitch Trubisky. This game has the second highest total on the slate at 51.5 and Winston is going to have to play well to keep up with the Saints offense. A three touchdown outing is easily in his range of outcomes.
Jared Goff ($5,500) vs. NYG
This game is the sneaky shootout game on the slate. The Giants will be without their top cornerback Janoris Jenkins and they rank 22nd in DVOA against the pass this season. While Todd Gurley is one of my favorite running back plays this week, Goff should still have plenty of opportunities and could connect with Gurley through the air as they’ve done many times already.
Jacoby Brissett ($5,200) vs. HOU
Brissett is my favorite quarterback to pay down for this week. He faces a Houston defense that just got rocked by Russell Wilson. Brissett’s mobility allows him to extend plays and pick up fantasy points on the ground. He’s tied for the most quarterback rushing touchdowns with three. The Colts running game can be a bit shaky with the Frank Gore and Marlon Mack timeshare. This game has lost a little bit of shootout potential with the injury to Deshaun Watson, but I still think Brissett gets the job done.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 8 – Running Backs
Alex Collins ($4,600) vs. TEN
I’ll be paying up at running back this week, but if you’re in need of the savings at the position then Collins could be a viable play. It appears he’s moved on from his early fumbling problems and has become the Ravens early down back. He should be in store for double digit carries and is coming off a 19.3 DraftKings point outing. Joe Flacco has struggled this season, so Collins should continue to have a role in this offense.
Marlon Mack ($4,100) vs. HOU
One of the most electric running backs in the league, Mack can put up big numbers even with limited touches. Just when you think Mack is about to take over the reins from Frank Gore, the Colts give Gore 20 touches. It’s a frustrating situation, but at this price tag you’re rostering Mack for his big play upside. He’s coming of a career high 14 touches, so hopefully this will roll over into this week.
Orleans Darkwa ($3,800) vs. LAR
If you need to punt at the position, Darkwa could pay off his price tag. He’s only seen double digit carries once this year as a result of the Giants constantly trailing in games. However, he is still the primary option out of the backfield and has scored at least 14 DraftKings points in two of the last three games. It’s unlikely Darkwa will top 20 DraftKings points, but he could certainly hit value this week.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 8 – Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton ($4,900) vs. HOU
Probably the chalk value play this week, Hilton has had an underwhelming year due to poor offensive line play. We’ve seen Hilton’s ceiling twice this season, so we know he’s still got it in him. His incredible speed makes him a great play at under $5,000. The Texans just got crushed by the Seattle speedy receivers. Hilton is averaging seven targets per game, so it simply comes down to whether or not he and Brissett can connect. I’ll be all-in on Hilton this week.
Robert Woods ($4,300) vs. NYG
If I’m rostering a Rams receiver, it’s got to be Woods. He’s seen a healthy dose of targets this season and the Giants defense ranks 31st in DVOA against WR2s. You could make an argument for Sammy Watkins‘ big play ability and that the Rams could try to scheme the ball to him coming off a bye. I prefer the higher floor that Woods provides.
Curtis Samuel ($3,100) vs. ATL
Now that Kelvin Benjamin is a Bill, there is an opening among the Panthers receivers. Samuel is expected to slide into the WR2 role as Devin Funchess takes over the primary receiver spot. Cam Newton has had some troubles this season, but his best season came when Benjamin was out for the year and he had speedy receivers to throw to. Newton needs the separation that Samuel’s speed can open up to be successful. This could be a logical punt play this week.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 8 – Tight Ends
Jack Doyle ($4,300) vs. HOU
Doyle was my top tight end bargain play last week and I’m going back to the well again this week. His price tag isn’t nearly as attractive as it was last week, but there’s still a lot of value to be had at this price. He continues to see a heavy workload due to the Colts inability to halt any pass rush. If you’re not paying for the top tight ends, Doyle has to been on your list.
Vernon Davis ($4,100) vs. SEA
With Jordan Reed out this week, Davis will assume the role of top tight end. The matchup in terms of DVOA rating doesn’t exactly benefit Davis, but with Jamison Crowder out and Seattle missing a few key playmakers on defense, I don’t dislike the play at all. When Reed missed Week 3, Davis posted 16.8 DraftKings points. If the Redskins want to move the ball effectively, Davis should be a key part of the offense.
Jonnu Smith ($3,400) vs. BAL
Rostering Smith is only an option if Delanie Walker is ruled out this week. The Ravens rank 32nd in DVOA against the position and have allowed six touchdowns to opposing tight ends If Smith slides into an every-down rule, he could have a good chance of picking up his third score.
DraftKings NFL Bargain Plays: Week 8 – Defense
Bengals ($2,800) vs. JAX
The Jaguars primary source of offense comes through Leonard Fournette and the run game. The Bengals rank in the top-10 in rush defense in terms of DVOA ranking. As long as they don’t let Fournette break of a couple big runs, there should be plenty of turnover opportunities with Blake Bortles under center. There are a few defenses I like this week, but the Bengals are my favorite under $3,000.
Next: FanDuel NFL Week 9 Picks
Best of luck in your DraftKings NFL contests today and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis!