Fansided

FanDuel NFL 2018: Week 9 lineup

By Joe D'Aloisio

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 21: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 21: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on October 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Week 9 of the NFL season is underway, here is this week’s FanDuel lineup.

Last week’s lineup scored 130 fantasy points, but it had the potential to be an even better afternoon, if it weren’t for the quarterback and wide receivers.

Jameis Winston’s match-up on paper against the Cincinnati Bengals was mouth-watering. In practice, Winston was horrible. The fourth-year signal caller completed 18 of 35 passes for 276 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

Tampa’s head coach Dirk Koetter pulled Winston after his late third quarter interception was returned for a touchdown. In four games this season, Winston has thrown 10 interceptions. He finished the afternoon with 12.8 fantasy points.

On the flip side, having the Buccaneers’ tight end, O.J. Howard was good decision. He caught four passes for 68 yards and one score. Howard’s 14.8 fantasy points were fifth most at the position.

Things were just as ugly for the three wideouts in my lineup. JuJu Smith Schuster, Demaryius Thomas and Jordy Nelson combined for 11.7 fantasy points. To put that in perspective, the three had less fantasy points together than everyone in the Week 8 lineup outside of the San Francisco 49ers defense (10). The three receivers caught eight passes for 77 yards.

James Conner, Kareem Hunt and Marlon Mack carried Week 8’s line up. Let’s start with Conner, who scored 35.7 fantasy points, most in the NFL last week. Conner carried the ball 24 times for 146 yards and two scores. He also caught five passes for 66 yards. Conner has two rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games. He has eclipsed 30+ fantasy points in three out of seven games this year.

Hunt didn’t have a spectacular game, but he was productive. The second-year back rushed for 50 yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 36 and one touchdown. Hunt has scored at least one touchdown in seven straight games.

Finally, Mack had another stellar performance. Mack carried the ball 25 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns. For a second consecutive week, Mack has rushed for over 120 yards and at least one touchdown. He finished the afternoon with 27.9 fantasy points, third most at the position.

Week 8’s top performers at each position:

  • Quarterback: DeShaun Watson, Houston Texans- 30.96 (Thursday night)
  • Running back: James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers- 35.7, Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams- 30.5
  • Wide receiver: Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions- 27.2; Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 26.9 & Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs- 26.7
  • Tight end: Jordan Thomas, Houston Texans- 16.9 (Thursday night) & Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs- 16.9
  • FLEX: Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts- 27.9 & Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals- 27.3
  • Defense: Cincinnati Bengals- 19

My Week 9 lineup will only include players that are playing Sunday, minus the Sunday Night football game. Also, the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles are on their bye week. All fantasy points discussed are based on FanDuel’s scoring system.

Quarterback: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – $8,600

The Carolina Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They improved to 5-2 after their 36-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens last week. One reason why they have played so well: Newton.

Newton completed a season high 72 percent of his passes (21 of 29) for 219 yards and two scores. He also gained 50 yards on the ground and punched in a touchdown against Baltimore. Newton finished the afternoon with 27.96 fantasy points, second most at the quarterback position.

In his last three games, Newton has thrown a minimum of two touchdowns and hasn’t thrown a single interception. He is also averaging 48 yards per game on the ground, during that stretch. Newton has thrown for multiple touchdowns in every contest this season, outside of the season opener.

This week, the Panthers take on the Buccaneers, who have struggled against quarterbacks immensely. They have given up 184.1 fantasy points, second most in the league. They have surrendered 2,229 yards, 30th in the NFL and the most touchdowns (20) to opposing quarterbacks.

Newton’s versatility will be a huge challenge for Tampa and they will not have the power to stop him.