Melvin Gordon and Week 8’s Top Daily Fantasy Football Value Picks at DraftKings

Week seven was a bunch of fun in daily fantasy football – especially if you leaned on us for some advice. We nailed numerous value buys at DraftKings on the week with picks like Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Devonta Freeman, Spencer Ware, Giovani Bernard, Jay Ajayi, Mike Wallace and Tyrell Williams all panning out.

There is not nearly as much value to be had on week eight’s slate on DraftKings, yet it actually could be more crucial than ever to locate the best value picks with just 10 games on the main slate.

Setting TNF and MNF games aside, let’s focus on that main 10-game slate and see what value picks look the best this week for our daily fantasy football contests:

Quarterback

• Andrew Luck – Colts ($6.8k)
• Ryan Fitzpatrick – Jets ($6.2k)
• Carson Palmer – Cardinals ($6k)
• Jameis Winston – Buccaneers ($5.7k)
• Tyrod Taylor – Bills ($5.2k)

We normally aim to dig a little deeper than where Andrew Luck’s price is at, but let’s be real; dude is providing value this week.

The Chiefs represent a challenge, to be sure, but Luck is a DFS monster when he’s on and this week he’s under $7k and at home, where he’s putting up a cool 27 fantasy points per contest on the year.

Colts QB Andrew Luck is having the best season of his career:https://t.co/FV6Ujqa3SC pic.twitter.com/xPJkHdZHiw

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 24, 2016

Luck isn’t expensive, is at home and gets a Chiefs defense that isn’t nearly as formidable when on the road. They won last week, but they also go torched by Drew Brees, so you shouldn’t be too concerned about Luck paying off at this discounted price.

If you need to save even more, consider the recently exiled Fitzpatrick, who returned to the New York lineup thanks to a Geno Smith torn ACL:

Fitz is back in the saddle after helping the Jets win last week and it’s going to take a special level of suck for him to bomb against the 0-7 Browns. He’s been bad in 2016, but he looked better last week and could be ready for a big outing. Stacking Jets isn’t crazy this week.

Palmer hasn’t been good this year either and didn’t score last week, but a showdown in Carolina with the struggling Panthers could set him up for a big game. Even if it doesn’t, the price and matchup look good enough to warrant a roll of the dice in GPPs.

Winston is coming off a big week, too, ans is under $6k against a Raiders defense that has gotten torched a ton this year. Winston can be touch and go, but he’s at home and has a favorable matchup.

Tyrod Taylor’s matchup isn’t amazing, but he’s actually been great lately and may be needed more than usual with LeSean McCoy (hamstring) nicked up again. He’s dirt cheap and has that dual threat upside that can win GPPs.

Running Back

• Melvin Gordon – Chargers ($5.7k)
• Jacquizz Rodgers – Buccaneers ($5.8k)
• Mark Ingram – Saints ($5k)
• James White – Patriots ($4.8k)
• Frank Gore – Colts ($4.7k)

One look at the running back pool in daily fantasy football this week, and you’ll see that a lot of the great value is gone. Bye weeks and a smaller slate will do that, so under $6k, we’re really looking at slim pickings.

Matchup be damned, that’s precisely why you need to consider Melvin Gordon.

#Chargers TD machine aka @Melvingordon25!

Week 7 highlights 👇👇
https://t.co/P1N32Yctwi

— NFL Now (@NFLNow) October 24, 2016

Even when this guy gets stifled, it seems he’s always a threat to score. You can’t ignore a guy at this low price that is coming off a 3-TD game and is preparing for a massive AFC West clash.

We’ll also want to keep an eye on Buccaneers rusher, Doug Martin. He’s been held back by injury for a while now, but if he remains out, feel free to continue firing up his main replacement, Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers hasn’t been a big TD threat, but he’s getting loads of touches and has been performing (20+ fantasy points in two straight starts). This week a favorable date with the Raiders keeps him on the NFL DFS value pick radar.

Ingram and Gore shouldn’t be bypassed too quickly, either. Ingram has the far worse matchup of the two and is a little more expensive, but he’s still cheap, is always a threat to score and is active in the Saints’ passing game. He’s also been fairly reliable on the year, too, with 17+ fantasy points in three of his last four contests.

Gore is less explosive, but he’s cheaper, has a much better matchup and has actually been an even safer play. The upside isn’t as great, but Gore can score any week and has safely topped 11+ fantasy points in six of seven games in 2016.

James White is especially fun at DraftKings, thanks to their PPR love. He’s really seen his role grow with Tom Brady back at the helm, as he’s posted 11+ fantasy points in all three of those games and has registered at least five targets in each game. The Bills could present a tough test on the road, but if the Pats struggle he’d actually only be needed more as a receiver out of the backfield.

