As we enter Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season, there has never been a better time to play daily fantasy football. Injuries and the COVID-19 virus have decimated millions of teams in season-long redraft leagues, taking some of the fun out of the competition. DFS sites like DraftKings and FanDuel allow managers to pick new (and healthy) squads every week and build lineups by acquiring players at various costs and keeping rosters under a designated salary cap. Thus, it’s imperative to find sleepers and value picks at certain positions so you can afford some studs at other roster spots. RotoQL is here to help each week by highlighting our favorite sleepers and under-the-radar value picks in cash games and tournaments.
If you read this column last week, you very well could have won a handful of contests. Take a look at the point production of some of the hits from our list of Week 7 sleepers and value picks (all costs and point values via DraftKings):
- Justin Herbert, LAC ($6,400): 44.48
- Kyler Murray, ARI ($7,100): 43.1
- Joe Burrow, CIN ($5,500): 39.64
- Matt Ryan, ATL ($6,700): 19.52
- David Johnson, HOU (DK: $5,300): 16.4
- D’Andre Swift, DET ($5,400): 14.8
- Christian Kirk, ARI ($4,900): 20.7
- Kenny Golladay, DET ($6,700): 20.4
Please excuse the victory lap, but that’s a whole bunch of production at tremendous price points. Readers who plugged in even a few of these players at affordable costs had plenty of salary cap left to select studs like Tyler Lockett (53 points in one game!?) and DeAndre Hopkins (24.3). By combining consistently-elite players with weekly value picks who greatly outperform their DFS prices, you are much more likely to cash week in and week out.
MORE WEEK 8 DFS: Best stacks | Lineup Builder
As always, fantasy owners can read Week 8 previews and fantasy prediction articles 24/7 on BetQL, find out which side the pros are betting on their NFL expert picks dashboard, follow all the NFL public betting data, and build DraftKings lineups on RotoQL.
Let's break down our top Week 8 DFS value plays, and you can get an idea of why 100,000 DFS players trust RotoQL to build lineups. We constantly monitor pricing and provide the most up-to-date insight and analysis to maximize your lineup success. Optimize, find value plays, and increase your chances of cashing today!
WEEK 8 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
NFL DFS Picks Week 8: QB sleepers, values
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders (DK: $6,100 | FD: $7,200)
Mayfield has been appearing in more than just a flurry of Progressive commercials lately. The third-year QB made multiple cameos on NFL Red Zone this past Sunday, throwing a Week 8-leading five touchdowns despite losing Odell Beckham Jr. to an ACL tear. Mayfield was feeling it, hitting all sorts of season highs and putting Cleveland on his back in a tight 37-34 divisional win over Cincinnati. He completed 22-of-28 passes for 297 yards, (10.6 net yards per passing attempt) and finished with a sizzling 135.6 QB rating. The 25-year-old signal-caller has actually played better and more confidently without OBJ this season, finding open receivers all over the field. Fire up the oven and let the Baker do his thing at home this weekend, as the Browns welcome a Raiders defense that gives up the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns (DK: $5,500 | FD: $7,300)
Carr hasn’t been selected to a Pro Bowl since 2017, yet his completion percentage, touchdown percentage, average yards per game, and QB rating have all risen in each of his past three seasons. Meanwhile, his interceptions and interception rate have gone down during that same stretch. Carr has 13 TDs to only two picks this year, and his receivers finally seems to be healthy. Cleveland has a good front seven, but its secondary has been shaky. The Browns allow the third-most passing yards to QBs and surrender the seventh-most passing TDs.
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (DK: $5,400 | FD: $6,600)
Jimmy G has seemingly turned into an every-other-game type of fantasy performer. Two weeks ago, the veteran punched a stout Rams defense in the mouth with three TDs, but last weekend, he could not find the end zone against his former team, instead throwing two picks to the otherwise-hapless Patriots in a run-fueled 33-6 blowout. Garoppolo also had issues in Week 5 versus Miami, posting an unconscionably terrible 15.7 QB rating. The trend of good-bad-good should continue in Seattle, where the Seahawks give up the second-most fantasy points to QBs. The Niners always play the Seahawks tough, so roll the dice with the heartthrob in what should be a high-scoring affair.
WEEK 8 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 8 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: RB sleepers, values
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets (DK: $6,500 | FD: $7,500)
The anti-CEH narratives have been flooding the airwaves and Facebook groups since Le’Veon Bell became a Chief. Rhetoric will likely get ramped up again with talks of Bell’s opportunity for a "revenge game" against his former squad, but shouldn’t New York be seeking revenge against him? Bell wanted out, and the Jets showed him the door. His presence in Kansas City doesn’t change the fact that Edwards-Helaire has looked special. His 551 rushing yards ranking second in the NFL to Derrick Henry. Normally, we don’t feature RBs at $6,500/$7,500 as value picks, but it needs to be said: Start your studs, especially against the Jets. How’s that for a narrative?
