It is always important to survey the DFS landscape each week and determine potential building blocks, which are the core plays and the foundation for most lineup types. The popular options are rising to the top for good reason more often than not, but there also are overlooked plays at every position, usually only a couple names down the rankings list. In this post, we’ll be making our best NFL DFS Week 8 picks on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Stokastic provides a variety of tools for all DFS sports that can help sort through the large NFL feature slate player pool. These were utilized in coming up with the recommendations in this article and include, but are far from limited to the NFL DFS Top Stacks tool, player projections, the Boom/Bust tool, and of course the proprietary Lineup Generator which incorporates all the tools and date, including tournament field popularity and of course simulations of the slate and how that impacts the potential ROI for your lineups and those of the field.
All tools are available for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates each week. Additionally, multiple tools are also at your disposal for the sub-slates as well as the primetime “island games” which have turned into one of the most popular DFS offerings on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Take a look at the Stokastic Discounts and Coupon Code page as well as the Subscription page to see what packages best suit your needs.
NFL DFS Week 8 Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel
This week there are 13 games on the Sunday featured slate, with no games in Europe and no teams on bye. That is flattening the popularity of most players, so gamers will not have to stray too far afield to find differentiation from The Masses.
Best NFL DFS Week 8 Picks and Building Blocks: Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs-Broncos): DraftKings ($8,400, 9.0% ownership), FanDuel ($9,000, 12.3% ownership)
Kansas City is on the road, but they get a cherry matchup against the 32nd ranked passing DVOA and 31st rushing DVOA in the Denver Broncos. Patrick Mahomes and Company also have a 27.0 implied point total, which has the two-time and reigning NFL and Super Bowl MVP popping in projections.
Currently no quarterbacks are averaging over 300 passing yards per game, though a couple are close, including Mahomes who has 288.1 to his credit. He is also tied for second with 15 touchdowns and the Broncos have allowed five of seven opposing signal-callers to log multi-touchdown games. In a fun twist, Mahomes was one of the quarterbacks who did not reach that mark when Denver was in Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 6 matchup.
In that Thursday night matchup, Mahomes was 30 of 40 (75%) for 306 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Chiefs won 19-8, with the Broncos not getting on the board until late in the fourth quarter, when they also converted a two-point attempt. Kansas City also attempted 27 rushes, which is more than expected – as such, we should not be worried about Mahomes on Sunday. In an effort to shake things up, Denver has indicated that defensive back Fabian Moreau, will draw the start over Damarri Mathis, though both will play a fair amount.
Lamar Jackson (Ravens-Cardinals): DraftKings ($8,100, 11.3% ownership), FanDuel ($8,800, 14.2% ownership)
Last week Lamar Jackson hooked us up in this slot and now he has an even better matchup against the Cardinals. Yes, this game is in Arizona and Jackson earned a 10% salary increase across the DFS sites, but this is a favorable situation against a passing defense that is in the bottom-third of the league. By no means should we expect another four-touchdown game, but multiple scores and 300 combined yards seems likely.
Zay Flowers makes for a strong pairing with his quarterback, against the team allowing the seventh most fantasy points to opposing receivers. Tight end Mark Andrews can be added to the mix for a double-stack and this trio should corral the majority of the offensive production for the Ravens.
DraftKings Bonus Play: If Brock Purdy does not clear the concussion protocol, Sam Darnold is in line to draw the start. While he is far from a sexy play, at $4,300 on DraftKings there are some ridiculous lineups that can be crafted around him.
Best NFL DFS Week 8 Picks and Building Blocks: Running Backs
Alvin Kamara (Saints-Colts): DraftKings ($7,300, 21.5%), FanDuel ($8,300, 18.2%)
In his four games this season, Alvin Kamara has 39 targets, with 35 receptions and 117 yards. Though he has just one rushing touchdown, his median baseline is 100 combined yards and 6.5 receptions. Indianapolis has allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing running backs, so anything shy of 100 yards and a score should be considered a disappointment for Kamara, against the 18th ranked rushing DVOA.
Breece Hall (Jets-Giants): DraftKings ($5,900, 19.8%), FanDuel ($7,200, 20.3%)
The New York teams are squaring off this week, which is a bonus for Breece Hall as the second-year back gets to face the third-worst rushing DVOA in the league. Seven different running backs have gashed the Giants for at least 70 yards on the ground this season. Hall already has 127 or more rushing yards in two games and he has scored a touchdown each of the last two weeks. In the last three games, the other running backs have combined for just 5.5 carries and it is clear that Hall is capable of handling a full workload, barely a year after shredding his knee.
Other Running Back Options
Christian McCaffrey: He is a luxury option as the most expensive position player on FanDuel ($10,200) and the second most on DraftKings ($9,200). He already has 11 touchdowns this season and if he scores on Sunday, it will be his 17th consecutive game with a touchdown, including the playoffs. That will tie the record set all the way back in 1963-1964 by Lenny Moore of the Baltimore Colts, before the Super Bowl era. Cincinnati has the fifth worst rushing DVOA, which bodes well for McCaffrey to add another record to his collection.
Isiah Pacheco: Looks like a chalky option and one that can be played on lineups with Mahomes, but be sure to find differentiation elsewhere. Pacheco has 10 targets in the last two games, hauling in all of them for 64 yards and a score.
