DraftKings.com NFL DFS Week 9 Stack Picks for Cash and GPP Lineups
Week 9 of NFL DFS is upon us, and everyone is looking to cash in on the big money daily fantasy football contests at DraftKings. Every week, we’ll take a look at the top stacks for players over at DraftKings, finding optimal combinations based on matchup, usage, and recent performance, among other noteworthy metrics.
As with any daily fantasy sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player, stack, or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, gameflow, and more. This is important to keep in mind when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for a new way to play DFS, be sure and give DRAFT a try.
Now, let’s dive into our Week 8 stacks.
Week 9 DraftKings.com NFL DFS Top Stacks
Deshaun Watson ($8.1K), DeAndre Hopkins ($9.2K) and Will Fuller ($7.0K) vs. IND – GPP/CASH
This trio has been mighty good when all three have been on the field together. Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins have been great all year, specifically the former, who is finally priced way up. Honestly, I still think he comes in at a bit of a discount, especially considering Houston is up against an Indianapolis Colts defense ranked 29th in DVOA. That Colts team has conceded between 23 and 46 real-life points to opposing teams in the last six weeks. Sure, that’s a wide range, but the Houston offense as a whole has a tremendously high floor. Russell Wilson was the quarterback who led his team to the 46-point game against the Colts, and Watson is a similar quarterback in his athleticism and style.
I shouldn’t have to now go through all the recent accomplishments of Watson, Hopkins, and Fuller, but I will anyway (at least the abbreviated version). They combined for 110.68 DK points last week. Watson leads the league in touchdowns, and his Hopkins-Fuller combo is just too much firepower for most opponents. It was for the Seattle Seahawks, and it will be for the Indianapolis Colts. As it stands, however, I’m rolling this stack out only in GPP lineups. I think it’s a fine Cash play if some injury news opens up more value, but until then, these three together are too expensive to afford a stable group surrounding it. UPDATE: Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice on Thursday and it out for the rest of the season
Jacoby Brissett ($5.2K), T.Y. Hilton ($4.9K) @ HOU – GPP
Deshaun Watson’s injury really shook this slate up. You could go with Tom Savage in lieu of Watson, but I think a Brissett-Hilton stack now has some added intrigue. First, Brissett will now be the best quarterback in this potentially high-scoring affair. Second, Hilton gets a defense that ranks 25th in DK points allowed to opposing receivers. I think this will be a sneaky good stack and one that carries big upside due to the dynamic abilities of both players.
Russell Wilson ($7.3K), Doug Baldwin ($6.9K) vs. WAS – Cash
Russell Wilson went off last week, coming just shy of 40 DK points in a shootout against Deshaun Watson and the Texans. Doug Baldwin, however, didn’t do much, as most of the passing game went Paul Richardson’s and Tyler Lockett’s ways. I’m not sure the Seahawks will have quite the luxury to move the ball around now that Josh Norman is back on the field for Washington. Plus, Richardson and Lockett aren’t exactly models of consistency.
Doug Baldwin is a receiver you can count on. Baldwin is averaging 10 targets per game over the last three outings, and he’s at his most affordable salary since Week 1. Also, this game has the fourth-highest over/under, giving Baldwin additional upside. Meanwhile, Wilson just torched the Texans, and Washington just allowed 33 points to the Cowboys. Further, he’s throwing the ball farther down the field in recent weeks, and this Seattle offense has been resurrected as a result, scoring 65 points over the last two weeks. It looks like the bye week did Wilson and company some good, though the running game is still MIA.
Adrian Peterson ($5.6K), Arizona Cardinals D/ST ($3.5K) vs. CHI – GPP/Cash
I wrote about Adrian Peterson yesterday in my top plays piece, and I’m taking it a step further by stacking Peterson with the Cards D/ST against a woeful 49ers team. This game has the lowest over/under on the slate (39.5).
Peterson looked great in his debut as the Cardinals’ lead running back but followed his 28.4-point outing with an absolute dud (4.3 DK points). As a result, ownership should trend down fairly sharply this week from 20+ percent two weeks ago. And we’ve seen that AP, although no longer in his prime, still has the ability to produce when given the opportunity.
