Week eight was a fun one for fantasy, with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles really hitting their stride, Jameis Winston making the Cleveland Browns interesting again, and Cade Otton making the most of his opportunities in Tampa Bay. On National Tight End Day, everybody’s favorite position really knew how to celebrate, with five tight ends registering over 20 points and another four registering over 16. The tight end position was rough to start with, but all of a sudden, there seem to be options everywhere.
Speaking of options, there are some very enticing matchups for us to target this week for DFS lineups. With some help from our Gridiron AI models, here are our recommended picks.
Game 1: Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
- Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Spread: Lions -3.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 49 points
We have to kick things off with a trip to Lambeau Field for one of the matchups of the week, between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. The Lions have been one of the most impressive offensive teams in recent history, averaging 33.4 points per game, which is comfortably the most in the NFL. Green Bay is a tough defense to go up against, but I don’t think that really matters with Detroit. They are winning on the ground as well as through the air, with offensive genius Ben Johnson creating winning matchups regardless of the opponent.
Green Bay has been good at stuffing the run, but don’t let that put you off the Lions' running backs, particularly Jahmyr Gibbs, who could be utilized more in the passing game. Our models agree, projecting Gibbs to get 18.4 points. If the Lions do somehow struggle to get the run going, Detroit’s offense runs through the ground attack, which makes both Gibbs and Montgomery a good option every single week. But with Green Bay likely to put up more of a fight than recent opponents, I think this is a week that we can trust Amon-Ra St. Brown again. Our models predict him to get 20.5 points, which would justify his expensive price tag of $7,900.
The overall fantasy scoring opportunities for this game would go up significantly if Jordan Love, who is dealing with a groin injury, is able to play. He is tied for second-most touchdowns this year with 15, and with Detroit giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers this year, he would make Jayden Reed a very interesting player and make the rest of the Packers' receiving core viable flexes. Romeo Doubs has the next highest prediction of 10.5, followed by Christian Watson at 8.1 and Dontayvion Wicks at 7.1. All are below the $6,000 mark and are low-owned, so they could be worth a gamble.
If Love doesn’t play, then Josh Jacobs will be fed a huge workload, making him an excellent selection at just $6,900. Even if Love does play, you should still consider slotting Jacobs into your lineup.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Goff + Gibbs + St. Brown + Reed (swap for Jacobs if Love doesn’t play)
- (Only if Love plays) Love + Jacobs + Reed + St. Brown
Individual Plays
- DET: J. Gibbs, D. Montgomery, A. St. Brown, S. LaPorta
- GB: J. Jacobs, J. Reed, R. Doubs, C. Watson, T. Kraft
Game 2: Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Bengals -7.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 47 points
For our next matchup, we will be hoping for a Cincinnati explosion as they take on the woeful Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have been surprisingly stingy against the pass this year, giving up just 189.1 yards per game, but that’s not going to stop me from building a stack around Joe Burrow and his Bengals playmakers. Burrow is playing at a very high level this year, and his connection with Jamar Chase has produced a league-leading 674 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.
There is nobody who can hang with Chase, and the Bengals simply love to throw the ball, so I expect him to be busy. This is reflected in a generous prediction of 18.2 points, according to our model, which is the third most among receivers. Burrow himself also lands in the top 7 with 21 points.
The Bengals should be playing with the lead in this game, which should give sophomore running back Chase Brown an opportunity to make some plays. He is a cheap option at just $5,900 but gets a nice prediction of 16.5 points this weekend. Unsurprisingly, this price tag has led to a relatively high ownership projection of around 16%. Brown is the younger, more explosive back, and the positive game script should give him much more run than the older Zack Moss.
On the Raiders' side of things, there aren’t many you want to trust. The one certified stud is Brock Bowers, who is in a great matchup going up against a Bengals defense that ranks in the bottom 10 for fantasy points conceded to tight ends. You don’t want too much exposure to this dismal Raiders offense though, so I would restrict yourself to only including him as a contrarian play in your Bengals stack.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Burrow + Brown + Chase + Bowers
Individual Plays
- CIN: C. Brown, J. Chase, T. Higgins (if healthy)
- LV: B. Bowers, J. Meyers
Game 3: Jacksonville Jaguars @ Philadelphia Eagles
- Time: 4:05 PM ET
- Spread: Eagles -7.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 46 points
The Jacksonville Jaguars have not been a good football team this year, but they are an intriguing option in DFS. This is mainly because their defense is giving up the 29th-most points and yards per game this year, making them a great unit to target in fantasy. This week, they face off against a very talented Philadelphia Eagles offense, making a Philly stack a no-brainer.
We will kick things off with Jalen Hurts, who projects to be our highest-rated quarterback this week, with a prediction of 24.5 points. And the man who will be doing most of that damage with him is, of course, AJ Brown, who has 408 yards and three touchdowns from his four games played so far this year. Brown is a beast, and one of the most dangerous weapons in the entire NFL. In this easy matchup against a Jacksonville defense that’s giving up the most points to wide receivers, he is a smash pick, and his ownership projection of 11.7% is pretty reasonable. Our models have him as the third-highest projected wide receiver with 20.5 points.
