Awesemo has a ton of great tools and NFL DFS strategy to tackle all the largest contests for Week 8 in NFL DFS. This article will provide some first impressions of the upcoming slate, including some of the top matchups and value plays. It will discuss salaries and who sticks out at various tiers for Yahoo daily fantasy NFL picks this week.
Week 7 saw a lot of lopsided wins and some surprising results, the biggest of which came in Tennessee, where the Titans thumped the Chiefs 27-3. The biggest injury news came on the Jets, as starter Zach Wilson will miss up to two weeks, allowing backup Mike White to slide in and take over. Their offense is one to avoid if possible. Davante Adams also went on the COVID list after the Packers win and will miss Thursday Night Football. That will not affect the main slate this week but is news to watch going forward.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy: Week 8 NFL First Look & Value Plays
QB Josh Allen — $39
Josh Allen is back in action after a bye and gets a cake matchup against a Dolphins defense that has seemingly thrown in the towel on 2021. Miami has allowed the last three quarterbacks they have faced to pass for 315 yards or more and have ceded eight passing touchdowns in their last three games. The Dolphins are continually banged up in their secondary and are also ranked fourth-to-last in sacks per game at just 1.7. Allen is the highest-projected quarterback this week, and there should be no fear in paying up for the dual threat as the Bills have been playing at a fast pace (eighth-fastest in the league) and have a 31.25 implied team total. Allen has by far the safest floor and biggest ceiling this week at his position.
QB Jalen Hurts — $33
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense keep not looking good on the field, but they also keep churning out great fantasy numbers for Hurts. He has gone over 23 fantasy points on Yahoo in his last three starts and has posted 21 points or more in each of his seven starts this season. Hurts is averaging 9.5 carries per game and 52.5 yards rushing per game, production that outshines many lead running backs in today’s passing-centric game. He is about the surest bet in fantasy and gets a beautiful matchup this week against Detroit who is 8th last in sacks and is last in yards per pass attempt against. Hurts’ floor is safe, but he may even break out as a passer and has a solid projection this week, making his $33 price tag look a little too cheap.
QB Trevor Lawrence — $24
There are a couple of interesting names in the minimum price range, but the one that catches the eye the most is Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has picked up his production as a rusher the last few weeks, and he heads into this game averaging 25.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns rushing per game over his last four starts. The Seahawks have made for a fantastic opponent for opposing quarterbacks this season too, as they are getting little pressure (seventh-to-last in sacks) and allow 7.3 yards per pass attempt (10th-to-last in the NFL). Lawrence’s efficiency and low completion rate make him a volatile fantasy option, but his added rushing upside makes him a great low-priced target this week in what is likely a top-five matchup on the slate.
RB Joe Mixon — $29
The theme at running back this week on Yahoo looks to be value, as there are a lot of big named players in good matchups with cheap price tags. The first player up is Joe Mixon, who is coming off a game with 12 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown last week against Baltimore. Mixon has lost a few snaps of late after getting banged up early in the season, but do not focus on his passing game usage. The Jets fell apart against the run last week, allowing Damien Harris to run for 106 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. Opposing running backs against the Jets have run the ball 169 times against them already (seventh most in the league), and the Jets have allowed 10 touchdowns rushing to the position, the most in the league. Mixon’s high-20s price tag may keep rostership levels down but he remains a great upside play for GPPs.
RB Najee Harris — $25
Rookie Najee Harris continues to see a ton of work each week, as the Steelers love to employ a one-back system. Harris is averaging 5.5 catches per game and has picked up his rushing efficiency of late as well, taking 47 carries in his last two starts for 203 yards. Based on his usage and the fact that Pittsburgh will have him on the field for at least 80% of the snaps, Harris’ $25 price tag is going to make him one of the most popular plays of the week on Yahoo. He projects well, although there are five backs ahead of him in the rankings this week. Cleveland is a strong run defense and has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs on the season. However, Harris’ volume and small salary means the matchup should not scare gamers off of him. Few are guaranteed the kind of volume Harris gets on a weekly basis, so do not scoff at these low prices.
