One of the things I see holding people back is a fear of failure. You people writing things all the time regarding this. You know the cliche sayings like ” You are either succeeding or you are learning”. A lot of you read those things and don’t take to heart the real message that is there. Every success that is out there is typically a case in which someone failed over and over again until they had success.
For instance, Thomas Edison failed 2774 time before creating a design of a light bulb that actually worked. Every single time he failed he logged what he did and what went wrong. Then made changes and after 2774 failures he finally had success. If Edison allowed failure to deter or discourage him that is quite a few times he would have and could have quit. So, if there is something out there you want to get better at, do not be afraid to fail. Most likely you will at first. Take a look at what you did that worked and what didn’t work, adapt and try again.
The actual path to success is repeated learning opportunities (failures) over and over until you get it right. Don’t be afraid to fail, embrace it. Learn from it and continue on the journey towards success.
Why am I talking about not being afraid to fail? Because we do it all the time in Fantasy Football. We picked the wrong player, another player didn’t produce how we thought he would, the list of how we can fail is almost endless. You take that information and adapt your process to get better results.
With that said let’s get on to this week success, after all you are here for Money Makers and Heart Breakers of the Week 9 NFL DFS Main Slate. And don’t forget, you can also use these insights as sit/start advice for your weekly lineups.
Here is a brief definition of each of my terms for anyone that might be new:
💰 Money Maker – This player will perform better than expectations
💔 Heart Breaker – This player will perform lower than expectations
Week 9 NFL DFS Main Slate Pick
💰 Money Makers
Quarterback
Mac Jones – Jones has 2 passing touchdowns in each of the last two games. Washington Commanders are on deck in Week 9. The Commanders and average of 270 yards and 2 touchdowns per week to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. It is the second friendliest defense to opposing teams passing games. Only 1 quarterback in 8 games has not scored multiple touchdowns against the Commanders. To top it off Washington traded away its best defensive player at the deadline. Jones will do well this week.
$4,900 on DraftKings
$6,600 on FanDuel
Derek Carr – The Saints are playing the Bears in Week 9. The Bears give up the fifth most fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. So, the matchup is nice. To top this off Carr has passed for over 300 yards in each of the past 3 games. You have a nice match-up for an offense that is coming into its own recently. Carr should drive the Saints to his fourth 300-yard game in a row.
$5,700 on DraftKings
$7,100 on FanDuel
Dak Prescott – The Eagles defense looked like it was coming around at defending the pass for a couple of weeks and then they ran into Sam Howell last week. In Week 9 the Eagles get to play the Cowboys, which means Dak Prescott should be the quarterback abusing the Eagles defense. In the past 2 games, Prescott has had multiple touchdowns and fantasy scores of over 24 points. This is a nice spot for him to produce in a game where he should have to throw. Dak is on track in Week 9.
$6,500 on DraftKings
$8,200 on FanDuel
Other Quarterback DFS Picks for Week 9
Sam Howell
$5,800 on DraftKings
$7,400 on FanDuel
Baker Mayfield
$5,200 on DraftKings
$6,800 on FanDuel
CJ Stroud
$6,200 on DraftKings
$7,000 on FanDuel
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor – The Colts will be playing the Panthers in Week 9. In the 7 games the Panthers have played this season running backs have scored 14 touchdowns against them. If you were wondering that is the most any team has given up to running backs. Running backs average 256 total yards and 2 touchdowns a week against the Panthers. Taylor is back taking over the majority of snaps at running back for the Colts now. Taylor is coming off 2 straight weeks of scoring double-digit fantasy points and this will be his easiest match-up this season. Saddle up Jonathan Taylor and watch him gallop past the Panthers.
$6,400 on DraftKings
$8,000 on FanDuel
Kareem Hunt – Hunt appears to be in a timeshare now with Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong for the Cleveland Browns. The difference for Hunt is, he is getting more passing work and most of the red zone work. I like Jerome Ford this week as well because the matchup is beautiful. The Browns play the Ravens in Week 9. The Ravens have given up 12 double-digit fantasy scores to running backs in 8 games this season. If you haven’t done the math that is more than one running back per week. Plug him Hunt in and look for fantasy goodness. Heck, you might want to plug Ford in as well.
$5,500 on DraftKings
$7,000 on FanDuel
Saquon Barkley – The Giants will play the Raiders in Week 9. The Raiders give up the fourth most fantasy points to opposing teams running backs. The last two weeks the Raiders have been run all over by the Bears and the Lions. In Week 7 D’Onta Foreman finished as the overall RB1 and in Week 8 Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the overall RB2. It appears we are looking at upwards of 27 fantasy points for Barkley in Week 9 and most likely an overall top 3 running back finish on the week. Bears, Lions, and now Giants; Oh My!
