Three games. Six teams. Plenty of opportunities to convince yourself that your bargain receiver is one touchdown away from making you a genius. Welcome back, you DFS Degenerates!
This is the Week 9 Late Slate.
We’re bringing our favorite plays over from Money Makers and Heart Breakers, then adding options to help the lineups fit. Matthew Golden supplies the targets, George Kittle gets an inviting matchup, and San Francisco’s injury report could open affordable opportunities. Apparently, our most important stacking partner this week is the Niners team doctor.
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Week 9 NFL DFS Late Slate Picks
Late Slate Games:
| Games | Kickoff ET |
| Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots | 4:25 ET |
| Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05 ET |
| Las Vegas Raiders at San Francisco 49ers | 4:25 ET |
Quarterbacks
| Player | Opponent | FanDuel | DraftKings |
| Brock Purdy, SF | vs. LV | $8,500 | $6,800 |
| Jordan Love, GB | at NE | $7,800 | $6,300 |
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas allows the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. For six straight games, quarterbacks have passed for multiple touchdowns against the Raiders. If Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel remain unavailable, this could be more difficult than it should be, but the Niners will be throwing the ball.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love gives us a less expensive tournament alternative, saving $700 on FanDuel and $500 on DraftKings compared with Purdy. New England only allows 15.70 quarterback fantasy points per game, so this recommendation starts with price and his connection with Golden. Love has scored two or more touchdowns in every game this season. His consistency is why I say to play him, even in a matchup that is not ideal.
Running Backs
| Player | Opponent | FanDuel | DraftKings |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | vs. GB | $6,400 | $6,100 |
| Woody Marks, HOU | at LAC | $6,500 | $5,700 |
| Kaelon Black, SF* | vs. LV | $5,600 | $5,500 |
| Christian McCaffrey, SF* | vs. LV | $8,700 | $8,000 |
NOTE: San Francisco selections depend on McCaffrey’s hamstring injury and the expected workload.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Green Bay allows the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Running backs score 23.09 points per game against the Packers. That makes Stevenson a nice play in Week 9. Stevenson dominated the running-back snaps with 77% in Week 8. He also gets touches both on the ground and through the air. In all but one game this season, a running back has broken double-digit fantasy points against the Packers. Play Rhamondre in Week 9.
Woody Marks, Houston Texans
I never get a woody when considering plugging Marks into a lineup. But the Chargers give up the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing teams’ running backs. Houston should lead and needs to run the ball. Marks should get you over 10 fantasy points this week.
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
If McCaffrey sits, Black moves from a secondary option to a major part of our lineup discussion. Las Vegas gives up the seventh-most running-back fantasy points, and Black rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries before the bye. He has not been active in the passing game so far, but if he is the primary ball carrier in Week 9 for the Niners, we want him in our lineup.
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
McCaffrey gets the same excellent matchup, but his hamstring determines whether we can take advantage. The Raiders have allowed a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games and surrender 5.31 yards per carry to running backs. If he is cleared for his usual workload, he remains a premium option. If he is unavailable, pivot to Black after confirming the backfield plan.
Wide Receivers
| Player | Opponent | FanDuel | DraftKings |
| Matthew Golden, GB | at NE | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | vs. HOU | $6,200 | $5,500 |
| Jordan Watkins, SF | vs. LV | $5,600 | $3,300 |
Cooks’ recommendation depends on San Francisco’s available receivers and his expected involvement.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers
Golden has collected 38 targets and a 32% target share over his last three games. That is the strongest recent volume argument among wide receivers we are covering in this article. New England allows the 11th-most fantasy points to wide receivers, 27.83 per game, providing a nice matchup alongside that workload.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
McConkey turned six targets into 86 receiving yards in Week 8 and now faces a Houston defense that allows 32.54 wide-receiver fantasy points per game. That combination of heavy involvement and a good matchup keeps him in the mix. He is the Chargers’ primary option, and they will need to throw the ball in Week 9.
Jordan Watkins, San Francisco 49ers
If Evans and Samuel sit, and it looks like they will, Watkins becomes an inexpensive receiver to consider against a Raiders defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers.  In Week 7, Watkins saw a 76% share of wide receiver snaps, and he led the wideouts in targets with 6. He turned those into 3 receptions and 56 yards. He is a tournament option if the final personnel picture supports him in a meaningful receiving role. Christian Kirk’s availability could also matter to this decision.
Tight Ends
| Player | Opponent | FanDuel | DraftKings |
| George Kittle, SF | vs. LV | $6,700 | $6,000 |
| Dalton Schultz, HOU | at LAC | $5,100 | $3,200 |
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle drew eight and 10 targets in his two games before the bye and has reached at least 69 receiving yards in all but two appearances this season. That gives us a receiving foundation beyond hoping our tight end catches a touchdown. He is just always good. But this week it gets even better because Las Vegas allows the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing teams’ tight ends. If Evans and Samuel remain out, Kittle becomes an even more important option for Purdy. He is my top tight end and our first San Francisco stacking partner with Purdy in Week 9.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Schultz is an inexpensive tight-end play, but the matchup is difficult. The Chargers allow the sixth-fewest tight-end fantasy points. He is getting the targets; he has an 18% target share of the Texans’ passes this season. Schultz is a floor play, and we like floor play around here.
Defense
| Defense | Opponent | FanDuel | DraftKings |
| Houston Texans | at LAC | $5,000 | $3,500 |
Houston Texans
The Chargers allow the most fantasy points to opposing defenses, making Houston our starting point at the position. Justin Herbert’s protection and turnover problems provide opportunities for sacks and takeaways. The Chargers struggle to simply score in an NFL. A Houston lead could force more passing situations and give the defense additional chances to capitalize.
The Late Slate Reedy Rule: A small player pool makes every touch more valuable. Follow the workload before you follow the discount.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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