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Tom Vecchio highlights the top FanDuel NFL DFS lineup picks for Week 8, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
RotoBallers, welcome to Week 8 of the daily fantasy football season. In this column, you will find my recommended FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks to target for Week 8 of the NFL season. You can also click here to find more DFS analysis articles and tools.
The goal is to identify players to start on FanDuel this week based on various factors including the opponent, the player's opportunity, analysis of the game's matchups, and the FanDuel price.
Let's find some DFS lineup sleepers, and win on FanDuel. Good luck in Week 8! Find me @DFS_Tom if you have any questions.
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FanDuel Quarterbacks - Week 8 DFS Picks
Andy Dalton - QB, CIN vs TB (FD - $7,800)
Going back to the well with Dalton this week and you should be looking to lock him into your cash game teams. Dalton and the Bengals are up against the Buccaneers in a game where the over-under is set at 54, which is third highest on the slate, giving this game plenty of potential for fantasy points. The Buccaneers have allowed 300 yards or more to opposing QB's in three of their last four games, which oddly enough, is terrible. That is further shown by the fact they come in with the 32nd DVOA versus the pass, which is dead last in the league. Dalton is coming off a rough game against the Chiefs, but he is now at home in a favorable matchup in what should be a high scoring game.
Matthew Stafford - QB, DET vs SEA (FD - $7.300)
Stafford makes a nice tournament play this week and should be among the lower owned options at quarterback this week. Stafford has posted five straight games with multiple touchdowns and posted over 300 yards twice. He is facing off against a Seattle defense, who looks to be better on paper than they are in real life. Over their last four games, the Seahawks have faced the Raiders, Rams, Cardinals, and Cowboys. Only the Rams are a truly dangerous team, which is why some of their defensive numbers are a bit "inflated". Stafford has plenty of viable options to pair him with and a game stack could be a bit sneaky here.
FanDuel Running Backs - Week 8 DFS Picks
Saquon Barkley - RB, NYG vs WAS (FD - $8,900)
Everyone is talking about Gurley, Conner, and Hunt being the prime cash game options this week, which is the right call, but you can deploy Barkley in tournaments with full confidence. A few things are true, one, the Giants are not a good football team, and two, Barkley is game flow independent. This means he will be seeing the ball regardless if they are up or down, which is ideal for a fantasy running back since he will always be in the game. He has 19 or more total touches in each game this season and will continue to be used in all phases of the offense, giving him massive fantasy value.
Raheem Mostert - RB, SF @ ARI (FD - $5,600)
If you are looking for some serious savings and a player who will be very low owned Mostert is the guy for you. Last week he played on 39% of the snaps for San Francisco which was the second highest for running backs, while he played on 40% the week prior which was third highest. He is seeing decent overall usage and actually finished as the team's leading rusher last week. Mostert also added four receptions last week, which could prove to be the difference maker this week as he is up against the Cardinals who have the 22nd DVOA vs running backs in the passing game.
FanDuel Wide Receivers - Week 8 DFS Picks
Anthony Miller - WR, CHI vs NYJ (FD - $5,200)
Miller will be lining up in the slot this week for the Bears, meaning he will be covered by Buster Skrine, which couldn't be a better matchup. Skrine is allowing 0.48 fantasy points per route covered this season, which is among the worst in the league and gives the Jets the 3rd most fantasy points allowed to slot receivers this season. All of this is good news for Miller who has been targeted 11 times in his last two games and is playing on about 60% of the snaps since coming back from his injury.
Davante Adams - WR, GB @ LAR (FD - $8,600)
This Packers game has an over-under set at 57, which is highest on the slate, so you want some exposure to this game anyway that you can afford. Adams is far and away the top/best receiver for the Packers and the favorite target of Aaron Rodgers. Adams has 16, 12, and 14 targets in his last three games which is simply an insane usage rate in the offense. He has put up over 100 yards in two of those games, along with having three touchdowns in that span. He will be lined up against Rams cornerback Troy Hill, who is giving up 0.53 fantasy points per route run this season.
FanDuel Tight End - Week 8 DFS Pick
O.J. Howard - TE, TB @ CIN (FD - $5,800)
Howard is going to be one of the chalkier options on the slate, so just know you will be dealing with higher ownership across the board. He is the clear option at tight end over Cameron Brate, as he has played on 66% and 52% of the snaps in the past two weeks, while Brate is on 41% and 33% in those same two games. He has 13 targets in the past two weeks and is now up against the Buccaneers, who have the 24th DVOA versus the pass this season, which should set up a nice opening for him.
FanDuel Defense - Week 8 DFS Pick
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns - Defense (FD - $3,800)
The defense as a position is highly variable in their outcomes, so paying up doesn't always work out. What you should be looking for is pressure on the quarterback since that can lead to sacks or turnovers, which is where the fantasy points can really add up. The Steelers have 11 sacks in their last three games, which should be a perfect matchup against the Browns, who are giving up a sack on 10% of the QB dropbacks.
