NFL DFS Expert Survey: Buccaneers vs. Cowboys (10/8)

by Justin Bailey (Jbails26)

Created Oct 8, 2026

Last Updated 2026-10-08 18:58:44 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Our panel of experts is here to give you their insights on NFL DFS today for the 10/8 Showdown slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that features the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys. They’re ready to answer key questions that will assist you in making those crucial lineup-building decisions. Curious about Noto’s three favorite Captains? Or perhaps you’re wondering about Neil Orfield’s favorite correlation? Read their thoughts below!

NFL DFS DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey: Thursday Night Football Picks

DraftKings

Who are your three favorite Captains, ranked in order?

Notorious: CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Jalon Daniels
headChopper: George Pickens, Jalon Daniels, Emeka Egbuka
ncorfield8k: George Pickens, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb
Davis Mattek: Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens

How do you plan to beat the field of opponents in the tournaments you will be playing? What tactic or strategy will set you apart?

Notorious: Based on the spread and the fact that Jalon Daniels has rushing upside, my favorite build is Daniels with 5 Cowboys on DraftKings and 4 Cowboys on FanDuel. The hope is that the Cowboys run away with the game while Daniels has another strong rushing game. I think most people that target Daniels will pair him with a pass catcher, but that might not be needed if he doesn’t have a big game through the air.

headChopper: Pretty simple game-script/narrative play for me. On a short week coming off a win, I think Dallas uses Javonte Williams a bit less against a strong run defense and gives Tyler Goodson a few extra carries. I also think after 17 catches for CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott spreads the love back to George Pickens, who happens to be in a good spot schematically in this matchup. He has gotten a nice boost in production against single-high coverage, which Tampa has used roughly 66% of the time. So I’ll be overweight on Pickens and Goodson and underweight on Lamb and Williams.

ncorfield8k: I’m going to be using a kitchen-sink approach here. Unfortunately, I think the field has it about right in terms of pOWN%, but one way I will get different is by playing a lot of Jalon Daniels and the Cowboys D/ST in the same lineup. The field avoids it, but if Daniels throws a pick-6, for example, he only loses a point for the interception, while the Cowboys D/ST gets 8 points, and Daniels gets the ball right back in what is likely a better game script.

Davis Mattek: The most obvious pivot here is jamming George Pickens, though I don’t know if people can bring themselves to do it. Pickens’ usage has not been that different from last season. CeeDee Lamb has just been mogging him at every turn. With the Cowboys heavily favored, I wonder if the team will choose to emphasize Pickens a little more once the game is in hand.

What’s one rule/setting that you’re going to use in our NFL DFS optimizer (LineupHQ) or NFL DFS sims tool (SimLabs)?

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