- by the NFL DFS team
There will be a lot of bad defensive teams that make up the main afternoon slate of DFS in Week 9, so there is the potential for plenty of high-scoring matchups. With that in mind, let’s discuss a couple of players at each position to consider for your entry.
The Texans and Jaguars are both 1-6, but they still feel like they are lightyears apart. The Texans have significantly more talent on offense, which should be troublesome for the Jaguars since they have allowed an average of 31.4 points per game. The first time these two teams met, the Texans scored 30 points on their way to a win. Watson was excellent in that matchup, throwing for 359 yards and three touchdowns to go along with two interceptions. Expect him to carry a high floor into their rematch. The only concern is that the Texans reportedly had a player test positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, so be sure to monitor for updates leading up to Sunday.
If you want to save money at the quarterback spot, especially on DraftKings, then Lock might be your man. He had one touchdown pass through the first four games that he played this season, but broke out of his funk last week against the Chargers, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. This is a great opportunity for him to throw multiple for touchdowns again considering the Falcons have allowed the most passing touchdowns (20) in the league.
Simply put, Cook destroyed the Packers last week. He had a season-high 30 rushing attempts, turning them into 163 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught two of his three targets for 63 yards and another score. Make no mistake about it, the Vikings’ offense revolves around him. Look for him to have another juicy stat line against a Lions defense that has allowed the 10th-most rushing yards per game to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns.
When Austin Ekeler (hamstring) was placed on IR, big things were expected from Jackson. However, a knee injury likely contributed to him receiving only five carries against the Jaguars in Week 7. With his health situation improving last week against the Broncos, he led the Chargers’ backfield with 17 carries for 89 yards. He also caught three of five targets for 53 yards. The Raiders are tied for the most rushing touchdowns allowed (12) in the league, so Jackson could be well worth the risk at his reasonable salary on both sites.
Diggs was busy against the Patriots last week, posting six catches and 92 yards on nine targets. He’s been the focal point of the Bills’ passing attack this season, recording at least seven targets in all but one game. His 79 total targets are the most on the team with Cole Beasley (51) checking in a distant second. This has the makings of a high-scoring game against a Seahawks defense that has allowed the most passing yards per game. Expect to see Diggs included in a lot of entries as a result, and rightfully so.
The big injury news surrounding the Lions is that star wide receiver Kenny Golladay (hip) is expected to be out for Week 9, if not longer. Enter Jones, who had two touchdowns receptions last week against a tough Colts’ defense. When Golladay was out the first two games of the season, Jones received a total of 14 targets. Any increase in his workload this week could be significant since the Vikings have allowed the third-most passing yards per game. We again have a COVID-19 concern in this game with Matthew Stafford having been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday. However, he has not tested positive as of Thursday and was only placed on the list because he was considered to be a high-risk, close contact with someone who did. As long as he doesn’t test positive this week, he can be activated in time to play in this game.
Staying with Golladay’s absence, this matchup against the Vikings means that several of the Lions’ pass-catchers could be worth rostering in DFS. Hockenson has already been one of the more reliable tight ends this season, posting at least 53 receiving yards in five of seven games. On top of that, he’s hauled in a touchdown pass in three of his last four contests. With Golladay suffering his injury last week against the Colts, Hockenson finished with a season-high 10 targets.
If you just look at Fant’s recent yardage totals, there isn’t a lot to be excited about. He’s registered 47 yards or fewer in four straight games, and to make matters worse, he didn’t score a touchdown in any of those four contests. On the bright side, he received at least six targets in all four games, finishing with at least five catches three times. With the Falcons’ struggles on defense already detailed, Fant is an intriguing option.