Week 7 pushed us back over the 60% mark for the year and included 3 top 5 plays in Ahmad Bradshaw (RB5), Larry Donnell (TE4) and Charles Clay (TE5). Of course that doesn't carry over this week, and that's the beauty of DFS. In Week 8 we have some juicy match ups and relatively soft pricing, which means a lot of opportunities for value. Let's find the best plays. The Value Play at each position is based off of the projections of David Dodds, while the Bargain Buy is my personal recommendation. You don't want a roster full of these guys, but using 1-2 of them could help you win your GPP.
Quarterback
Value Play
Teddy Bridgewater ($5100) vs. Tampa Bay- Bridgewater has been a disappointment since his early season breakout but this week offers a good chance to take a step forward. Tampa Bay is giving up a league-worst 294 yards per game through the air and has allowed 15 passing touchdowns already this year. If Bridgewater can get 3/4 of what Tampa generally allows he'll be a great value.
Bargain Buy
Derek Carr ($5200) vs. Cleveland- took a small step backwards last week but there's a reason I'm not discouraged. Tony Sparano's Raiders kept throwing the ball deep, even when Carr was missing the throws. I trust this kid's arm enough to believe that as long as the Raiders stick with this game plan he's going to have big weeks. This should be one of them.
Running Back
Value Play
Ben Tate ($4600) vs. Oakland- Despite the fact that the Browns have a pair of talented rookie running backs, Tate looks like he's going to get his carries when he's healthy. The Raiders give up around 145 yards per game on the ground, which is the 4th worst mark in the league. Tate had scored 34 fantasy points in his last two starts before the debacle against the Jaguars and I expect him to get back on track in this one.
Bargain Buy
Anthony Dixon ($3300) vs. New York Jets- Both of the Bills feature running backs fell to injuries last week, leaving Dixon to share the load with Bryce Brown. Considering Brown wasn't even active last week that's a pretty good indication that Dixon will see the lion's share of the carries. This Jets defense was supposed to be great against the run but they've given up big fantasy days to Brandon Oliver and Shane Vereen in back-to-back weeks.
Wide Receiver
Value Play
Justin Hunter ($3100) vs. Houston- Hunter is the only player to make both articles this week and for what it's worth I think he's a better deal on DraftKings than anywhere else. Hunter is a big play threat that is facing a defense that loves to give up big plays. He's the best bet to reach value in one play this week and if Mettenberger targets him heavily he could be the play of the week.
Bargain Buy
Dwayne Bowe ($3600) vs. St. Louis- Bowe graced this column last week and produced 4x value against a defense that is much better than the Rams. St. Louis has struggled recently with pass defense and the Chiefs seem to be finding their stride. Bowe's price is eventually going to be at least $1000 higher so enjoy this while it lasts.
Tight End
Value Play
Zach Ertz ($3200) vs. Arizona- We all know the narrative that Arizona is terrible against tight ends, but that hasn't been as true this year as it was last year. This has much more to do with talent/price and betting that Chip Kelly focused on getting the ball to one of his best weapons more often during the bye week. Ertz, like Bowe, is a player that I expect to have a big surge in price over the next few weeks.
Bargain Buy
Travis Kelce ($3800) vs. St. Louis- It's funny how a bye week and a couple of average weeks can slow down the hype. Kelce is still one of the most talented tight ends in the game and the Chiefs use him all over the field. I'd watch for reports on his ribs, to make sure, but I don't believe it's serious. Kelce is the type of player that could finish as TE1 and put you over the top in a GPP without doing anything more than what we've seen him do before.
Defense
Kansas City Chiefs ($2800) vs. St. Louis- Yes, for the first time ever this article is Kansas City heavy. The Rams offense is smoke and mirrors in my opinion, but they'll have Kansas City's attention after what they did to Seattle last week. Bob Sutton is going to turn up the pressure on Austin Davis, and I don't expect he'll handle it well.
