DraftKings Week 8 Optimal Lineup: Best Picks In DFS Fantasy Football
If you’re chalking this week up to a loss in your season-long fantasy football league due to the bye week blues, you’ve come to the right place.
The daily fantasy football train rolls on in Week 8, where a handful of enticing matchups should generate plenty of points on both sides of the ball. The trick, of course, is guessing where those points will come from.
Below is our “optimal lineup” for DraftKings’ main Sunday slate (early afternoon and late afternoon games), which allots a $50,000 budget for a roster of nine players.
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns ($5,700)
Mayfield appears to be finding his groove after delivering his first 20-plus fantasy-point effort last weekend. He gets a favorable matchup this Sunday, too — the Pittsburgh Steelers have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season — and is solid value for his low price tag.
Running Backs: Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs ($7,100); Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos ($5,200)
Expect a lot of offense in this Chiefs-Broncos game — especially in the run game, as Denver and Kansas City rank worst and third-worst, respectively, in rushing yards allowed per attempt.
Hunt should be licking his chops against a Broncos front that’s given up two 200-yard rushers in the last few weeks. On Denver’s side, Royce Freeman is battling a nagging ankle injury, so Lindsay should be the feature back in a very favorable matchup.
Wide Receivers: Jarvis Landry, Browns ($7,200); Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals ($6,700); Taylor Gabriel, Chicago Bears ($5,100)
Why not stack Mayfield with his favorite target? Landry is an absolute target machine, with 10 or more targets in six of his seven games this season. Pittsburgh doesn’t have anyone in its secondary who can lock down the speedy slot man, so expect more high volume Sunday.
Boyd saw a downturn in volume last week but is all lined up for a bounce-back game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who struggle to defend the big play and already have allowed 11 touchdowns to wide receivers through six games.
Gabriel is another buy-low candidate after his quiet Week 7. A home matchup against the New York Jets, who have given up six TDs to wideouts in their last three games, makes the speedy receive an enticing play with loads of home run potential.
Tight End: O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($3,900)
Howard has amassed nine catches on 13 targets in two games out of Tampa Bay’s bye, as Jameis Winston apparently feels comfortable throwing to the Alabama product. It’s a great matchup here, too, as tight ends have caught 18 passes against the Bengals over the last two weeks.
Flex: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts ($6,300)
The Oakland Raiders are in full tank mode, which is good news for Hilton, who returned from injury to snag two touchdown passes last week. The Colts’ No. 1 receiver is a strong play in a game that should feature plenty of offense.
Defense: Washington Redskins ($2,700)
Speaking of full tank mode… The New York Giants’ anemic offense still can’t do anything and has gotten Eli Manning sacked 24 times, fifth-most in the NFL. Washington’s defense has been solid the last two weeks and should keep rolling in this AFC East clash.
