FFL's Week 9 DFS Lineup
Week 9 of the 2018 season is upon us and with that comes Fantasy Football Live’s ninth DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) lineup! Each week we’ll release an optimal DFS team (PPR Scoring) for Sunday’s games, giving anyone having a poor fantasy season a chance at redemption. Our Week 9 lineup below was created on DraftKings with a $50,000 budget.
QB: Cam Newton
Matchup: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Price: $6,600
Analysis: Cam Newton has been one of the best, most consistent QBs in fantasy over the past couple weeks, averaging over 25 fantasy points the past 3 weeks in tough defensive matchups against the Redskins, Eagles, and Ravens. This week is primed to do more of the same, and if not better, against the Tampa Bay Bucs who let up nearly 40 points to the Cincinnati Bengals last week. With Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the ship again, this game has “shootout” written all over it. Either QB should be a solid DFS play, but I’ll go with the safer option in Cam.
RB: Kareem Hunt
Matchup: @ Cleveland Browns
Price: $7,700
Analysis: Kareem Hunt has been on fire in recent weeks, scoring over 20 points 3 times in the past 5 weeks while also failing to get fewer than 15 points. What’s most encouraging about Hunt’s production is his involvement in the passing game. Hunt has never been known as a great pass-catcher, but his 5 catches in each of the last 3 games makes him one of the better RBs to play in a PPR format. His matchup this week is against a struggling Browns Defense who just fired their head coach, so don’t be surprised if Mahomes and Co. run up the score and Hunt benefits from garbage time carries.
RB: Latavius Murray
Matchup: vs Detroit Lions
Price: $5,100
Analysis: Dalvin Cook is trending towards being active for this one, but if he is then he will be on a snap count. This leaves Latavius Murray as the lead back for at least one more week, and he’s going up against a weak Lion’s rushing defense. Murray has been a very reliable fantasy play after multiple weeks of awful performances in Cook’s absence, so look for Murray to continue his production.
WR: Michael Thomas
Matchup: vs Los Angeles Rams
Price: $7,600
Analysis: Michael Thomas has been on a bit of a slump, but look for him to bounce back in a big way this week. He is still clearly Brees’ #1 target, and the Saints will need to put up points if they have any chance of beating the undefeated Rams. Brees is going to be slinging the ball all afternoon, and Thomas should see plenty of targets. Thomas should be one of the best performing WRs this week.
WR: Brandin Cooks
Matchup: @ New Orleans Saints
Price: $6,700
Analysis: Similar to Michael Thomas, Brandin Cooks should also see plenty of action this Sunday thanks to a favorable game script. While the Rams heavily rely on Todd Gurley, they might have difficulty establishing the run game against the Saints, who have one of the better run defenses in the league. Jared Goff and the Rams will likely be attempting to match the high-powered Saints defense, and Cooks will be a beneficiary of this high scoring game.
WR: DeVante Parker
Matchup: vs New York Jets
Price: $4,600
Analysis: Putting DeVante Parker into your lineup is always risky, but he showed everything you’d want to see last week from a team’s #1 WR. He played 100% of the Dolphins’ snaps last week, he saw close to 10 targets, and he racked up over 130 receiving yards. All of that is encouraging enough to make me think Parker will be seriously involved in the Dolphins’ passing game from here on out, and the matchup against the New York Jets makes Parker an even more enticing pick. He has a good chance to blow up in this game, so paying only $4,600 for him is worth the investment.
TE: O.J. Howard
Matchup: @ Carolina Panthers
Price: $4,300
Analysis: O.J. Howard is easily my favorite TE play this week. He has been excellent this season, and the Bucs’ passing attack has the chance to return to what it was in the beginning of the season now that Fitzpatrick is leading the charge. The Bucs go up against the previously-mentioned Cam Newton who is set to put up plenty of points, and Fitzpatrick will be ready to respond. Howard should be a top 5 TE this week.
FLEX: D.J. Moore
Matchup: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Price: $4,300
Analysis: D.J. Moore is the third player in this lineup from the Panthers-Bucs game that should be high scoring. Moore is a solid play at $4,300; he led the Panthers in receiving last week and put up nearly 130 total yards. He is clearly a very talented player, being drafted in the first round, and it finally seems like him and Cam Newton are getting on the same page. Moore has great big-play ability, so don’t be surprised if he has a big day against a Bucs’ Defense that has been susceptible to giving up big plays this season.
D/ST: Miami Dolphins
Matchup: vs New York Jets
Price: $2,800
Analysis: The Dolphins’ Defense may have recently gotten torched by Deshaun Watson and the Texans, but they should be a solid play in your DFS lineup. They’ve had a long week (played on Thursday night Week 8) giving them plenty of time to prepare and rest up for a matchup against a Jets’ offense that hasn’t shown up in road games. Since a 40+ point performance in Week 1, the Jets’ are averaging just 13 points a game on the road. Sam Darnold has also been prone to turning the ball over more than other starting QBs. The combination of likely turnovers and a low scoring offense makes Miami a solid pick in DFS.