Wide Receiver

• Demaryius Thomas – Broncos ($6.2k)
• Davante Adams  – Packers ($4.9k)
• Quincy Enunwa – Jets ($4.8k)
• Michael Floyd – Cardinals ($4.1k)
• Tyler Lockett – Seahawks ($3.9k)
• Russell Shepard – Buccaneers ($3.3k)

There is not a ton to get excited about when it comes to value at wide receiver, but Demaryius Thomas feels way too cheap for his upside this week. His quarterback play has held him back considerably, but the Chargers can be beaten through the air and he’s arguably due. A big game at this discounted price wouldn’t be a shock at all.

Adams has spiked in price, but he was so amazing last week (13 catches, 2 TDs) that we may want to take the dive and believe he’s legit. If he regresses, so be it. The Falcons do not stop the pass at all and with no running backs, the Packers have to throw all day.

I also like Enunwa a good deal, just because he displayed solid explosiveness on a long score last week and he’s got a nice role with Eric Decker on IR. A date with the Browns and a cheap price make him even more interesting.

Michael Floyd has not been amazing in 2016, but he’s quietly been fairly steady with 10+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. A big game is just around the corner and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if it came against a Carolina team struggling mightily to stop the pass.

I’m not enthralled with Lockett or Shepard, but Shepard stepped up with 15 fantasy points in the wake of the Vincent Jackson injury. He’s insanely cheap if he’s going to maintain a role with the Bucs, plus the Raiders are a great matchup at home on paper.

Lockett has done next to nothing all year, but Seattle’s funky offense needs to get going and a date with a brutal Saints secondary in New Orleans could be the fix. Lockett can kill them deep or make an impact on special teams – or both. For this low price, it’s not a bad gamble that this is the week he does something big.

Tight End

• Hunter Henry – Chargers ($3.7k)
• Zach Ertz – Eagles ($3.6k)
• Jack Doyle – Colts ($3.5k)
• Gary Barnidge – Browns ($3.3k)

Tight end remains a great spot to seek value, although Rob Gronkowski has also been a total menace lately. If you’re fading his expensive salary, of course, any of these tight ends are suitable GPP tries at DK in week eight.

Henry finally delivered a dud last week, but torched Denver last time he faced them and has been awesome for a rookie (10+ fantasy points in four of his last five games). Denver could stifle him the second time around, but he’ll probably be very involved and he’s still a great price on DraftKings.

Ertz has been awful since returning a rib injury, but recency bias could get a ton of GPP owners off of him this week. He is still super talented and is a great price as he battles a Dallas defense that can struggle against tight ends. In a huge divisional clash, it wouldn’t be that shocking to see him step it up this week.

How Jack Doyle went from @chs_fb to No. 1 #Colts tight end. pic.twitter.com/zzVaNdZJGU

— Scott Horner (@ScottEHorner) October 19, 2016

Jack Doyle remains the value tight end of choice, as he was a fiend last week (we plugged him in our week 7 preview on Sunday morning). He went nuts (22 fantasy points) and figures to remain involved as long as Dwayne Allen (ankle) is out.

Gary Barndige has yet to score on the year, but he’s another cheap tight end that isn’t a bad play. He remains very involved in Cleveland’s passing game and has topped 12+ fantasy points this past week for the fourth time in five contests. Hopefully he can do that and add a score this week.

Team Defense

• Chiefs ($2.8k)
• Cardinals ($2.7k)
• Raiders ($2.6k)
• Falcons ($2.4k)

Last week wasn’t a great for value defense, or even the elite options. It seem it was the Eagles or bust for the most part and any of the value options largely failed.

That could very well be the case again this week, but there are at least some worthy options to try out.

The Chiefs make sense as a value defense, as the Colts have been hit or miss in 2016 and Justin Houston is back. The Chiefs could get sacks and turnovers and could still end up paying off, even if they give up yardage and some scores.

Even better could be Arizona, who are a cheap price given how great they’ve been lately. They were so good this past week that their game ended in a tie and in week eight they’ll get a Panthers team that has been awful for much of 2016. A little revenge for an NFC title game loss could be in play, as well.

Oakland and Atlanta are riskier plays, as the Raiders are on the road but are super cheap and get a turnover-prone Buccaneers offense.

Atlanta is even bolder at home against the Packers, but let’s be real: this Green Bay offense isn’t very scary on paper. Aaron Rodgers isn’t the elite guy we’re used to, Green Bay has no running back and they’re turning the ball over more than we’re used to seeing. The Falcons might not hold them under 20 points, but they could get some sacks and 1-2 turnovers here.

Overall, week eight promises to offer just enough value for you to potentially win big in daily fantasy football. Hopefully our early insight into the week helps you win!