Saquon Barkley is another great shout, and DeVonta Smith gives you some slightly cheaper exposure to this offense, while still being able to blow up at any point.
For Jacksonville, Brian Thomas Junior has been a rare glimmer of hope, but he is questionable with a rib injury. The Eagles' defense is much better this year, ranking in the top 10 for both passing yards and rushing yards conceded per game, but with Philly likely to score some points, it’s worth having a member of this Jacksonville passing attack to go up against them in your stack. Brian Thomas Junior is your first option, predicted to score 12.3 points, but if he cannot go, then it might be worth sneaking in Parker Washington at a bargain price of just $3,600. He should do some work on the outside in place of Thomas and is a very intriguing sleeper.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Hurts + Barkley + Brown + Thomas Junior
- Lawrence + Barkley + Thomas Jr. + Brown + Engram
Individual Plays
- PHI: S. Barkley, A. Brown, D. Smith
- JAX: T. Bigsby, E. Engram, B. Thomas Jr., P. Washington
Game 4: LA Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
- Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Spread: Rams -1.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 48 points
The LA Rams are back, evidenced by a fantastic 30-point performance against a good Minnesota Vikings defense on Thursday night football last week. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua’s return to the field unsurprisingly transformed this unit and instantly made Matthew Stafford a viable fantasy option again. He looked back to his top 10 status when slinging the ball to one of the most dynamic wide receiver duos in the entire NFL.
Our models side with Nacua as the better option, predicting him to score 18.2 points, but Cooper Kupp is also in play at $7,700 and a prediction of 15 points. Seattle just conceded 31 points to the Buffalo Bills, including a touchdown to rookie Keon Coleman and over 100 yards to Khalil Shakir, which suggests a big day could be on the cards for this Rams passing attack.
The Seahawks have also been generous to opposing running backs this year, conceding the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. Of course, that means Kyren Williams is in play, but I’m not telling you anything new there. He has scored a touchdown in every single game this year, bringing his total tally to 10. According to the Gridiron AI models, he is on track for a 21.1-point outing and should always be in consideration at $8,000. He is pricey, but he is also our fourth-highest predicted running back.
This should also be a good outing for Seattle’s offense, going up against a Rams defense that is giving up 25 points per game. They are best targeted on the ground, where they are giving up 139.1 yards per game, which is 23rd in the NFL, making this a potentially good spot for Kenneth Walker. It hasn’t been the easiest to trust him this year, logging three games with under 35 yards, but when he goes big, he goes big in style. In what should be a high-scoring game this weekend, our models are predicting one of his better games, estimating an outing of 18 points.
The Seahawks' passing attack is also worthy of stack consideration, but only if DK Metcalf is healthy enough to play. The disappointing outing against Buffalo proved how reliant they are on the big X receiver, and Geno Smith’s value seems to be tied to him. If Metcalf plays, then I like a Seahawks stack with Geno, Metcalf, and Walker. If Metcalf doesn’t play, then I would only be interested in the Rams' side of this one.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Stafford + Williams + Walker + Nacua
- (Only if DK Metcalf plays) Smith + Walker + Williams + Kupp
Individual Plays
- LA: K. Williams, P. Nacua, C. Kupp
- SEA: K. Walker, D. Metcalf (if healthy), J. Smith-Njigba, N. Fant
Game 5: Washington Commanders @ New York Giants
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Commanders -3.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 44 points
Our last target from a DFS stacking perspective is the Washington Commanders, who face off against the lackluster New York Giants. Jayden Daniels is near the top of our quarterback projections every week, and this week is no different, with him earning a projection of 24.1 points, which is the third-most among quarterbacks. He just passed for over 300 yards against a very sturdy Chicago Bears defense, and we know that he is one of the most dangerous rushing quarterbacks in the NFL as well, making him a smash pick every week.
For our stack this week, as with most weeks, we will be pairing him up with his fantastic outside receiver, Terry McLaurin. Scary Terry has been tearing it up this year and is a good price at $7,100, considering his projection of 15.4. Russell Wilson and George Pickens just had great success against this Giants' secondary, including two touchdowns called back on penalties, which suggests Daniels and McLaurin should thrive.
Zach Ertz is another name to look at in this Washington passing game, having become a very reliable target for Daniels in recent weeks. At just $4,300, he is an enticing, cheap route into getting some exposure to this Commanders' passing game.
For New York, it is a shame that Tyrone Tracy suffered a concussion at the end of his breakout performance against Pittsburgh. He would be worthy of consideration here, and in his absence, Devin Singletary is worth a look. Singletary started the season strong with a few good outings before his injury and is a good price for a starting running back at just $6,100.
The only other player worth looking at in the Giants' offense is Malik Nabers, who has collected 498 yards and three touchdowns from his six games played. He is relatively pricey at $7,500 but is capable of coming up with a huge performance at any point and will be the focal point of the offense with Tyrone Tracy now likely to miss. Our models have him as the fourth-highest projection among wide receivers with 19.9 points.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Daniels + McLaurin + Nabers + Ertz
Individual Plays
- WAS: B. Robinson, T. McLaurin, Z. Ertz, WAS D/ST
- NYG: D. Singletary (or T. Tracy if he plays), M. Nabers, D. Slayton