GPPs are not won by using a lineup with all the most popular players on the slate. Being a contrarian in a big-field event in your roster construction can help separate your lineup and gain you leverage over the field when some of the more popular names bust.
Hence, the goal of this article won’t be to just highlight the popular “play-it-safe” names. We won’t avoid all the chalky names, because good players are still good players most of the time. However, highlighting contrarian roster constructions and ways to make your lineup unique while maximizing upside will be the goal.
Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.
Let’s dive into Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Denver Broncos vs. Dallas Cowboys
Bo Nix ($6,000) – Courtland Sutton ($6,200) – Marvin Mims ($3,900) – Jake Ferguson ($6,000)
It took a while, but the Denver offense finally got in gear last week. Bo Nix threw for 279 yards and two TDs vs. the New York Giants, and also added 48 yards rushing and two rushing TDs to mark a career fantasy game which saw him produce 40.0 points. He’ll have a legit shot at coming close to that mark again against Dallas.
The Cowboys remain one of the best matchups for an opposing QB, having allowed a league-worst 25.10 FP per game to the position, which is 3.3 points more than second-worst Baltimore. They’ll also be on the road, where their defense has allowed 30+ points against in two of their last three road starts (with only the Jets failing to reach that mark vs. them). Even with the rise in salary, it’s a great spot to deploy Nix.
Stacking-wise, we could also see multiple upside games from Denver’s top WRs this week as well. Dallas has allowed a league-worst 12 TDs to the position and has been typically terrible vs. opposing teams’ WR1s. Tetairoa McMillan (2 TDs), Garrett Wilson (TD), and Romeo Doubs (3 TDs) all acted as their team’s primary targets vs. the Cowboys and put up monster fantasy days, making this an equally great spot for Courtland Sutton, who has seen 10 targets in two of Denver’s last three games.
It’s always a guessing game as to when Marvin Mims will show up, but the Broncos have been better at getting the explosive downfield threat more involved of late. His 21% target per route run rate over the last two games is higher than Sutton’s, and his six catches and 85 yards vs. the Giants were season highs. At $3,900, he still costs almost nothing to roster and will leave you lots of salary leftover to come back with one of Dallas’ higher cost plays for a game stack.
TE Jake Ferguson would be my target from Dallas, given how poorly they defended vs. the Giants’ TEs last week. Both Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson went for 60+ yards vs. Denver on just three catches, and Ferguson remains Prescott’s go-to check-down option, having nabbed seven or more catches in four of his last five games. Given the pressure that Denver is able to apply, both as a pass rush and on the sidelines with their corners, Ferguson should be in for a big day and makes sense as a pay-up option at the traditionally volatile position of TE.
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. ($4,900) *Editors Note: Penix Jr. (knee) has been ruled out
Penix (knee) has been on the injury report this week, but it looks like he will suit up against Miami. There is obviously a little bit of in-game injury risk we’re taking on by rostering him, but a lot of that worry has also been baked into this price. Overall, the matchup is a great one. Miami has allowed the fourth-most FP per game to opposing QBs and will likely have no answer for either of Atlanta’s top targets in Drake London or Kyle Pitts.
A lot of DFS players will be targeting the Atlanta RBs this week, but there is every reason to think Penix may also benefit from a big game from Bijan Robinson as well, given that he acts like a slot WR in this Atlanta offense (30 receptions and 2 receiving TDs). Overall, if you’re playing Robinson, using Penix alongside him may actually help differentiate your lineups and also make it easier to build, given the solid value Penix provides at his position.
Running Back
Rico Dowdle ($6,300)
The Panthers’ backfield got some clarity last week after Chuba Hubbard returned. While Hubbard and Dowdle did split work, the incumbent Dowdle out-carried Hubbard 17-14 and also outproduced him, posting 79 yards and 4.6 YPC to Hubbard’s 31 yards and 2.2 YPC. As of now, you have to think Dowdle is in line to take the majority of carries again this week and is in an underrated spot vs. a Bills defense that ranks just 30th in EPA per rush on defense.
Buffalo just recently faced another NFC South team in Atlanta, whose RBs scored two TDs and ran for 202 yards on 29 attempts (6.96 YPC) against them, so the potential for Dowdle to post yet another big game is certainly on the table. With Carolina being home underdogs, he’s unlikely to be heavily rostered across the DFS industry and makes for a nice upside pivot option in larger field GPPs.
