Here we are, back again for another DFS slate. Last week proved to be extremely successful as many of our targeted players hit it big. Tyrod Taylor delivered a sizable performance on the ground and through the air, teaming well with LeSean McCoy to make an excellent fantasy stack. Julio Jones and James White turned in strong performances as well, which combined nicely with Michael Crabtree's solid performance.
We also learned some lessons from last week's slate that we can apply in Week 8. Finding better matchups to take advantage of and helping us cash in for the second straight week. So let's get started with our optimized DFS lineup for Sunday's main slate of games.
Quarterback:
Andy Dalton, CIN v. IND, $5,700
Dalton will be a popular play in DFS this week and for good reason. Inconsistent play throughout much of the season drives is price down below $6K and it lines up perfectly with his matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Through Week 7, the Colts allowed the second-most passing yards per game to opposing teams and frequently found themselves on the opposite ends of bad plays. That all came before free safety Malik Hooker tore his ACL, now the secondary will be even worse without him.
Another positive for Dalton is the matchup against an uncommon opponent. USA Today's Joe Goodberry tracks Dalton's numbers and has talked for years about how much better he performs versus uncommon opponents, the latest data can be found here. With significantly better numbers against uncommon opponents and a great matchup at home, this is the type of game that could allow the Bengals' offense to finally turn in a monster game.
Running Back:
Chris Thompson, WAS v. DAL, $5,800
In a game that should be high scoring, Thompson's role as the featured passing back in this offense gains even more value. Thompson is a playmaker who Washington uses all over the field and tries to get the ball in his hands as much as possible, demonstrated by the fact that he leads the team in rushing and receiving yards. Even last week when Philadelphia limited him to 64 total yards, Thompson still came through with a touchdown and five receptions.
A look ahead to this week shows a game where he'll likely see 15-plus touches, more than enough opportunities for him to turn in a big play if the blocks set up right. A player who can turn one catch into a 45-yard touchdown is a target for us in GPP and even more so given Washington uses him often in the red zone. He's a risky play, but Thompson offers RB1 upside in PPR scoring.
LeGarrette Blount, PHI v. SF, $5,100
San Francisco allows the third-most rushing yards per game in the NFL and just got ripped to shreds by Ezekiel Elliott. While Blount isn't near that caliber of running backs, Sunday presents an excellent matchup that could unleash Blount for his second 100-plus yard rushing game and a chance to find the end zone. His chances of crossing the goal line increase even more given Philadelphia is a heavy favorite over San Francisco and the Eagles' offense has shown a consistent ability to get inside the 10-yard line.
With an early lead, Philadelphia will look to keep Blount involved and could see 18-plus touches this week. Establishing the running game would also help bring more balance to the offense and make defenses respect the run a little more. The loss of left tackle Jason Peters is a blow, but the matchup is just too difficult to ignore and it secures Blount's spot as an RB2 with upside for some of our DFS lineups.
Wide Receiver:
Keenan Allen, LAC @ NE, $7,300
Allen's price isn't as high as what some might have expected given the matchup, but we'll gladly take the few hundred dollars off and land a top play. New England boasts one of the worst secondaries in the NFL and their inability to cover slot wide receivers is glaring. Los Angeles' offense is starting to click and Sunday presents an opportunity for this passing attack to really go off.
It's perfectly reasonable to make Allen your WR1 this week and spend some of your A.J. Green money to land an elite running back, but this week I want some shares with three top-15 wide receivers that have great matchups. Allen offers top-five wide receiver upside and you can count on the targets in this matchup to where the production should give you a safe floor at minimum.
Alshon Jeffery, PHI v. SF, $6,700
Jeffery is not a popular fantasy name in season-long leagues right now. He entered 2017 with plenty of preseason hype but thus far carries a state line with just 26 receptions for 354 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Part of the problem is just being a new arrival and the chemistry with Carson Wentz still a work in progress, but even more so is a rough slate against a series of top cover corners to begin the season.
That all changes this weekend. San Francisco boasts a bad secondary that is hurt by injuries and doesn't have the pass rush to create serious pressure and make things impossible on Wentz. We should see Wentz have time in this game and Jeffery will get open deep against San Francisco's secondary. As our WR3, while higher priced, Jeffery offers supreme upside.
Brandon LaFell, CIN v. IND, $3,700
LaFell is also an unpopular name, but that's mostly amongst football fans in general. He certainly isn't a great wide receiver or anyone you really want to rely on most weeks, but there are six teams on a bye in Week 8 and LaFell plays in a great matchup at a bargain rate price. More importantly, LaFell saw 15 targets over the past two weeks and holds a clear role in this offense. Just given how bad Indianapolis is, the chance for 50-plus yards and a touchdown from LaFell is worth gambling on in a few lineups.
Tight End:
Jared Cook, OAK @ BUF, $3,900
He might never be the tight end people wanted him to be, but Cook can still produce when given volume. Oakland targeted him heavily last week in a great matchup and he rewarded them with 107 receiving yards. The team isn't suddenly going to go away from him now with another strong matchup on tap. You should rarely spend heavily on the tight end position and Cook comes in at a bargain with some quality upside.
Defense/Special Teams:
Seattle Seahawks D/ST v. HOU, $3,200