We're getting a little crazy with our Week 9 FanDuel GPP lineup. Any daily fantasy football lineup that starts with value play Brandon Allen at quarterback is probably a bit more unusual than you're used to. But doing that allows us to play both Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey, jamming in two top-tier RB studs to give a great floor for our NFL DFS tournament picks.
If you're new to this article, we pick four players every week we'll be overweight in our lineup builds. Then, we give an example of how we'd fill in around them in tournaments. Our "Core Four" this week is Allen, Cook, McCaffrey, and Marvin Jones. This isn't an "optimal lineup", but it's an example of one you could build if you start with our "Core Four". If you're looking for more great NFL, NBA, or MLB, or PGA DFS advice, check me out on Twitter (@DFSBenj).
WEEK 9 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FanDuel Picks Week 9: NFL DFS example lineup for GPPs
CORE PLAY: QB Brandon Allen, Broncos vs. Browns ($6,000)
This is perhaps the most difficult slate of the NFL season thus far, and we are going to have to make some tough decisions on who to roster to get the volume in our lineups that we are looking for. To get that volume, we need to make some sacrifices at other positions, and that starts with quarterback, where we will be going with Allen for just $6,000.
Allen is getting the start for the Broncos this week after Joe Flacco was ruled out with a neck injury. I’m always looking to play cheap quarterback options, and it worked out pretty well last week with Ryan Tannehill. Allen has hopped around to a few different teams in his career, and considering he hasn't thrown an NFL pass, it's impossible to know how talented he is. However, he doesn’t need to do much at all to pay off his price here. Allen threw for more than 3,400 yards and 30 touchdowns in his final season at Arkansas, so he might have some decent upside if he can get going against a below-average Browns secondary.
WEEK 9 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash
CORE PLAY: RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Titans ($9,700)
McCaffrey has taken his game to another level this season and is a dark-horse MVP candidate. He also has a real shot at breaking Chris Johnson’s NFL record for total yards from scrimmage, and his production should could go up once Cam Newton (foot) returns. CMC is priced way up at $9,700 this week in a neutral matchup against the Titans, but I'm still going to try to jam him into as many lineups as possible on a week as tricky as this one.
Some may be worried about a matchup with the Titans, who have had a stout rushing defense over the past few seasons. However, they only rank 22nd DvP against running backs this year, and we just saw McCaffrey dominate last week against San Francisco and their top-five rushing defense in a game that had the worst possible game script for a running back.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
CORE PLAY: RB Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ Chiefs ($9,000)
We already have one stud running back in our lineups, and now we’re going to be jamming in the other top-tier running back on the slate in Cook. Unlike McCaffrey, who has a neutral matchup, Cook has one of the best matchups among any skill position player against the Chiefs, who can’t stop anyone on the ground. We just saw the Packers running back duo of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams dominate Kansas City both on the ground and through the air, and there is no reason to believe that Cook can’t do the same given his consistent 20-plus-touch workload. Given their prices, I would have an easier time fading McCaffrey than Cook, but jamming both of these players in your lineup gives you such a good points floor that I think playing both of them on FanDuel is the optimal play.
CORE PLAY: WR Marvin Jones, Lions @ Raiders ($5,700)
With most of our salary going to the running backs, we need to spend down at our wide receiver positions. Lucky for us, there are a few nice options at the position who are priced under $6,000. My favorite of the bunch is Jones at only $5,700. This price is just too cheap for a player that has the upside that Jones has, and the matchup against the Raiders is too good to overlook.
I worry about Jones’ target volume on a week-to-week basis, but he tends to make the most of them with his excellent catch radius and a knack for finding the end zone. The Raiders rank dead last in DvP against wide receivers, making this a high upside spot for Jones and the Lions offense.
WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ Seahawks ($8,200)
I want to jam in a few players from the Bucs-Seahawks matchup, which has shootout written all over it. Godwin's ownership shouldn't be too high this week, and we'll grab another receiver from this game below.
MORE WEEK 9 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup builder
WR Mike Williams, Chargers vs. Packers ($5,700)
With Keenan Allen hobbled and Williams steady target share, it seems like he's due for a good game. Jaire Alexander should shadow Allen, so Williams might be the more open option for Philip Rivers.
TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. Bears ($5,000)
At tight end, we can look to Goedert at $5,000. He has outplayed fellow tight end, Zach Ertz, this season and has caught touchdowns in three of the past five games.
FLEX Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Buccaneers ($7,500)
There shouldn't be many lineups with Cook, McCaffrey, Godwin and Lockett. Hopefully these high-priced studs can carry us.
D/ST Washington Redskins @ Bills ($3,000)
The Redskins defense isn’t the worst unit in the league, but they are the stone minimum $3,000 in a home matchup against the Bills. We know Josh Allen is prone to some sacks and turnovers, so I’m more than willing to complete punt at the position this week.