Penned By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter and LineStar Chat.

• Rate LineStarApp on the App store and get a shoutout on Twitter from @LineStarApp official account!

• Have questions? Check out the LineStar Tutorial Wiki.

^{Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.}

LineStar NFL DFS & Prop Shows w/ Tyler Wiemann

Stay up-to-date with all of the latest DFS and prop betting content by subscribing to the LineStar YouTube channel! 

Main Slate Rundown 📝

Bye-mageddon hits the week eight schedule, with six teams (DET, ARI, JAX, LV, LAR, SEA) off the board. Despite this, we will still be left with a 10-game Sunday main slate. And, for the third week in a row, nine of ten games on the main slate will be pinned with a single-score spread, so it should be another chaotic NFL Sunday afternoon! Best of luck!

Main slate match-ups with implied point totals and spreads:

Weather Report 🌦️

There are no notable weather conditions this week!

Quarterbacks to Consider

Potential quarterback targets at high/mid/low price points.

Lamar Jackson, BAL | DK: $6.8k, FD: $8.7k | vs. CHI

Things have been bleak for Ravens football, but they did receive some good news this week with the expected return of superstar QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson has missed the Ravens’ last two games with a hamstring injury, but, with the help of a bye week, he appears healthy enough to start this Sunday. He still currently holds a “questionable” designation, but he was able to participate in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a full practice on Friday. Jackson owns an NFL-leading 9.1 YPA in his three-plus games this season, and we know what he can do with his legs. I can’t say the injury layoff isn’t a concern, and hamstring injuries are notorious for “lingering” even when a player gets back on the field. But Jackson does get a soft landing spot this week versus a Bears defense that is down two of their top cornerbacks (Tyrique Stevenson & Kyler Gordon, both out), has allowed a 74.5% comp%, and has given up the 6th-most FPPG to QBs.

Edit: Lamar Jackson has been ruled out ☹️ 

Bo Nix, DEN | DK: $6k, FD: $7.8k | vs. DAL

There’s been a pretty simple flowchart to follow this season: “Are the Dallas Cowboys playing this week? If yes, does the opposing quarterback have a pulse? If yes, play that quarterback.” The Cowboys have allowed, by far, the most FPPG to QBs, even though they’ve faced the 10th-lowest PassPlay%. Prior to the Broncos’ wild fourth-quarter comeback last week, which ended with Bo Nix scoring an electric 40.0 FP, Nix was having a fairly lackluster sophomore season. But week seven served as a firm reminder of the type of performance that he is capable of. In a potential shootout (50.5 O/U, DEN -3.5), he deserves plenty of consideration versus the Cowboys’ Swiss cheese defense.

Joe Flacco, CIN | DK: $5.4k, FD: $7.3k | vs. NYJ

Flacco has injected some life into the Bengals' offense, and in two starts since joining Cincinnati just over two weeks ago, he has thrown for 561 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. It certainly helps to have an elite WR duo at his disposal, but it’s not as if we haven’t seen Flacco put up very serviceable numbers with teams like the Browns and Colts -- two teams with less talented receiving weapons than the Bengals. The Jets head in ranking 31st in pass DVOA, and they’re going to be without top cornerback Sauce Gardner for the first time this season, which certainly doesn’t help matters for their secondary.

Running Backs to Consider

Potential running back targets at high/mid/low price points.

Christian McCaffrey, SF | DK: $9k, FD: $9.1k | at HOU

Depending on your DFS site of choice, CMC is priced either in the middle (DraftKings) or just below (FanDuel) two super obvious star RBs that find themselves in smash matchups -- Jonathan Taylor (DK: $9.5k, FD: $10.2k) at home against a porous Titans defense that he torched for three TDs already this season, and Bijan Robinson (DK: $8.8k, FD: $10k) at home against a Dolphins defense that has been getting run all over by any RB with at least a reasonable amount of talent.

The safe play(s), if you’re spending up at the RB position, would be to eat the chalk on one (or both) of those RBs. But CMC also makes for an excellent leverage play. He’s been matchup-proof this season, and, though the surface numbers for Houston’s run defense are strong, they’re a middling 18th in rush DVOA, and, despite not allowing a ton of yardage to RBs, they have allowed 1.2 TDs/gm to RBs. Running the ball is, of course, only half of what CMC does. He’s been extremely active as a receiver, to say the least, and his 68 targets not only lead all RBs by a significant margin -- 25 more targets than the next-closest RB (Achane) -- it is the 4th-highest target total of any NFL player, trailing only Ja’Marr Chase, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If McCaffrey is going to come in at less than half of the ownership as the aforementioned Jonathan Taylor and Bijan Robinson, I’ll happily go over the field in exposure.

