NFL DFS Picks: Best DraftKings Fantasy Football Plays for Week 9

Pittsburgh and Tennessee have a bye, and three games have totals that are sky-high. Will the Chargers finally get off the schneid? Their implied 17.25 points suggest victory will likely once again be denied.

We’ve got 11 games on Sunday’s main slate. Four of them have a three-point spread or less on DraftKings Sportsbook. Seven games have a total of at least 45 points, with CIN/ATL the highest at 52.5. Two games have a total fewer than 40 points: ARI/SEA and NYG/PHI.

Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].

Quarterback

Stud

Jordan Love at New England Patriots ($6,300)

Love leads the NFL with 312 pass attempts and 2,246 yards. Green Bay can’t run the ball, and New England’s rush defense has been sturdy, allowing 3.8 yards per carry and 92.6 yards per game, so the volume will likely be there. Love has attempted over 40 passes in three straight contests. New England used to boast a smothering pass defense, but it’s been leaky this season, allowing a 66.2% completion percentage, 11 touchdowns and a 93.9 passer rating.

Other Options – Drake Maye ($7,000), Brock Purdy ($6,800), Jared Goff ($6,600), Matthew Stafford ($6,200)

Value

Malik Willis vs. Detroit Lions ($5,100)

Willis has yet to throw for more than 220 yards in a game, but he’s finished with double-digit FPTS five times, including back-to-back games with 20+ FPTS. That’s primarily due to his rushing prowess, as he’s carried 36 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns this season. Over the last two weeks, though, Willis completed over 65% of his passes and threw two touchdowns in both contests. Now he faces a Lions team that has been the worst in the league at defending the pass this season. The unit has allowed a 65.8% completion percentage, 18 passing touchdowns — tied for the most — and a passer rating of 101.

Other Options – Bo Nix ($5,400), Kirk Cousins ($5,300), JJ McCarthy ($4,800), Joe Milton III ($4,100), Drew Lock ($4,000), Jalen Milroe ($4,000) [if he starts]

Running Back

Stud

Chuba Hubbard vs. Denver Broncos ($6,500)

Hubbard played 92% of the snaps last week and is the bona fide bell cow for the Panthers’ attack. He also finished the game with eight targets and five red-zone opportunities while receiving 22 carries. The Denver run defense has allowed 4.5 yards per carry and 127.9 yards per game. The unit has allowed the 10th-most FPTS and is tied for the fifth-most receptions allowed to the position. Hubbard has put up double-digit FPTS in every game this season, with four of those over 20 FPTS.

Other Options – Jahmyr Gibbs ($10,000), Kenneth Walker III ($9,000), Christian McCaffrey ($8,000), Kyren Williams ($7,600), Javonte Williams ($7,300)

Value

Jonah Coleman at Carolina Panthers ($5,300)

Coleman played 66% of the snaps last week, up from 49% in Week 7. Not sure Sean Payton can put the genie back in the bottle because Coleman has looked far better than J.K. Dobbins. Coleman also received five targets and seven red zone opportunities, finishing with 20.4 FPTS. The Carolina rush defense has allowed 4.8 yards per carry, 140.7 yards per game (third-most) and 12 touchdowns (tied for the most).

Other Options – Ollie Gordon II ($5,600), Blake Corum ($5,100), Emmett Johnson ($4,900), Devin Singletary ($4,600)

Wide Receiver

Stud

Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Arizona Cardinals ($9,300)

JSN is expensive, but the floor/ceiling combo may be the best in the game. He leads the NFL with a 35.74% target share, and his 94.79 total EPA is the top among wide receivers by a significant margin. He has put up 20+ FPTS in all but one game this season and has cleared 30 FPTS three times, with a high of 45.5 FPTS. Drew Lock will likely get the start, but he understood the assignment and fed JSN with 11 targets in both contests he played. Arizona has allowed a league-leading 18 passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.4. These teams met in Week 2 with Lock under center, and JSN erupted for his best fantasy performance of the season.

Other Options – Puka Nacua ($8,800), CeeDee Lamb ($8,300), Christian Watson ($7,500), Malik Nabers ($7,300), Matthew Golden ($7,000), Rashee Rice ($6,400), Jameson Williams ($6,100)

Value

Ryan Flournoy at Indianapolis Colts ($4,800)

Flournoy has played 70% to 80% of snaps all season. He’s had two games with eight and nine targets, but for the most part, he will likely see around four targets. That said, he’s gotten two red-zone looks in two of the last three games and is second among Dallas wide receivers with nine on the season. Flournoy has put up double-digit FPTS in four straight and will face a Colts defense that has allowed 14 passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 102.6, the fifth-highest.

Other Options – Tre Tucker ($5,400), DeMario Douglas ($4,800), Caleb Douglas ($4,200), Chris Bell ($3,300), Isaac TeSlaa ($3,100)

Tight End

Stud

George Kittle vs. Las Vegas Raiders ($6,000)

With all the injuries, Kittle has become San Francisco’s top option in the passing game, garnering 10 and eight targets over the last two weeks. He’s put up double-digit FPTS in five contests, with a high of 26.2 FPTS. San Francisco is implied for a slate-high 30.5 points, and the Raiders defense has allowed the fourth-most FPTS to the position.

Other Options – Brock Bowers ($7,900), Trey McBride ($7,700), Tucker Kraft ($5,500)

Value

Harold Fannin Jr. at New Orleans Saints ($4,700)

Fannin has had a roller coaster of a season, putting up over 20 FPTS twice while being held to single-digit FPTS three times. With the quarterback change from Deshaun Watson to Shedeur Sanders, the production should become more consistent, as Sanders locked onto Fannin during his rookie season. In seven games last season with Sanders under center, Fannin caught 30 of 49 targets for 335 yards and four touchdowns. New Orleans has allowed the sixth-most FPTS to the position.

Other Options – Isaiah Likely ($5,000), AJ Barner ($3,800), Chig Okonkwo ($3,600), Eli Raridon ($3,500), Michael Mayer ($3,400), Brevyn Spann-Ford ($2,900)

Defense/Special Teams

Stud

Seahawks D/ST vs. Arizona Cardinals ($3,800)

Arizona’s Gardner Minshew led a comeback last week by throwing three touchdowns in a quarter of work while completing 73.9% of his passes. That was cute, against a Swiss-cheese Dallas defense. Now Minshew has to travel to Seattle and face one of the NFL’s best defenses. Seattle is second in pressure rate despite blitzing at the 18th-highest rate. They’ve allowed only nine passing touchdowns while racking up eight interceptions. Minshew has been known to gun-sling from time to time and will now be operating behind the 30th-ranked offensive line per PFF.

Other Options – Chiefs ($3,700), Rams ($3,300)

Value

Browns D/ST at New Orleans Saints ($2,700)

The Browns’ weakness has been defending the run, allowing 4.7 yards per carry and 126.9 yards per game. That said, the Saints may not capitalize because their rushing attack averages only 3.5 yards per carry. New Orleans has the 24th-best offensive line per PFF, and the Browns have racked up 21 sacks, tied for the ninth-most. Cleveland’s 59.5% completion percentage allowed is the fourth-lowest, the 83.5 passer rating is the 10th-lowest, and the unit has intercepted six passes.

Other Options – Broncos ($3,000), Giants ($2,800), Chargers ($2,400)