All good things must end, but our DFS lineups have side-stepped that old adage for the first half of the 2023 NFL season.
Our combination of players cashed for the fifth time in seven tries, and Week 8’s group was led by three of four players whose cap numbers were under $7,000.
Sam Howell dropped 31.98 points, the best of any QB, Gus Edwards put up the RB2 total of the week (28.9), all three receivers scored 12+ points, and Alvin Kamara posted his fifth-straight week as a top-ten back.
We will ride this momentum and strategy into Week 9; our roster picks for the FanDuel Sunday Million are outlined next.
Quarterback: CJ Stroud ($7,000)
Stroud and the Texans struggled while handing the Panthers their first victory of the season. He managed a season-low 140 passing yards on 24 attempts and salvaged the day with a rushing touchdown to crack double-digit scoring.
The Bucs allow the fifth-most passing yards per game and are 27th in QB hits this season. We’re hoping Stroud returns to his form, reaches 300 passing yards, and adds a pair of touchdowns to lead our team out of the gate.
Running Backs: Josh Jacobs ($7,500) & Rachaad White ($6,900)
Jacobs is a high-floor player with the number of touches he accrues and is pacing for more than 90 targets this season in the passing game. That would be a career-high by a wide margin, and the Giants’ defense has allowed 10 rushing scores on the season, fourth-most in the NFL.
Speaking of targets out of the backfield, White has seen 13 in the last two weeks and caught them all for 135 receiving yards. His rushing volume has decreased, but Baker Mayfield still relies on White to help move the ball.
If he could add a touchdown this week, we’d be in great shape.
Wide Receivers: Amari Cooper ($6,800), Chris Godwin ($6,700) & Jahan Dotson ($5,900)
Cooper has had a roller-coaster season while the team manages their QB situation but has emerged as a regular recipient of PJ Walker’s throws. His six catches this week came on 11 targets, a season-high, and the Browns have a home matchup with the Cardinals on deck.
Godwin has five catches or more in six of seven games and caught his first touchdown of the year against Buffalo on Thursday. His 37 targets in the last four games are ten more than Mike Evans has, and we expect that trend to equate to continued fantasy contributions.
Dotson broke out of a slump against Philly this week, snagging eight balls for 108 yards and a touchdown. Sam Howell’s passing volume makes him a threat to exceed his cap value weekly, and he benefits from Terry McLaurin drawing top coverage.
Tight End: Dalton Schultz ($5,400)
Schultz had his letdown game in Week 8 after three straight double-digit fantasy performances buoyed by touchdowns. Stroud still targeted him five times, but no player in the Texans’ offense had the game they wanted against Carolina.
Tampa does allow teams to move the chains through the air, and we’d be happy with eight to ten points from him in this spot.
Flex: Alvin Kamara ($9,200)
Kamara is the 11th-highest-scoring player in fantasy football since his Week 4 season debut and continues to stack weeks with 20+ touches.
He rushed 17 times and caught four passes in Week 8 against Indy, translating those opportunities into 110 total yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Bears are stout against the run, but Kamara has no trouble catching passes out of the backfield if that’s where he needs to contribute. We like him again despite the matchup and cap number.
Defense: New Orleans Saints ($4,600)
The Saints have allowed 24 points per game since their shutout of New England on October 8. They sacked Gardner Minshew twice and picked him off once, but they need to improve their scoring defense to provide fantasy value.
We’re bullish on them this week after Chicago and Tyson Bagent managed just 13 points against the Chargers’ bottom-ten scoring unit.