Rico Dowdle, CAR | DK: $6.3k, FD: $6.3k | vs. BUF

With Chuba Hubbard returning last week, some of the luster has worn off of Rico Dowdle (what a glorious two weeks it was, though). However, I’d say if the Panthers want to pull off the upset this week and extend their win streak to four games, Dowdle probably needs to be “the guy.” Hubbard out-snapped Dowdle 38-to-33, and both guys were nearly equal in opportunities (Hubbard: 17, Dowdle: 19). However, Dowdle was much more effective, totaling 96 total yards to Hubbard’s 55 total yards. We’ll see how things shake out this week, but we can’t hate the matchup. The Bills are dead last in rush DVOA and have allowed the highest explosive run rate (19.0%). The Panthers’ O-Line, which is 4th in adjusted line yards, has blocked very well for Dowdle, who is also 4th among RBs in yards before contact per attempt. We’ll need Hubbard to take more of a backseat this week, but if that happens, another big Dowdle game could be on tap. And, since some steam has been taken away from the Dowdle hype train with Hubbard back in the mix, I doubt his ownership gets above 10%.

Derrick Henry, BAL | DK: $6k, FD: $8k | vs. CHI

The data seems to point toward Henry having more success when Lamar Jackson is in at quarterback. Defenses can’t just stack the box on every play when they have to worry about Jackson killing them with a deep pass or scrambling for a huge gain. With Jackson’s expected return on Sunday, that will make Henry an attractive option despite his ho-hum results since the week one explosion game versus the Bills. Henry did put up a bit of a vintage performance last game -- 130 total yards on 25 touches versus a stout Rams run D… he was just unable to find the endzone on a day that the Ravens scored just three points. The matchup sets up well for him this week with the Bears having allowed the 10th-most adjusted FPPG to RBs as well as the 6th-highest explosive run rate and 4th-worst stuffed run rate. Henry is a bit more enticing on DraftKings given his flat $6,000 price tag.

 Editor’s note: Lamar is out for Week 8.

Woody Marks, HOU | DK: $5.1k, FD: $6.1k | vs. SF

Marks had a breakout game against the Titans in week four, followed by a dud versus the Ravens, followed by a solid outing against the Seahawks, where he played a season-high 63% snap%. Perhaps after a season-low 25% snap% for Nick Chubb in week seven, we’ve maybe officially seen the changing of the guards for this Texans backfield. The 49ers have been mid-pack against the run, and the injuries continue to add up on both sides of the ball. They’ve also allowed the 5th-most receptions to RBs this season, and Marks is a more adept pass catcher than Chubb at this stage of their respective careers. With WRs Nico Collins and Christian Kirk both out this week, we may also see more targets go toward the RBs.

Wide Receivers to Consider

Potential wide receiver targets at high/mid/low price points.

Ja’Marr Chase, CIN | DK: $8.1k, FD: $9.6k | vs. NYJ

Tee Higgins, CIN | DK: $5.6k, FD: $7k | vs. NYJ

In the last two games with Joe Flacco at QB, Chase has commanded a monster 41.2% Target% and 49.0% AirYard%, which has resulted in 26 receptions for 255 yards and two TDs. The air yardage is particularly impressive considering Chase’s aDOT has been under eight yards. That just goes to show the sort of volume he’s seeing from Flacco. No Sauce Gardner to worry about in this matchup this week.

Tee Higgins will come in at much lower ownership than Chase this Sunday, so he’s a sensible leverage play if you’re going away from the Chase chalk. Higgins obviously isn’t getting the same sort of volume as his star teammate, but he is getting looks further downfield (11.9-yard aDOT L2Games) and he’s commanded a strong 38.3% AirYard%. Even without Sauce Gardner available, the Jets' secondary will likely put a focus on stopping Chase, which could open up a few deep shots to Higgins in this game.

Emeka Egbuka, TB | DK: $7k, FD: $7.5k | at NO

With no Mike Evans (collarbone/out) for the foreseeable future, possibly for the rest of the season, and Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula/out) sidelined once again, star rookie Emeka Egbuka has limited competition for targets. A recent hamstring injury scare didn’t end up being too serious, and Egbuka ended up missing zero games and, though his week seven status was in question, he ended up playing 75% of the snaps and saw a team-leading 12 targets. He’ll be in a solid spot versus a Saints defense that has allowed the 5th most FPOE (fantasy points over expected) to WRs over their last four games and ranks 26th in WR1 DVOA.

Tez Johnson (DK: $4.3k, FD: $5.7k) also sets up as an appealing value option now that he looks to serve as the Bucs’ WR2.

