It’s official. The Daily Fantasy Football locks are on a roll.
Week 8 proved to be another booming week, with Aaron Rodger and Travis Kelce finishing in the top-three in their respective positions for fantasy points, while Ezekiel Elliott was a top-10 option.
I whiffed on Julio Jones, but much like week 7, three out of four can go a long way in doing well in Daily Fantasy.
Players are starting to find their grooves, so I’ll see if I can exploit some matchups for our week 9 Daily Fantasy Football locks.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers vs. Indianapolis Colts
I’m sticking with Rodgers for another week. The Colts defense is horrendous against the pass, giving up the second-most passing yards per game among NFL teams this season.
Teams are completing more than 66 percent of their passes and the Colts provide little opposition in the turnover department, netting only two interceptions all season.
What helps in this matchup is Rodgers’ recent emergence in fantasy. He now has seven touchdowns combined in two consecutive weeks with no interceptions. His yardage isn’t great, but that’s kind of what Rodgers does.
He’s not near as prolific in yardage as Drew Brees, but he doesn’t turn the ball over and throws touchdowns. That’s what I expect to happen once again in week 9.
Running Back
Matt Forte vs. Miami Dolphins
Elliott would be a good play again against the Cleveland Browns, but there’s something about Forte’s matchup that I like.
The Dolphins are really bad against the run again this season, allowing 135.6 yards per game this season. Teams also run at a high volume against the Dolphins, with more than 30 carries per game.
Forte has been a solid fantasy option for back-to-back weeks, with 182 combined yards rushing with four total touchdowns. He has 55 carries through the last two weeks and I expect the Jets to keep feeding him the ball.
The weapons aren’t plentiful in New York, so Forte has to be a bell cow to keep quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from turning the ball over.
Forte is a little cheaper than other options on DraftKings and offers tremendous value.
Wide Receiver
Jarvis Landry vs. New York Jets
We’ll stick with the Miami vs. New York game and take a cheaper route with Landry.
This game is all about the run for the Jets and all about the pass for the Dolphins. And with Ryan Tannehill forced to sling the ball all around, Landry will have to be a high-volume option.
He’s been terrible in the touchdown department this season, but he’s still putting up decent fantasy numbers. He is regularly targeted and has 17 targets combined during the last two weeks.
Against the Jets, everyone has a field day as a receiver. New York allows the second-most yards per game to wide receivers in the NFL, making me bullish on Landry’s potential.
He’s an outlier pick for Daily Fantasy with only two games in double-digits this season. But he’s the best play for your roster.
Tight End
Jimmy Graham
No Rob Gronkowski this week, so it’s time to look in a different direction.
Seattle’s offense has been stuck in a rut lately. And during that slide, Graham has seen fewer targets.
He was targeted only five times in week 8’s loss to New Orleans. The week before in Arizona, he netted only 53 yards receiving.
Expect the Seahawks to find Graham more often against a Buffalo defense that was torched in week 8 against New England.
