NFL DraftKings Picks: Week 8

Jonathan Taylor | $7200 | TEN @ IND

This game has one of the highest totals of the weekend (50.5) and we expect Jonathan Taylor to be a factor yet again. After a lackluster Week2 and Week 3, the second-year back has scored six touchdowns in the past four games for the Colts, averaging 28.03 DK points per contest over that span. The Tennessee Titans do rank 10^th against the position, but Taylor will be looking for redemption after putting up just 8.2 points against them in Week 2.

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp | $9000 | LAR @ HOU

Until he stops putting up ridiculous numbers, Cooper Kupp will be a staple in this column. The veteran wideout is averaging a mindboggling 28.9 DK points per game and is coming off a season-high 40.6 points against the Detroit Lions. The Houston Texans are up next on the docket and do rank 6^th against the position. However, that is simply a result of teams running all over the Texans and not needing to pass much at all. Don’t let the annoying red number under the salary scare you off here. Pair Kupp with Stafford for an expensive, but reliable stack.

Stefon Diggs | $8100 | MIA @ BUF

We touched on the struggles of the Miami Dolphins in the open. Pairing Stefon Diggs with Josh Allen in Week 8 is not a bad way to start a lineup build. It will be pricey but could pay big dividends. The former Minnesota Viking has struggled a bit early on this season but has gotten back on track recently, scoring 20+ DK points in two of his last three contests, including 23.9 in Week 6 before entering the Week 7 bye. Dawson Knox is out with a hand injury meaning Diggs should see more red-zone targets over the next few games.

Tight End

Kyle Pitts | $6300 | CAR @ ATL

We listed Kyle Pitts as a stud to pay up for last week and the rookie rewarded us with his second straight 20+ point performance with 26.3 DK points against the Miami Dolphins. This total came without reaching the endzone. The phenom still has just one touchdown on the season. They will come. The good news is the targets are there, Pitts has 27 over the past three contests. Carolina ranks 15^th against the position. This is not really good considering they have played the likes of the Jets, Saints, Texans, Vikings, and Giants. Those teams do not exactly have what we call studs at the position. Deploy Pitts with confidence in Week 8.

T.J. Hockenson | $5400 | PHI @ DET

After scoring 20+ DK points the first two games of the season, T.J. Hockenson has been saddled with knee and ankle injuries. The game logs since have reflected as much. The good news is the targets are coming back up (11 and 9 respectively the past two weeks) and the Iowa alum has scored double-digit points in both of those contests despite not reaching the end zone. The Eagles come to town in Week 8 and rank 22^nd against tight ends. If Hockenson cannot get right here, it may be time for Detroit to shut him down until he fully heals.

Sleepers to Separate From the Pack

Up next we give you some players to help differentiate your lineup from the masses and give you the edge you need to compete in some of the bigger tournaments. Just like the section above, we highlight two players at each position except now instead of studs, you get players that are expected to be less than 10% owned on the main slate.

Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts | $7200 | PHI @ DET

Our very own Shane Manilla tweeted out a stat on Wednesday regarding Jalen Hurts and the percentage of points scored by quarterbacks via the rushing touchdown. Jalen Hurts leads all players at the position with 17.22% of his fantasy points scored via this method. Guess who cannot stop the run? That is right. The Detroit Lions. It is never pretty with the second-year quarterback from Oklahoma, but he just seems to end up with 20+ DK points every single week. Hurts averages the third-most points on the main slate yet is priced at the fifth highest. There is some value to be had here at a low ownership percentage.

Joe Burrow | $7200 | CIN @ NYJ

Ja’Marr Chase. Tee Higgins. Enough said. Joe Burrow does not need to be great, or even that good for that matter. All he needs to do is get the ball to his playmakers. This was never more evident than in Week 7 in the game versus the Minnesota Vikings. Chase made play after play with the ball in his hands. The New York Jets do rank 12^th against the quarterback position and 4^th against wideouts but do any of us really see them slowing down the juggernaut that is the Bengals offense. Like Hurts, Burrow should be low-owned.

Running Backs

James Robinson | $6600 | JAX @ SEA

You all watched the game Monday night, right? We all saw the same thing. Alvin Kamara running wild and free through the Seattle defense. James Robinson is no AK but he is not so far off that we should not expect good numbers from him in Week 8. Granted, most of what the Saints backfield did was done through the passing game, but the UDFA in Jacksonville is a capable pass catcher and the Seahawks rank 29^th versus the running back position. Jamal Agnew did see a good bit of work in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins before the bye week but he is listed as a wide receiver now and Robinson should still be heavily involved in this one.

Damien Harris | $6100 | NE @ LAC

Rhamondre Stevenson was a surprise inactive in Week 7, especially after a good performance in Week 6. Damien Harris took the lead back role and ran with it. Literally. The Alabama grad rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries (7.57 YPC) and two touchdowns against the New York Jets. Look for the success to continue, more so if Stevenson is inactive again, in Week 8 against the Chargers run defense that is 30^th worst against the position.

