The Best DraftKings NFL DFS Advice Week 8 (10/29/23)

Welcome back to my weekly DFS article! I am back after a one-week hiatus because I was sick. I’m feeling much better now, so let’s dive into week 8!

As I look at this slate, I am struggling to find running backs that I really love. There are several tough matchups for some popular running backs this week, which is narrowing my pool of players at the position. I can see Christian McCaffrey separating largely from the rest of the pack which will likely influence my player pool and salary allocation at other positions, particularly at QB.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud ($6,300) @ CAR

As I mentioned above, I will be playing lots of CMC this week, and consequently, I will be playing mainly cheaper QBs. Now Stroud falls in the 6k range which isn’t super cheap, but we’ve already seen Stroud show a decent ceiling without having reached a 3 touchdown game yet. Should this be the week, he can climb up to the 30-point range and offer good salary relief. The Panthers gave up 42 points in their last 2 games each and they come into this game missing S Jeremy Chinn. I like pairing Stroud with Nico Collins and one of Tank Dell or Noah Brown.

Sam Darnold ($4,300) vs. CIN

**edit** After I wrote the paragraph below, Adam Shefter reported Brock Purdy has a realistic chance of playing, so what I say below may be irrelevant. If Purdy does get the start, I still think he’s a decent play at $5,600. He will make it tougher to get to CMC, but it’s still doable on this slate. I’ll also consider Sam Howell at $5,200 as a cheap option.

Speaking of playing cheap quarterbacks to fit in CMC, how about stacking CMC with his almost-stone min. QB? Brock Purdy is trending out with a concussion, which would make Sam Darnold the starter. Darnold will undoubtedly draw ownership this week at his price tag, but at $4,300, there’s a very good chance he ends up in the optimal. With Deebo out, the offense concentrates a bit more, offering more confidence in the big 3 playmakers of this offense. You can get creative with the salary relief Darnold offers to fit in Aiyuk or Kittle and CMC, and I’m finding it hard to stay away.

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey ($9,200) vs. CIN

Absolutely no surprise here as CMC is my first RB pick this week. As I looked over the running backs in this slate I saw a lot of very meh plays. Mostert at $7,700 versus the Patriots feels thin, Henry, Pollard, and Ken Walker all face difficult matchups, and Saquon still feels tough to trust at his price. I can see this being a low-scoring week for running backs, and I can see the Purdy-less 49ers giving McCaffrey a large portion of the touches to help grind out a win versus the Bengals. If McCaffrey has a ceiling game, his high price tag will be more than worth it this week.

Isiah Pacheco ($6,100) @ DEN

2 weeks ago versus the Broncos, Pacheco posted 15.8 DraftKings points in what was a surprisingly close and low-scoring game. I am betting on both of those outcomes flipping this week versus Denver. If Kansas City can get out to a large lead as their -7 spread implies, Pacheco could see a much larger workload than in weeks past. I like Pacheco at his price tag more than most of the $6k+ running backs this week.

Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase ($8,100) @ SF

Remember how I said Darnold’s price tag allows you to get creative? Well, I am extremely interested in a Darnold double-stack with a Chase bring back. We know the ceiling Chase brings to every slate he plays in, and he finds himself in a favorable matchup this week versus the Niners. San Francisco’s defense just gave up 123 yards and 2 touchdowns to Jordan Addison. With a high-powered offense to push the Bengals, Chase should be in the perfect game script for a ceiling game.

Calvin Ridley ($5,800) @ PIT

With Christian Kirk being only $100 more, I have a feeling the field will gravitate towards the hot hand this week. But, Ridley still leads the team in air yards and $5,800 is a much more reasonable price for Ridley than in weeks past. Facing a Pittsburgh defense that has been getting gashed through the air, this profiles as a perfect bounce-back spot for the struggling Ridley. I have a feeling the field is growing tired of his middling performances which should make Ridley a phenomenal GPP play this week.

Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz ($3,900) @ CAR

Dalton Schultz has quietly had a great past three games, posting double digits in each contest including almost 20 points in week 5. Going along with my Stroud pick, I think Schultz is underpriced and can be paired nicely with Stroud this week. After garnering 17 targets over his last two weeks, Schultz is in line for a huge game against this struggling Carolina defense.

T.J. Hockenson ($6,200) @ GB

At first glance, the $6,200 price tag on Hockenson feels steep. But when you consider Justin Jefferson is out, it makes a lot of sense and still may not be a high enough price tag. Hockenson is coming off a 12-target game. The only other tight end on the slate to have a game with more targets is Travis Kelce who is $2,200 more expensive. Hockenson provides a Kelce-level upside that almost no other tight end on the slate can offer. He faces a stout Green Bay defense, but with Jefferson out, there are only so many options for Kirk Cousins to throw the ball to. I love Hockenson this week if you can find the salary for him.

Defenses

Minnesota Vikings ($2,500) @ GB

I’m probably asking for pain by picking two Vikings in a divisional matchup for this week’s article, but this is too good of a price to pass up for a defense coming off two great performances. This defense has managed 4 interceptions in its last 2 games, and they face a QB who has thrown 4 interceptions in his last 2 games. This sets up as a great value play this week.

Tennesee Titans ($3,100) vs. ATL

I’m admittedly less confident in this play, but I like Vrabel’s defense as he faces his former offensive coordinator. Vrabel will certainly have a good gameplan facing his former colleague and this game is not in the Falcons’ dome. Vrabel will likely force Arthur Smith to air it out, increasing Ridder’s chances to commit turnovers.

Thank you for reading my week 8 DFS preview! I will be releasing these articles every week, so please tune in next week as I preview week 9! Good luck to everyone this week, and I hope one of you can take down a tournament. Have a great week!

Be sure to check out Stephen Hoopes’ article breaking down 10 things to look out for in week 8! It’s a great read.

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