We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the season, and there have been more twists and turns than MTV could fit into an entire season of The Challenge.
Welcome back to the Week 9 edition of Part the Cloud!
This week’s slate presents some interesting challenges outside of the more obvious plays, so we’ll need to be strategic about where we step. There are opportunities to find value, but identifying the right spots will be critical.
As we do every week, let’s take a look back at last week’s results before turning our attention to the slate ahead.
🎥 The Film Room
Looking Back at Week 8
Garrett Wilson DraftKings: 2.5x | FanDuel: 1.8x
Wilson was clearly the focal point of the Jets’ passing attack, even if he wasn’t their most productive receiver. He finished with six catches for 83 yards on 12 targets, including three red-zone opportunities.
After a couple of quieter weeks in terms of target volume, the Jets made a concerted effort to get Wilson more involved. The opportunity was certainly there, even if the overall production didn’t quite reach the ceiling we were hoping for.
Jakobi Lane DraftKings: 0.68x | FanDuel: 0.4x
Sometimes, things simply don’t go according to plan.
Who could have predicted Baltimore would need to use three different quarterbacks in one game, with the bulk of the action falling to their third-string option?
That kind of quarterback instability completely disrupted the offensive rhythm and severely limited the team’s ability to generate consistent production. Unfortunately, it torpedoed any chance of this play delivering meaningful DFS value.
Lane did manage to catch his lone target for 13 yards, but that obviously wasn’t enough to help our lineups. Given the circumstances, I’m willing to give this one a pass.
Ladd McConkey DraftKings: 2.4x | FanDuel: 1.8x
For those following along in the Discord, I made a late call on Ladd McConkey last week.
Coming off the bye, the Chargers had an opportunity to get their offense moving in the right direction, and McConkey looked positioned to play a major role. Finally healthy for the first time this season, he quickly established himself as the team’s primary receiving option.
The results were respectable, but not quite enough to deliver the upside we wanted.
McConkey finished with four catches for 86 yards on a team-high six targets. He also benefited from a fortunate bounce on a Hail Mary reception, which helped boost his final numbers.
The talent and opportunity are there, but until we see a meaningful shift in the Chargers’ offensive philosophy, I’m concerned this offense will continue to struggle to produce consistently.
12 Personnel
As much as I wanted to return to a traditional three-wide receiver approach this week, I had a difficult time finding enough compelling options without leaning too heavily on speculation.
That tells me something important: some of the better value opportunities within this week’s offensive game plans may come from the tight end position.
As for wide receivers, I’ve identified just two players who fit what we’re looking for this week.
As always, I rely on multiple sources when conducting my research, but one of my most important resources is the Fantasy Points Data Suite. Many of the advanced statistics and matchup insights referenced throughout this article are sourced from the Data Suite.
Let’s get into the plays.
🎯 The Under-the-Radar Plays
1. Demarcus Robinson
DraftKings: $4,300 | Projected Ownership: 4.8%
FanDuel: $5,300 | Projected Ownership: 5.16%
Robinson is officially questionable to return from injured reserve this week, but there are encouraging signs that he could be ready. He’s logged three limited practices and has been activated from IR, giving him a legitimate opportunity to suit up. His return would be a significant boost to a receiver room that’s currently in rough shape. More importantly, I believe he could immediately step into a favorable matchup against a defense that hasn’t been able to slow opposing offenses since Week 2.
From a matchup perspective, Robinson brings two particularly appealing strengths: his ability to operate against zone coverage and his effectiveness against the blitz. The Raiders utilize Cover 0 at twice the league-average rate while also deploying Cover 1 at a below-average rate. That makes Robinson’s ability to handle blitz-heavy defensive looks especially appealing. His experience and skill set could provide an immediate spark to this passing attack.
My preferred approach: Robinson is my initial target, assuming he’s healthy enough to play. If he’s ruled out, Jordan Watkins becomes the next player I’ll consider.
Keep an eye on his final injury designation before locking in lineups.
2. Xavier Hutchinson
DraftKings: $3,400 | Projected Ownership: 5.65%
FanDuel: $4,500 | Projected Ownership: 7.23%
Before Jaylin Noel broke out, Xavier Hutchinson was already showing signs of being a useful piece of this Houston receiving corps. Now, with Noel out for the remainder of the season, Hutchinson has another opportunity to carve out a meaningful role in the offense. He saw plenty of action in Week 7, and I expect that involvement to continue.
The matchup against the Chargers is particularly interesting. Los Angeles utilizes a healthy mix of Cover 3, Cover 4, and Cover 6, and those are coverage schemes against which Hutchinson has demonstrated the ability to produce. There’s another factor working in his favor: the Chargers have been stingy against opposing tight ends. Dalton Schultz has been a favorite target of C.J. Stroud, but Houston may need to find additional ways to distribute the ball through the air.
That’s where Hutchinson comes into play. He has the versatility to line up both inside and outside, but for our purposes, I’m more interested in his opportunities on the perimeter. The outside cornerback matchups offer a much more appealing setup, giving Hutchinson a chance to take advantage of this defensive alignment.
At just $3,400 on DraftKings, he offers an intriguing combination of salary relief, opportunity, and matchup appeal.
Final Thoughts
Finding the Right Value in Week 9
These are my two favorite low-owned wide receiver targets heading into Week 9.
Neither player is without risk, but that’s part of the appeal when we’re searching for tournament-winning value. The goal is to identify players who have a realistic path to increased opportunity without carrying the ownership of the more obvious options.
I’ll continue monitoring the news and looking for additional value opportunities as we get closer to lock. Late injury updates and changes in projected roles could create some interesting opportunities.
If you have questions about my process, these matchups, or any other players on this week’s slate, you can find me in the channels under TreyJ989. Feel free to tag me.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck this week!
Let’s make some bold moves and find that tournament-winning upside!
