NFL Week 8 is here and with it come the first bye weeks of the NFL season. With no teams on bye this week, we have a 13-game NFL DFS main slate on Sunday with a featured matchup of the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Arizona Cardinals.. It's time to dig into our NFL DFS Week 8 projections and rankings. Each week we will break down our top plays, values and fades at the QB position to help you build your NFL DFS lineups for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slate. 

 

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NFL DFS QB Top Tier Picks

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

I mean, he was on the cover of last week's coaches article and yet he found himself rostered in just 10% of contests last week. I had him in my lineup that nearly took down the $15 3-max contest on DraftKings and this week  he has an even better matchup against a Denver Broncos defense that he threw for 306 yards and a touchdown against earlier in the year. A healthy Travis Kelce has been huge for Mahomes and we are seeing Rashee Rice break out more and more each week. He's expensive but he's right there as my top QB play again this week. 

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

So, I've had a bit of bad luck the last two weeks when it came to my QB fades. Two weeks ago it was Jared Goff and he lit up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and last week it was none other than Lamar Jackson.  The research and reasoning was sound and even the Lions were among the most bet teams last week and yet they strolled into Baltimore and got absolutely rolled by the Ravens offense led by Jackson. This week Baltimore has one of the best matchups on the board for opposing QBs in the Arizona Cardinals and Jackson should be on your radar here.

NFL DFS QB Mid-Tier Picks

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

The Texans are coming off of their bye week to face Carolina Panthers in a battle of rookie QB's who were drafted first and second overall. There have been leaked reports that the Panthers coaches actually preferred Stroud over Bryce Young but that the owner wanted Young and that was the selection that was made. If you like narratives then Stroud sticking it to the owner who passed on him in front of the coach that wanted him is one to enjoy. The Panthers pass defense has been a bit stingy this season but the Texans should be getting Tank Dell back on the field and we've seen Stroud continue to have success throwing to Nico Collins and Robert Woods this season.

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

I keep waiting and waiting for this Cowboys offense to really explode and maybe it just isn't in the cards this season but with Dallas at home coming off of their bye week I'm willing to give Dak Prescott a look here against the Los Angeles Rams.  Dak still has Ceedee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup at his disposal along with a great pass catching running back in Tony Pollard. In Week 6 against the Chargers he completed 70-percent of his passes while throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. His price tag makes it pretty easy to get a Prescott and Lamb stack this weekend.

NFL DFS QB Value Picks

Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

While we consider the Falcons offense to be run-first, the reality of the situation is that Ridder has attempted at least 30 pass attempts in all but two starts this season and at least 25 pass attempts in all but one start this year. This week he faces a Tennessee Titans defense that ranks among the worst in football against the pass while having a pretty stingy run defense. If Atlanta can't get things going on the ground you can likely bet that Arthur Smith will turn it over to the passing attack against the team he use to be the offensive coordinator of.

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Yes, Carr has been incredibly frustrating this season and a lot of that has to do with the team's offense just in general. Against the Jaguars last week we saw the frustrations boil over when Chris Olave stopped running on a route and another time where Michael Thomas wasn't able to make a grab. Carr has been a check down king this season but with his opponent this week in the Indianapolis Colts I do think there is the potential for some things to get a bit more consistent for Carr.

NFL DFS QB Fade

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

I just can't bring myself to do it here. Yes, I love the offensive weapons the Seahawks have and they generally play better at home but time and time again this season we've seen Geno Smith leave a lot to be desired and now he draws a matchup against a Browns defense that may have allowed 38 points last week but still managed four sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception against the Colts. I worry that Browns defense gets after Smith this weekend.