Moving onto Week 8 of the 2023 season, and we are going to give you some DraftKings bargain bin plays for the week. These are plays that are on the ultra-value/ GPP contrarian side. So generally avoid these plays in cash game lineups, but in GPPs- especially big fields go for it!
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Desmond Ridder @TEN ($5,100)
In the words of De La Soul – ”Three, that’s the magic number”. Well, it certainly is for Atlanta Falcons QB Desmond Ridder; the man who threw 3 interceptions against Washington a fortnight ago, followed up by 3 fumbles in Tampa last week…but has that dissuaded me from including him in this column for the third week in a row, of course not. Ridder had a relatively good fantasy day last week against the Bucs despite not throwing a single touchdown. The sophomore signal caller threw for exactly 250 yards on 19 completions, adding 38 yards on the ground as well as his 3rd rushing score of the season. The Falcons are on the road again this weekend, visiting Nashville to take on the Titans who have just traded All-Pro safety to the Eagles and will be without Ryan Tannehill due to an ankle injury. Tennessee is allowing over 250 yards to opposing QBs, I’m backing Ridder once again to provide value for his $5100 price tag.
Kenny Pickett v JAX ($4,900)
Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder had remarkably similar stat lines in week 7, with Pickett completing 17 of his 25 passing attempts for 230 yards and no scores whilst also adding a rushing touchdown. Pittsburgh plays host to Jacksonville this weekend, with the Jaguars looking to make it 5 wins on the spin heading into their week 9 bye. Pickett almost had a full complement of weapons last week with Diontae Johnson returning, but unfortunately star TE Pat Freiermuth again has been lost to injury, a hamstring pull sending him to the IR. The Steelers win at SoFi last time out was Pickett’s best fantasy performance of the season and will have him and his teammates brimming with confidence as they return home to face a Jags defense ranked 31st against opposition quarterbacks.
Sam Darnold v CIN ($4,300)
Remember when there were questions on who the starter in San Francisco would be; whether it was going to be former No.3 overall pick Sam Darnold, former No.3 overall pick Trey Lance, or former No.262 overall pick Brock Purdy. Proving that draft capital really does mean nothing when you’re that good (or perhaps that bad in Lance and Darnold’s case) Brock Purdy won the job and all was well for the 49ers starting 5-0 on their way to another Super Bowl appearance. Well, the thing is after back-to-back defeats in Cleveland and Minnesota, San Fran now sits 5-2 and announced Wednesday that Purdy is in the League’s concussion protocol. Mr Irrelevant will be Mr Invisible come Sunday as he is unlikely to gain clearance in time to suit up for the game versus the Bengals. Darnold is next man up on one of the league’s most powerful offenses; at $4300, he’s worth a punt play to allow you to spend up elsewhere. EDIT: (Brock Purdy has cleared Concussion Protocol and will START week 8 – Sam Darnold no longer a viable pick. At $5600 Purdy is still a viable pick)
Miles Sanders ($4,900) / Chuba Hubbard ($4800) v HOU
Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich uttered those words fantasy managers dread to hear “it’s always going to be a little bit by committee. The actual mix, that could vary week to week”…thanks Frank. Miles Sanders has returned to full health after the shoulder injury that kept him out of Carolina’s trip to Miami before their week 7 bye, a game that saw fellow back Chuba Hubbard shoulder most of the load out of the backfield, posting a line of 19 carries for 88 yards and a score. Sanders was brought in to be the guy, and has so far been given every opportunity to be just that…but has yet to recreate the kind of form that saw him dominate for the Eagles last year and the patience of both fantasy managers and Carolina’s coaching staff have been well and truly tested. Hubbard has been quietly chipping away at Sanders’ workload each week and made the most of his feature role in South Beach. Normally I would say “stay away” from such a cleat committee setup, but Carolina hosts Houston on Sunday and the matchup is simply too good to pass up rostering one of these guys. With a change at playcalling for Carolina to OC Thomas Brown (the former OC/RB coach for the Rams), I’m still leaning Sanders. Both are a dart throw, and one of the two are set for a productive fantasy day. Flip a coin if needs be and let lady luck decide.