$7,900 on DraftKings
$8,600 on FanDuel
Other Running Back DFS Picks for Week 9
Darrell Henderson
$5,100 on DraftKings
$6,100 on FanDuel
Chuba Hubbard
$5,000 on DraftKings
$6,500 on FanDuel
Alvin Kamara
$8,100 on DraftKings
$9,200 on FanDuel
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb – Lamb is an amazing wide receiver. He is on pace for a 1200-yard season. He leads the Cowboys in receiving yards, targets, receptions and touchdowns. Lamb has a 25% target share and a whopping 31% share of the Cowboys’ air yards. So if you weren’t sold just on how amazing CeeDee Lamb is, the match-up makes it even better. In Week 9 Lamb goes up against the friendliest defense to wide receivers in fantasy, the Eagles. Fifteen different wide receivers have scored 10 or more fantasy points against the Eagles this season. He will go into this game a Lamb and come out a Lion.
$8,200 on DraftKings
$8,800 on FanDuel
Demario Douglas – The Washington Commanders give up the second most fantasy points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. The wide receiver position averages 12 receptions, 197 yards, and 1.6 touchdowns a week against the Commanders. Douglas led the Patriots receivers in snaps in Week 8. Both Devante Parker and Kendrick Bourne will be out in Week 9. Douglas will build on the 24% target share he had to lead in the Patriots in Week 8 and bring some Pop to your lineup. Pop goes the Douglas cuz the Douglas goes Pop.
$4,000 on DraftKings
$5,400 on FanDuel
Nico Collins – Collins opened the season on a tear then saw some tough matchups the past 3 games. That all changes in Week 9. The Texans will be playing the Buccaneers who give up the ninth most fantasy points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. Collins leads the Texans in targets (22% target share) and air yards (32% air yards share). This is a nice match-up to get Collins and the Texans’ passing game rolling again.
$5,800 on DraftKings
$6,800 on FanDuel
Other Wide Receiver DFS Picks for Week 9
Drake London
$5,500 on DraftKings
$6,500 on FanDuel
Rashid Shaheed
$4,500 on DraftKings
$6,200 on FanDuel
Amari Cooper
$6,100 on DraftKings
$6,800 on FanDuel
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert – The Dallas Cowboys is amazing this season. There is one position that the Cowboys don’t defend well though and that is tight end. Goedert is the third option in the Eagles passing game, but this is a week where they should take advantage of the match-up with him and utilize him a little more. Goedert is averaging 6 targets per game. When he is playing the Cowboys and people scream “Let’s Go Dallas” he honestly believes they are talking to him.
$4,800 on DraftKings
$5,800 on FanDuel
Luke Musgrave – The Packers are playing the Rams in Week 9. The Rams give up the fourth most fantasy points to opposing teams’ tight ends. Musgrave is the third option overall in the Packers offense. He has got yards and receptions going for him but he hasn’t hit paydirt yet. This is the week Luke scores a touchdown. May the force be with you, Luke. Oh, sorry wrong Luke.
$3,300 on DraftKings
$4,800 on FanDuel
Taysom Hill – Man do I love hyping up Taysom Hill. People go crazy either for him or against him. Hill was the top-scoring tight end in all of fantasy football in Week 8. Yes, that is right he was the overall TE1. The Bears and their bottom-feeding defense are up in Week 9. The Bears are bottom 10 against tight ends and running backs and bottom 15 against wide receivers. Hill has been filling up the stat sheet in every way imaginable the past 3 games. He has completed a 44-yard pass, ran for big chunks of yards and touchdowns, and caught passes. The Saints have been using him heavily in the red zone and the defenses just don’t know what will happen when he is on the field. Get some Taysom into your lineup.
$4,700 on DraftKings
$6,500 on FanDuel
Other Tight Ends DFS Picks for Week 9
Trey McBride
$3,700 on DraftKings
$5,300 on FanDuel
Hunter Henry
$3,600 on DraftKings
$5,100 on FanDuel
Defense
Saints – The Saints are playing the Bears in Week 9. The Bears give up the third most fantasy points to opposing teams’ defenses thus far in 2023. Teams average 11 fantasy points against the Bears. In 6 out of the 8 games the Bears have played, the opposing defense has scored 9 or more fantasy points with 5 of those teams in double digits. The Saints meanwhile have a very good real-life defense that hits the quarterback and gets interceptions. It will be a long day for the Bears rookie QB.