RB D’Andre Swift — $22
D’Andre Swift does not quite seen as many snaps as Harris has, but he has entrenched himself in a similar type of multi-usage role on a bad team — and it has led to lots of big receiving days as a result. Swift has played over 70% of the snaps for the Lions in each of their last four games and is averaging six receptions per game, which put him ahead of Harris in this category. Much like Harris, Swift is simply underpriced this week compared to how much volume he sees and heads into this week tied for the team lead in targets with 52. The matchup is also better than Harris’, as the Eagles have allowed the third-most fantasy points and fifth-most receptions to opposing running backs on the season. Unfortunately, there is no surprise anymore, as Swift’s usage has caught the eye of the entire fantasy community. Expect him to push for highest-rostered player on the slate for Yahoo in Week 8.
WR Cooper Kupp — $36
Last week’s column harped on how strong Cooper Kupp was projecting, and he again delivered with a slate-breaking game for fantasy purposes. Kupp is again trending as the clear No. 1 play at wide receiver, although with slightly (emphasis on slightly) more muted projections against the Texans. The Rams again lead the pack in terms of implied team total (31.25) and face a Texans team who has allowed 8 yards per pass attempt this year (fourth worst in the league). Kupp’s price is up slightly, but with players like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill not on the main slate, pivoting off Kupp seems like making roster building harder than it needs to be this week. Keep paying up for him in these spots unless there is a clear pivot option.
WR Stefon Diggs — $30
Stefon Diggs is one player who looks like he could challenge Kupp for supremacy at wide receiver on this slate. The Dolphins secondary has plummeted into the basement in most defensive metrics this year and head into this game having given up the fourth-most receptions and touchdowns to the wide receiver position on the season. Diggs has seen his target share cut back a bit at the start of the year, but he has also seen 10 or more passes thrown his way over his last four games. The Bills still throw the ball even when ahead and rank ninth in pass attempts per game, so do not be afraid that Diggs will get game-flowed out of volume against a bad team. He may even come in slightly under-rostered given the plethora of solid names in the $20 range this week. Most will not want to spend up on two elite wide receivers, so pair him with Kupp to make more unique lineups for Week 8.
WR Deebo Samuel — $28
The price on Deebo Samuel finally seems to be coming up, although he is still likely a little underpriced for this Week 8 matchup with Chicago. The Bears secondary got humiliated last week by another elite wide receiver in Mike Evans, who scored three times on just six catches. Samuel is averaging 10.8 targets per game over his last four starts and is absolutely dominating the target share in San Francisco as no one else on the team sniffed more than three targets from Jimmy Garoppolo last week. Samuel has a 35% team target share which ranks as one of the highest in the league and gets a Bears team whose young secondary has allowed the most receiving touchdowns to the wide receiver position this year. Samuel has a great shot to find pay dirt and is projected for another big fantasy game again this week.
WR Terry McLaurin — $24
Terry McLaurin is another high-end wide receiver who is attached to a poor quarterback, but he has continued to produce for fantasy purposes regardless. McLaurin has a 30% target share on his team and saw another 12 come his way against the Packers in an effort where he posted a 40-yard touchdown and converted seven catches on 12 targets. Denver’s defense has allowed big games and big gains to other elite wide receivers of late and make for an enticing matchup for McLaurin, who has one of the most reliable volume/target shares in the league at his position. This is great value at just $24.
TE Dallas Goedert — $17
Dallas Goedert is likely to make for the chalk pick of the week at tight end on Yahoo for Week 8. There is no Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews or Darren Waller on this slate, and Goedert is coming off a serviceable game against the Raiders where he went for three catches and 70 yards. There is no more Zach Ertz in Philadelphia, so Goedert’s role in the Eagles offense is at least secure, and he can be penciled in for at least five targets most weeks going forward. Goedert’s snap share and volume are encouraging, and at 11.3 yard per catch he has better after-catch ability than most teams’ top tight ends. Philadelphia’s low passing rate (18th in the league) makes all their receivers scary propositions for fantasy, but Goedert is in a great matchup and very affordable on a slate where there are virtually no good pay-up options at his position.
TE Dan Arnold — $11
If looking to fade the rostership on a player like Goedert but still want to save the maximum amount of dollars possible, then looking at a min-priced player like Dan Arnold makes sense. Arnold has been put to work immediately, as he has played over 60% of the snaps in each of his first two games as a Jaguar and has averaged 6.5 targets per game in those two starts. It is encouraging workload for a player so new to his squad, and it is not something to ignore in a week where there are no easy answers at tight end. Arnold has averaged a touchdown for every 9.5 receptions in his career, and a touchdown against a poor Seahawks defense would not be overly shocking. He is the min-priced, boom/bust tight end to chase in Week 8.
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