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In this piece, we're looking at the top running backs or wide receivers to build your cash or tournament lineups around.
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RBs and WRs to Build Around - Week 9
Week 9 has a few "no-brainer" plays but is also pretty wide open. I always try my best to make sure I help you lock in those "no-brainers" and find a few other really strong plays with high floor and ceilings. This week's foursome is a mixture of those types of players and it could be challenging to fit all four of these players into a build this week. However, there should be some value (as there usually is) to make them fit in cash and there are also a few guys I will mention at the end who just barely missed the cut.
To be specific, this weekly column will attack 'fantasy studs' virtually every week. Of course, finding the right studs to play is just the first step; finding value plays are a must as well. I will be sure to at least touch on a few value options that can be good complementary pieces with your studs. And, as always, be sure to check out the premium dashboard, as every article has its own DFS gems.
Dalvin Cook vs. Detroit - $9,300 FD, $8,200 DK
I fully expect Cook to be massive chalk this week based on his incredible four-touchdown performance last week against Green Bay. He put the Vikings offense on his back and it's easy to see that Minnesota is a totally different caliber of offense when they have their star running back in the mix.
They want to feed him the ball 20+ times a game and Cook flashed his explosive playmaking ability as he took a short pass 50 yards to the house in the passing game, too. This matchup is simply too good to pass up on, too, as Detroit continues to be near the bottom (21st in DVOA) of the league in run defense and they've given the second-most amount of fantasy points to running backs, too.
Cook's 10 touchdowns this season leads the NFL and let's keep in mind that he missed a full game and a half-game already this year. The price is steep, but Cook is easily the best back in the best spot on this slate and I would strongly recommend starting your cash game lineups here and getting over the field in GPPs.
James Conner vs. Dallas - $8,200 FD, $6,900 DK
There's some sticker shock here for our FanDuel players as Conner is up over 8k for the first time this season and FanDuel took into account his matchup against this woeful Cowboys' defense more than DraftKings did.
These two teams are heading in different directions, with the Steelers fresh off a huge win against their division rival Ravens to improve to an NFL-best 7-0 record. Meanwhile, the Cowboys continue to spiral out of control and are likely going to start their fourth different quarterback this season in this game.
Let's talk about the matchup here. The Cowboys are 29th in run DVOA and have given up the most rushing yards in the NFL this season. Ball carriers are averaging over five yards per carry and they've surrendered 11 rushing touchdowns this year (second-most in the league). Oh, and they're giving up the 8th most points to running backs, too.
Conner only has three 100-yard games this season but has scored a TD in five of the Steelers' seven games this season. With the Steelers installed as two-touchdown favorites, we should see a positive game script here for Conner as Pittsburgh is likely to feed him if they get up early as they did in the Cleveland game where Conner got 20 carries and Big Ben only attempted 22 passes.
Stefon Diggs vs. Seahawks - $7,600 FD, 7,400 DK
Diggs, like Conner, has some of the matchup cooked into his price this week. But this game has the highest total on the slate at 54.5 and Seattle's secondary simply is the gift that keeps on giving for opposing passing games. Even last week when Jimmy G failed to do anything in this spot, Nick Mullens came on in relief and got Kendrick Bourne and Brandon Aiyuk to smash value at their tags.
Seattle is 30th in pass defense DVOA and giving up the most fantasy points to the WR position. Diggs, meanwhile, leads the NFL in targets with 79 through the Bills' first eight games. He has established himself as the top receiver in Buffalo and is clearly the guy that Josh Allen wants to lean on other than slot receiver Cole Beasley. If this game shoots out like it has the potential to do, then Diggs has legit 100+ yard upside with multiple TDs and is my primary stacking target to go with Josh Allen. The Bills offense has slowed down a bit of late, but this is the perfect get-right spot for them this week.
Keenan Allen vs. Raiders - $7,500 FD, $7,000 DK
UPDATE 11/8
Allen is now questionable with an illness. This came out of nowhere but this game is at 4:00 and so you probably don't want to take the risk of waiting on his status for your cash games. Many players will make the logical pivot to Mike Williams, who would likely get a nice bump in targets if Allen sits but he's still a fairly volatile fantasy player. In cash games, I would pivot to Julio Jones (on DraftKings) at $7,200 who gets a boost today with Calvin Ridley out. On FanDuel, Tyler Lockett is a nice pivot for cash as he has the best matchup of any Seattle receiver in the slot against Buffalo and is 800 dollars cheaper than Julio there.
He's back! Allen has made himself a fixture of this column now weekly due to the high target volume and reliability that he brings on a weekly basis. His price is finally starting to adjust and might limit his upside on a per-dollar basis, but I am still looking to lock in his floor in my cash games especially this week as things look pretty wide open (pun intended) at the receiver position.
Allen has double-digit targets in every game but one (excluding the game he left early due to injury) and will face an Oakland defense that is 31st overall in DVOA and 27th against the pass. He's fourth in the league in targets but has played only six full games and about one-quarter of a game. His chemistry with Justin Herbert has been outstanding and he managed to find the end zone last week after failing to do against Jacksonville. This game has some appeal, for sure, with a healthy 53-point total and I want a piece of his Chargers offense in most of my builds with Allen being the safest.
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