Welcome to our weekly look at the players you should lock into your DFS lineups.
We’ve sadly reached the midway point of the NFL season, but there’s still plenty of DFS goodness to go around. There is an even mix of should-be blowouts and should-be close games this week, but there are good DFS plays across the board.
Here’s a list of players you can count on in Week 8 in DFS.
Note: There’s always a case to be made for playing any player in tournaments. This list of “locks” is cash game focused, but I typically like these players across all contest types.
Quarterbacks
Since Week 3, Prescott has scored only 1.5 fewer fantasy points per game than Deshaun Watson — yet Prescott hasn’t received nearly as much love. He has at least three total scores in four straight games, including rushing touchdowns in three of those outings.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has at least three scores in three of his past four games, and this week he has a home game against the Texans, who have given up three- and five-touchdown games to Tom Brady and Alex Smith in recent weeks.
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Wentz’s past three weeks will be tough to top — 11 touchdowns in three games — but he’ll keep rolling in Week 8 against the 49ers, who have given up the second-most fantasy PPG to enemy quarterbacks.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Cousins is cheap, and he has been quietly electric over the past month. After scoring just one touchdown in each of his first two games, he has at least three scores in three of his past four. And the WAS/DAL game is expected to be the highest-scoring of the week.
Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
Rivers gets the Patriots, who have given up a league-high 2,262 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks so far this year (323 per game). This game could turn into a shootout, and Rivers isn’t too expensive.
Running backs
Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bell is almost always a lock. That’s especially true against the Lions, who have given up the seventh-most fantasy PPG to enemy backs.
Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
Freeman draws the Jets, who have given up just under 100 rushing YPG to opposing backfields and over 51 passing YPG. Freeman’s touches have been a bit lower over the past two weeks, but he was seeing 20-plus from Weeks 2-4. He should be near that mark again as a nearly touchdown favorite against the Jets.
Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
The Patriots have ceded the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs on the year, and Gordon ranks in the top five in fantasy points scored. A true dual-threat, Gordon is a lock to produce in Week 8.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Ingram’s Saints are nine-point home favorites against the Bears. He’s averaging 28 touches per game over the last two contests. Yes, please.
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
It’s risky to name McCaffrey a lock, but the Bucs have given up over 100 YPG to enemy backfields in four of their past five games, including two rushing scores in each of the past two. This could be McCaffrey’s breakout game on the ground.
Wide receivers
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
Darius Slay has been torched by wideouts this year, giving up 0.33 fantasy points per route run again, fourth-most among all right cornerbacks playing this week.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Green has one of the week’s best individual WR-CB matchups, and that was when projections had Rashaan Melvin playing — now that he’s officially out, the matchup gets that much better. Green’s 545 yards rank second in the NFL, and he’ll make quick work of a Colts squad that has given up a league-high 1,415 yards to opposing receivers.
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
Benjamin faces the Bucs in Week 8, who have given up the most fantasy PPG to opposing receivers so far this year. Benjamin has been on a roll this year, with lines of 9-99-0, 4-58-1, and 4-104-0 in three of his past four.
Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
I explain my reasoning for Thomas in the PPO breakouts piece, noting that the Chiefs have given up the second-most points per opportunity to opposing receivers on the year. With Emmanuel Sanders looking doubtful, this sets up as a great week for Thomas.
Tight ends
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz has been amazingly consistent this year, gaining at least 55 yards and/or scoring in every game this year.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce draws the Broncos this week, who have given up the fourth-most fantasy PPG to opposing tight ends.
Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
I have professed my Week 8 love for Henry every chance I’ve had this week. Henry has either a touchdown or 70-plus yards in four straight games, and this week he gets the Pats, who have given up a touchdown to tight ends in five of seven games.
Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks
Graham has a touchdown or 60-plus yards in four straight games, and the Texans bang-up defense has given up some huge games to elite tight ends in the past month, including lines of 9-108-1 to New England tight ends and 13-145-0 to Kansas City tight ends.
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