Week 9 has arrived, and we can FINALLY get a break from those pesky 10-game slates. It may not seem like much, but getting an extra game this week for 11 total on the main slate does help. That one extra game provides more options, helps diversify our exposure portfolios, and we see just a little less consolidation to the chalk at the skill positions. Sadly, we still have to endure an ugly three-game slate in the afternoon window where a massive 14.5-point favorite waits in the wings as the Play of the Week for the NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Coach!

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Coach for FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

I try to take great pride in the weekly NFL DFS D/ST Coach. As good as Week 7 was for the article as a whole, we took some steps backward last week. The Atlanta Falcons were my Play of the Week. And they put up a whopping goose egg, at home no less, to the Miami Dolphins, who had been turning the ball over at a high rate coming into that matchup. So now we’re left wondering who the Falcons really are defensively. There’s certainly talent, and they’ve had some great performances this season. But they’ll be tough to trust on a week-to-week basis.

Among our top-tier plays in Week 8, we had the Colts and Patriots. They weren’t bad. They returned 7 and 11 fantasy points, respectively. But the Texans fell flat in the mid-range with just five points last week, and the Chicago Bears were our value play, and they gave up 30 points to the Baltimore Ravens, who didn’t even have Lamar Jackson. It was certainly a tough week, but I will always aim to recap the previous week, whether it was good or bad. If you landed on the Patriots, then you were satisfied with the return! But we push forward with the NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Coach.

NFL Week 9 Defense/Special Teams

The Sunday NFL DFS Week 9 main slate is an intriguing one. Of the 28 total teams in action for Week 9, over half of them (16) have implied team totals of 24+ points. Five teams on the main slate are favored by 5+ points as of Thursday morning. So we have big favorites that’ll attract attention, and we have some worthwhile matchups to target.

You’ll notice this week’s article is a bit top-heavy. There are four D/ST’s in great matchups worth paying up for if you have the salary. The mid-tier and the value section are more challenging this week, but I do have two options I like if you are looking for upside in that range. Let’s take a look at the top plays as part of the NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Coach!

 

 


 

NFL DFS D/ST Top Tier Picks for Week 9

Green Bay Packers – DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,000

I’m operating under the assumption as if Bryce Young will be the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. The Green Bay Packers may not have a huge ceiling, so I understand if you want to spend down. But that could also lower ownership for tournaments. Pricing is getting tight across the board, so it’s important to find positions where you can save some of your salary.

The Packers are surprisingly only blitzing at a 17.3% rate, which ranks 31st in the NFL. However, they still rank 5th in pressure rate at 36.2%. Given how the quarterback play for Carolina has fluctuated at times this year, they could lean on the run game a little more, which may still not be in their favor.  Green Bay’s run defense is 10th in defensive EPA/Rush (-0.09), and they’re top 10 in yards before contact per attempt (1.07) and yards after contact per attempt (2.66), according to Sam Hoppen of ESPN Bet.

The Packers are sizable favorites (-13.5) at home, which gives Carolina a 15.5-point implied total. So again, if you can squeeze them in, they work well as a correlation play with Josh Jacobs at running back. But there are other great options in the top tier this week that the field will be considering.

Los Angeles Chargers – DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $5,000

We’ve been targeting D/ST’s against the Tennessee Titans all season. Among qualified quarterbacks, Cam Ward ranks last in EPA/Play (-0.25), 33rd in success rate (38.8%), and 33rd in completion percentage over expected (-5.1%). Ward has also thrown an interception in six straight games, and he’s lost five fumbles on the season.

And it’s not even like the Titans are taking the ball out of his hands. He’s still averaging 37.25 pass attempts per game over the last four weeks, but they are mostly playing from behind in every matchup. He’s also only completing 57.7% of those attempts, and he’s thrown only five touchdowns all season. The Titans are 8.5-point underdogs at home with an implied team total of 17.5 points. This is an easy spot to target the Chargers after they’re coming off a five-sack performance against Minnesota in Week 8.

 

 


 

NFL DFS D/ST Mid-Tier Picks for Week 9

Detroit Lions – DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $4,600

The Lions are a bit pricy, but they’re still just the fourth-most expensive D/ST I’m recommending in the NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Coach. The Lions host the Minnesota Vikings, who are projected to get J.J. McCarthy back this week, and he hasn’t played since Week 2 with an ankle injury. In the two games he did play, he fumbled three times (lost one) and threw three interceptions.

My lone concern is that in the two-game sample size from earlier this year, he only attempted 41 total pass attempts, which may limit the potential for multiple interceptions. But surprisingly, he was still sacked nine times in those two games. The Lions are fresh off giving Aidan Hutchinson the most guaranteed money to a non-quarterback, so vibes are high in Detroit. This defense is also only allowing 13.3 points per game at home to opposing offenses, and the matchup is looking great against a young quarterback returning from injury.

