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Week 8 Draftkings Plays: Alvin Kamara, Sam Darnold, and More

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Week 8 DraftKings

It is so exciting to have real, live NFL football back in our lives. One of my favorite parts is fantasy football. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings. Every week is like a new puzzle to figure out. Whether you are more of a cash game player or a tournament player, each presents a unique challenge. Let’s take a look at my favorite Week 8 DraftKings plays.

READ MORE: Week 8 Streamers | Week 8 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

Week 8 DraftKings Plays

Week 7 Recap

It’s always good to be completely transparent and demonstrate accountability. That’s what I like to do with everything I do and that goes for fantasy football as well. Whether it’s bold takes or DraftKings recommendations, I always like to keep track of wins and losses. It’s good for the readers to know and helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.

Looking back at Week 7, it was worse than Week 6 from a recommendations standpoint. This week only 40% of my recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. This time the running back group led the way tied at a 71.4% success rate. Meanwhile, the tight end group brought up the rear tied at a 0% success rate. Personally, it was not a profitable week this week. We’ll look to get it going even better with the picks and get back in the profits in the Week 8 DraftKings plays.

  • Week 7 – $376 → $180 ($196 LOSS)
  • Year Total – $2,431 → $2,370 ($61 LOSS)

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott (DAL) – $6,100 v LAR

It’s been a rough season so far for Dak Prescott. Until the last game, he hadn’t scored 20 DraftKings points in any game this season. That all changed last game when he put up 24.9 DraftKings points. It was due to his rushing, as he added 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. This Dallas Cowboys offense has looked out of sync so far but now they are coming off a bye week and in a nice game environment against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams have been middle-of-the-road so far against opposing quarterbacks but the Cowboys do come into this one as 6.5-point home favorites. Their 26-point implied team total is one of the highest on the slate. This game is also being played in a dome, which boosts passing offenses. All of this added up makes Prescott one of the best Week 8 DraftKings plays at quarterback and a good bet to build off his season-best performance last game.

Sam Darnold (SF) – $4,300 v CIN

Sam Darnold is this week’s quarterback, originally priced as a backup but is now starting. There are currently 24 quarterbacks that are not playing but are more expensive. The nice part with Darnold this week compared to others in previous weeks is that he is on a much better offense with more playmakers and also even cheaper than others were. Deebo Samuel is still going to be out but it helps boost your stats when you can throw to Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.

The San Francisco 49ers still sit as 4.5-point home favorites against the Cincinnati Bengals. They also have a nice 24-point implied team total still too, even with Darnold likely starting. Certainly, any time you play a backup there’s risk as most of the time they are backups for a reason. Ultimately, though, the price and supporting offensive players and scheme are simply too good to pass up this week.

Others to Consider: Will Levis (TEN) – $4,400 v ATL, Zach Wilson (NYJ) – $4,800 @ NYG, Kenny Pickett (PIT) – $4,900 v JAX

Running Backs

Alvin Kamara (NO) – $7,300 @ IND

Before the season, there were some questions about how big of a workload Alvin Kamara would have once he returned from his three-game suspension. Those questions have certainly been answered as he’s had a massive workload in the four games since, particularly as a pass catcher. Over the last four games, Kamara has 69 carries but also has a whopping 35 receptions on 39 targets. It’s a small sample size but that’s a 17-game pace of 165 targets and 148 receptions which would break the record for running backs.

Kamara is already tied for the NFL lead in targets among all running backs and had more receptions than any running back despite missing the first three games. That has allowed him to average 21.7 DraftKings points per game despite scoring only one touchdown in those four games. This week he gets a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts defense has been bad all around and has allowed the sixth-most DraftKings points to running backs in 2023. This game is also being played in a dome which is a nice boost as well. The New Orleans Saints also have a solid 22.25-point implied team total and are one-point favorites despite being on the road. There may not be a running back that has a higher floor in fantasy football than Kamara at this point.

Joe Mixon (CIN) – $5,800 @ SF

Fantasy managers have been growing extremely frustrated with Joe Mixon this season. Most people likely accepted the fact that Mixon has never really been an efficient player but he sees such a big workload in one of the best offenses in the league that it’s hard to ignore. Unfortunately, the Bengals’ offense hasn’t been up to par this season and therefore Mixon has been disappointing along with the offense. He still is averaging 11.5 DraftKings points per game despite only one touchdown on the season and has scored double-digit points in four of his six games. Mixon also hasn’t scored less than 8.6 DraftKings points in any game.

This shows he has a fairly high floor, especially compared to most players. The Bengals offense should likely come around and that’s when Mixon’s ceiling games should come through. That might not be this week against the 49ers, who are a good defense, but Mixon’s price has dropped to a season-low. That, combined with the massive workload makes Mixon one of the better Week 8 DraftKings plays.

