The immediate comment that we made internally upon crafting our lineups is that pricing is much tougher in Week 9 than we have seen in the past. Most notably, we have a wide list of running backs we would like to own and a limited amount of resources to do so — whether salary or roster space. Regardless, we eventually shuffled around and landed on some combinations by varying our exposure in other positions.
Based on our expected Week 9 DFS game flow analysis and Week 9 Games to Target published earlier, we can carry our thoughts into actual lineup positions. The long list of players that fit the requirements set forth by the projected flow of the game was cut dramatically by the requirements set forth by salaries.
Below are Sporfolio’s DFS Week 9 Plays:
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson – While every game has its own share of circumstance, the matchup between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars carries enough similarities to last week’s Chiefs and Jets, respectively, that we can target a big offensive day from the projected winner. That translates to quarterback Deshaun Watson establishing the lead early — or, if forced, dominating a terrible Jaguars defense late. Essentially, unless the Texans immediately take the ball out of Watson’s hands, he will be the main avenue for Houston’s points. Considering interim head coach Romeo Crennel watched Watson throw for more than 350 yards in his first game at the helm — a win over Jacksonville, at that — it would be a surprise if the gameplan differed in any way.
Josh Allen – We have been admittedly tough on the Bills throughout most of the season, but if there were ever a week to expect a good showing from this offense, this is the one. For starters, Josh Allen is going to be forced into a heavy workload, because we should all expect the Seattle Seahawks to score plenty of points of their own. In order to try to win this game, the Bills are going to have to have the ball in Allen’s hands and let him make plays. This is pretty clear by the fact that no team in the league has faced more pass attempts than the Seahawks. There is also no team in the league that has allowed more passing yards or total yards than the Seahawks, so not only does Allen have an ideal game script, he also has an ideal matchup. All of that alone makes Allen a great target this week, but his running ability gives him an added bonus that makes him one of our favorite quarterbacks for the week.
Ben Roethlisberger – It’s simply a matchup game, at this point. If you want to draw comparisons to the aforementioned Deshaun Watson against Jacksonville or reuse what was written about last week’s game between the Chiefs and Jets, you can, but the reality is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be on this list even if we didn’t have easy examples to use as inspiration. The Cowboys are allowing the most points-per-game in the league and rank 27th in passing touchdowns allowed. Roethlisberger is too underpriced for his potential.