Courtland Sutton, DEN | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7.7k | vs. DAL

Sutton has had a couple of duds this season but has otherwise been pretty steady, scoring at least 16.7 DKFP in five of seven games. But the clear draw here is the matchup. We’ve discussed how bad the Cowboys have been defensively in the Bo Nix spotlight, but they’re also 31st in WR1 DVOA and have allowed the 3rd-most adjusted FPPG to WRs on the season.

Zay Flowers, BAL | DK: $5.4k, FD: $7.1k | vs. CHI

A bit of a running theme here targeting a Ravens offense that should receive a massive boost with Jackson (presumably) back on the field this week. Flowers has still managed to put up some serviceable numbers with Cooper Rush in as the interim starter, but, in three full games with Jackson in as the QB, Flowers commanded an excellent 30.7% Target% while averaging nearly eight yards after the catch per reception. Much like RB Derrick Henry, Flowers is just a bit too underpriced on DraftKings with the Ravens offense expected to perform at a much higher level than they have the last couple of games.

 Editor’s note: Lamar Jackson is out for Week 8

Jaylin Noel, HOU | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.5k | vs. SF

Noel has a chance to make an impact in this Texans offense for the third week in a row. This week, without Nico Collins or Christian Kirk available, Noel should serve as the Texans’ primary slot man. Fellow Texans slot WR Braxton Berrios could eat into Noel’s snaps, as he did last week when Kirk was absent, but Noel is clearly the better talent and, despite playing only 33 snaps (43% snap%) in week seven, he commanded seven targets. Those targets came at every level of the field, and it seems as if QB CJ Stroud is rapidly developing some trust in the rookie receiver. It’s also worth pointing out that the 49ers have defended the perimeter well (3rd fewest FPPG allowed to outside WRs), but they have allowed the 3rd-most FPPG to slot WRs this season (Noel: 66% SlotRoute%).

Tight Ends to Consider

Tight end targets at high/mid/low price points.

George Kittle, SF | DK: $4.5k, FD: $6.1k | at HOU

It’s a bit of an ugly slate for tight ends… well, more so than usual. Kittle returned from the IR last week and posted a big fat goose egg, failing to catch either of his two targets. However, he did play 81% of the snaps right out of the gates, and the game flow in that Falcons game just lent itself to Christian McCaffrey, who was simply unstoppable all night. Kittle would probably benefit more if QB Brock Purdy were to be back on the field, as Kittle and interim QB Mac Jones haven’t had much time to develop a connection. But another full week of practice should help things in that regard. Mostly, these are just salaries that we don’t typically see for Kittle -- he was generally north of $6k on DraftKings for much of last year and at, or close to, about $8k on FanDuel. The Texans have been tough versus TEs (5th fewest FPPG allowed), but they also haven’t faced a ton of tight end talent this season. So Kittle should be on the radar this week and currently has ≤ 5% pOwn% on both DK and FD, which is pretty wild for these salaries.

Dalton Schultz, HOU | DK: $3.3k, FD: $5.1k | vs. SF

We’ll go to Kittle’s counterpart with Dalton Schultz, who, from a value perspective, makes plenty of sense on this week’s slate. As mentioned already, the Texans will be thin at WR, with the absence of Nico Collins (concussion/out) having the biggest impact. Schultz became CJ Stroud’s go-to target last week after Collins exited the game, and he ended the night with a season-high nine receptions on 10 targets (21.7% Target%) for 98 yards. Double-digit targets will be a lot to expect, but Schultz could easily land somewhere in the 6-to-8 target range, which is plenty enough reason on its own to give him a shot in some lineups.

Isaiah Likely, BAL | DK: $2.6k, FD: $4.7k | vs. CHI

One last Ravens’ spotlight for the road? Sure! If Baltimore scores 10 points this Sunday, I’m sorry. After he missed the first three games of this season, this should be the first game where both Likely and QB Lamar Jackson play a full game together. Likely got up to a season-high 81% snap% last game, which is encouraging for his snap rate moving forward (he played just a 46% snap% in Wk4 and 56% snap% in Wk5). While he put up very limited production in the Cooper Rush starts, he and Lamar Jackson have a much more established in-game rapport. And, like Henry and Flowers, Likely is more appealing on DraftKings, where he is just $100 above the TE min-salary.

Defenses to Consider

D/ST is a very volatile “position” and shouldn’t take up too much time in your DFS research. However, here are some D/STs I’m on board with this week.

Pay-Up D/ST: Indianapolis Colts | DK: $3.8k, FD: $4.9k | vs. TEN

Mid-Range D/ST: Atlanta Falcons | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.1k | vs. MIA

Value D/ST: New York Jets | DK: $2.3k, FD: $3.4k | at CIN

Once again, if you have any questions DM me on Twitter or hit me up in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck this week!