Follow along every weekend as I share my favorite Primetime Slate lineups (Sunday night to Monday night), including a complete breakdown of all fantasy-relevant players on the slate.
Recommended Primetime DFS lineups
DK Lineup: QB Carson Wentz ($4.5k), RB D'Andre Swift ($7.0k), RB Bucky Irving ($6.9k), WR Justin Jefferson ($6.8k), WR Emeka Egbuka
($5.5k), WR Rome Odunze ($4.3k), TE Colston Loveland ($4.8k), FLEX James Cook III ($7.4k), DST Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($2.6k)FD Lineup: QB Carson Wentz ($6.5k), RB D'Andre Swift ($6.8k), RB Bucky Irving ($7.7k), WR Justin Jefferson ($8.3k), WR Emeka Egbuka ($6.0k), WR Luther Burden III ($6.4k), TE Colston Loveland ($5.7k), FLEX James Cook III ($8.5k), DST Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($4.0k)
This is a fun slate for the quarterback position. I will
gladly play all four of the starters. Josh Allen (QB1) is an absolute stud, but he is facing an elite defense. He will still score at least twice, making him a safe floor play, but his ceiling will be lower than usual, and his salary is yucky. Caleb Williams (QB2) is the obvious high-dollar pivot. Tampa Bay is a pass-funnel defense, and Williams has a deep pool of weapons to throw to. Baker Mayfield (QB3) has completed an absurdly minuscule 7 of 17 passes over the last two weeks' victories. That strategy won't work this week. He will need to throw the ball regardless of the weather conditions. With Emeka Egbuka expected to return, I will have some exposure to Mayfield, but not a ton. Instead, if I go cheap, I want Carson Wentz (QB4) in my lineup. His bottom-of-the-barrel salary opens up the entire player pool to you. Currently, I am leaning towards Wentz and Williams as my favorite choices here.
Running back will be interesting on this slate. James Cook III (RB3), Bucky Irving (RB1) and D'Andre Swift (RB2) are all studs. I want to play them all for their floors. Unfortunately, all three face elite run defenses. The only team facing a "soft" run defense is Minnesota. Unfortunately for them, their backfield is a split between Jordan Mason (RB4) and Aaron Jones (RB5). If you play Josh Allen or Caleb Williams, you will only be able to choose two of this quintet. If you play Baker Mayfield or Carson Wentz, however, you can actually roster all three of the tough-matchup studs. That is my probable plan, but when I use Allen or Williams, I will fade their respective running backs, and play one of the Vikings (or a tight end) at FLEX.
There are four depth running backs that could be in play at FLEX or as key discount pieces in Showdown lineups. Kenny Gainwell (RB6 - hip) was dealing with a hip injury earlier this week, but he is ready to go. He looked great last week, when Tampa ran the ball 56 times. That won't happen here, but he could see a fair amount of touches to keep Irving fresh. Kyle Monangai (RB7 - thumb/toe) is working his way back from a pair of injuries. If he plays, he would see a few touches in relief of Swift. If he misses another game, Roschon Johnson (RB9) would gain those touches. Either would be FLEX-worthy as Swift's understudy. I may have minor exposure to Ty Johnson (RB8). As a pass-catching option for Buffalo, he may see more snaps, especially if Cook struggles to move the ball on the ground. You can ignore Ray Davis (RB10) and Sean Tucker (RB11).
Justin Jefferson (WR1) is thrilled that Carson Wentz has returned as quarterback. Plus, he has the best matchup on the board. His salary is low enough that there is zero reason to fade him. The only obvious pivot would be Emeka Egbuka (WR2 - foot). Egbuka is technically a game-time decision, but all signs suggest he will start. Assuming he does, you could use him instead of Jefferson, or better yet play both of them.
Luther Burden III (WR3) will be my WR2 if Egbuka has a setback. Otherwise, I will need to decide between him, D.J. Moore (WR4 - shoulder) and Rome Odunze (WR5). I could also consider Moore and Odunze for the WR3 position. The other WR3 options are Khalil Shakir (WR6), Chris Godwin Jr. (WR7) and Keon Coleman (WR8 - shoulder). I want to limit my exposure to the Vikings' offense, so I wouldn't consider Jordan Addison (WR9) unless I fade Jefferson.
There are three additional wide receivers to consider for WR3/FLEX. Tez Johnson (WR10) has seen an uptick in snaps while Egbuka was out. I think he will continue to see some usage here. Kalif Raymond (WR11) has fallen back to Earth after a strong start to the year. Still, he can take any pass to the house, making him arguably the best Showdown play on the board. Jauan Jennings (WR12 - calf) has been invisible for the Vikings, but he may see an uptick in usage with Carson Wentz under center.
Joshua Palmer (WR13 - hamstring) injured his hamstring last week. If he plays, you might consider him for Showdown. I doubt he plays. If he doesn't, that opens up both Skyler Bell (WR14) and Greg Dortch (WR16) as desperation plays. Before their two-game lack of passing, Ted Hurst III (WR15) was trending upwards; now, he will need to re-establish himself with Emeka Egbuka back. I'm also intrigued by Zavion Thomas (WR17), who received three targets last week. Each of these five is certainly on the Showdown radar, but I would not start any of them on the main slate.
The tight end choice this week will be between Colston Loveland (TE1)and Dalton Kincaid (TE2). Both are very talented, and I'd be happy to roll out either of them, or both in a double-tight end lineup. The cheaper pivot would be T.J. Hockenson (TE3), but as I mentioned above with Jordan Addison, I don't want to be over-exposed to the Vikings' offense in case Carson Wentz falls on his face. Cade Otton (TE4) has done nothing while Emeka Egbuka was out. That is an absolutely absurd strategy by the Tampa coaches. He typically has a six- to eight-point floor, so you could consider him a punt. Dawson Knox (TE5) has only nine catches this season. Still, he is a TD-dependent play for Showdown.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense (DEF1) is both the cheapest on the slate and the hottest in terms of recent success. They will be my defense in most of my builds. Minnesota Vikings Defense (DEF2) is the expensive pivot. Brian Flores blitzes a ton, but they are facing an elite offense, so their typical output may be muted here. The Chicago Bears Defense (DEF3) has a good matchup, and they have been solid all season. Chicago lacks the ceiling of Minnesota or Tampa Bay, but it is certainly playable. The Buffalo Bills Defense (DEF4) would be a cheaper pivot than Minnesota. The Bills have the worst actual defense on this slate, but they are facing the backup quarterback.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: DFS - Fantasy Domination Primetime Slate - Week 9
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