Best NFL DFS Week 8 Picks and Building Blocks: Wide Receivers
Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals-49ers): DraftKings ($8,100, 17.1%), FanDuel ($8,500, 15.8%)
This is a daunting matchup for Ja’Marr Chase, on the road in San Francisco. However, he has volume on his side, which can definitely be a DFS cure-all. In the last four games he has averaged 14 targets for 10 receptions and 121.5 yards, along with three touchdowns. Tee Higgins missed one of these games, but his presence helps keep defenses from completely keying on Chase. It is also important to note that Joe Burrows looks the healthiest he has been all season after dealing with a strained calf that clearly left him hobbled through the first month of action.
Jordan Addison (Vikings-Packers): DraftKings ($5,700, 11.9%), FanDuel ($7,300, 5.7%)
On Monday Night Football, rookie Jordan Addison brought out the boom-stick with a whopping 10 targets for seven catches, 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He now has six touchdowns on the season and has reached pay dirt in each of the last three games. Green Bay has a bottom-six passing DVOA and while they are not going to be caught by surprise after the primetime performance, Addison is not picking up a lot of tournament traction. While we would prefer that this game was not at Lambeau Field, the rest of the positives outweigh that one detraction.
Kendrick Bourne (Vikings-Packers): DraftKings ($4,700, 13.5%), FanDuel ($6,200, 8.5%)
Looking at the Stokastic Lineup Generator, Kendrick Bourne is a surprising player that was rising to the top of a 20 lineup portfolio. Using the QB+1 pass-catcher and one player from the opposing team as the featured setting, with “all” lineup types on DraftKings and “contrarian” lineup types on FanDuel, we have the following results.
Looking at DraftKings first, we can see that Bourne is on nine of the 20 lineups in this portfolio. The combination of his discounted salary and recent increase in opportunities make rostering him a solid gambit. Even if JuJu Smith-Schuster is active, it would appear that Bourne has cemented himself as the lead-receiver in the offense. Over the last two weeks he has 18 targets for 16 receptions and 152 yards with one touchdown and another four yards on a carry. New England is coming off a shocking upset of the Buffalo Bills last week, so they should have confidence, going into a game where they will be forced to play catchup against the high-flying Miami offense.
It is also interesting to see Trey McBride popping up as a discount dandy, which in turn allows McCaffrey to be on more lineups that what the field is likely to proffer.
The Lineup Generator is a tool that combines all of the other proprietary Stokastic offerings such as player projections, pOWN%, boom/bust (aka leverage and ceiling) as well as using similar foundational functionality as the Stokastic Simulations.
On FanDuel, using the “contrarian” setting, which looks to find more leverage and less popular plays, while not sacrificing too many points, Bourne also is a top option. We can also see that running two tight ends on the blue site is providing solid differentiation on almost one-third of the 20 rosters.
Premium Members can check out all the other wide receiver options here.
Best NFL DFS Week 8 Picks and Building Blocks: Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (Chiefs-Denver): DraftKings ($8,400, 15.4%), FanDuel ($9,000, 11.2%)
Essentially we need to consider Travis Kelce with all of the wide receivers for a true comparison. Currently he has the second best projection of this group on both DraftKings and FanDuel, behind on Tyreek Hill. Yes, we are paying a pretty penny, but he is the apple of his quarterback’s eye and over the last three games he is averaging 11 targets, 10.3 receptions and 123.3 yards, with a pair of touchdowns. aside from Hill, McCaffrey is the only other position player with a higher projection than Kelce.
T.J. Hockenson (Vikings-Green Bay): DraftKings ($6,200, 15.8%), FanDuel ($6,500, 20.5%)
Next up is T.J. Hockenson, who is helping to fill the void left by Jefferson. He is not as explosive as Kelce, but he does have a sizable discount on both DraftKings (35%) and FanDuel (38%). After Addison announced his presence with authority on Monday Night Football, the Packers are likely to have their focus on him, rather than Hockenson to start the game.
Trey McBride (Cardinals-Ravens): DraftKings ($2,800, 12.4%), FanDuel ($4,700, 10.3%)
Expect Trey McBride to end up on around 20% of tournament lineups by the time kickoff rolls around on Sunday. His salary is cheap enough that he can be utilized as a flex play. Zach Ertz is on the injured reserve with a quad issue, so McBride is now the primary tight end for the Cardinals. This is simply a discounted option with the potential for half a dozen targets, 60 or so yards and a 45% chance to score a touchdown.
Best NFL DFS Week 8 Picks and Building Blocks: Defense/Special Teams
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders: DraftKings ($4,300, <5.0%), FanDuel ($5,000, 6.6%)
Philadelphia is the bucks-deluxe option for those who have the extra ducats to splurge. In Week 4 the Eagles had five sacks against the Commanders and they tallied another 13 in the three games after that. Washington is allowing nearly six sacks per game and Sam Howell has thrown seven interceptions this season.
Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans: DraftKings ($2,900, 10.4%), FanDuel ($3,900, 10.1%)
Ryan Tannehill is out, so some combination of second-year man Malik Willis and rookie Will Levis will be under center on Sunday. While Tennessee will look to run the ball as much as possible, Willis has a 17.5% sack rate, being taken down on 14 of his 80 drop backs. Levis has yet to take a professional snap, but it is hard to believe he will be much better. Lock the Falcons into “cash games” (i.e. H2Hs, 50/50s, 3-mans) and move on to the other positions.
As you get your NFL DFS Week 8 picks and lineups prepped on DraftKings and FanDuel, Stokastic can help. We have more free DFS content on the NFL homepage, premium DFS software including NFL Sims and the Lineup Generator, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.
You can also talk NFL DFS picks and strategy with the team and the rest of our sharp community on the Stokastic Discord!
