Welcome to the FF_Astronauts weekly DFS column.
The column will cover values picks, must have players, bust players and key positional players each week from Nathan McGuire, Alex Edwards and @FF_Spotlight.
Let's take a look at week 9 of the Sunday main slate.
Value Pick
Cole Beasley, Buffalo, $5,400
I'm not sure what it is, but people don't like talking about Cole Beasley. He has 41 receptions this year and has scored over 10 points in six of 8 games. John Brown will likely be back in the lineup and draw attention. Zach Moss has been becoming more of a threat in the running game making it more difficult to focus on stopping the pass. Seattle’s secondary has been generous to opposing wide receivers and Buffalo will need to score points to keep up. He’ll need around 16 points to meet his salary.
@FF_Spotlight
Don't Believe the Hype (Bust Player)
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina, $8,500
McCaffrey looks to be back for the first time since going on the IR in week 2. He started the season well but since then Mike Davis and Curtis Samuel took over for him in the run game. This week going up against the Kansas City Chiefs, who rank 8th against RBs on DraftKings, the game script looks to be where Carolina will be playing from behind. Also, taking into account that Carolina might want to work in McCaffrey slowly, I could see his volume not what he typically gets. Mike Davis could still have a role with how well he was doing. McCaffrey being the most expensive RB just doesn't seem worth the risk this week.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Must Have Players
James Robinson, Jacksonville, $7,000
James Robinson has continued to be one of the most undervalued fantasy players of the 2020 season. He is 4th in DraftKings FPPG entering his week 9 matchup against the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, the Texans have allowed 151 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs and 1.3 touchdowns per game. When you cross someone averaging 20.1 FPPG with a team allowing 25.6 FPPG to opposing RBs you are a lock for success.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
QB
Derek Carr, Las Vegas, $5,700
Start the Carr! Las Vegas is facing off with Los Angeles Chargers. This week has a 52 point expectation in the afternoon matchup on Sunday. He has been bouncing up and down in fantasy points per week in 2020 and has scored over 20 points against New Orleans, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay. He scored less than 20 points against Carolina, New England, and Cleveland. With the exception of the Cleveland game where weather was the clear winner, Carr has scored well in matchups against high scoring offenses. He'll need to score at least 17.1 points to match his salary. Signs point to him scoring over 20 points. Start the Carr!
@FF_Spotlight
RB
Justin Jackson, Los Angeles, $4,900
Jackson is coming in severely underpriced this week. He is cheaper than Deejay Dallas. Facing a Raiders team that allows a lot of air yards and 6 receptions to opposing RBs, Justin Jackson is in line to shine this week. This game can become a sneaky shoot out which will allow for Jackson to get more time on the field over Kelley where his passing versatility can be utilized. In his two games of full action he has averaged 4 catches and over 100 all-purpose yards, with the 27th ranked team against opposing RBs it is a pristine opportunity.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
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WR
Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit, $5,100
Golladay is out this week which gives Jones the WR1 option this week for the Detroit Lions. Along with him probably getting the boost in volume, they are going up against a weak pass defense in the Minnesota Vikings, who rank 29th against WRs on DraftKings so far this season. Minnesota is also still having lots of injury issues with their CBs. Jones has had a rich history against Minnesota and I expect him to thrive this week.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
TE
Logan Thomas, The Washington Football Team, $3,700
Logan Thomas has come on in the last two weeks scoring over 13 points each each of those games. One of those games was also against The New York Giants. Thomas has recovered from his early season injuries and is creating a good connection with quarterback Kyle Allen. He's seen over four targets in every game this year and has scored in the last two games. Here's to the hat trick!
@FF_Spotlight
DEF
Pittsburgh, $4,900
This is almost chalk for the week for the defensive position with the dominating defense the Steelers have, going against the Cowboys. They have been a mess on the offensive side since Prescotts injury and this week Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush will be their QB. Along with that, Elliott is virtually having no impact in the run game lately, especially with all the injuries the Cowboys have on their offensive line. The Steelers have scored in the double digits three times so far this season on DraftKings and I expect this week to be their fourth, possibly breaking their high score of 18 points.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
FAVORITE STACKS FOR WEEK 9
Kyle Allen, $5,300 -Logan Thomas, $3,700: Look for this low cost stack to produce and allow for more high priced assets this week. Allen only needs 16 points to meet his salary and has upside in a favorable matchup against the Giants.
@FF_Spotlight
Kyler Murray ($7,800) - Chase Edmonds ($6,800) - DeAndre Hopkins (8,200): Chase Edmonds is getting his shot at RB1 for the Cardinals and Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins look to keep up their great season going up against Miami, who is ranked 25th in passing yards per game on DraftKings.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Josh Allen ($7,000)- Stefon Diggs ($7,400)- John Brown ($4,600): The Bills have shown they can air it out when they need to. This week they are playing the always high-scoring Seahawks. With the Seahawk's pass defense, it could be a high scoring game in Buffalo. Yes; you can take Beasley if you prefer.
Nathan McGuire
DATA POINT - WEEK 9
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Only two times this season has a QB failed to reach 20 plus points against Seattle's defense, Cousins and Mullens.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
The last time Chase Edmonds did not have to share the backfield, he erupted for 27/126/3 with two catches and 24 yards to add.
@FF_Spotlight
Wind is a true force. The lateral force on a football from wind increases exponentially with the wind speed. The higher a football is up in the air, the higher the wind speed. At 40 feet above the ground and 40 mile per hour gusts, a football can see between 2-4 pounds of lateral force disrupting the trajectory of the football. A fully inflated NFL football weighs 1 pound. We’ll have to talk about the force from the throw another week.
BEST LINE UP - WEEK 8
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
QB: Tannehill, $6,800, 18.32 points
RB: Kamara, $8,200, 25.30 points
RB: Dallas, $4,000, 22.80 points
WR: Adams, $8,800, 30.30 points
WR: Metcalf, $7,500, 43.10 points
WR: Reynolds, $3,100, 8.40 points
TE: Waller, $5,600, 7.80 points
FLEX: Mooney, $3,500, 17.90 points
DEF: Detroit, $2,500, 0 points
Total: $50,000, 173.92 points
Nathan McGuire
QB: Burrow, $6,200, 18.86 points
RB: Henry, $8,000, 20.20 points
RB: Henderson, $5,900, 6.80 points
WR: Boyd, $6,600, 19.60 points
WR: Aiyuk, $5,800, 23.10 points
WR: Davis, $5,100, 29.80 points
TE: Waller, $5,600, 7.80 points
FLEX: Mooney, $3,500, 17.90 points
DEF: Indianapolis, $3,100, 15.00 points
Total: $49,800, 159.06 points
@FF_Spotlight
QB: Rodgers, $7,600, 23.54 points
RB: Jacobs, $6,200, 15.80 points
RB: Bell, $4,600, 6.80 points
WR: A. Brown, $6,900, 12.40 points
WR: Mims, $3,200, 6.20 points
WR: Metcalf, $7,500, 43.10 points
TE: Burton, $3,500, 10.10 points
FLEX: Bernard, $5,800, 22.80 points
DEF: Chiefs, $4,500, 9.00 points
Total: $49,800, 149.74 points
HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS - WEEK 8
Nathan McGuire: 159.06
Alex Edwards: 119.82
@FF_Spotlight: 145.72
HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS - SEASON LONG
Nathan McGuire (5-2-1): 12 pts
Alex Edwards (3-4-1): 10 pts
@FF_Spotlight (0-2-6): 2 pts
