With more COVID outbreaks, some fantasy-friendly defenses on bye, and big-name players out of the main slate, the 2020 NFL DFS Week 9 Team Stacks seems a bit top-heavy.
There are once again five games projected to be over 50 points scored leaving some production to be had.
But with bad defenses on bye (Bengals) or playing out of the slate (Jets, Patriots), it becomes a bit harder to find discounted values to play.
2020 NFL DFS Week 9 Team Stacks
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Game of The Week: Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills
- Russell Wilson / DeeJay Dallas / Chris Carson (?) / D.K. Metcalf / Tyler Lockett
- Josh Allen / Devin Singletary / Zack Moss/ Stefon Diggs / John Brown (?) / Cole Beasley / Tyler Kroft
In what should be a promising game of offensive production, this is not only projected to be the highest-scoring game of the week but one of the most balanced games.
Russell Wilson, the man who needs no analysis, has given his top receiver huge days in back to back weeks. The only problem is guessing who gets the big day. With top corner Tre'Davious White, we should once again be expecting one receiver to outperform the other. My money is on Metcalf, but Lockett is significantly cheaper and the better value.
Chris Carson is currently questionable and he may or may not go. If he does get the start we can safely expect him to receive the majority of touches. If he's out then DeeJay Dallas gets another chance to showcase his skills. Buffalo's run defense hasn't been bad, but comparatively, it has been weaker than the pass defense.
Josh Allen gets to take on one of the weakest pass defenses in the league in what should be a get-right game. I'll further emphasize should be a get-right game. It appears Josh Allen's fantasy expectations can be tied directly to the health and performance of John Brown. Who should be back in the lineup this week, although he remains questionable at the time of writing this.
Zack Moss has taken a clear step forward as the back to have in this backfield. That's not to say there won't be headache weeks where we all play the wrong guy, but Moss has the upside.
Tyler Kroft remains the only active TE who has caught more than one pass this season as Dawson Knox is still in COVID protocols.
Runner Up Game of The Week: Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Derek Carr / Josh Jacobs / Henry Ruggs / Nelson Agholor / Hunter Renfrow /Â Darren Waller
- Justin Herbert / Justin Jackson / Keenan Allen / Hunter Henry
I had been singing the praise of Vegas all last week, and I failed to check the weather. But in southern California, there shouldn't be any issues for the passing game.
Derek Carr has been for the most part a consistent option who has limited upside all season. His receivers however even without negative weather conditions have been hit or miss, . Agholor, Renfrow, and Ruggs have all had a few big days but it's been overshadowed by the more consistent disappointment. Agholor has been the most consistent of the trio over the past month and is the top option moving forward.
Waller on the other hand has been the picture of consistency, in a particularly bad year for the TE position. Only twice this season and has he failed to score less than double-digit PPR points and he has the second-highest points per game (14.6) on the slate this week.
Justin Herbert has earned the title of the best surprise of the year. The rookie QB hasn't been able to amass many wins but he's ensured the fantasy relevance of his skill position players. And more important than anything, he's been very entertaining in the process.
Keenan Allen is good for double-digit targets in every game he plays all the way through. Mike Williams has been far more unpredictable. So far this season he has scored anywhere from 1.4 points to 30.9. With Keenan Allen in the lineup and Williams at a DK salary of $5,100, I'd say there isn't much value to be had. And for anyone in search of a low budget option, Jaylen Guyton has big-play ability. Without a TD he's likely to be a flop in any given week but at $3,100 he worth the risk.
The TE room seemed a bit overcrowded when Virgil Green and Donald Parham both swiped away TDs in week 7. But with every target to the position going back to Hunter Henry in week 8, we can count on the stable, yet still TD dependent role we've come to appreciate.
Teams to stack
Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons
- Melvin Gordon / Tim Patrick (?) / Jerry Jeudy / Noah Fant / Albert Okwuegbunam
I'll never recommend Drew Lock as he is turnover prone and the Broncos can in any given week give Melvin Gordon all of the goal line work. But, if you were ever going to use Lock as a cheap high ceiling option this is the week.
Tim Patrick, while currently questionable, is the wide receiver with the most upside. Jerry Jeudy in a shootout like this is a high ceiling play, but the strength of his floor is dependent on Patrick's availability. A person trying to find a cheap, low owned option might also look to K.J. Hamler if Patrick is out.
As for the TEs, Noah Fant is the clear leader. He has 20 point upside if things break his way in the red zone. He's also very dependable only dipping below 9 points twice this season. But for a cheaper option look to Albert Okwuegbunam. I can't for the life of me pronounce his name. But what I do know is that he's had at least six and a half points in the last three weeks. He has just enough upside to be worthy of GPP consideration and just safe enough of a floor to make him worth playing in a head to head lineup.
Washington Football Team vs. the New York Giants
- Kyle Allen / Antonio Gibson / Terry McLaurin / Logan Thomas (?)
I'll be the first to admit I was very critical of the switch to Kyle Allen. Dwayne Haskins didn't play particularly well by any definition, but that seemed to be a team issue more than a Haskins issue.
Since the switch however the team has been playing much smoother football. They likely won't be winning too many non-division games but the team seems to be taking a step toward improvement.
Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin really don't need to be discussed at length here. You would be hard-pressed to find a pair of players that are as responsible for such a high percentage of their teams offensive production at such a low cost. With no Cowboys, Eagles, Jets, or Bengals to pick on, the Giants become one of the top defenses to target.
As or right now we are expecting to see Logan Thomas on Sunday. With four targets and a TD in the two games Kyle Allen has played in completely, Thomas has been showing signs of consistency and stability, not often found at the TE position.
Chicago Bears @ Tennessee Titans
- Nick Foles / David Montgomery / Allen Robinson / Darnell Mooney / Jimmy Graham (?) / Cole Kmet
If you're looking for low ownership, look no further. Troy Aikman publicly questioned what it would take to get Foles benched last week against the Saints. Which is a good summary of events so far this season.
However, the last time Foles had a decent matchup was against the Falcons when Foles threw for 3 TDs in only part of a game. I'm not saying he's a must-start, but he's cheap enough to be worth a look.
David Montgomery has had his struggles so far in his still short career. He has never had a great passing attack to absorb defensive attention or even a decent offensive line to block. But Montgomery becomes worthy of consideration as a mid-range budget option with a solid of a matchup.
Allen Robinson is the fuel that the offense runs on doesn't need to be discussed much. When Robinson succeeds, the Bears succeed. Mooney on the other hand has just started to get going lately. With an injury to Anthony Miller, I believe Mooney becomes the best low budget receiving option in the league. Mooney is averaging just over 6 targets per game and at only $3,900 and is a great way to offset a high priced star player.
As for the TE situation, I have very little faith in Jimmy Graham. But he has been scoring TDs at a great rate. Graham should be monitored going forward as he is currently questionable. If he is out Cole Kmet becomes a $2,500 option with decent TD potential.
Click here for updated NFL DFS Projections. You can download them and use the optimizer for free!
