Week 9 DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football Picks, Lineup Tips for Sunday
The Week 9 main NFL slate only features 10 games, and a host of superstar players will not take part.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins will play in Frankfurt, Germany earlier Sunday morning, while the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals have a Sunday Night Football matchup looming.
Some of the NFL's top stars on the main slate have brutal matchups. Of note, the Dallas Cowboys' top-five scoring defense will face the high-powered Philadelphia Eagles offense. The Seattle Seahawks are flying high but now face the Baltimore Ravens, who have allowed the fewest points in football.
Despite all that, there's still plenty of value to be had on the main slate, especially at quarterback, which features a few new starter faces around the $5,000 range and under.
In fact, the $5,000-$6,000 range at all the skill positions is intriguing this week, and we'll try to pick the top point-per-dollar play at each spot before shouting out the top defense.
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Minnesota Vikings QB Jaren Hall ($4,800)
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Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Jaren Hall will make his first career start in place of four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Consider Hall on Sunday in fantasy. He fared quite well during his time at BYU, accounting for 3,171 passing yards and 31 touchdowns while adding 350 rushing yards and three more scores.
His rushing ability could certainly provide more value on Sunday against the Falcons, who have taken a massive hit on defense after losing superstar defensive tackle Grady Jarrett for the season with a torn ACL.
Atlanta has also allowed some big games to quarterbacks in recent weeks, particularly to first-year starters. The Washington Commanders' Sam Howell tossed three touchdowns against the Falcons three weeks ago, and the Tennessee Titans' Will Levis threw for four touchdowns and 238 yards in his debut versus Atlanta last Sunday.
Plus, Hall has solid talent to work with, even with superstar wideout Justin Jefferson on the shelf with a strained hamstring. Tight end T.J. Hockenson remains one of the best at his position in the game, and wide receiver Jordan Addison has emerged as an excellent WR1 in Jefferson's absence.
Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard ($5,000)
2 of 5
No defense has allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Indianapolis Colts, who have been gashed for 15 touchdowns on the ground. Their 124.0 rushing yards allowed per game is also 10th-most in the NFL.
Now the Colts face a Carolina Panthers team with a murky rushing situation. Carolina brought in Miles Sanders in free agency on a $25.4 million deal, but backup Chuba Hubbard has been the better back this season. Hubbard has rushed for 3.9 yards per carry, while Sanders has amassed just 3.0 YPC.
Sanders missed an Oct. 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins with a shoulder injury but returned last Sunday against the Houston Texans. But he managed just two carries for zero yards while Hubbard had 17 touches (albeit for only 54 yards).
It's possible Sanders gets more of the workload this week, but officially, Hubbard has been named the starter for Sunday, per Panthers head coach Frank Reich.
Plus, the Panthers' offense could be coming back to life. Yes, Carolina only scored 15 points against the Texans last Sunday, but rookie quarterback Bryce Young had his best game as a pro in Thomas Brown's first game as playcaller, completing 22-of-31 passes for 235 yards and one touchdown.
At just $5,000, Hubbard could be a steal on Sunday, especially if the Panthers' offense has another solid game.
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin ($5,600)
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Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has amassed 10.7 targets per game over the past three weeks, and he's seen at least nine targets in four of the past five games. It's a stark difference from Weeks 1-3, when McLaurin only had 14 targets total.
Simply put, McLaurin is an excellent talent and well-deserving of those looks. Somehow, it's only resulted in two touchdowns over his first eight games, and he's also caught just 17 passes on his last 32 targets as well.
Expect variance to go his way soon enough, both in the form of a higher catch rate and more scores.
McLaurin could also benefit from improved play via rookie quarterback Sam Howell, who just had his best game as a pro with 397 yards (on 39-of-52 passing) for four touchdowns and one interception against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Now they are playing the struggling New England Patriots, a two-win outfit that's playing without defensive stars Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez.
In sum, at $5,600, McLaurin could provide a massive return on investment.
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Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson ($5,200)
4 of 5
The tight end position is rough on the main slate. Four of the six top scorers at the position (per point-per-reception scoring) are not available.
Superstar Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is not present as he plays Sunday morning in Germany versus Miami. Target machine Evan Engram of the Jacksonville Jaguars is on a bye, and the same goes for rookie star Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers' star George Kittle.
The top option is the Baltimore Ravens' No. 1 target Mark Andrews at $6,800. No one else is in his stratosphere, with the Minnesota Vikings' T.J. Hockenson next on the list at $5,200.
Unless you want to take a shot at a cheaper tight end and hope for the best, the pick here is to go the safer route with Hockenson, who should see a fair share of targets without breaking the bank a la Andrews.
Hockenson could be safety valve for rookie quarterback Jaren Hall in his first start. He's already a target machine as is with 68 through eight games (8.5 per game) and at least eight in seven of his eight contests.
The former Detroit Lion star has also managed 17 catches for 174 yards and one score in his last two games. Hockenson may be a popular choice given his price tag and production, but he's worth it.
New York Giants D/ST ($2,300)
5 of 5
Simply put, there is no reason for the New York Giants to be the lowest-priced defense/special teams unit on the main slate.
The Giants' defense has been excellent for three straight weeks, allowing just 34 total points, including only 14 against superstar quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is on fire with eight-and-a-half sacks, and interior lineman Dexter Lawrence is a pressure machine right now who presents a significant mismatch for anyone who crosses his path.
Now they are playing a Las Vegas Raiders team that just fired its head coach, Josh McDaniels, and offensive coordinator, Mick Lombardi. Las Vegas also just benched Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O'Connell, so this team is in clear transition right now.
Perhaps all those changes lead to success, but they were made five days before the Giants game, and growing pains might be in store. Expect the Giants' front seven to force pressure all day, leading to another successful outing.
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