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NFL Week 8 DFS Cheat Sheet: Five recommended plays for all contests

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders (26) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle: He and his 78.9 PFF receiving grade form an exceptional GPP leverage play against the Detroit Lions.

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: The Arizona Cardinals49.7 PFF coverage grade ranks third-worst in the NFL. Jefferson is teed up for a big day against them.

Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders: The field is far too low on Sanders, with the Eagles sitting as 10.5-point favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins

NFL Week 8 action is here. Here are five recommended plays to help you win big in DraftKings GPP and cash game competitions.


WR JAYLEN WADDLE, MIAMI DOLPHINS ($6,700 ON DRAFTKINGS) @ DETROIT LIONS

  • Miami at Detroit boasts a bountiful 51.5-point over/under, tops on the week, and Miami’s 27.5-point implied team total suggests the offense's potential for three-plus touchdowns.
  • DraftKings users will understandably seek to gain access to this game. The table below shows the PFF Ownership Projections for the top three wide receivers in Miami at Detroit.
Miami @ Detroit WRs Tyreek Hill Amon-Ra St. Brown Jaylen Waddle
PFF Ownership Projections 32.5% (No. 1) 10.4% (T-No. 7) 5.9% (No. 14)
  • While St. Brown’s rostership rate is far more reasonable than Hill’s, the best means of gaining leverage is to fire up Waddle (78.9 PFF receiving grade) in both GPP tournaments and cash games.
  • Despite playing through groin (Weeks 3-5) and shoulder (Weeks 6-7) injuries, Waddle has maintained elite efficiency this year. The table below shows Waddle’s receiving stats as compared to NFL wide receivers with at least 50 targets.
Tgts/Route Run % (Rank)  Yds/Route Run (Rank)  Yds After Catch/Rec. (Rank)  Explosive Pass Plays (Rank)  Missed Tackles Forced on Receptions Rec. Yds (Rank) 
22.5% (T-No. 13) 2.69 (No. 4) 7.9 (No. 2) 16 (T-No. 4) 4 (T-No. 9) 621 (No. 4)
  • Among NFL pass defenses, Detroit’s 18.7% explosive pass plays rate allowed and 7.13 receiving yards allowed per coverage snap both rank as bottom-three marks. Both Detroit’s 43.5 PFF pass coverage grade and 115.0 NFL passer rating allowed when targeted (tied with the Tennessee Titans) come in at league-worst.
  • Detroit’s pass defense pièce de résistance is slot cornerback A.J. Parker (52.2 PFF coverage grade), who PFF’s WR/CB matchup chart projects Waddle to take 20-of-40 receiving snaps against.
  • Parker, filling in for the also-awful Mike Hughes (knee, 42.6 PFF coverage grade), has allowed a 100.0% completion rate, 2.33 receiving yards per coverage snap and a 9.3% explosive pass play rate. The first and third rates are the highest in the league among NFL cornerbacks with at least 40 coverage snaps over the past three weeks. The second rate comes in fifth-highest.
  • Per PFF’s OL/DL matchup chart, Miami’s 15.0% pass-blocking matchup advantage rating over Detroit is 10th-best on the slate.

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