Wide Receiver

A.J. Brown | $6900 | TEN @ IND

Week 7 finally gave us the A.J. Brown we have been waiting all season to see. The stud wideout put up a 30 burger on the Kansas City Chiefs and will look to duplicate it in a high-scoring affair versus the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8. The Colts are 26^th against the position and just got eaten alive by Deebo Samuel on Sunday night (25.0 DK points). Julio Jones has not practiced all week so it could be a target-heavy game for Brown. Look for him to be involved early and often.

Cole Beasley | $4900 | MIA @ BUF

If you want to pivot off what will likely be the owned Stefon Diggs and Emmanuel Sanders, then Cole Beasley is your man. The slot receiver came back to life just before the bye in the loss to the Tennessee Titans, putting up 21.8 DK points. The Miami Dolphins have given up some big totals to the slot position this season. Hunter Renfrow put up 18.7 against them in Week 3 and then Antonio Brown absolutely torched them for 34.4 points in Week 5. The former Dallas Cowboy has a good shot to match the numbers of the more expensive Diggs and Sanders for a fraction of the cost and at a much lower ownership percentage.

Tight End

Noah Fant | $4900 | WAS @ DEN

The poor quarterback play in Week 7 did not do Noah Fant any favors. The Iowa alum was still able to post 8.9 DK points and is averaging eight targets per game over the last four contests. Jerry Jeudy is expected back and this should open up some room in the passing game. The Washington Football Team is middle of the pack against tight ends (19^th). Fant is the fourth-best value play and is projected for 12.0 DK points per the Fantasy Data Optimizer tool at 2.44 points per $1k.

C.J. Uzomah | $3700 | CIN @ NYJ

Draftkings may have missed the ball on the pricing of C.J. Uzomah for Week 8. While this play is not for the faint at heart, it is hard to ignore what the veteran tight end has been doing. He has scored five touchdowns in the Bengals last four games including two in two different games. Also, the veteran has been in double-digits three of the last four and is averaging 16.18 points over that stretch. The New York Jets are the 26^th worst-ranked team against the position and we mentioned in the open how much we like Burrow. Take a shot. You may be rewarded handsomely with yet another big game from the Auburn grad.

Fantasy Data Favorites

In this section, we will give you one play from each position for the week that we like the most. This will be a player that likely will give you a high upside at a lower cost than their counterparts and also come with a low ownership projection. Here you go!

Quarterback

Carson Wentz | $5700 | TEN @ IND

We discussed the high total in this game earlier. Carson Wentz has been solid over his past four games, averaging 20.7 DK points. This includes a 21.3 point performance in the monsoon Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. The former Eagle quarterback has just one interception on the season. The Tennessee Titans rank 27^th versus the position. Also worth noting is the connection seeming to be formed in front of our eyes with Michael Pittman (more on him in a moment). The past four games have seen Wentz throw for exactly two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Like we said, good, not great, but for $5,700 we only need 17.1 DK points to reach value and we save money to pay up for other studs mentioned above.

Running Back

Kenneth Gainwell | $5000 | PHI @ DET

This play is all about the matchup, opportunity, and cost. As we all know, Miles Sanders will be out for some time. Kenneth Gainwell has performed well this season when given the chance. For example, in Week 4, the fifth-round pick out of Memphis popped off for 20.9 DK points against the Kansas City Chiefs. These are the same Chiefs that are the only team in the league worse against the position than Detroit. The only concern is how much usage Boston Scott and even Jordan Howard may see. Sirianni seems to trust Gainwell and should lean on him throughout. At just $5k, we do not need much here.

Wide Receiver

Michael Pittman | $5300 | TEN @ IND

You may be noticing a theme here. We like this game. A lot. A Wentz/Taylor/Pittman stack can be had for the low, low cost of just $18,200 leaving you $31,800 ($5,300 per player) left to work with. The Colts are more susceptible to the pass so consider bringing it back with A.J. Brown or Julio Jones for maximum and optimum exposure. Of course, you cannot go wrong rostering Derrick Henry either, but it will cost you and force you to look for some value that may or may not pan out.  

Tight End

Hunter Henry | $4200 | NE @ LAC

Hunter Henry makes this space for the third straight week. Until he stops scoring touchdowns or DK raises his price, the former Los Angeles Charger will continue to be featured here. Henry has scored a touchdown in four straight and has a matchup against his former team in Week 8, a team that also happens to rank 30^th against the position. Mac Jones seems to like to target the 6’ 5” tight end in the red zone. Look for that to continue on the road this Sunday as Henry gets revenge against the team that let him walk this offseason.

Summing It All Up

As we all know, football is unpredictable, we make these picks using the data available to us at fantasydata.com and try to help our readers make educated, thoughtful decisions when creating their DK lineup. If you find this helpful or have any comments, be sure to notate them below. Thank you for reading.