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans (DK: $5,800 | FD: $5,900)
Easily one of the best fantasy handcuffs in football, Bernard always seems ready to step up into an expanded role. With starting back Joe Mixon out with a foot injury last week, the mustachioed marvel collected 96 all-purpose yards and a touchdown against an underrated Browns defense. Gio won’t dazzle you with chunk yards on the ground or huge per-carry averages, but he will always catch most of his targets and contribute in the red zone. He should continue to be a great asset for rookie QB Joe Burrow, especially against a tough Tennessee defense susceptible to pass-catching backs. With Mixon expected to miss at least one more game, spend soft and go with Bernard.
La'Mical Perine, New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs (DK: $4,300 | FD: $5,300)
Swim at your own risk here, but Perine played a season-high 70 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps Sunday in New York’s first real close game of the season. Perhaps head coach Adam Gase took some sort of magic potion that made him see clearly once the Jets dumped Bell. Until Week 7, Gase had been stubbornly featuring future Hall-of-Famer Frank Gore as if he was currently playing like a current Hall-of-Famer. A rebuilding team shouldn’t be pounding the rock with a 37-year old averaging 3.6 yards per carry. New York is a 20.5-point underdog against the defending champions in Week 8 -- methinks Gase will roll with the 22-year-old rookie for enough check-downs and garbage-time work to earn you double-digit fantasy points.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FanDuel, DraftKings Picks Week 8: WR sleepers, values
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (DK: $5,800 | FD: $5,900)
Whoa Nelly, did Aiyuk have a strong performance in San Francisco’s 33-6 stomping of the Patriots in New England over the weekend. He caught six of the seven passes the aforementioned Jimmy G sent his way, racking up 115 yards (19.2 yards per reception). Those are pretty remarkable numbers for a 22-year-old rookie taking on an elite Pats secondary in Foxboro. Next up is the Seahawks, who Arizona speedster Christian Kirk just feasted against. To add injury to insult, Seattle Pro Bowler Shaquill Griffin came out of that heartbreaker with a confirmed concussion and a hamstring issue. Here’s betting that Jimmy G and Brandon A pick up where they left off against a banged-up secondary, which already surrenders the most fantasy points to wide receivers.
Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns (DK: $4,700 | FD: $5,000)
One of the reasons Carr made the value list this week is because Agholor has taken a big step forward in the passing game the past few weeks. The veteran receiver has been listed under $4,000 three straight games, yet he posted at least 14.4 points in Weeks 4 and 5 and put up 24.7 last week against a great Tampa Bay defense. DraftKings and FanDuel have acknowledged Agholor heating up, but the sixth-year speedster should still easily outperform his price tag. He's caught 75 percent of the passes Carr has thrown his way, averaging 19.5 yards per reception and scoring four times. There’s no reason to believe that success will diminish against Cleveland, the second-most generous defense to wide receivers in fantasy football.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans (DK: $4,500 | FD: $5,800)
The DFS sites don’t seem to believe it, but Green has finally shaken off the rust. After scoring 15.8 points total in the four games from Week 2 through Week 5, the veteran receiver has scored 32.8 combined points in Cincinnati's past two games. As Green’s 28-percent target share during that span suggests, the aforementioned Burrow clearly trusts the seven-time Pro Bowler. The Titans are a great team, but wideouts still score the fourth-most fantasy points against them. Grab A.J. at $4,500 and watch him put you in the Green.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 8 NFL DFS Picks: TE sleepers, values
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $4,100 | FD: $6,100)
Heeeere’s Jonnu! Well, fantasy owners of Smith were likely saying “Where’s Jonnu?” last week, as the 6-3, 248-pound tight end caught only one of his four targets in a tough 27-24 loss to Pittsburgh. Perhaps Smith was still a little banged up from his ankle injury the week prior, or maybe the Steelers hard-nosed defense just blanketed him. Considering he started the season with 13 receptions, 181 yards and three touchdowns in three games, we like him to rebound against a poor Bengals defense. Only three teams yield more points to tight ends, so capitalize on the low pricing while it lasts.
Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders (DK: $3,200 | FD: $5,000)
Somebody has to benefit from a volume uptick after Austin Hooper’s appendectomy and WR Odell Beckham’s ACL tear. Why not Bryant? He sounds like he should be competing in a regional spelling bee, but the 6-5, 243-pound rookie out of FAU looked like a stud in the Browns divisional win over the Bengals. He caught four-of-five targets for 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging 14 yards per reception. Hooper will be the guy to own and/or start in the long run, but Bryant will be more than worth these discount prices for now. The Raiders rank 23rd in fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season. Go get ‘em, Harry.
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Week 8 NFL DFS values: D/ST sleepers
Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $3,000 | FD: $4,600)
We like lots of Titans this week and probably could have listed one at every position, but that would be boring and devoid of value. Thus, we stuck with Smith at TE and Tennessee at D/ST. At $3,000, you can do a lot worse than the defense among the league leaders in takeaways with 12 (despite already having its bye week). Tennessee’s pass defense has been a question mark, but against a rookie QB, we like the Titans’ chances of nabbing their 10th interception and holding the Bengals to their implied total of 24 points.