NFL Top DraftKings Plays for Week 9

The DraftKings main slate for Week 9 starts tomorrow. Hopefully we see a better main slate than last week, with some weather impacting it and some brutal matchups. Three matchups are projected for over 50 points. So this week should be better, and we will start with the quarterback of the highest-projected team this Sunday.

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DraftKings Plays for NFL Week 9

Quarterback

Favorite Play: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers ($6,800)

Purdy and company are coming off their bye week to face the Las Vegas Raiders in a juicy matchup. The Raiders have been quite susceptible through the air. They give up the third-most passing yards. They also tie for the most passing touchdowns allowed in the league at 18. So, it makes sense why the 49ers have the highest point total in the league this week at 30.5.

Brock Purdy did struggle against the Atlanta Falcons. He threw two interceptions and looks to be without Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans this week, too. Christian McCaffrey is also banged up with a hamstring injury. I still trust Brock Purdy, who is playing fantastic football this year, as he is second in estimated points added behind only Josh Allen. Start Purdy on DraftKings with confidence this week.

Contrarian Play: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints ($5,700)

This pick would have been Michael Penix Jr. if he were on the main slate. However, he plays early on Sunday. So we will go with another struggling quarterback. Shough is currently nursing two hand injuries. He has had duds in two of his last three games. The Saints have struggled in the running game. And that has affected them, unlike a certain team we will talk about later. The Saints projection is low at 22.75 points, and they are favored to beat the Browns. That low total makes this game a great pivot option.

Running Back

Favorite Play: Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos ($5,300)

A potential league winner secures the top spot this week. Jonah Coleman looked fantastic last week. On their final drive of the game, he had over 55 total yards and the game-winning score. Coleman played 66% of the snaps this past week. He is taking control of the backfield. Now he faces the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are giving up the second-most fantasy points to running backs. They have given up 10 touchdowns on the ground so far, good for second in the league. At only a salary of $5,300, he is quite the value on DraftKings. I have Coleman ranked as my RB5 this week. Coleman will be chalk on DraftKings, but he will be worth it.

Contrarian Play: Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders ($5,900)

Jeanty’s soft benching made his DraftKings salary decrease by almost $1,000. He only touched the ball five times in Week 8. Compared to 25 for Mike Washington Jr. Klint Kubiak has officially called it a “soft benching.” Despite the workload split, Jeanty is the clear receiving back in the offense. And the San Francisco 49ers have given up the most receptions to running backs. That is largely because they’ve spent so much time playing with the lead. However, it should be similar on Sunday afternoon. The 49ers are currently favored by 9.5 points. Jeanty has yet to eclipse 22 DraftKings points since Week 1. So his upside has been capped due to his inefficiency as a runner. His DraftKings salary hasn’t reflected that till this week. At $5,900 on DraftKings, Jeanty is a great value and a great contrarian play based on what we saw last week.

Wide Receiver

Favorite Play: KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns ($4,600)

It doesn’t look like Deshaun Watson will play this week. That’s the best outcome for a player like Concepcion. He sees most of his targets around the line of scrimmage. His average depth of target is nearly half of what Denzel Boston’s is. (15.11 to 7.39) And that meshes well with Shedeur Sanders, who had basically the same air yards per throw attempt as Watson does this year. Sitting just under eight yards per attempt.

The New Orleans Saints are allowing the ninth-most passing yards. And the Browns are a condensed passing attack between Boston, Concepcion, and Harold Fannin Jr. Any one of those three is a great play this weekend. (Fannin Jr. did pop up on the injury report on Thursday) My preferred DraftKings play is Concepcion because of the quarterback change.

Contrarian Play: Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles ($4,700)

Stylistically, Lemon may seem like a terrible fit with Joe Milton. However, that is far from the case. The Eagles were using Lemon near the line of scrimmage to start the year. In recent weeks, they’ve expanded his route tree to give him targets on digs, crossers, and even a vertical route or two. And with that, Lemon’s role in the offense has greatly expanded without DeVonta Smith. He has earned six or more targets in each of his last five games. The Eagles are 3.5-point underdogs heading into Sunday. Lemon’s role, combined with the uncertainty around the new quarterback, makes him a great contrarian play for Week 9 on DraftKings.

Tight End

Favorite Play: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers ($5,500)

I will not cheat and use Brock Bowers or Trey McBride. Kraft’s role has been steadily increasing after some early-season worry. More importantly, he is getting red-zone usage now. He scored in his last two contests. That should continue, since the Packers can’t run the ball. Josh Jacobs averaged 1.9 yards per carry in his last game. So the Packers will continue to subscribe to the air raid offense. They currently average the third-most pass attempts in the league. And they show no signs of slowing down. That offense will run through Kraft, Matthew Golden, and Christian Watson till further notice.

Contrarian Play: Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers ($3,300)

Waller’s involvement in the offense has been lacking recently. He only has two catches since the bye three weeks ago. That reflects in his DraftKings salary of $3,300. Waller has the chance to get back on track in this matchup. The Broncos allow the third-most receiving yards to the position. And the Panthers desperately need to get back on track after several tough weeks for the passing offense. Waller could provide a spark as the Broncos give up the seventh-most DraftKings points to the position. A good matchup at his salary is all we can hope for at the position on DraftKings if the top guys are out of the equation.

Check out all of our Week 9 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings

Final Thoughts

We have a bit of everything this week. Some new quarterbacks getting their first starts this week. Several high totals and a few standout options on DraftKings. Don’t get too caught up in the chalk, though. Best of luck for Week 9 of NFL action

Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!