NFL DFS: Best Stacks for DraftKings Week 8 Main Slate

Don’t worry everyone, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t on the Main slate in Week 8, so they can’t hurt us this week. I never thought I’d live to see the day where I muttered those words. For full transparency, I had a decent week in Week 7, but my lineups with Chiefs stacks went down the drain rather quickly. Even without Kansas City, we still have plenty of stacks to choose from this week, especially since we don’t have six teams on a bye week like last Sunday. The only teams on a bye week this week are the Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders.

In Week 7, my choice to go heavy on the Los Angeles Rams and the Miami Dolphins paid off. I also had secondary stacks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, leading me to a profitable week. We’re hoping to be in the green again this week. With plenty of offenses to choose from, here are my favorite stacks and bring-back options in Week 8.

Favorite Stacks

LAR: Matthew Stafford ($7,600), Darrell Henderson ($6,500), Cooper Kupp ($9,000), Robert Woods ($6,300), Tyler Higbee ($4,500), Van Jefferson ($3,900)

Just a week after we got the Rams against the Detroit Lions with the highest projected team total, we have the Rams versus the Houston Texans with the second-highest projected team total. Matthew Stafford continues to perform well in Los Angeles, and Cooper Kupp remains his favorite target. Kupp is a true league-winner in fantasy football this season as he’s on track to surpass Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record. While I’ll never say no to Kupp, this feels like a Robert Woods week again like we had in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. Tyler Higbee has been quiet in recent weeks, but the Texans have given up five receiving touchdowns to TEs in the past four weeks. Van Jefferson has emerged as the No. 3 wideout, and with a 79.4% route participation, he’s viable at $3,900 on DraftKings.

Bring-back options: David Johnson ($4,200), Brandin Cooks ($5,700)

If you elect not to have a bring-back player from the Texans, I don’t blame you. There aren’t any trustworthy options, though, if Tyrod Taylor returns, the skill players in Houston do receive a boost. With the trade of Mark Ingram, David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay are in line to share the backfield workload. Seeing that I believe the Texans will be playing from behind, I’d rather go with Johnson due to him being the preferred receiving option at running back. Both Johnson and Brandin Cooks are potential trade candidates, so Houston could either limit their snaps, or they could increase their usage to up their value ahead of the trade deadline. Once again, I wouldn’t force a bring-back player from the Texans this week if you’re stacking the Rams.

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BUF: Josh Allen ($8,100), Stefon Diggs ($8,100), Emmanuel Sanders ($5,400), Cole Beasley ($4,900), Tommy Sweeney ($2,900)

While the Rams possess the second-highest projected team total at 31.25 points in Week 8, the Buffalo Bills have the highest projected team total at 31.5 points. Josh Allen and the Bills are coming off of their bye week to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 8. Allen has scored 32+ points on DraftKings in three out of the past four games for Buffalo. Stefon Diggs had his best game of the season in Week 6 versus the Tennessee Titans, and he gets a Dolphins team that is giving up the third-most points per week to WRs on DraftKings. Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley are also priced nicely, so it isn’t hard to stack the Bills this week. While I don’t expect Tommy Sweeney to have the same role as Dawson Knox, he is a threat in the red zone to score a touchdown at only $2,900.

Bring-back options: Jaylen Waddle ($5,600), DeVante Parker ($4,900), Mike Gesicki ($5,000)

With Tua Tagovailoa back for the Dolphins, Miami’s pass-catchers have received a major boost in recent weeks. Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki are the two clear options on the Dolphins if you are using a bring-back player when using the Bills. DeVante Parker is questionable to return in Week 8 as he’s now missed three consecutive games. I’d still rather have Waddle and Gesicki even if Parker can make his way back to the field this Sunday.

CIN: Joe Burrow ($7,100), Ja’Marr Chase ($7,500), Tee Higgins ($5,200), Tyler Boyd ($4,800), C.J. Uzomah ($3,700)

It was impressive to see Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals carve up the defense of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. After facing the Ravens, Burrow gets to take on the New York Jets in Week 8, who just surrendered 25.2 DraftKings points to Mac Jones. Ja’Marr Chase continues to be one of the best wideouts in fantasy football, and he feels underpriced at $7,500. While Chase produced 201 yards and a touchdown last week, it masked the fact that Tee Higgins saw a career-high 15 targets. Higgins is poised to explode one of these weeks while Tyler Boyd has seen his production decline since Higgins returned to the offense. C.J. Uzomah has found the end zone five times in the past four games, so he’s worth a flier at $3,700.

