Draft Kings Week 9: Best Bargains At Each Position

The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.

Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on Draft Kings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is Draft Kings’ scoring system.

The bargains are listed in the order I like them.

Quarterbacks

Jared Goff, Rams ($5,500): This week is not a great one for bargains at QB, but Goff is a pretty solid passer to use in Week 9. His numbers cooled over his last three games, but two game against elite pass defenses (Seahawks and Jaguars). This week he’s up against a Giants team that is out of control, and just suspended their top CB Janoris Jenkins. With a week off to recalibrate, Goff should be back to borderline Top 10 production.

Tyrod Taylor, Bills ($5,900): Taylor is expensive for this grouping, but I don’t want to recommend bad QBs for the sake of their price. For what Taylor can offer, $5,900 seems low. With a matchup against the Jets’ weak pass rush and terrible secondary, Taylor has a chance to actually do his damage through the air. He just got a new toy in WR Kelvin Benjamin, and of course he’s still one of the top rushing QBs available.

Drew Stanton, Cardinals ($4,700): Stanton is a terrible NFL quarterback, but he has a cake matchup, excellent receiving options, and the price tag of a backup. Often that’s a ticket to this weekly write-up, and I like him a lot more than Brock Osweiler this week who also fits most of this criteria.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, Cardinals ($5,600): The 49ers defense is just so bad. You need to load up on players opposing the 49ers, and few RBs are more capable of grinding them to bits than the ultimate power back, Adrian Peterson. AP stomped all over the Bucs in his Arizona debut, then struggled against a more stout Rams front. At this point in his career he’s a nice play vs. bad teams. Sign me up for some Peterson.

Alfred Morris, Cowboys ($5,500): There are no numbers for me to flaunt for Morris this year, since he’s spent almost all his time on the sideline watching Ezekiel Elliott tear up defenses. Morris is no Zeke, but he is behind one of the best offensive lines in football, and he gets to face the Chiefs in Week 9. It may be surprising that I consider that a positive, but Kansas City’s run defense ranks a ghastly 31st per FootballOutsiders.com. Morris loses value because he’s a non-factor in the passing game, but 100 rushing yards and a scoe is in play.

Kenyan Drake, Dolphins ($4,000): Like Morris, Drake has no real stats to tout because he hasn’t gotten a fair chance to show out yet in his NFL career. That time is now; Jay Ajayi has been traded, and Damien Williams has a career average of 3.3 yards per carry. He might get goal line work and sub in on third downs, but it would be surprising if Drake didn’t lead Miami in carries this week. The Raiders are on tap, so if Drake can’t rip up the 23rd-ranked run defense – and 31st overall – then he’s probably no good.

Wide Receivers

Devin Funchess, Panthers ($5,400): With Kelvin Benjamin banished to Buffalo, Funchess may suddenly become one of the most-targeted receivers in the league. He’s already been thrown to at least six times in every game since Week 1, and scored three touchdowns. Now he’s the sole Panthers WR of note, and he’s got a great matchup vs. the Falcons. At this price you aren’t going to find any other receivers in line for so much action.

Sammy Watkins, Rams ($4,200): I fully realize the catastrophe Watkins has been for his last four games, but coming off a bye it’s hard to imagine an offensive whiz like head coach Sean McVay hasn’t spent the time off brainstorming ways to use his most explosive weapon in the passing game. We know Watkins can go off; his Week 3 detonation (six catches, 106 yards and two touchdowns), and in his past he’s often resembled a legit WR1. With no Janoris Jenkins to shadow him, Watkins can go HAM if he gets enough work.

John Brown, Cardinals ($4,200): If you’re looking for a sneaky stack, this may be it. I already think Drew Stanton can overcome his limitations thanks to San Francisco’s pathetic defense, and I see Brown as a receiver with a chance to benefit. You have a decent shot at points using any Arizona receiver in Week 9, but we’ve seen Brown get consistent targets this year and score in back-to-back games vs. the Bucs and Eagles. Larry Fitzgerald is by far the safest Cards receiver, but this is where you truly feel the SF discount.

Tight Ends

Martellus Bennett, Packers ($3,000): Bennett has been horrible all year and he’s talking about retirement, so that’s not great. He also doesn’t have Aaron Rodgers right now. That’s why he’s $3,000! Brett Hundley has had a bye week to get acclimated, and he should be looking to his tight end when things get hairy. Against Detroit’s 31st-ranked defense against tight ends, I think Bennett may find the end zone.

Jonnu Smith, Titans ($3,400): Smith has an impossibly low floor, and he hasn’t proven that he has incredibly high upside either. However, he does have two touchdowns on the year, and anyone who has actually seen him play knows that he has incredible potential. Now I understand if you’re not interested in such an extreme roll of the dice, but be aware that he is up against a Ravens defense that ranks dead last against tight ends.

Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars ($2,600): Lewis, like Smith and Bennett, has a floor of zero points. He has put up a doughnut four times this year, and has caught more than two passes exactly once in 2017. But that one game he did, he caught four passes and scored three touchdowns. The Bengals have been horrible vs. tight ends this year, and Lewis is facing them. You can take the big risk, and even if he bombs you are likely loaded at the other positions.