FanDuel Fantasy Football: Week 9 Value Plays

FanDuel Fantasy Football: Week 9 Value Plays

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.

QUARTERBACK

Cam Newton, CAR vs. TB ($8,500): This matchup is as good as it gets for Cam who'll be home against the worst pass defense in football. Tampa Bay is giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Cam always has the scrambling ability in his skill set, giving him a high ceiling. He has a slew of weapons to throw to including D.J. Moore (who just had a breakout game), Greg Olsen (safety blanket), Devin Funchess (adequate No.1 wide receiver) and Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield. In GPPs, don't hesitate to take a chance on Ryan Fitzpatrick ($7,100), remembering that he had three straight 400-yard passing games to start the season.

RUNNING BACK

Isaiah Crowell, NYJ at MIA ($5,700): There are plenty of running backs under $7,000 (Phillip Lindsay, Nick Chubb, Chris Carson and Kenyan Drake) to use for cash games this weekend. Crowell has a great matchup against a Miami defense that over the last five week has allowed:

19.3 fantasy points to Lamar Miller
18.9 fantasy points to Kerryon Johnson
19.6 fantasy points to Tarik Cohen
19.2 fantasy points to Joe Mixon
27.2 fantasy points to James White

While the floor is pretty low for Crowell (five games below seven fantasy points), there is a nice ceiling considering the matchup and what he's done this season (games of 18.1, 22.2 and 29.6 fantasy points).

Devontae Booker, DEN vs. HOU ($4,900): This recommendation is only good if Royce Freeman is ruled out again this week (he hasn't practiced yet this week). Booker went a little under the radar last week, finishing with 13 touches for 101 yards from scrimmage, which was good for 12.1 fantasy points. Had he found the end zone with those numbers, he would have returned almost 3.7X value, a nice return. That being said, he'll be home against a tougher defense and should be left for GPP use only.

WIDE RECEIVER

Brandin Cooks, LAR at NO ($7,500): While Cooper Kupp will be back in the mix this week, Josh Reynolds found the end zone twice, so Kupp's return won't affect Cooks' value too much. If there's such a thing as a "revenge" factor (playing against your old team), he'll have that narrative working for him, and Cooks has been pretty consistent this year. He has 9.8 fantasy points in six of seven games this season, and while the Saints have been excellent against the run, they've been the worst team in the league at giving up points to opposing wide receivers. There's nothing wrong with turning to Robert Woods ($7,600) instead, and using both isn't a bad idea either.

Devin Funchess, CAR vs. TB ($6,400): Funchess is at such a cheap price, and even if a lineup doesn't use Cam Newton, he's definitely in play. Last week's dud (4.2 fantasy points) can be largely attributed to the coverage of Jimmy Smith, and this week is a completely different story. Funchess had games of 15.9 and 15.2 fantasy points the two previous games before Baltimore and now gets the team allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

TIGHT END

O.J. Howard, TB at CAR ($6,000): The switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick won't affect Howard's fantasy value, and there's an argument Fitz should be able to move the team up and down the field better. Surprisingly, Carolina has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, at 19.2 per game. That means Cameron Brate ($4,400) can be used as a punt play this weekend as well.

FLEX

DeVante Parker, MIA vs. NYJ ($5,800): It looks like Kenny Stills will be out again this week (no practice yet as of Thursday), and Parker led the Dolphins in targets (9-6-134) last week. On the main slate of games, the Jets have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, making this a great matchup for Parker. Remember that Parker had 29 targets over the Dolphins last three games last season suggesting, Adam Gase and company saw him as a No.1 wide receiver.

DEFENSE

Kansas City Chiefs D/ST ($3,900): If Nathan Peterman starts Sunday as planned, the Bears ($5,400) will be very chalky and worth the hefty price tag. Pivoting to Kansas City this week saves $1,500 and is a good contrarian play given the anticipated high ownership of Chicago. This is about the matchup for the Chiefs, as Baker Mayfield has thrown six interceptions in his five starts and has gotten sacked five times (ahem, Dee Gordon) in three different games.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin Payne plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: Fanduel: kevinccp, Draft Kings: kevinccp, Yahoo: kevinccp.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Payne
Kevin has worked for RotoWire over a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. You can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.
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