Others to Consider: Bijan Robinson (ATL) – $6,000 @ TEN, Isiah Pacheco (KC) – $6,100 @ DEN, Emari Demercado (ARI) – $4,800 v BAL, Tony Pollard (DAL) – $7,500 v LAR, Breece Hall (NYJ) – $5,900 @ NYG

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill (MIA) – $9,500 v NE

Tyreek Hill hasn’t just been good, he’s been historically good. He’s currently on pace to break the single-season receiving yardage record. Through seven games so far, Hill has 53 receptions for 902 yards and seven touchdowns. That puts him on pace to catch 128 passes for 2,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yardage would be an NFL record for a single season. On the season, Hill is averaging 28.4 DraftKings points per game as a part of this juggernaut Miami Dolphins offense.

This week he’s facing the New England Patriots whose defense is nothing to be feared this season. The Dolphins have the highest implied team total this week at 28 points and are 9.5-point favorites. Hill is coming in a little banged up but is very likely to play. He’s simply too good and in too good of an offense and game environment and that makes him one of the best Week 8 DraftKings plays, despite being the most expensive player on the slate.

Jordan Addison (MIN) – $5,700 @ GB

Jordan Addison was having a good rookie season up until last week when he took it to another level. He set career-highs with 10 targets, seven receptions, 123 yards, and two touchdowns on his way to 34.3 DraftKings points. He’s now averaging 15.4 DraftKings points per game this season. Addison has scored double-digit DraftKings points in every game this season aside from one game in which he got completely blanked.

With star Justin Jefferson still out, Addison is being relied on even more to make plays for this Minnesota Vikings offense. It’s a great offense to be a part of because their defense isn’t great so their offense needs to score a lot, they throw at a high rate and play all their home games in a dome. Unfortunately, this game won’t be at home when they take on the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings are 1.5-point road favorites with a solid 21.5-point implied team total. Addison should be able to continue to build upon a strong rookie season in this one.

Others to Consider: Josh Downs (IND) – $4,800 v NO, Jamal Agnew (JAX) –  $3,000 @ PIT, Rondale Moore (ARI) – $3,400 v BAL, Zay Flowers (BAL) – $5,600 @ ARI, Tank Dell (HOU) – $4,900 @ CAR, Ja’Marr Chase (CIN) – $8,100 @ SF

Tight Ends

Evan Engram (JAX) – $4,500 @ PIT

Evan Engram has been sort of the “Joe Mixon” of tight ends this season. It’s been all floor and no ceiling in 2023. The parallels extend to the offenses as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars have been disappointing compared to expectations so far. Engram hasn’t been quite as disappointing simply because the threshold for being a serviceable tight end is so low. He hasn’t scored any touchdowns this season but is still averaging 10.8 DraftKings points per game this season. That’s due to the big target volume.

Engram trails only T.J. Hockenson and Travis Kelce in total targets and receptions among all tight ends this season. He’s seen at least seven targets in six straight games now to stay heavily involved and his price is only going down since the beginning of the season. This week it should be more of the same against the Pittsburgh Steelers and any time a tight end gets this much volume, they are likely to do fairly well, especially when that tight end is as good and athletic as Engram.

Trey McBride (ARI) – $2,800 v BAL

It was expected that Trey McBride would usurp Zach Ertz this season but it was expected to happen earlier than this. Ertz has been slowing down for a while now and was coming off another injury but apparently had a bit left in the tank still as he held off McBride for the first five weeks. That changed in Week 6 when McBride caught four of his five targets for 62 yards on his way to 10.2 DraftKings points. He disappointed a bit last week but the underlying metrics were still strong as he had a season-high six targets and 51% route participation.

Now Zach Ertz is officially on IR so it should be wheels up for McBride. The matchup against the Baltimore Ravens is tough on paper but the Arizona Cardinals should be throwing early and often as they are 9.5-point home favorites. That should play perfectly into McBride getting more volume, even if it’s garbage time. This is likely the last week to get McBride at such a cheap price so take advantage because his price and role make him one of the better Week 8 DraftKings plays among tight ends.

Others to Consider: Kyle Pitts (ATL) – $3,800 @ TEN, Dallas Goedert (PHI) – $4,600 @ WAS, Jake Ferguson (DAL) – $3,600 v LAR

Defense/Special Teams

In terms of choosing a defense/special teams, it’s the last spot I fill in every week. It’s pretty random but there are a few areas to gain an advantage. I look to target the heavily favored teams as they usually are playing with a lead. This forces their opponent to throw it more often which can help lead to extra sacks and turnovers and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. I advise filling out the rest of your lineup first and then picking your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.

My Tentative Cash Game Lineup

  • QB – Sam Darnold
  • RB – Alvin Kamara
  • RB – Breece Hall
  • WR – Tyreek Hill
  • WR – Tank Dell
  • WR – Zay Flowers
  • TE – Trey McBride
  • Flex – Tony Pollard
  • DST – Cincinnati Bengals

Make sure to tune in next week to see the results from my Week 8 DraftKings plays and to see the best picks for Week 9. Best of luck to everyone and let’s all enjoy some football and win some money!

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Main Photo: Matthew Hinton – USA Today Sports

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