The Kansas City Chiefs held on for a three-point victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 8 in the NFL and now it’s on to Week 9. This article will cover The Professor’s low-cost options for the upcoming week of NFL DFS action on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill, NO, $7000 FanDuel / $5500 DraftKings
Taysom Hill needs to clear concussion protocol, but if he does, he is on track to start at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints after Jameis Winston tore his ACL last week. Hill’s ability as a runner makes him an attractive fantasy option and he opens with a favorable matchup against a bad Atlanta Falcons defense. There’s also a possibility that receiver Michael Thomas will make his season debut after his offseason ankle surgery; if Thomas can suit up, it makes Hill an even stronger option.
Tyrod Taylor, HOU, $6900 FanDuel / $5000 DraftKings
Tyrod Taylor is on track to return from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for most of the season. It feels like a LONG time ago, but this Houston team was competitive with Taylor as the signal-caller, and like Taysom Hill, Taylor’s dual-threat ability increases his fantasy value. Taylor posted 23.6 fantasy points in his first game this season and accounted for 16.5 despite leaving the game in the second quarter. Houston gave Taylor plenty of time to rehabilitate this injury, so he should be ready to hit the ground running against a Dolphins team that has surrendered at least 23 points in every game since Week One.
Justin Fields, CHI, $6700 FanDuel / $5500 DraftKings
Given that the Chicago Bears traded up to select quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the NFL Draft this spring, it seemed fair to assume they had seen him play before, but perhaps they had his college tape mixed up with Mac Jones until last week, and that’s why it took them so long to realize that Fields can run. Now that the Bears have seen that their quarterback is one of the best athletes in the NFL, it seems likely that they would continue to use him that way, but perhaps head coach Matt Nagy didn’t watch this game during his COVID bout and won’t be aware of Fields’ skill set on his return. I’ll bet against that scenario and trust Fields to rack up fantasy points on the ground and through the air.
Running Backs
Chase Edmonds, ARI, $5900 FanDuel / $5300 DraftKings
Chase Edmonds is only a play if quarterback Kyler Murray starts for Arizona but the Cardinals played last Thursday, so Murray has extra time to rehab his ankle. If Murray can go, all of his weapons benefit, and Edmonds is a cheap option who has a featured role in this offense. Edmonds is a threat as a rusher and receiver and can turn any touch into an explosive gain. Linebacker Fred Warner and the San Francisco defense aren’t an easy matchup, but the Cardinals should get things back on track after their first loss of the season.
Damien Harris, NE, $6600 FanDuel / $6000 DraftKings
Damien Harris and the Patriots face a tough run defense in Carolina but Harris also has five rushing touchdowns in his last four games and would have six if not for a fumble into the endzone against Houston four weeks ago. New England’s brutal rushing performances against the Saints and Buccaneers are a concern as New England prepares to face another good defense from the NFC South, but Harris has a high projected carry share relative to other options at this price point.
Mark Ingram, NO, $5200 FanDuel / $4600 DraftKings
Mark Ingram had six carries for 27 yards and two catches for 25 yards in his return to the New Orleans Saints backfield and should be leaned on heavily as the Saints transition to a Taysom Hill-led offense moving forward. New Orleans was already employing a run-heavy approach with Jameis Winston at quarterback, but the quarterback run game concepts that they can run with Hill should open bigger lanes for Ingram and fellow back Alvin Kamara. The Saints have a favorable matchup against the Falcons, which could set Ingram up for his first touchdown since Week One of the NFL season.
Wide Receivers
Kadarius Toney, NYG, $5700 FanDuel / $5200 DraftKings
Kadarius Toney cut his hand during New York’s Monday Night Football loss to Kansas City but is expected to be healthy for this week’s game against the Raiders, which is more than can be said for most of New York’s receiving group. Toney is an ultra-twitched-up athlete in an angular package who has shown the ability to post huge games. He has a significant athletic advantage over any player in the Las Vegas secondary.
Bryan Edwards, LVR, $5300 FanDuel / $4100 DraftKings
The circumstances surrounding Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs are tragic and beyond the scope of this column. On the field, second-year receiver Bryan Edwards has been impressive in limited opportunities this year and should see an expanded workload on the outside with Ruggs unavailable. Quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders need this win ahead of next week’s matchup with Kansas City; Edwards should be a key part of the offensive plan.
Van Jefferson Jr., LAR, $5500 FanDuel / $4000 DraftKings
The news of DeSean Jackson’s trade request clarified the target pecking order for the Rams; while Jefferson had played the larger role of the two receivers, the concern that Jackson would swoop in to steal key targets was a concern. Jefferson is now the clear-cut third option in the receiving group and is likely to be the target on many of Matthew Stafford’s deep shots.
Tight Ends
Mike Gesicki, MIA, $6500 FanDuel / $4900 DraftKings
Mike Gesicki has put together six straight strong weeks, scoring double-digit fantasy points in every game that the Dolphins were competitive. The exceptions came against Tampa Bay and Buffalo, who both dominated the Dolphins, and Gesicki still topped forty yards in both of those contests. He should have a productive day against a bad Houston Texans team.
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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