This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Another exciting slate of NFL action is on tap in Week 9, with 11 games scheduled for the Sunday main slate beginning at 1:00 PM Eastern time. Additionally, the 49ers and Cardinals will face off Thursday, the Cowboys and Giants meet Monday, and the Texans and Jaguars will play in London at 9:30 AM Eastern time Sunday, while the Falcons, Bengals, Rams and Saints are on bye. Even in a slightly smaller than usual slate, there's no shortage of enticing options to choose from. Among the suggestions below are an all-time great quarterback who might be playing the best football of his career, a trio of wide receivers primed to exploit vulnerable secondaries, and a tight end who's making the most of his chance to shine in a larger role.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
QB: Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. NE ($37): Matching up against New England's historically good defense is the definition of counterintuitive, but Jackson has the ability to deliver a game-changing performance with both his arm and legs. While no quarterback has ever rushed for 100 yards against a Bill Belichick-coached team, Jackson coming off a bye week to prepare has as good a chance as anyone ever has. He rushed for 268 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games and has a solid 11:5 TD:INT through the air this season. If you play Jackson and he goes off, you'll be one of the few to benefit.
RB: Devin Singletary, BUF vs. WAS ($16): Singletary continues to be out-touched by Frank Gore, but the rookie third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic has done nothing but produce whenever he's given the ball. In four games played, Singletary's racked up 172 yards and a touchdown on the ground in addition to 58 yards and a touchdown through the air, averaging a robust 8.6 yards per carry and 6.4 yards per reception. We're just waiting for the training wheels to come off workload-wise, and this week offers the possible game script to do it. If Buffalo's low-octane offense fails to get off to a fast start against the lowly Redskins, Singletary might finally get the keys to the car and post a true breakout performance.
WR: Courtland Sutton, DEN vs. CLE ($21): There will naturally be some trepidation about starting Sutton with unproven journeyman Brandon Allen taking over under center for the injured Joe Flacco (neck), but Flacco wasn't exactly providing high-quality quarterback play with a 6:5 TD:INT through eight games. Sutton's 61 targets are tied for 14th in the league and 11th among wide receivers, and he should get an even larger share of targets moving forward with Emmanuel Sanders now plying his trade in San Francisco. A Browns team that's been outscored 90-44 over an active three-game losing streak will have a hard time keeping Sutton in check.
Other Against-the-Grainers
QB: Brandon Allen (DEN, $20), Gardner Minshew (JAX, $28)
RB: Jordan Howard (PHI, $19), Royce Freeman (DEN, $16), Marlon Mack (IND, $23)
WR: Alshon Jeffery (PHI, $19), Tyreek Hill (KC, $33), Jarvis Landry (CLE, $15)
TE: Mark Andrews (BAL, $17), Zach Ertz (PHI, $16)
DST: New York Jets (at MIA, $18), Seattle Seahawks (vs. TB, $15)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
QUARTERBACK
Aaron Rodgers, GB at LAC ($35): Rodgers is playing as well as ever, yet six other quarterbacks are priced at least as highly as him, including four from the main slate. This will mark a major step up in competition for the injury-riddled Chargers defense, as Los Angeles faced Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Tannehill, Devlin Hodges, Joe Flacco and Josh Rosen in its previous five games. Tannehill topped 300 yards against the Chargers during this easy stretch, and the game preceding this run of weak quarterbacks saw Deshaun Watson throw for 351 yards and three touchdowns in Los Angeles. Rodgers could easily match or even surpass that Watson effort after delivering 734 passing yards and eight touchdowns through the air over the past two weeks, while adding a rushing score without throwing an interception in that timeframe.
RUNNING BACK
Le'Veon Bell, NYJ at MIA ($26): Bell will be the best player on the field for either side in this clash of AFC East rivals that have combined for one win this season. The star running back had the second-fewest carries of his career (nine) last week in Jacksonville, so coach Adam Gase should have no qualms giving Bell all the work he can handle, lest the ex-Dolphins coach suffers his most embarrassing defeat yet and job security starts to become a legitimate concern. Those who have turned to Bell previously this season have been burned by New York's overall ineptitude on offense, but facing Miami should offer a temporary reprieve from those struggles.
Dalvin Cook, MIN at KC ($39): Only the Bengals and Dolphins give up more rushing yards per game than Kansas City (145.0), and that's with the Chiefs having had the luxury of playing from ahead for most of the season thanks to the presence of Patrick Mahomes under center. Even if Mahomes returns from his knee injury a week earlier than expected, the league's leading rusher would still have a great opportunity to feast. If Mahomes sits, any worries about Cook's workload due to game flow go out the window, and the sky's the limit for the 24-year-old running back, who already has 823 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. DET ($20): Williams missed two games with a foot injury, but he's scored a touchdown in each of his five games played. A Lions team that's giving up a league-high 289.7 passing yards per game and just allowed rookie Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to throw four touchdowns in Detroit is unlikely to end Williams' touchdown streak, while he has a nice volume floor locked down as Oakland's clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver.
Kenny Golladay, DET at OAK ($25): Sticking with the Lions-Raiders game, the No. 1 wide receiver on the other side is also an appealing option. Golladay's coming off a 123-yard, two-touchdown performance, which brought his season totals up to 31 catches for 508 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. The third-year wideout has demonstrated a high ceiling by recording at least 117 yards three times and scoring multiple touchdowns twice this season, so Golladay brings tremendous upside against a Raiders team whose weakness is the cornerback position. Oakland is one of three teams allowing at least 285.0 passing yards per game, along with the teams trying to defend the receivers listed above and below Golladay here.
Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. TB ($28): Lockett has thrived as Seattle's No. 1 receiver, with 46 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The field stretcher gets his juiciest matchup of the season, as the visiting Buccaneers are allowing the second-most passing yards (285.9) and third-most points (30.3) per game.
TIGHT END
Jonnu Smith, TEN vs. CAR ($12): Smith has benefited from a perfect storm recently, as Delanie Walker's injury and Ryan Tannehill's ascent to the starting quarterback job were exactly what Smith needed to establish himself as a go-to tight end option. His chemistry with Tannheill has been apparent over the past two weeks, with Smith piling up 142 yards and a touchdown while catching nine of 10 targets. As long as Walker remains out, Smith should shine relative to his affordable valuation.
DEFENSE
Philadelphia Eagles, PHI vs. CHI ($14): The Eagles' pass rush has picked up the pace over the past four games with 18 sacks, but this defense remains affordable heading into a home clash against the reeling Bears. Chicago's 281.4 scrimmage yards per game are fourth fewest in the league, and the Bears have dropped three straight games.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Russell Wilson (SEA, $38), Matthew Stafford (DET, $35)
RB: Josh Jacobs (OAK, $24), Derrick Henry (TEN, $19), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $32)
WR: DK Metcalf (SEA, $18), Mike Evans (TB, $30), Chris Conley (JAX, $14)
TE: Hunter Henry (LAC, $21), George Kittle (SF, $26)
DST: Buffalo Bills (vs. WAS, $19), Cleveland Browns (at DEN, $12)