Bring-back options: Michael Carter ($4,900), Corey Davis ($5,200), Jamison Crowder ($4,800), Elijah Moore ($3,900)

Michael Carter has finally become the No. 1 running back for the Jets, and he responded by scoring a season-high 17.4 points on DraftKings versus the New England Patriots in Week 7. With Mike White slated to start in place of rookie Zach Wilson, Carter could see plenty of targets again after hauling in eight passes for 67 yards last Sunday. Corey Davis remains the true No. 1 wideout on the Jets. Davis did appear on the injury report on Thursday, so we’ll need to monitor his status ahead of Sunday. If Davis is ruled out, then Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore would see boosts in their usage. Even with White under center, the Jets could be a source of value one-offs in Week 8.

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PHI: Jalen Hurts ($7,200), Kenneth Gainwell ($5,000), DeVonta Smith ($5,500), Dallas Goedert ($4,700), Jalen Reagor ($4,100)

With Mahomes laying an egg in Week 7, Jalen Hurts is now the lone remaining quarterback in the NFL that has scored 20+ points on DraftKings in each week thus far. Even though Hurts hasn’t looked like a franchise quarterback in real life, he provides us one of the safest floors with his rushing production. And with the Philadelphia Eagles being heavy favorites against the Detroit Lions, we could get a ceiling week from Hurts. Kenneth Gainwell is listed here because I believe he’s an easy choice on DraftKings at $5,000 due to Miles Sanders being sidelined and he’s a superior receiver than his backfield mate. DeVonta Smith could also have one of the best games of his rookie season at only $5,500. Dallas Goedert will continue to see a firm share of targets with Zach Ertz gone and Jalen Reagor is a high-risk, high-reward option if he’s able to connect on a couple of deep plays with Hurts.

Bring-back options: D’Andre Swift ($7,100), T.J. Hockenson ($5,400), Kalif Raymond ($5,300), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($3,900)

Just use D’Andre Swift if you’re using a bring-back option from the Lions and be done with it. Swift remains Detroit’s best offensive weapon in an offense void of talent. T.J. Hockenson would be my second choice as a bring-back from the Lions, but once again, just insert Swift into your lineups. Kalif Raymond finished as the leading wideout for the Lions in Week 7, but it’s tough to trust any of Detroit’s wide receivers every week. It feels disgusting paying over $5,000 in salary on a wide receiver from the Lions, so I’d likely be cautious of using Raymond. If you are adamant about using a wideout from Detroit, I’d rather use Amon-Ra St. Brown, even after he received zero targets last week.

TB: Tom Brady ($7,400), Mike Evans ($7,000), Chris Godwin ($6,400), Rob Gronkowski ($4,600), Tyler Johnson ($3,100)

I was torn between the Los Angeles Chargers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as my final stack. And then I asked myself, why wouldn’t I just use Tom Brady? Brady has been tearing apart opposing defenses to the tune of 27.1 DraftKings points per week. Some people may be wary of using Brady this week as the Buccaneers travel to square off with the apparent stingy defense of the New Orleans Saints. While the Saints have shut down opposing passing attacks this season, the last five quarterbacks they’ve faced have been Geno Smith, Taylor Heinicke, Daniel Jones, Mac Jones, and Sam Darnold. Also, with Antonio Brown doubtful, targets are condensed for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evans will probably see Marshon Lattimore in coverage, so Godwin will garner more ownership. Rob Gronkowski is set to return for the Buccaneers, and after struggling in both games versus the Saints in 2020, Brady is primed to carve up New Orleans in Week 8.

Bring-back options: Alvin Kamara ($8,700), Marquez Callaway ($5,400), Tre’Quan Smith ($3,900)

Can we just get the Alvin Kamara we saw on Monday Night Football in Week 7 every week, please? The Saints had failed to consistently get Kamara involved in the passing game until Week 7, where he finished with 10 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. Being that Tampa Bay boasts a stout run defense, Kamara could be busy again with short passes from Jameis Winston as an extension of the run game. Marquez Callaway is capable of making big plays down the field and Tre’Quan Smith is primed for more usage in Week 8 after making his season debut in Week 7.