You can also consider pivoting to the New England Patriots in this range, who are respectable favorites at home against the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots are very difficult to run on, and regardless of who is at quarterback for Atlanta, the Patriots can be a tough matchup for either option in Gillette Stadium.

Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $3,100 | FanDuel: $4,000

I put the Bears in the article last week against the Baltimore Ravens, and they absolutely struggled to keep the entire offense in check, even without Lamar Jackson. They gave up 30 points and 355 yards of offense. But I do think this is a bounce-back spot, but only if Joe Flacco misses this game. Flacco sustained an AC joint sprain last week, so his shoulder is a bit compromised. He didn’t practice on Wednesday, so we need to monitor his status for Sunday as the week progresses.

The Bengals' offensive line ranks 17th in pressure rate allowed (30.6%), and they’re 30th in pass rush win rate (53%). The implied total for this game is quite high at 51.5 points, but the Bears are three-point favorites on the road, so the sportsbooks are reading the tea leaves as if Flacco will miss this Week 9 matchup.

 

 


 

NFL Week 9 DFS D/ST Value Pick

Las Vegas Raiders – DraftKings: $2,500 | FanDuel: $3,400

It’s not a lot to go off of, but we have four massive favorites for the Sunday main slate, and they’re all priced up. The Raiders are a value D/ST playing at home in a game with an implied total of 44.5 points as of Thursday morning. And on top of all that, they’re only three-point underdogs.

The Raiders host the Jacksonville Jaguars. If anything, the Jaguars are wildly inconsistent, so I’ll lean into the matchup’s variance, especially in tournaments. So far this season, the Jags have beaten the Chiefs in primetime, but they also scored 19 total points in two games heading into their Bye week. And both teams are coming off their Bye week, so neither has a significant “rest” advantage. The Jacksonville offensive line ranks 21st in pressure rate allowed (32.5%), so good luck containing Maxx Crosby.

Entering Week 9, Trevor Lawrence ranks 27th in EPA/Play (-0.02), 30th in success rate (43.3%), and 33rd in completion percentage over expected (-5.6%). The Raiders are also allowing just 18.3 points per game and 271 yards per game to opposing offenses at home. That’s compared to 31.2 points per game and 371.8 yards per game on the road. It’s not pretty, but we might be able to squeeze seven or eight fantasy points out of this recommendation.

NFL DFS D/ST Fade for Week 9

Kansas City Chiefs – DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $3,700

This one might seem like a no-brainer when you take into account the matchup and potential game flow. But at the same time, the Chiefs are still slight favorites on the road against the Buffalo Bills, which is surprising to me.

The Chiefs certainly are peaking and playing better of late since Rashee Rice’s return. And as far as the defense goes, they’re trending up and have allowed a total of seven points in their last two games. But in that span, they also played the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders, led by Marcus Mariota. And speaking of which, that game against Washington came on Monday Night Football. So the Chiefs are tasked with going on the road on a short week to play the Buffalo Bills? That’s quite the challenge.

The Bills are still getting an implied team total of 25.5 points, so while I typically enjoy rostering affordable D/ST’s that are the road favorites from time to time, this is one spot where I’ll avoid that strategy.

 

 


 

NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Play of the Week

Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $3,900 | FanDuel: $4,900

They’ll be popular, there’s no doubting that. Even on the afternoon slate, which only has three games, the Rams are going to draw a ton of ownership. The Rams are coming off their Bye week, and they host the New Orleans Saints, who scored a total of three points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.

Sadly, they’re going to be facing the Rams in their own barn, and Los Angeles will have fresh legs for this matchup. As of Thursday morning, the Rams are favored by two touchdowns and the Saints have an implied team total of just 14.75 points. That is due to the fact that the Saints will be starting rookie quarterback Tyler Shough at the ripe age of 26. The kid battled injuries in college, and the Saints felt good enough to take him in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft. He came on in relief for Spencer Rattler last week and threw a pretty bad interception.

The Saints' offensive line ranks dead last in pass block win rate (51%), and they’re 22nd in pressure rate allowed (32.8%). The Rams only blitz at a 20.5% clip, but they still rank 4th in sack rate (8.9%) and they’re 2nd in pressure rate (39.7%). I hope Shough and Co. take in the sights of Hollywood Boulevard. Maybe they indulge in some great Southern California tacos and possibly get some shopping done on Rodeo Drive. That might salvage their trip out West. But come Sunday, they’ll be in for a long afternoon.