Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 8

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan) Last Updated 2025-10-23 18:59:26 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 8. Formerly of The 33rd Team and 4for4 Fantasy Football, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

Bo Nix was the perfect reminder that it’s never over in DFS until the clock hits zero — and Saquon Barkley was the reminder of why my lineups didn’t get there. Hopefully, you rode the chalk where it made sense and benefitted from the Nix call. And here’s your early hint for Week 8… He’s in another fantastic spot.

Before we dive in, remember: these are my early-week thoughts. Make sure you tune into the GPP Final Takes show on Sunday, where I’ll give my updated and most authentic takes — including the games I don’t touch on here.

Unlike last week, weather isn’t a major factor, so your eyes should be glued to our NFL DFS projections, for ownership trends and leverage spots — especially among the elite RBs. Personally, I’m experimenting with builds that include all three of the top backs, and this article should help you fill in the gaps on how I plan to make that work.

NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, WRs, & TEs for Week 8

Game Stacks

Bo Nix ($6,000, QB, Denver Broncos)

Courtland Sutton ($6,200, WR, Denver Broncos) or Troy Franklin ($4,200, WR, Denver Broncos)

Marvin Mims ($3,900, WR, Denver Broncos)

CeeDee Lamb ($7,800, WR, Dallas Cowboys) or George Pickens ($7,100, WR, Dallas Cowboys)

The Cowboys ran 50% man coverage last week against Washington — and I think that trend sticks after it worked so well. But this matchup isn’t one where that approach will hold up. Denver has shown they can exploit man-heavy defenses, and the Broncos offensive line should control the Cowboys pass rush, giving Bo Nix time to attack vertically… or just take off.

Nix has been far more dangerous as a passer when teams play man, and the Cowboys have struggled all year defending deep shots. That sets up perfectly for Marvin Mims — one of the league’s most efficient man-coverage separators, averaging 3.32 yards per route run. Courtland Sutton is the alpha with the target share and also sits at 3.32 YPRR vs. man, making him the safer stack partner.

I’ll include Troy Franklin in 3-max builds as a large-field pivot — he’s still earning opportunities, and this is a secondary he can beat — but Mims is my priority. His price creates the flexibility needed to get to the top-end RBs, and he brings true slate-breaking upside with a single big play.

If Dallas sticks with their man-heavy identity again… this Denver stack can bury the slate.

I’m not going to force a bring-back in Denver stacks because I want to allocate salary to the high-priced running backs, but I do believe one of the Cowboys wide receivers is going to have a massive game. Patrick Surtain is likely to travel with George Pickens while Denver brackets CeeDee Lamb — a similar strategy the Eagles used in Week 1 that still resulted in a huge performance from Lamb. It’s difficult to predict exactly which one will pop, but both remain viable bring-back options if you decide to attack this game environment more aggressively.

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