Despite six teams being on bye this week, the Week 9 NFL DFS main slate features some nice matchups for daily fantasy players to target. We’re attacking some of those favorable spots in our Week 9 DraftKings lineup, but we also have a couple of contrarian plays that should hopefully give our lineup some much-needed differentiation.
We built our lineup around a Bears’ stack, which is starting to become fantasy relevant across all fantasy platforms over the past two weeks. We also added Davante Adams, who is coming off a rough performance, which will hopefully suppress his ownership slightly. We also have another disappointing wideout who’s slowly but surely been picking up his play lately.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Full-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, three-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
DraftKings Picks Week 9: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget
QB Justin Fields, Bears vs. Dolphins ($5,300). The second-year quarterback has surprisingly been one of the better plays in NFL DFS over the past three weeks. In Week 8 against the stout Cowboys’ defense, Fields scored a season-high 26 DraftKings points, marking the second game in a row he topped the 20-point plateau. The dual-threat quarterback has been a touchdown machine, recording six total TDs in the past three matchups. Fields will now face a Dolphins defense that allows the sixth-most DraftKings points per game to QBs this season (22). At $5,300, Fields is a solid value play that allows for room to add top players at RB and WR.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Colts ($6,200). Even though Damien Harris is back in the fold for the Patriots’ offense, New England is still primarily rolling with Stevenson. The former Oklahoma standout has been productive on the ground and as a receiver out of the backfield. Stevenson has received 16 targets over the past two games, which greatly adds to his value in DraftKings’ full-point PPR format. Stevenson has posted at least 20 DraftKings points in each of the past four games. Now, he gets a favorable matchup against the Colts, who are allowing the 10th-most DraftKings points per game to RBs this season (24.8).
RB Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. Dolphins ($5,800). The second-year back has shown over the past two weeks why he should be the Bears’ RB1 this season. Last week against the Cowboys, Herbert scored 15.9 DraftKings points, and he’s consistently looked like the more explosive option compared to David Montgomery. Even in a “backup” role, Herbert should get 13-plus touches and be able to make some noise against a Dolphins’ defense that has allowed the 12th-most DraftKings points per game to RBs this season (24.1). Last week, we saw D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams score 14.3 and 22.6 DraftKings points, respectively, so multiple backs can have success against this unit.
WR Davante Adams, Raiders @ Jaguars ($8,100). Adams and the Raiders’ offense struggled immensely last week against the Saints’ defense. The superstar receiver was held to one reception (five targets) for three yards. The last time Adams was held to one reception in a game was in Week 13 in 2016. We should expect a bounce-back performance from the vet in Week 9 against the Jaguars’ 22nd-ranked pass defense. Before Week 8’s no-show, Adams averaged 6.7 catches and 106.7 yards in his previous three games.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers vs. Rams ($6,200). Even though the Buccaneers have struggled over the past two weeks, Godwin has been one of Tom Brady’s go-to guys. He’s averaging 12 DraftKings points per game this season despite not scoring a touchdown. Last week against the Ravens, Godwin scored 13.5 DraftKings points, and he’s produced double-digit DK points in five-straight outings. In addition to his fantasy production, he’s caught at least six passes in every game over that span. Godwin should be seeing a lot of targets against a Rams’ defense that got beat up by the 49ers in Week 8.
WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders vs. Vikings ($5,900). McLaurin has put together a couple of good games with Taylor Heinicke under center. He shined against the Colts last week with a season-high six receptions (eight targets) for 113 yards. In the previous week vs. Green Bay, he had five receptions (eight receptions) for 73 yards and a touchdown. McLaurin will now play the Vikings in Week 9, who allow the fourth-most receiving yards to WRs this season. He might not score a touchdown, but if he gets another 100-yard receiving performance, your DFS lineup will get a three-point bonus.
TE Evan Engram, Jaguars vs. Raiders ($3,300). Engram has been one of the better value plays in DFS over the past few weeks, averaging 12.02 DraftKings points per game over the past four weeks. At $3,300, Engram is a must-start for Week 9 against the Raiders’ defense, which struggles to defend the tight end this season. Las Vegas allows the third-most DraftKings points per game (16.2) and second-most touchdowns (6) to TEs this season.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Allen Robinson, Rams @ Buccaneers ($5,000). We will take a chance on Robinson, who could see a heavier workload this week depending on the status of Cooper Kupp (ankle). Robinson looked solid off the bye week, scoring 10.4 DraftKings points in last week’s loss to the 49ers. He has scored 10 or more DraftKings points in two-straight games and is starting to find his role within LA’s offense. He will try to make it three consecutive games against the Buccaneers, who are allowing the 12th-fewest DraftKings points per game to WRs this season (32.4). It’s not a great matchup, but Robinson makes for a high-upside contrarian play that will give our lineup some differentiation.
DEF Patriots vs. Colts ($4,100). New England racked up three interceptions and two sacks against the Jets last week, and it will look to keep it going against a low-powered, Sam Ehlinger-led Colts’ offense this week. The Pats have recorded an interception in seven-straight games and two or more sacks in four-straight games. New England’s D/ST will be one of the top DFS plays in Week 9, as Bill Belichick has found success against rookie quarterbacks.
