DFS NFL FanDuel Week 8: Mini Slate Lineup Advice
Welcome to the Week 8 NFL FanDuel Mini article. In this article we will be taking a look at a relatively new slate that was introduced about half-way through the MLB season this year. Unlike ar9e traditional FanDuel NFL lineup, you only have to roster five players (QB, RB, RB, WR, WR) in the FanDuel Mini format. One other slight difference is that all tight ends also appear as wide receivers, so you do have the option of using a tight end if you choose to do so. The total salary cap ($60,000) is the exact same as a traditional NFL FanDuel lineup, but they do scale the salaries up a little bit to accommodate for the smaller roster size. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite options for the FanDuel Mini slate in Week 8.
Quarterback
Carson Wentz PHI: $12,000 vs. SF
Carson Wentz has been playing at an elite level this season, scoring the second-most FanDuel points for quarterbacks. However, this week his salary ranks seventh for QBs despite having a juicy matchup against the 49ers. In 2017, the 49ers have allowed the second-most FanDuel points to opposing quarterbacks, so there is no reason to believe Wentz will start to slow down this week.
Andy Dalton (CIN): $10,000 vs. IND
Andy Dalton struggled against a strong Steelers’ defense last week. He is a good candidate to bounce back in a great matchup against the Colts, who have had a difficult time defending the pass this season. Also, Dalton’s salary ranks 15th for quarterbacks this week, but most projections are showing him as a top eight quarterback this week making him a solid value option in this format.
Running Back
LeSean McCoy (BUF): $13,000 vs. OAK
LeSean McCoy finally had the big day we were all waiting for with a total of 122 yards, five receptions and two touchdowns on 23 rushing attempts and seven targets. The Bills will likely continue to lean heavily on McCoy since there is a shortage of dependable receiving options for Tyrod Taylor to throw to this year.
Mark Ingram (NO): $11,000 vs. CHI
Even though Adrian Peterson did very little in New Orleans, his departure to the Cardinals has put Mark Ingram back into top ten or top eight running back territory. Over his last two games, he has had 47 rushing attempts, 10 targets, nine receptions, 260 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears have done extremely well on defense this season, but the Saints are currently nine point favorites in Vegas which means Ingram should have a pretty safe floor.
Melvin Gordon (LAC): $11,500 @ NE
Despite the Chargers winning 21-0, Melvin Gordon was stuffed by the Broncos’ elite rushing defense all day long. I don’t think there is any reason to be concerned and he should have a solid bounce back performance against the Patriots, who have been terrible on defense this season.
Wide Receiver
A.J. Green (CIN): $13,000 vs. IND
A.J. Green did not have a very good game last week, but the fault was on Andy Dalton and their offensive line in a difficult matchup against the Steelers. This week the Bengals have a much easier matchup against the Colts. Even though Green will see a little bit of Rashaan Melvin on Sunday, the Bengals do a pretty good job of moving Green around to avoid the opposing team’s’ top cornerback.
Zach Ertz (PHI): $11,000 vs. SF
I love the fact that tight ends are labeled as wide receivers in this format since they tend to get overlooked in most weeks. Zach Ertz has scored the most FanDuel points for the tight end position and if you compare him wide receivers, he would have the second-most FanDuel points amongst them. The matchup against the 49ers may actually scare some people off since the 49ers have allowed the third-fewest FanDuel points, but I think this speaks more to the opposing teams coasting once they have a huge lead against the 49ers. I don’t think we have to worry about that this week since Ertz is the primary receiving option for this Eagles’ offense.
Doug Baldwin (SEA): $11,500 vs. HOU
Doug Baldwin will have an outstanding individual matchup this weekend against Kareem Jackson. The Texans’ slot cornerback currently ranks 84th out 109 cornerbacks graded by Pro Football Focus.
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