After a Week 7 that saw six teams on bye weeks, the NFL returns with a busier afternoon slate that makes life far more interesting for NFL DFS gamers. Let’s dive into the top NFL DFS quarterback picks and fades for Week 8. Our NFL DFS projections are especially high on Dak Prescott, but they’re low on Matthew Stafford at this week’s price point.
Top NFL DFS Quarterback Picks & Fades for Week 8: Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford & More
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks for Week 8 | DraftKings & FanDuel
Sam Darnold, San Francisco 49ers
Price: $4,300 at DraftKings; $6,100 at FanDuel
(Editor’s Note: Brock Purdy passed concussion protocol after this article was published and is now expected to start. Check out our updated NFL projections here.)
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to start backup quarterback Sam Darnold on Sunday with starter Brock Purdy dealing with a concussion. That means we’re getting a chance to take a quarterback at the helm of Kyle Shanahan’s high-powered offense at a rock-bottom price. Let’s make sure to take advantage.
Per our NFL DFS projections, Darnold grades out first in value on DraftKings at 3.76x and second in value on FanDuel at 2.58x. That’s not just at quarterback, that’s for the entire slate. Although Darnold has had a shaky career to this point, we’ve seen Shanahan make so-so quarterbacks look good before.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Price: $6,100 at DraftKings; $7,300 at FanDuel
The Dallas Cowboys scored a solid win over the Los Angeles Chargers before their bye week, and they’ll now get to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Dak Prescott is one of the best NFL DFS quarterback picks this week for the contest.
Our NFL DFS projections have Prescott ranked second in value on DraftKings at 3.24x and first in value on FanDuel at 2.6x. Again, that’s across every position. Prescott and the Cowboys have had a few shaky games but they’ve (mostly) taken care of business against bad teams.
NFL DFS Quarterback Fades for Week 8 | DraftKings & FanDuel
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Price: $6,900 at DraftKings; $7,700 at FanDuel
The Minnesota Vikings came out of nowhere and knocked off the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Kirk Cousins was excellent in the win despite throwing an interception on the first drive. He completed 77.8% of his throws for 8.4 yards per attempt. But despite his big showing on primetime, we’re fading him against the Packers.
Cousins’ salary makes it difficult for him to return value. He costs more than Prescott and Trevor Lawrence at both sites. Our NFL DFS projections project him for 2.44x value at DraftKings and 2.11x value at FanDuel, neither of which warrant featuring him in your lineups with better options on the board.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Price: $6,600 at DraftKings; $6,500 at FanDuel
Matthew Stafford may have elite receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but this matchup against the Dallas Cowboys is a tough one. Dallas features one of the NFL’s most ferocious pass rushes by pass rush win rate and L.A. owns one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines by pass block win rate.
Stafford’s salary is inflated relative to the player pool, especially on DraftKings. It’s obviously a bad sign when a quarterback costs more at than FanDuel, and, unsurprisingly, Stafford is projected to return just 2.24x value at the former site. He is also projected for just 2.22x value at the latter one.
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