$4,100 on DraftKings
$4,600 on FanDuel
Cardinals – The Cardinals defense has 20 sacks so far this season. The Browns have given up 23 sacks in 7 games this season. The Browns have also given up multiple interceptions in each of the last 4 games played. You can look for the Cardinals scrappy defense to get you between 8 to twelve fantasy points this week. They are priced so right too.
$2,700 on DraftKings
$3,400 on FanDuel
Giants – The Raiders are up next for a Giants team that generates no passing offense. So the defense has to be good. The good news is the Giants defense has been good for fantasy the past 4 games. They have broken double-digit scores in 3 of the last for games. The Raiders give up the sixth most fantasy points to opposing teams’ defenses and double-digit scores each of the past two games. The Giants tend to get sacks, 10 in the last two games, and force fumbles. A very nice low-cost option facing a new coaching staff and a rookie quarterback. This should be fun for the Giants.
$2,300 on DraftKings
$4,000 on FanDuel
💔Heart Breakers
Quarter Backs
Geno Smith – Geno is coming off back-to-back games where he has thrown for multiple touchdowns. This week though he is playing the Ravens defense that gives up the least amount of fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. The Ravens defend the pass exceptionally well. Only one quarterback has scored more than 16 fantasy points against the Ravens D. Yo, Geno, stay safe this week man.
Jalen Hurts – I know you read this name and think, what the hell is wrong with this guy? Why would Mike even suggest that Hurts will hurt my heart in Week 9? It is because the Cowboys are the opponent, and the Cowboys are very good at defense and defending the quarterback position. With this in mind, I personally am playing Hurts where I have him in season long. He could tush push his way to creating brotherly shove love for you this week. But no quarterback has passed for over 252 yards against the Cowboys and only 2 have had multiple touchdown games. Don’t let Jalen hurt you in DFS this week.
Clayton Tune – Tune is finally getting his shot as the starter for Arizona. Unfortunately for Clayton Tune, it is against a very stingy Browns defense. The Browns are the fourth-best defense against the pass. With limited weapons on offense Tune should keep this position slightly warm for one more week before Kyler Murray is back in the lineup. I personally am hoping Tune targets Trey McBride 50 times in this game.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard – You know who defends the run well? The Eagles. Do you know who the Cowboys play in Week 9? Well, that would be the Eagles. The Eagles give up the least fantasy points to opposing teams running backs. Not a single running back has topped 60 yards rushing against this defense. The Cowboys will be passing in Week 9.
Alexander Mattison – The Falcons are the team that the Vikings play in Week 9. The Falcons give up the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing teams running backs. To top this off Mattison splits time with Cam Akers, who has looked like a better running back than Mattison is. Throw in a new quarterback and I don’t like this situation at all.
Dameon Pierce – Pierce is in almost an even timeshare with Devin Singletary. Which is itself isn’t very good. I know a lot of people remember Peirce making them feel good last season. That was last season. He hasn’t been very good this season with only 2 games of over 10 fantasy points. The match-up against Tamp Bay is bad, his situation on the team seems bad. Yuck, yuck, and more yuck.
Wide Receivers
AJ Brown – The Cowboys give up the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. As I have already mentioned, they defend the pass exceptionally well when talking about quarterbacks. I know people think I am nuts when I tell you a stud is going to break your heart but ask all the ladies you know. It is usually the stud that breaks their heart. Look, AJ Brown is someone you are playing in season-long. But don’t pay up for him in this bad situation in DFS. That’s all I am saying here.
Mike Evans – Another match-up play and by match-up, I mean bad match-up in Week 9. The Texans are the third-best team at defending wide receivers. Unless I have other options I would be playing Evans in season-long also. I am not interested in praying for a touchdown though in DFS. I am out on Evans in Week 9.
Tyler Lockett – Locket has been like a roller coaster this season; up and down in fantasy scores. The Ravens are a top 5 team at defending wide receivers. SO with his one-week up and one-week down play, in a bad matchup. I’ll say this is a down week. Tyler is no lock to get you points this week.
Tight Ends
David Njoku – Njoku has 17 targets in the past 2 games so it might be hard for you to fathom not playing him in Week 9. But against teams that defend tight ends well, he hasn’t fared very well this season. In Week 9 The Browns will play the Cardinals, who give up the second-fewest points to opposing teams’ tight ends. How do you say his last name, N…N…N well, N, NOT going to get you fantasy points this week.
Noah Fant – I had Fant in this section of the article last week and he didn’t disappoint me. He only disappointed people who thought they would get cute and play him. He has only seen 5 targets over the past 3 games. On top of his lack of usage, the Ravens defend the position well. I needed a “give me” player towards the end of the article and this him.
NOTE: There are literally so many tight ends to tell you not to play I can’t even pick which other players to write about. What a mess tight end has been in 2023.
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