Chase Brown ($5,400)
Brown broke out against the Steelers last week, taking 11 carries for 108 yards. While he didn’t find the end zone, the efficiency he showed with Joe Flacco under center was a much-needed breath of fresh air and gave him a big boost heading into a matchup with the Jets, who rank just 27th in EPA per play on defense and could be without one of their top players in Sauce Gardner this week.
Gardner being out may not help Brown directly, given he’s a CB, but it will make it easier for the Bengals to move the ball and give Brown a better shot at landing in the end zone this week, something he hasn’t done since Week 1. At $5,400 and with the Bengals set as six-point favorites, the path looks clear for Brown to return some great value this week as he attempts to make a mid-season return to fantasy glory.
Wide Receiver
Emeka Egbuka ($7,000)
The Buccaneers lost Mike Evans (collarbone) for an extended period of time last week and are still without Chris Godwin, making Egbuka the primary target in this Bucs passing game for the foreseeable future. While he had issues getting on the same page with Baker Mayfield last week vs. Detroit, he was also working through a hamstring injury and should be closer to full health this week as he gets ready to take on a weaker Saints secondary, which has allowed the eighth-most TDs to opposing WRs on the year.
Egbuka has already shown what sort of upside he has for fantasy working alongside Mayfield, having posted three games with 23+ FP on the season. Coming off a season-high 12 targets vs. the Lions, he seems likely to approach double-digits in targets again this week, and with improved efficiency, should be in the running for top scoring WR. Watch the final injury report on Friday, but if he practices in full, he’s a name I’d be fine being heavily overweight on when creating GPP lineups this weekend.
Jaylin Noel ($3,500)
The Texans seem likely to be without their top two WRs as Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Nico Collins (concussion) were both absent from practice to start the week. Noel had a breakout game vs. the Seahawks in Week 7 as he stepped up with those two out and produced 4 receptions for 77 yards (7 targets), with many of his catches being big gainers late in the 4th quarter.
Noel’s speed and ability to separate give him something the Texans clearly have been lacking with Tank Dell (knee) still out, and you should expect to see him deployed in almost every down role this week, if Houston is indeed without their two starters. While the 49ers have a great D-Line, they also lack a true shutdown corner and are just 23rd in EPA per dropback, making this a decent upside spot, from a match-up perspective as well. At just $3,500, he’s shaping up as a potentially must-play punt if neither Collins/Kirk can go this week.
Tight End
Colsten Loveland ($3,000)
Cole Kmet (back) missed practice early this week and also missed a lot of last week’s game vs. the Saints. If he’s out Week 8, you can expect to see a ton of rookie Colston Loveland for the Bears, who played on 91% of the snaps after Kmet left and posted 3 receptions for 24 yards (4 targets). While many rookies are starting to take hold with breakout performances, Loveland has yet to really get his season off the ground, but this may be the spot where he shows some of that talent that made him a 10th overall pick last spring.
The Bears are 6.5-point underdogs this week on the road and facing a Ravens defense that is just 22nd in EPA per dropback and allowing the eighth-most FP per game to opposing TEs. They should be dropping back more than normal (or more than they have the last couple of games), and Loveland may be one of the biggest beneficiaries if they do, given his plus matchup. At $3,000, if Loveland does manage a ceiling sort of game, with Kmet out, he could end up being one of the best overall values on this slate.
Defense/Special Teams
49ers ($2,900)
The 49ers’ defense has looked great of late under Robert Saleh, despite missing some of their best players. They limited the Atlanta run game to just 62 yards (and 10 points) and have also managed three fumble recoveries in as many games. Matchup-wise, they don’t have much to fear from a Houston offense that is only 23rd in EPA per play and dead last in success rate per rush.
CJ Stroud also continues to work behind one of the worst O-Lines in football and has now been sacked 2.91 times per game since the start of 2024, which is third among active starters. He also may be down his top two WRs as Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (Hamstring) both missed practice early this week.
Overall, this is a great spot for the San Francisco D-Line to rack up multiple sacks and push Stroud into a turnover or two. At under 3k, they’re also affordable and won’t be heavily owned in big field DFS GPPs.