Jeff Wilson Jr v NE ($4,500)
What we know for certain is that the Miami running back position is one that offers incredible value for fantasy managers, what we don’t know however is who exactly is going to be the back to roster on any given week. It started easy; Raheem Mostert was the only back standing and for 3 weeks, he ruled the room in South Beach. Enter rookie De’Von Achane who quickly made his mark, establishing himself as an explosive playmaker, relieving the veteran Mostert of carries, but Achane burned too bright and landed on the IR…Mostert once again took up the gauntlet. Week 8 is upon us and the man who started the season atop the Dolphins depth chart is fully recovered from injury and good to go. Mostert started the week with a DNP due to an ankle injury, but practised on Thursday. Should Mostert carry any kind of designation heading into the weekend, Wilson could be the main man once again as the Dolphins host divisional rivals New England.
Devin Singletary @CAR ($4,400)
After seeing no carries in week 6 in Atlanta against the Falcons, Devin Singletary saw 48% of the load and led the Texans backfield in rushing yards last time out in Houston’s home win over the New Orleans Saints. I am not suggesting a full changing of the guard in the Texans backfield, but Singletary’s 4.8 yards per carry against the Saints cannot be ignored. Starter Damien Pierce has struggled mightily this season, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry – placing him in the bottom 4 of running backs with notable workloads. Singletary is a competent back and will continue to see increased opportunity against a Panthers defense ranked 31st against the run. He makes for a very interesting cheap play at the position this weekend.
Pierre Strong @SEA ($4,300)
Another outlier back who could provide value at the position this week, Pierre Strong Jr entered the Browns week 7 high scoring victory over the Colts in relief of Jerome Ford, with Cleveland going on to edge out Indianapolis by a solitary point in the ‘best of 77’ thriller. Ford is set to miss 2-3 weeks and Strong will now serve as primary back-up to Kareem Hunt in the Browns rushing attack. Strong’s usage after Ford left the field however suggests this could be more of a committee approach, with the former Patriot serving as the early down back as Cleveland travels west to face the Seahawks. Kareem Hunt was another veteran who missed practice on Wednesday to return in a limited fashion 24 hours later. If Hunt’s thigh injury lingers, Pierre will be a strong play on Sunday afternoon.
Josh Downs v NO ($4,800)
Josh Downs has led the Colts in receiving in 2 of their last 3 contests, with the rookie out of North Carolina notching up the most targets, receptions and yards last time out, as Indianapolis were narrowly defeated at home by Cleveland. Downs clearly has a good rapport with Gardner Minshew, which bodes well for the 3rd round rookie as it will be Minshew under centre the rest of season after Anthony Richardson elected for surgery to repair his shoulder. Downs has seen 20 targets over his last 3 contests, converting those into 16 receptions for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. We saw his big play ability with a 59-yard reception to the house early last week. At $1700 cheaper than teammate Michael Pittman, Downs is my preferred Colts pass-catcher to roster this week.
Odell Beckham Jr @AZ ($3,800)
OBJ is far from the number one target in this passing game, but week 7 saw the 3-time Pro Bowler lead the Ravens in targets and receptions, as Lamar Jackson put on a clinic in Baltimore’s 38-6 mauling of the Detroit Lions. Beckham doesn’t have the same speed that made him a household name when with the Giants, but he is still more than capable of being a useful asset for the Ravens and for your fantasy team. Mark Andrews is priced up at $6400, with Zay Flowers coming in at $5600…OBJ setting you back only $3800 is a great pick to get part of this offense into your lineup against a very generous Cardinals defense. The Ravens have an implied team total of 27 points – OBJ has huge touchdown potential this week. (OBJ appeared on Thursday’s injury report – be sure to monitor ahead of Sunday)
Demario Douglas @MIA ($3,300)
After coming off a 3 game stretch that saw back-to-back record defeats under Bill Belichick as well as a humbling loss to the lowly Raiders, New England did the most New England thing possible and defeated the star-studded Buffalo Bills to earn Belichick his 300th victory as an NFL Head Coach. Mac Jones managed to not get intercepted, throwing for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Pats ran out 29-25 victors over their divisional rivals. 6th round rookie Demario Douglas played a significant role in New England’s win, with the speedster out of Liberty hauling in 4 of his 6 targets for 54 yards. It was Douglas’ highest usage since week 1, and with the Patriots coming up against another divisional rival, the free-scoring Miami Dolphins, in Florida this weekend – his services may be required once again.
