NFL
Daily Fantasy Football Bargains and Best Buys: Week 9
Bye weeks are a pain, but there are still some great options in daily fantasy football this weekend.

DraftKings. Take advantage of that price and build a stacked lineup around him.

Alfred Morris, Washington - Alfred Morris hasn't been lighting the world on fire this season, but he's posted back-to-back 18-carry games and has received consistent touches all season. He's been waiting patiently for his situation to improve, and it does improve this weekend with the return of Robert Griffin III.

Morris plays better with Griffin on the field, and that boost for Alf will help even more in a matchup against Minnesota, who rank 22nd in our run defense metrics and are top-10 in points per game allowed to opposing running backs. His price has slid down over the past few weeks, which makes him a great play in a great matchup this week.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens - Pittsburgh has the 24th-best passing defense in the league, according to our metrics, and that will be a welcome sight for Joe Flacco, who is coming off a game against our top pass defense (the Bengals) which led to no touchdowns for the Delaware product. That's helped his price stay low for a big game against a division rival.

Flacco had seven touchdowns in the two games leading up to last week's goose egg and has been a bit streaky all year. But if we're going to bank on an upward swing in his momentum, a rivalry game against a bad defense is as good of a chance as we'll get. Flacco is way below the top-tier of quarterbacks on every site this weekend, which makes him a great play to build a lineup with lots of high-priced options elsewhere.

Best Buys

Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles - If you're going to pay up for a player in daily fantasy, you need to make sure he's getting volume in his offense. In Jeremy Maclin's case, that box is checked, and there's plenty of production to boot.

Maclin has over 10 targets in every game this season apart from the 27-0 blowout win over the Giants, yet is priced below the top-tier receivers on most sites. He scores, he creates big plays, and he sees lots of action in a high-flying offense, which is about all you can ask of a DFS receiver.

This week the Eagles play the Texans, who allow the sixth-most points per game to opposing wideouts despite being one of the better defenses in our pass defense rankings. Teams may not be efficient against the Texans pass defense, but they do find ways to score points through the air.

Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks - Marshawn Lynch has 18 or more touches in 4 of 7 games this season, which may surprise someone who follows the news surrounding his relationship with his head coach and teammates. Beast Mode is "all about that action," however, and he does his job on Sundays even if no one in the building likes him from Monday to Saturday.

This week, the Seahawks play Oakland, who allow the third-most points per game to opposing running backs. Lynch hasn't scored on the ground in a month, and he's due to find the end zone on a carry in what should be an easy win for Seattle. Oakland's weak run defense should provide him with every opportunity.

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots - This game is projected to light up the scoreboard in Vegas, but the winds will be a factor. That means both teams may have to stick to short or intermediate passes to handle the weather, which favors Rob Gronkowski (who dominates the middle of the field).

Denver has allowed the 11th-most points per game to tight ends so far this year, while Gronkowski is trending upward in snaps played, targets, receptions and overall production. His price is reaching the top of the charts among tight ends, but it's still cheap enough to fit into a reasonable lineup this weekend.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys - Arizona has allowed the second-most points per game to opposing wideouts this season despite having Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie, and company lining up at defensive back. The unit has underperformed as a whole, and their task doesn't get any easier this weekend with a game against the Cowboys on the schedule.

Dez Bryant has 6 or more targets in every game, and 10 or more looks in the passing game in half of his games this year. He's provided a 100-yard outing and/or a touchdown in 6 of his 8 appearances, and he should make that 7 of 9 against the Cardinals this weekend. Vegas likes the Cowboys to score around four touchdowns in this game, and Dez is virtually guaranteed to be one of those players finding the end zone.

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