Welcome to week 9 of NFL action. It has been an abnormally hectic week. If you are reading this you likely don’t need to recap the situations involving Aaron Rodger, Derrick Henry, Henry Ruggs, and Odell Beckham which have dominated every sports talk show.
These headline grabbing stories affect the slate to varying degrees. The Rodgers news makes the would be marquee game of the week a lot less sexy and probably removes 15% of Davante Adam’s ownership. On the other side of the spectrum, Odell gets a lot of face time on ESPN, but you weren’t playing him anyway.
Here are six of my favorite DFS plays for wild week 9.
Sep 26, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) runs the ball for a first down against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
1- Nick Chubb, $6,700 on DraftKings
Last time we saw the Cincinnati defense they were busy giving up 32.2 DraftKings points to the Jets rookie RB Michael Carter. Chubb returned last week against Steelers after missing two weeks with a calf injury. He was limited to 16 carries for 61 yards.
After shaking the rust off, Chubb should see an increased workload here. The Browns desperately need a win against their NFL division rivals if they want any hope of a playoff run. Cleveland will feature the best player on their offense. We are getting Chubb here with no Kareem Hunt, against a soft run D, at a discount price, and a discount in ownership compared to other backs in his salary range (Zeke and Ekeler). I think Nick Chubb is a an excellent GPP play in this spot.
2- Alvin Kamara, $8,200 on DraftKings
I call this column the Simple Six, because with these plays I try to clear my head, cut through the noise, and ignore the group think. I don’t feel like I’ve heard many people talk about Alvin Kamara this week, but my gut tells me he’s the RB most capable of putting up a score that breaks the slate. I clicked on the Ceiling Projection column on our legendary Domination Station optimizer and it confirmed my feelings. (Seriously, sign up for VIP access now, if you haven’t already. Access to the Domination Station alone, would be well worth the price of admission.)
Zeke and Ekeler are in great spots and will be popular, but each faces a lot more competition for usage in their respective offense. There is no Ceedee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Mike Williams, or Keenan Allen in New Orleans. Alvin Kamara IS the Saints offense. We were worried early in the week that that Taysom Hill would vulture the TDs and be reluctant to check down to the RB. With Trevor Siemian under center it should be wheels up for Kamara against a bad Atlanta defense.
3- Jaylen Waddle $5,600 on DraftKings and $6,100 on Fanduel
After a brief one game cameo in the lineup DeVante Paker has returned to his familiar home on the IR. In his two previous games without Parker, Jaylen Waddle was peppered with targets from Tua. He had 7 grabs for 83 yards against Atlanta in week 7 and had ceiling game in week 6 against Jacksonville, posting 29.0 DK points.
We all know that the Houston D is absolute garbage. With Tyrod Taylor back at QB, the Texans should be able to keep it close enough to keep Miami throwing. I like Waddle in an affordable stack with Tua or as a one off.
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4- Jerry Jeudy, $5,000 on DraftKings and $5,800 on Fandeul
Similarly to Nick Chubb, I expect Jerry Jeudy to be better in his second game back from injury. This game indoors, at Dallas has a 48.5 point total and I believe it will play higher than that. In the 7 games this season and the 6 that Dak played last year, Cowboy games have averaged a total of 55 points.
Dallas’ best corner, Trevon Diggs will likely spend more time on Cortland Sutton. With TE Noah Fant out with Covid, Denver will need Jeudy to be productive if they want to keep pace with Dallas. The former NFL first round pick is more than capable of putting up a score that greatly exceeds his price.
5- Devonte Booker, $5,900 on DraftKings
This is strictly a volume play. No one is going to want to click Devonte Booker with all the sexy RB plays up top, but we have to save salary somewhere. He’s averaged 17.8 touches in the last four games and the Raiders run defense does not scare you.
Booker’s backup Gary Brightwell will miss this week due to Covid. Giant beat writer Jordan Raanan tweeted the following quote from Booker, “It has been pretty much me in the RBs room. I’m looking around like, ‘Where everybody at?’”
I would not be shocked if Booker took literally every snap for the Giants at halfback this week. He provides a very safe floor and he falls into the end zone, you are set.
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6- Darren Waller, $6,200 on DraftKings
We haven’t seen a ceiling game from Waller since his famous 19 target performance verse Baltimore in week 1. The stars are aligning for Waller to finally have another big week. The ankle injury that has slowed him should be improved coming off a bye. He will be counted on more to stretch the field, given the absence of Henry Ruggs. Finally, the Giants have long had trouble guarding the tight end.
You could even play Waller with teammates Hunter Renfrow and Derek Carr in a low owned double stack. I doubt many people will be focused in this Giants/Raiders matchup, but it is an NFL game with sneaky shootout potential.
Make Week 9 your best ever!!