Van Jefferson @TEN ($3,200)
I could sell you Van Jefferson based on the narrative that he was the 2nd most targeted wide receiver for the Falcons last week, behind only Drake London. That however would be misleading, as both tight ends for Atlanta and running back Tyler Allgeier saw more looks than the recently acquired veteran from the LA Rams. Whilst Jefferson may have only seen 2 targets from Desmond Ridder, his involvement and increased snap count is encouraging. The Falcons are passing at a rate much higher than anyone expected (technically anything above zero is higher than what I expected) and despite there not being a huge pie to be shared, Van Jefferson is still going to have a worthwhile slice to feed on. Expect to see more work coming Jefferson’s way as he continues to acclimatise to his new home in Georgia.
Trey McBride v BAL ($2,800)
The Arizona Cardinals currently rank 4th in the NFL for targets to the Tight End position, with Zach Ertz sitting 6th in the league, seeing a total of 43 looks in Arizona’s opening 7 games. Unfortunately Ertz suffered a quad injury in the Cardinals 20-10 loss in Seattle last weekend and has been placed on IR. Trey McBride is the next man up in Glendale and the former 2nd round pick has already gained fantasy managers attention after turning his 6 targets into 3 receptions for 29 yards against the Seahawks. McBride was used sparingly as a rookie but will be the lead TE for at least the next month until Ertz is eligible to return. Expect to see him peppered with targets from Joshua Dobbs and present excellent PPR value.
Connor Heyward v JAX ($2,600)
I’m unsure what shocks me more; that Pittsburgh are 4-2 and 2nd in the AFC North, or that there are 2 Steelers featured in this week’s column, neither of whom are called Jaylen Warren. Like Trey McBride above, Connor Heyward has had opportunity knock on his door with the re-injury to teammate Pat Freirmuth. The 3rd year star out of Penn State was placed on IR during the week, clearing a path to fantasy relevance for Heyward over the next few weeks. The Steelers host Jacksonville who gave up 83 yards to the Saints TE duo of Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau last time out. Heyward is a punt play, but Pickett will look for a safety valve under pressure.
Cincinnati Bengals @SF ($2,200)
I am not even remotely suggesting that the wheels are starting to come off on this San Francisco offense, far from it…but something hasn’t been right in their last 2 outings. The 49ers have only put up 17 points in each of their back-to-back defeats on the road in Cleveland and Minnesota; a far cry from the 42 scored against Dallas in week 5, or even the 35 facing the Cardinals in week 4. Deebo Samuel remains out and Brock Purdy is likely to miss due to a concussion. Welcoming the Bengals, the 49ers offense is less of a ferocious tiger and more of a disgruntled house cat…it might look less dangerous but it can still do some serious damage. Sam Darnold will start under centre for San Fran, which for me is enough to take a punt on the Cincinnati DST at only $2200.
New England Patriots @MIA ($2,000)
Miami are banged up; Raheem Mostert missed practise on Wednesday with an ankle injury, Tyreek Hill sat out midweek with a hip issue, and Jaylen Waddle has been limited in practise with a lingering back problem. All 3 suited up Thursday, but the toll of part of such a high powered, fast pace offense is starting to show itself in the Dolphins main offensive weapons. For what it’s worth, I think all 3 of these guys will play, but just how healthy they are is another story altogether. Miami should win this ball game, and comfortably…but there’s a chance the Patriots cause Tua and co. some problems along the way, certainly enough to give the New England DST some value at the position minimum $2000.
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