FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Afternoon-Slate Helper: Week 8

The Week 8 afternoon NFL DFS slate on FanDuel has three matchups, which kick off between 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. EST. All three games have a total over 40.0, with the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders topping the slate at 51.5. There aren't many stud players in smash spots, so this should be a wild week.

Our NFL DFS Matchup Heat Map will be referenced for all implied totals and spreads throughout this article, so be sure to check it out.

Let’s check out the best plays at various prices on this short slate.

High-Priced Studs

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers ($9,600)

Christian McCaffrey has been an absolute stud this season, but he's facing his most difficult task this season, as the San Francisco 49ers rank second in Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points (NEP) per play. Because of his massive volume and high likelihood of finding the end zone, McCaffrey still projects to be the highest scoring back on the slate. Even as the priciest player, it's hard to fade his safe workload.

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns ($7,700)

If you want to save nearly $2,000 in salary for a similar player, look no further than Nick Chubb. He hasn't dipped below 10 fantasy points in any contest and has at least three receptions in all but one game this year. We could also see a game plan centered around this stud running back.

The best way to attack the New England Patriots defense is on the ground. While they rank first against the pass, their defense checks in at 15th in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play. Given the offensive line's struggles in pass protection, Freddie Kitchens should let Chubb run free. The Cleveland Browns do have the lowest implied total at 17.0, but he still presents a nice floor on a slate with little talent.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans ($8,200)

The Raiders just shipped their best young cornerback, Gareon Conley, to their Week 8 opponent, the Texans. This defense was already struggling heavily, ranking 30th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play, while allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers. Now DeAndre Hopkins should dominate them, as he finally put together a solid outing last week. He's now seen 12 targets in two straight weeks, which should continue given Will Fuller's ailing hamstring. Our projections have Hopkins as the highest-scoring receiver by a wide margin.

Mid-Priced Upside Plays

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots ($6,600)

A shiny 7-0 record is hiding the fact that the Pats have been pretty bad on offense. Tom Brady hasn't looked like his GOAT self, as New England ranks 17th in Adjusted Passing NEP per play. He'll also be without another weapon, as Josh Gordon just landed on IR due to his knee injury.

This should give boost to Julian Edelman, who already ranks 11th among wide outs with a 25.7 percent target share this season. He's struggled with drops, already letting four hit the turf this year, but Brady continues to pepper him with targets regardless. Cleveland has the offensive weapons for this to turn into a shootout, so Edelman is one of the safer receivers on the slate.

Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders ($6,800)

With Aaron Rodgers starting the game so hot, the Raiders immediately faced negative game script in Week 7. This helped Darren Waller compile his usual eight targets, but the big tight end also found the end zone for the first time this season. In all, he hauled in 7 balls for 126 yards with 2 scores for 28.1 FanDuel fantasy points.

Deshaun Watson should find success early against this defense, meaning Waller could benefit from the negative game script again. Our projections have him with the most targets and receptions at his position.

Bargain Bin Prospects

Kenny Stills, WR, Houston Texans ($5,700)

Without Will Fuller, Kenny Stills' snap rate skyrocketed to 98 percent, according to PlayerProfiler. He was essentially a one-for-one replacement, running the deep routes for Watson and topping 100 yards on just 4 catches. Now as a full-time player, Stills should crush an Oakland secondary that had struggled before trading away it's top corner. He'll carry high ownership this week, but he has the talent and opportunity to pay off in a big way.

Phillip Dorsett, WR, New England Patriots ($5,600)

While the Patriots did trade a second rounder for Mohamed Sanu, it's unlikely that he'll be incorporated that quickly into the offense. This means Phillip Dorsett's "deep threat" role should be expanded for this week. Brady has completed 53.8 percent of his attempts traveling 20-plus yards this season, which ranks second among quarterbacks. The Browns also rank 20th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play, so Brady and Dorsett should be able to take advantage of this matchup deep.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, San Francisco 49ers ($5,400)

Emmanuel Sanders got his wish and was shipped out of Denver, landing with an undefeated 49ers squad. He has a chance to make an immediate impact, as no receiver in San Fran has caught more than 15 balls this season.

This isn't the ideal situation for a fantasy receiver, as the 49ers pass-to-run ratio of 0.75 is last in the NFL. But Jimmy Garoppolo's 15th-ranked passing offense is an instant improvement over Joe Flacco's 30th-ranked unit. Kyle Shanahan may want to show off his shiny new receiver, and at $5,400, he's a bargain to roster in DFS.

Jonathan Taylor Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice Jonathan Taylor Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jtsmittyyy. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.