FanDuel.com NFL DFS Week 8 Stack Picks & Plays
Week 8 of NFL DFS is upon us, and everyone is looking to cash in on the big daily fantasy football money at FanDuel. Every week, we’ll bring you our top DFS NFL picks for each position and recommend them as Cash Game and/or GPP plays. And to keep up with all things PlayPicks, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Cash Game options generally come with less risk and a more stable floor, while the best GPP plays can bring tons of risk but also upside. Taking a chance on players with high ceilings and low floors is a good way to separate from a large tournament field.
As with any daily fantasy sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might perform better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, gameflow, and more. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for a new way to play DFS NFL, be sure and give DRAFT a try.
Best Week 8 DFS NFL Stacks on FanDuel
Drew Brees/Michael Thomas vs. CHI ($8.5k and $7.5k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
Michael Thomas showed signs of life with seven catches for 82 yards in a tough road game at Green Bay, drawing a team-high 11 targets in the process. He’s due for a big game and a 100-plus yard output, which might seem unlikely to happen against Chicago’s stingy defense, but the Bears actually rank 25th in DVOA pass defense against the opposition’s top receiver this year. With only two home games under their belt against the scheme-based Patriots and elite Lions secondary, Drew Brees and Thomas haven’t been able to establish a great connection but could at the Superdome this Sunday.
Carson Wentz/Zach Ertz vs. SF ($7.9k and $7.3k FanDuel) – Cash/GPP
You could roll with Carson Wentz and either Alshon Jeffery or Nelson Agholor as stack partners in GPP formats, but if you want consistency, go with the new best tight end in football. Zach Ertz faces a 49ers unit ranked first in DVOA pass defense against opposing TEs; however, he’s burned the Chargers and Panthers this season. Both those units have allowed fewer than 40 receiving yards per game to the position this season. Wentz is absolutely balling right now and faces the Niners’ 29th-ranked pass defense at home, so he’s an obviously elite Cash option.
Andy Dalton/A.J. Green vs. IND ($7.6k and $8.5k FanDuel) – GPP
This duo predictably failed to get anything going in a brutal matchup at Pittsburgh last week but now faces arguably the worst pass defense in the league. The Colts are giving up the second-most passing YPG (300.7) and most pass plays of 20-plus yards (40) by far this season. Historically, A.J. Green puts up bigger numbers on the road, but he went off for 189 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo’s solid secondary in Week 5 and had found pay dirt in all three games under new OC Bill Lazor prior to last week’s loss. It’s clear Lazor and Andy Dalton are both looking toward their obvious top option in the passing game.
Cam Newton/Kelvin Benjamin @ TB ($7.8k and $6.6k FanDuel) – GPP
Please accept my apologies for recommending Cam Newton at Chicago last week, as he turned out to be one of the biggest duds on the entire slate and cost his team the game with a couple of poor decisions. Yet one of those wasn’t his fault (Curtis Samuel dropped a fine pitch), and he was targeting Kelvin Benjamin on his pick-six, which he continues to do relentlessly, as the big man has seen 25 looks in his last three appearances. Tampa’s pass defense has been an absolute mess, giving up 68 total points, five combined TDs, and 551 yards to an aging Carson Palmer and the previously ineffective Tyrod Taylor. The Bucs’ Cover 2 scheme leaves the middle of the field open, which has allowed Benjamin to total 163 yards and a score in his last two meetings with the divisional rival.
Check out our Week 8 FanDuel picks article for all our GPP and Cash Game options
Wendell Smallwood/Eagles Defense vs. SF ($5.5k and $5.4k FanDuel) – GPP
Wendell Smallwood or LeGarrette Blount would pair well with the Eagles’ defense, but Blount’s been so consistently ineffective at the goal line, losing eight yards on his last three attempts inside the 3-yard line, that Smallwood might actually reap the benefits of positive gameflow this Sunday. He got his feet wet on Monday night and played just one fewer snap than Blount, while he’s a far more versatile back filling the void created by Darren Sproles’ season-ending injury. It goes without saying that with the Eagles (-13) checking in as the biggest favorites on this slate, their elite defense (ranked first against the run) is worth paying up for at home against a winless team.
Will Lutz/Saints Defense vs. CHI ($4.9k and $4.8k FanDuel) – Cash
Drew Brees and the Saints’ skill players have a solid floor in this matchup, but there’s a chance they take their foot off the gas if Chicago’s anemic offense can’t match points. A safer play might be the revamped Saints defense, which has produced 67 FD points with 10 sacks and seven turnovers in the last three appearances. New Orleans faces a rookie QB who only managed 12 completions in his last two starts. Brees will almost certainly move the ball at home, but the Bears’ defense is good enough to stall the Saints in the red zone, creating more opportunities for Will Lutz to kick.
