NFL Week 7 wrapped up with running back Alvin Kamara leading the Saints to a win over the Seahawks on Monday Night Football and now it’s on to Week 8. This article will cover The Professor’s low-cost options for the upcoming week of NFL DFS.
Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence, JAX @ SEA, $6700 FanDuel / $5500 DraftKings
Trevor Lawrence’s price is a surprise. He comes in cheaper on FanDuel than Seahawks starter Geno Smith ($7000) for this game despite the Jaguars picking up their first win of the season before their bye week. It’s a bizarre situation, as Seattle’s defense has been one of the NFL’s worst this season and Lawrence has posted three solid fantasy outings in a row. Lawrence should continue to make plays against Seattle; top target Marvin Jones should be in line for a productive game as well.
Carson Wentz, TEN @ IND, $7200 FanDuel / $5700 DraftKings
Carson Wentz’s performance on Sunday Night Football featured a lot of reckless play, but there were also plenty of explosive gains. Wentz is going to need to clean some things up in a pivotal division game against the Titans, but he won’t have to combat the downpour he played through in San Francisco in the Indianapolis dome. Receiver Michael Pittman has emerged as Wentz’s favorite target and is an interesting pairing, as is tight end Mo Alie-Cox, who has been active in the red zone in recent weeks.
Daniel Jones, NYG @ KC, $7300 FanDuel / $5600 DraftKings
Daniel Jones was a triple threat last week, catching a pass on a “Philly Special” on top of his usual contributions as a passer and runner. The Giants may lose by a wide margin on Sunday Night Football, but even if they do, Jones will have opportunities to rack up stats against a dreadful Kansas City defense. If some of New York’s weapons get healthy, that’s a bonus, but Jones has shown he can move the offense even with options like Austin Pettis at receiver.
Running Backs
Eli Mitchell, SF @ CHI, $5800 FanDuel / $5400 DraftKings
Chicago’s run defense is solid, but the Colts aren’t a pushover and Eli Mitchell ran for over 100 yards against them on Sunday Night Football. Mitchell had a breakout performance in Week One, then dropped off the radar after an injury, but he has reclaimed lead-back duties in San Francisco now that he is healthy. If backup quarterback Trey Lance can return to operate some of the quarterback run game, it only helps Mitchell. Mitchell’s projected carry share should make him a high-floor option in this price range.
Zack Moss, MIA @ BUF, $6100 FanDuel / $5200 DraftKings
Zack Moss is coming off his worst outing since his debut in Week 2 of the NFL season, but the Bills get a good matchup coming out of their bye against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills won their first game against Miami 35-0 and should be able to put up plenty more points in this game. Moss has gotten more work than fellow back Devin Singletary and could get more volume than usual if the Bills are running out the clock late.
Kenneth Gainwell, PHI @ DET, $5900 FanDuel / $5000 DraftKings
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni indicated that lead running back Miles Sanders will likely be down against the Lions this week, which opens an opportunity for Gainwell to take on more work than his typical pass-catching duties. Philadelphia may make break their recent pattern and make this game competitive, but even if the Eagles are once again scrambling to catch up in a blowout, the offense should put up statistics. Gainwell could benefit against a bad Detroit defense.
Wide Receivers
Jerry Jeudy, WSH @ DEN, $6000 FanDuel / $4900 DraftKings
Jerry Jeudy came flying out of the gates for the Broncos in Week One against the Giants, catching six of his seven targets for 72 yards before he suffered an ankle injury. He caught the ball with confidence, and with his drop issues behind him, Jeudy appeared to be every bit the receiver that was advertised entering the 2020 NFL Draft. Jeudy was medically cleared to play a week ago, so he should be ready to hit the ground running against a vulnerable Washington secondary.
Van Jefferson Jr., LAR @ HOU, $5700 FanDuel / $3900 DraftKings
Van Jefferson is coming off a game where he posted four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. It’s difficult to predict the ball distribution behind Cooper Kupp in the Los Angeles offense, but the Rams should blow Houston out this week and quarterback Matthew Stafford seems more likely to spread the ball around in that scenario. Jefferson has gotten a consistent target share as a low-cost option on Los Angeles than big-play threat DeSean Jackson, which makes him the pick.
Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX @ SEA, $5800 FanDuel / $4700 DraftKings
Shenault’s contributions have been limited in the past two games, but his talent is obvious and the Jacksonville coaching staff should be looking for more ways to get him involved alongside running back James Robinson and fellow receiver Marvin Jones. A Trevor Lawrence-Laviska Shenault pairing in your DFS lineup opens up a variety of options to spend money at other positions.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry, NE @ LAC, $5500 FanDuel / $4200 DraftKings
Hunter Henry has caught a touchdown in four straight games, and while that is unlikely to continue, Henry is also playing his revenge game against the Chargers after he departed Los Angeles for New England this offseason. Henry has been a reliable target for quarterback Mac Jones, and while the Patriots are unlikely to convert as many trick plays as they did against the Jets, New England should still be productive on offense this week.
Tyler Higbee, LAR @ HOU, $5300 FanDuel / $4500 DraftKings
Tyler Higbee has consistently posted modest stat lines this season; five of his seven games have been between 5.6 and 9.3 fantasy points, with a 12.5 and 1.3 mixed in, but this week’s game against the Houston Texans is an opportunity for the Rams to score four or more touchdowns and Higbee could post a solid fantasy score if he gets in the endzone.
Conclusion
This article covered The Professor’s low-cost DFS plays for the upcoming week. For more fantasy content from The Professor check out his weekly appearance on Razor’s RedZone and the rest of his content on BeerLife Sports!
Steven Clinton, better known as "The Professor", is a former D-1 Quality Control Assistant (Northwestern, Toledo) who holds a B.A. in Economics and M.S. in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University. He maintains an end-to-end NFL game projection model and is a film junkie who breaks down the tape of every NFL game.
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