This week, the Cardinals are road favorites, and the 49ers could be without Pierre Garcon, leaving them with an even weaker-than-normal offense. Regardless, the Cardinals should limit the scoring of San Francisco, a team that has scored a combined 20 points in the past two weeks, and lean into the running game. Throw in the four targets Peterson saw last week for some padding to his floor. I prefer this stack in GPPs, but I think it also makes sense in Cash.
Todd Gurley ($8.1K), Rams D/ST ($3.1K) @ NYG – GPP
I don’t love this stack because of the matchup, as the Giants are actually quite good against the rush. But New York’s offense is so battered I just don’t see how the Rams don’t shut it down completely. The Giants are, after all, simply not a good team without Odell Beckham Jr. Further, the Rams are -3.5 favorites on the road, which tells me that the expectation is for them to control this game. LA also has a reasonably high ceiling and, of course, Aaron Donald.
Meanwhile, Todd Gurley is a GPP darling with incredible upside at, normally, better prices than other elite backs. He’s also had just one true dud this year, against a strong Seattle Seahawks defense, otherwise managing at least 16.0 DK points. While the Giants have shut down opposing backs in their last two games, they are exploitable. Just look at Melvin Gordon’s massive game in Week 5 for 100+ yards and two touchdowns. Gurley has that upside and more. Stack the Rams stud with the Rams D/ST in GPPs for major upside.
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Dak Prescott ($6.7K), Dez Bryant ($6.4K) vs. KC – Cash/GPP
With Ezekiel Elliott finally serving his suspension, Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant will step in as the clear-cut top offensive weapons. Or at least they should. This week, against a Kansas City Chiefs defense ranked 29th in DVOA against WR1 and 32nd against the pass, they have exactly the right matchup to make it happen. It doesn’t hurt that the Cowboys are expected to score in the mid-20s.
While Bryant has yet to score more than 20 DK points in a week this season, he does carry significant target upside, as he’s eclipsed double-digit targets four times this season, including 13- and 16-target games. Also, who else is going to score in the red zone with Elliott out? Bryant is an excellent red-zone threat due to his size. His abilities also don’t hurt, and he’ll have the opportunity to put them on display in a potential shootout against Kansas City. I wrote more about Dez and his upside in our main picks article.
Speaking of a shootout, Prescott matches up well against a Kansas City team ranking dead last against QBs in DVOA. He’s shown this season he will force heavy volume to Bryant on occasions (and this is certainly the right occasion), and he also has a high floor and additional upside thanks to his ability to run the ball. While I expect Dak and Dez to connect on at least one touchdown this week, I also believe Prescott could keep a few red zone looks for himself. Lastly, these two are both extremely affordable for the upside they provide. I think they’re a great core stack.
Mark Ingram ($7.6K), New Orleans Saints D/ST ($3.4K) vs. TB – GPP
Yesterday, I discussed how much I liked Drew Brees. And I do. Really. This is a great matchup, and I expect him to go for multiple scores. That said, I am also growing warier and warier of Jameis Winston’s arm as the week goes on. We saw how bad he can be if his shoulder is bothering him, as the Tampa Bay offense disappeared last week.
At this point, I think there is a high probability the Saints blow the Bucs out in this one. And Vegas has New Orleans as -7 favorites. The Saints should control this game and cruise to a nice home win. To do that, they should look to Mark Ingram, who has somehow emerged as the lead back the Saints have waited on for years. He has at least 24 touches in each of his last three games, has rushed for more than 100 yards twice in that same period, and added four touchdowns. He’s also a legitimate pass-catcher now, with 15 receptions over the past three weeks. His workload appears incredibly secure, and he has a solid matchup against a Bucs defense ranked 30th in DVOA.
As for the Saints D/ST, they’re starting to shake off their bad reputation thanks to last season, as they rank 16th in DVOA and 4th in DVOA vs. the pass (something they really struggled with in 2016). If you believe Winston is hurt, I highly recommend the Saints D/ST paired with Ingram. There’s at least a reasonable chance this ends in a blowout. While I’m not banking on multiple scores from Ingram, he should see a heavy workload, and he’s got a high floor to go with receiving upside. Consider this as a GPP stack, unless news of Winston’s injury worsens. Then, this is a top Cash stack.
Other Stacks to Consider:
Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
Drew Brees, Michael Thomas
Lamar Miller, Houston D/ST
Alex Smith, Travis Kelce
Cam Newton, Devin Funchess
Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree
LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills D/ST
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