There's an old saying that once is luck, two times is a trend, and three times is a habit, and we're believing in that for our Week 9 Yahoo NFL DFS cash lineup picks.
Drew Brees didn't throw for a touchdown for the first time since 2016, so we're not only going to chalk that up as bad luck, but we're beliving that he'll also try twice as hard to make up for that zero-score day. It's been two games in a row that Marlon Mack has been heavily incorporated into the Colts offense, and we think the trend will continue. Lastly, the past three games for Jimmy Graham and the past four for Will Fuller show that it's going to be a habit of seeing them in the end zone, especially this week against defenses who struggle to stop those positions.
Most of these high-floor picks have been consistent as of late, but they also possess the ability to put up sky-high numbers.
WEEK 9 RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Yahoo Fantasy Football Week 9: NFL DFS cash lineup picks
QB: Drew Brees, Saints vs. Bucs ($38). Brees didn't throw a touchdown last week for the first time all season, so that only means he has to throw even more this week to make up for it. If you need stats to back that up, the last time he failed to throw a TD pass, which was in 2016, he threw four the next game. On top of that, he's at home in the Superdome and playing against the Bucs, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to opposing QBs.
RB: Aaron Jones, Packers vs. Lions ($24). In Hundley's first start, there was a clear goal to run the ball more, with a near split of 25 passing attempts and 24 carries. Jones handled 17 of those carroes, and he's seems to have overtaken Ty Montgomery. Green Bay will likely do it again, as the Lions have given up six total TDs to RBs in the past five games.
RB: Marlon Mack, Colts vs. Texans ($13). Mack's value stems mostly from garbage time. If the Texans can dominate the Seahawks defense, they should have no problem running over the Colts second-worst pass defense. If/when the game gets out of hand, the Colts will go to the air, where screen passes and check downs to Mack will add up and he'll sneak in a score like he did last week.
WEEK 9 DFS:
Yahoo GPP lineup | FD GPP | FD cash | DK GPP | DK cash | Values | Stacks | DFS lineup builder
WR: Dez Bryant, Cowboys vs. Chiefs. ($25). The Chiefs go above and beyond in letting opposing WRs rack up the yards and touchdowns. Even Amari Cooper was able to cure his fantasy woes during their matchup. The Chiefs are the only team giving up an average of 30 FPPG to WRs, and the Cowboys will likely turn to the air more if Ezekiel Elliott is actually suspended this week. Even if he isn't, we'd still expect the Cowboys to throw often, and Bryant will benefit.
WR: Ted Ginn Jr., Saints vs. Bucs ($19). As stated earlier, we're expecting a big game out of Brees, and not only can the Bucs not stop QBs, but they also can't stop WRs, allowing the second-most FPPG to wideouts (28). The Saints have been running the ball more lately, but that hasn't stopped Ginn from posting 66, 141, and 68 receiving yards, respectively, in his past three games. Brees continues to look his way, and he's bound to find the end zone at least once this game.
WR: Will Fuller V, Texans vs. Colts ($25). There's really not much to say here except that Fuller has seven touchdowns in four games, multi-TDs in three of them, Deshaun Watson is throwing dimes across the board, and the Colts have the second-worst pass defense in the league. We're staying on the Fuller bandwagon, and for 25 bucks, that's a price that can't be beat.
WR: Michael Crabtree, Raiders @ Dolphins ($25). The downgrade from Deshaun Watson to Tom Savage is too big in a cash game, so we're pivoting to Crabtree, who should see a lot of targets against a Dolphins' pass defense that's struggled against the Jets and Ravens in the past two weeks.
TE: Jimmy Graham, Seahawks vs. Redskins ($22). It's been three straight games with a touchdown for Graham, including two last week. The Seahawks offense has been rolling as of late, and Graham has been a big part of that. He should continue his hot streak against a Redskins team that has allowed every TE except two to score over nine fantasy points. And one of the two who didn't, George Kittle, was inches away from scoring a touchdown that would've had him join the party.
FLEX: Marvin Jones, Jr., Lions @ Packers ($17). Even with Golden Tate playing at near full strength, Jones led the team with six catches for 128 yards in Week 8. It's expected that Jones will regress a little bit with Tate at 100 percent health, but Jones should still get a solid amount of targets and produce enough points against a Packers team averaging a seventh-highest FPPG to WRs. Not to mention, Jones has had success in the past at Lambeau, putting together 205 yards and two scores last time out.
D/ST: Arizona Cardinals @ 49ers ($13). Taking a major salary hit from our WRs and TE, we're taking value at defense and making the most of it. It's already the second matchup between these two teams, and the Cardinals D/ST recorded three sacks and an interception while holding the 49ers to a low 15 points earlier this year. In the past three games, C.J. Beathard has three interceptions and two fumbles lost, allowing a pick-six last week. The Cardinals defense has struggled for most of the year, but coming off a bye, they'll be refreshed and ready to go in this matchup.