NFL DFS Stud RB Spotlight: Week 8 Projections
Projections are live, and we’re looking ahead to Sunday’s main slate on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!. Using RotoGrinders LineupHQ Optimizer, we can identify some top quality stud running backs for the week with ease. In this article, we’ll leverage the projection we create for daily fantasy sports to discuss a few high priced backs we should target. We’ll also take a look at some high priced players who have some concerns. We’ll be able to hold these evaluations up against projected ownership to make some key decisions later in the week.
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Week 8 NFL DFS Running Back Report
Kareem Hunt
NFL Team: Cleveland Browns
Opponent: Las Vegas Raiders
DraftKings Fantasy Points: 21.53
FanDuel Fantasy Points: 18.73
Yahoo Fantasy Points: 18.73
The Browns were already down Nick Chubb (knee) and Austin Hooper (appendectomy) going into the Week 7 game against the Bengals, and then they lost Odell Beckham (for the season, unfortunately) on their second offensive play of the game. So where did a lot of their offense flow? Kareem Hunt.
As you can see in our Premium Usage App, Hunt accounted for a whopping 44% of the market share of opportunities for the Browns in Week 7. Not only was that the highest of any Browns player in Week 7 (by a landslide), it was the highest of any Browns player in any game this season. For comparison, the highest that Nick Chubb had was 41.8% against those same Bengals in Week 2.
So with Chubb still on IR, Beckham lost for the season, and Hooper likely out another week, Hunt is going to be a great place to allocate some salary in what is an elite matchup against the Raiders.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
NFL Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Opponent: New York Jets
DraftKings Fantasy Points: 17.79
FanDuel Fantasy Points: 15.74
Yahoo Fantasy Points: 15.74
The presence of Le’Veon Bell in Kansas City might be more of a negative for CEH than most people thought.
While the instinct is to look at the Week 7 score (KC 43, DEN 16) and assume that Bell got a lot of garbage time work, the fact of the matter is that the two of them were pretty much rotating series throughout the game. The final result for the snap percentages in the KC backfield?
CEH: 53%
Bell: 33%
DeAndre Washington: 20% (he was actually the one out there in garbage time)
Darrel Williams: 2%
The irony of last week’s game is that CEH finally was able to break through and score a touchdown, which makes the game log look a little better than the usage would normally indicate. For example, he only accounted for 36.4% of the market share of rushes in Week 7. His low before that? 58.8%, in Week 5.
It is anybody’s guess how the snaps and touches are doled out this week against the Jets, as the Chiefs are listed as the biggest favorites you will probably see all year (-19). Personally, I am going to need to see the price tag come down a little on CEH before I want to get too heavily invested.
Dalvin Cook
NFL Team: Minnesota Vikings
Opponent: Green Bay Packers
DraftKings Fantasy Points: 19.28
FanDuel Fantasy Points: 16.94
Yahoo Fantasy Points: 16.94
It has been awhile since we last saw Cook. He left the game injured in Week 5, sat out Week 6 due to said injury, and then the Vikings had their bye in Week 7. However, all signs are pointing to him being out there for Week 8 against their division rival, the Green Bay Packers.
If we look at Weeks 1-4 in our Premium Usage App, Cook was hogging all of the volume for this Vikings offense. He saw 42.7% of the market share of opportunities in those four games. The next closest in that span was Adam Thielen, at 16.8%.
You aren’t getting any discount on Cook on FanDuel, as his $9,200 price tag has him as the second most expensive RB/WR/TE on the slate. The price is slightly discounted on DraftKings ($7,500), and he is a full $1,300 cheaper than the most expensive RB/WR/TE on that site (Davante Adams).
Regardless, he will be a guy worth paying up for if we can assume close to a full workload. The Green Bay Packers grade out as one of the best possible matchups a running back can get.
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Image Credit: Imagn