Buccaneers: NFL Week 9 Draft Kings picks and predictions
By Sean Eck
Another week of expert DFS picks to help all you Buccaneers fans win some cash on Sundays and help ease the pain of the disappointing start to the season.
Below I will be breaking down my top picks for DFS – specifically Draft Kings – during Week 9 of the NFL season. I have been playing for Draft Kings for many years now and have had success. The $50,000 Cap is critical and being able to find those $4,500 – $5,500 players that will produce allows you to get some of the more prominent names that are consistent DFS studs. If you followed my advice last week, you probably won money again! I said Andy Dalton and he ended up the 3rd highest scoring quarterback, LeSean McCoy was the #1 running back, and Travis Kelce the #2 tight end.
Quarterback
Drew Brees $7,000
Brees goes against division rival Tampa Bay who is 30th in pass yards against this season giving up 274.7 yards-per-game. Brees had an unusual game last week as he threw for 299 yards, but no touchdowns against the stingy Bears secondary. The Buccaneers have shown a severe issue giving up an average of 24 points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season which is 27th in the NFL.Weather Brent Grimes plays this week won’t matter to Brees as he is still one of the elite signal callers in the NFL and unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they will learn all about it this week. Watch for Brees to go for 350+ yards and three touchdowns.
Jared Goff $5,500
Goff has only reached over 20 points this season once, but he has a tremendous opportunity to break into the 20+ point margin this week against a suspect Giants team that just lost Janoris Jenkins to a suspension. The Giants are giving up 22.3 points to opposing quarterbacks making them 24th in the league. This is the highest scoring offense in the NFL although only nine touchdown passes have come from Goff. Watch for him to light up the Giants for 300+ yards and three touchdowns.
Runningback
Adrian Peterson $5,600
Peterson is coming off a horrible game where the Cardinals got behind and had to play catchup all day. This limited Peterson’s snap count, but that should not be the issue this week as they take on the lowly 49ers. San Fransisco has given up an average of 26.6 points-per-game to opposing running backs putting them 31st in the league. This goes along with them being 29th in the league giving up 131.8 yards-per-game on the ground. AllDay is rested and should come out for a big day this week. Look for Peterson to rush for 150+ yard and a pair of touchdowns.
Lamar Miller $6,200
Miller had a huge day last week against the stingy Seahawks defense scoring both on the ground as well as in the air. Deshaun Watson has rejuvenated the Texans offense and Miller s one of the biggest beneficiaries of his stellar play. The Colts are the worst defense in the league when it comes to holding opposing running backs in check. They average 26.8 points-per-game=-against which is 32nd in the NFL while giving up 116.4 yards-per-game. Watch for Miller to keep the momentum going as he rushes for 100+ yards for the first this season and a pair of touchdowns.
Christian McCaffrey $6,500
While underperforming as a runner, he has excelled as a receiver out of the backfield which should boost his value not that the Panthers have moved on from Kelvin Benjamin. This should open up the field for the Panthers and specifically McCaffrey. He has only 117 yards on the ground this year and could almost doublet hat amount in this weeks matchup against the Falcons. McCaffrey is averaging 14.1 fantasy points per game this year, and this could be his breakout game to boost that number. Watch for McCaffrey to get going with his first 50+ yard rushing game and 2nd 100+ yard receiving the game with at least a touchdown.
Wide Receivers
Tyreek Hill $6,700
Hill put up a game to forget on Monday night but is still averaging 15.6 points-per-game. The Chiefs are coming off a short week and have to travel to Dallas, but that might work in their favor playing in the pass-friendly dome against one of the leagues worst pass defenses. They are giving up 21.3 points per game to opposing wide receivers, and Hill should beat them over the top for at least one-two big plays. Watch for Hill to break 150 yards for the first time this season and a pair of touchdowns.
T.Y. Hilton $4,900
Hilton only has a single touchdown on the season but is still on pace to break 1000 yards. The colts might get behind early as the Houston offense is on a roll right now which will bode well for Hilton. The Texans are giving up 24.3point s-per-game to opposing wide receivers which puts them 29th in the league. Hilton is a target monster and should capitalize against the suspect Texans secondary and might break off a few big plays. Watch for Hilton to go for 150+ yards for the 3rd time this year and score at least a touchdown.
Demaryius Thomas $6,000
Thomas has yet to catch a touchdown on the year, and that will change against the Eagles. Brock Osweiler is now back at the helm for the Broncos and has a great report with Thomas. The Eagles might dominate the game which could make for a lot of opportunities for the passes there for Denver. The Eagles are giving up 256.8 yards-per-game through the air and Brock might force feed Thomas a lot of those yards. Watch for Demaryius to go off for his first 150+ yard receiving the game and his first touchdown of the year.
Tight End
Tyler Kroft $3,900
Kroft has caught at least four passes in each of the past four games including three touchdowns in that span. Kroft has proven to be a consistent target for Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense. While he won’t blow you away with speed or play stretching ability, he always seems to find the open spot on the defense and reel in the catches week after week at a position that has been very hit or miss this year. Look for Kroftt o be a big hit this week as he breaks 100 yards for the first time this season and scores his 4th touchdown in a five-game span.
Jason Witten $4,600
Witten could be the primary beneficiary from the Ezekial Elliot suspension as he could be in line for increased opportunities in the red zone. Whitten is averaging 11.8 points per game while the Chiefs are giving up an average of 22.3 points-per-game through the air to opposing tight ends. Look for this game to be a shootout as the Cowboys will have to throw the ball to keep up with the Chiefs offense. Witten should be a big part of that as he goes for his 1st 100+ yard game and a pair of scores.
D/ST
Jacksonville $3,800
The Sacksonville Jaguares have proven themselves for real this season as an elite defense. They have 33 sacks through the first eight weeks along with ten interceptions. this puts them in elite categories as they have three 20+ point performances already on the season. Watch for them to add at least five sacks to that total and at least an interception as they hold the Bengals to under 20 points total.
Baltimore $2,900
The Ravens are hot right now after their 40-0 shutout of the Dolphins on Thursday night. They should carry some of that momentum into their matchup against the Titans. Both teams have solid defensive units, and this might be a game that is won in the field goal battle. Neither team will put up more than 24 points on the scoreboard, but the Ravens have three games of their defense putting up 20+ points making them my pick for the game. Watch for them to have at least three sacks and an interception as they hold the titans offense under 24 points total.
Next: Stop Asking For The Return Of Chucky
Best of luck to each of you participating in DFS leagues this weekend. Hopefully you can double up with a win on Draft Kings and a Buccaneers win in New Orleans.