Yahoo DFS Football: Week 8 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 8 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

Another exciting slate of NFL action is on tap in Week 8, with 13 games scheduled for Sunday, the Redskins and Vikings facing off Thursday, the Dolphins and Steelers meeting Monday, and the Ravens and Cowboys on bye. While DFS owners in the main slate won't have the benefit of beating up on the Dolphins or Redskins this week, there are still plenty of appealing value plays to be found among Sunday's 13 contests. The suggestions below include a pair of bargain-bin quarterbacks, a wide receiver who's establishing himself as the league's best and an oft-injured tight end who's healthy and making the most of it.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Matt Moore, KC vs. GB ($23): There's no denying Patrick Mahomes is what makes the Chiefs' offense so special, but the team isn't exactly lacking for skill position weapons with the likes of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce wreaking havoc on defenses. Moore threw for 117 yards and a touchdown in just over a half of action after Mahomes dislocated his kneecap last week, but Kansas City was playing from ahead and didn't need to force the issue, plus offensive guru Andy Reid will have had 10 days to prepare Moore after beating the Broncos last Thursday. The Packers have allowed 26.0 points per game in their last four, and Dak Prescott threw for 463 yards against them in one game during this recent stretch, so Moore has plenty of upside here at just $23.

RB: Todd Gurley, LAR vs. CIN ($27): Gurley hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging a meager 3.8 yards per carry after notching 4.7 in 2017 and 4.9 last season. Still, he's found pay dirt in each of his last three games played, backing up a pair of two-touchdown performances on the ground with a receiving score in Week 7. The 25-year-old running back should deliver more yardage here in London while maintaining his nose for the end zone, as he'll take on a Bengals team that's allowing a league-high 189.0 rushing yards per game.

WR: Dede Westbrook, JAX vs. NYJ ($14): Fellow Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark is also an enticing option here, but Westbrook offers the better value since he's $7 cheaper. Westbrook has at least five catches in five of seven games, and he's coming off a season-high 103-yard performance. The Jets rank among the league's 10 most generous pass defenses (260.0 yards allowed per game) and have given up the 10th-most points per game (26.0).

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Jared Goff (LAR, $29), Aaron Rodgers (GB, $36)

RB: J.D. McKissic (DET, $13), Derrick Henry (TEN, $18), Chase Edmonds (ARI, $16)

WR: Odell Beckham (CLE, $26), Tyreek Hill (KC, $30), Robby Anderson (NYJ, $18)

TE: Josh Hill (NO, $10), Zach Ertz (PHI, $17)

DST: Tennessee Titans (vs. TB, $19), Houston Texans (vs. OAK, $13)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Ryan Tannehill, TEN vs. TB ($22): Tannehill would deserve heavy consideration even if he was $10 more expensive, making him an incredible value at just $22. His first start with the Titans went as well as he could have hoped, as Tannehill's superior arm strength compared to the benched Marcus Mariota helped the former Dolphins quarterback spread the ball out to Tennessee's playmakers on the outside. Three different Titans recorded at least 64 receiving yards, and Tannehill finished with 312 passing yards in the Week 7 win over the Chargers. For his second start, he draws the only team allowing over 300 passing yards per game (304.5), and the Buccaneers are also holding opponents to a league-low 68.0 yards per game on the ground, so the Titans' passing attack will likely have to shoulder most of the offensive workload rather than the Derrick Henry-led ground game.

RUNNING BACK

Ty Johnson, DET vs. NYG ($13): With Kerryon Johnson (knee) on injured reserve, Ty will take over the starting running back gig just in time for a juicy home matchup against a Giants defense that was gashed for 126 yards and three touchdowns by Arizona's Chase Edmonds last week. The 22-year-old Johnson demonstrated good hands as a receiver out of the backfield with four catches in addition to his 10 rushing attempts last week, finishing with 57 yards after Kerryon went down. Meanwhile, the Giants find themselves among the league's seven most generous teams in terms of both points (26.7) and rushing yards (131.4) allowed per game.

Sony Michel, NE vs. CLE ($20): Michel's up to six rushing touchdowns on the season after scoring three in Monday's win over the Jets, and he's carried the ball at least 15 times in all but one game this season. With the undefeated Patriots likely to continue playing from ahead, Michel should see plenty of volume against a Browns defense that's allowing 154.0 rushing yards per game -- third most in the league.

WIDE RECEIVER

Michael Thomas, NO vs. ARI ($36): The Cardinals got cornerback Patrick Peterson back last week, but that's little reason to stray from Thomas, who has established himself as the league's best wide receiver and thrived regardless of matchup. Thomas' 763 receiving yards have him more than 100 yards clear of second-ranked Chris Godwin, and Thomas is also the league leader in both targets (78) and catches (62), putting himself 11 receptions ahead of second-place Cooper Kupp. He's done all this despite working mostly with backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and now the Saints are expected to get starter Drew Brees back under center. Thomas had 10 catches for 123 yards in Brees' one full game of action this season.

DK Metcalf, SEA at ATL ($18): Metcalf earned a career-high nine targets in Week 7, tying his career best with four catches and finishing with 53 yards after topping 60 in four of his first six. The rookie second-rounder has already demonstrated plenty of downfield ability, and he's starting to gain more attention from quarterback Russell Wilson. His progress could culminate in a terrific performance against a dreadful Falcons defense that's allowed 1,371 yards and 10 touchdowns to wide receivers. The yardage mark is 12 behind Philadelphia's league-worst total, while the touchdown total is one off the lead shared by the Eagles, Texans and Vikings.

John Brown, BUF vs. PHI ($23): As was just mentioned, Philadelphia's defense has allowed the most yards to wide receivers and is tied for the most touchdowns allowed to the position. Brown has established himself as Buffalo's top receiving weapon with 473 yards and two touchdowns in six games, including over 50 yards in every game. His play thus far has warranted a $23 valuation, and Brown should benefit from an ideal matchup on top of that.

TIGHT END

Hunter Henry, LAC at CHI ($21): Henry has been unguardable in two games since returning from a knee injury, with eight catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Week 6 followed by six catches for 97 yards in Week 7. The Bears allowed New Orleans' Josh Hill to find the end zone last week and have looked discombobulated of late, so don't expect Chicago to disrupt Henry's phenomenal chemistry with Philip Rivers.

DEFENSE

Jacksonville Jaguars, JAX vs. NYJ ($14): Even without Jalen Ramsey in the fold, this unit has more than enough talent to significantly outperform its $14 valuation. The Jaguars still boast one of the league's most fearsome defensive lines, ranking fourth in the league with 21 sacks. Plus, they picked off Andy Dalton three times in Cincinnati last week en route to 17.0 fantasy points in the unit's first game since dealing Ramsey to the Rams. The Jets have eight interceptions, five lost fumbles and 26 sacks allowed in six games. While some of those struggles can be blamed on starting quarterback Sam Darnold missing three games due to mononucleosis, Darnold had four interceptions and a fumble himself in last week's loss to New England.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Deshaun Watson (HOU, $39), Josh Allen (BUF, $30)

RB: Aaron Jones (GB, $30), Leonard Fournette (JAX, $34), Latavius Murray (NO, $18)

WR: Marvin Jones (DET, $18), Tyler Lockett (SEA, $26), Stefon Diggs (MIN, $26)

TE: Gerald Everett (LAR, $17), Darren Waller (OAK, $24)

DST: New England Patriots (vs. CLE, $21), Buffalo Bills (vs. PHI, $14)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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