Last week was a tough one, so let's start with what worked. Geno Smith covered both value spots with 23 of 30 for 287 yards and three touchdowns, even in a loss to Miami, and Jordan Love had a fine box score, throwing for 274 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers' 20-17 loss to Detroit. The misses were louder. C.J. Stroud managed just 153 yards at 5.5 yards per attempt as a 10-point home favorite that lost in overtime to the Giants, Brock Purdy threw two interceptions in the 49ers' first loss, and Bryce Young was sacked five times and threw two picks in a 43-13 loss to Tampa Bay, with Tetairoa McMillan held to four catches for 40 yards. Matthew Golden and Christian Watson combined for 11 catches and 96 yards on 20 targets, and the Jacoby Brissett fade was a split decision, since he threw for 272 yards but just one touchdown in a 30-16 loss to Denver.
Now on to Week 8, where the bye weeks keep coming. The Saints, Giants, 49ers, and Texans are off, which takes Purdy, Stroud, and J.J. McCarthy out of the pool, and Lamar Jackson is questionable for Baltimore. With Sunday night's Eagles-Commanders game outside the main slate, the board is thin, so let's get into who deserves your salary.
NFL DFS Week 8 QB Picks
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $8,300
Burrow is coming off a four-touchdown second half in Baltimore, finishing 22 of 30 for 292 yards in a 35-13 win, and he now has 15 touchdown passes against 3 interceptions through six games. Tee Higgins went for 148 yards, and Ja'Marr Chase scored, so the receiving group is healthy and producing. He gets the Titans at home, and Tennessee's pass defense ranks 31st in DVOA, according to FTN. Cincinnati is a 10-point home favorite with the total at 46.5. The one thing that can cap Burrow is a blowout that hands the second half to the running game, but a quarterback with this much receiving talent against this defense is where I want to start.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills - DraftKings: $7,700 | FanDuel: $9,400
Allen comes out of the bye with 1,504 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, and the rushing is what separates him. He has 240 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns through six games, the most by any quarterback. Baltimore's pass defense is middle of the pack at 18th by DVOA, but it ranks 28th against No. 2 receivers and 29th against tight ends, and it just gave up 35 straight points to Cincinnati after leading 13-0 at the half. Buffalo is a 3.5-point home favorite with the total at 53.5, one of the highest on the board, and the price is the QB1 on both sites. With a rushing floor like his, I'm not looking to be cute.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $6,500 | FanDuel: $8,200
Maye lost to the Bears on Thursday, but he was not the problem, going 24 of 31 for 321 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. He has thrown for 300 yards twice in the last three games and has 11 total touchdowns in that span, and he has run for 211 yards on the year. Now he gets a Miami defense that ranks 29th against the pass by DVOA and is a soft spot against both tight ends (30th) and running backs (31st). The Patriots are 7.5-point road favorites with the total at 44.5. The one blemish is the red-zone interception from last week, but the arm and the legs are both working.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $8,000
Prescott is at 1,851 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions through seven games, and last week's three touchdowns against the Eagles were his first multi-touchdown game since Week 2. He is not going to add much with his legs, but he doesn't have to against this opponent. Arizona's pass defense ranks last in the league by DVOA and is 32nd against No. 2 receivers, with Dallas favored by 6 at home in the game with the highest total on the slate, 54.5. The offense also got a boost from Javonte Williams' 155-yard night, which should keep defenses honest, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens both found the end zone.
Best NFL DFS QB Values for Week 8
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $7,400
Murray was just 14 of 24 for 150 yards in the 16-10 win over Indianapolis, but he hit T.J. Hockenson for the go-ahead touchdown and added a 35-yard scramble and 39 rushing yards on five carries. The rushing is the cheap upside, and the matchup is the reason to chase it. Detroit's pass defense ranks 24th by DVOA, but the real story is where it leaks, giving up 107 yards a game to No. 1 receivers and 99 yards a game to tight ends, the most in the league at both spots. That lines up with Justin Jefferson, who managed just four catches for 44 yards last week, and Hockenson. Detroit is a 3-point home favorite with the total at 46.5.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $5,700 | FanDuel: $7,100
I faded Brissett last week, and he threw for 272 yards, so I'm happy to come back to him in a better spot. He is attempting about 40 passes a game, 282 in seven games, and he gets a Dallas defense that ranks 30th against the pass by DVOA and dead last (32nd) against No. 3 receivers. Arizona is a 6-point road underdog in the game with the highest total on the slate, 54.5, so he should be throwing from behind. Trey McBride caught 10 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown last week. The risk is the six interceptions, but at $7,100 on FanDuel, where he is the QB13, I'll take the volume.
Best NFL DFS QB Stacks for Week 8
Best QB/WR Stack
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $8,000
Stack with:
- CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $8,100 | FanDuel: $8,900
- George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $6,600 | FanDuel: $7,800
Lamb caught five passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns on Monday night, and Pickens added four for 57 and a score, so both are in rhythm with Prescott. Arizona ranks 32nd in DVOA against No. 2 receivers, 28th against No. 3 receivers and 25th against No. 1 receivers, so there is no good place for the Cardinals to hide. This is the game with the highest total on the board at 54.5, and Dallas is a 6-point favorite, which should keep both pass catchers involved.
Best QB/TE Stack
Drake Maye, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $6,500 | FanDuel: $8,200
Stack with:
- Hunter Henry, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $4,300 | FanDuel: $5,200
- Eli Raridon, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,500
The Patriots' tight ends are carrying the passing game. Henry led the team with seven catches for 71 yards on Thursday, rookie Eli Raridon added three catches for 56 yards and a 30-yard touchdown, and New England's wide receivers combined for just seven receptions. Miami ranks 30th by DVOA against tight ends and is allowing 70 yards a game to the position, so both are in a great spot. Raridon is the cheap piece at $3,300 on DraftKings, while Henry is the steadier floor.
Best Contrarian Stack
Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons - DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $6,900
Stack with:
- Drake London, Atlanta Falcons - DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $7,700
This is a true contrarian stack because Tampa Bay ranks third in pass-defense DVOA and eighth against No. 1 receivers, and the field will stay away. But Penix just went 25 of 34 for 213 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, a 118.9 passer rating that was the second-best of his season, and London scored from 21 yards out on a seven-catch, 66-yard day. Tampa Bay is a 2.5-point home favorite with the total at 46.5, a game script that should stay close, and Baker Mayfield is active for the Bucs. If the Falcons keep scoring, you will have a stack almost nobody else has.
NFL DFS QB Fades for Week 8
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $7,100
Nix had a good day against Arizona, throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown and running for 74 yards and a 62-yard score, but I don't trust it against Kansas City. The Chiefs rank 19th against the pass by DVOA overall, but they are first against No. 2 receivers and second against No. 1 receivers, which is where Denver's passing game lives. Jaylen Waddle left last week's game with a chest injury and is questionable, and the Broncos had just 13 plays of 20-plus yards in their first six games, bottom of the league. Last week's big plays included a 52-yard screen and Nix's own 62-yard run, which is not a repeatable formula. Kansas City is a 1.5-point road favorite with the total at 41.5. It's a fade for me.
DraftKings vs. FanDuel QB Picks for Week 8
Nix shows the biggest gap among the plays I'm writing about: the QB17 on DraftKings but the QB13 on FanDuel, so DraftKings is the cheaper site for a quarterback I'm fading. Prescott is two spots cheaper on DraftKings than FanDuel, while Maye and Murray each get a one-spot DraftKings discount. Brissett and Penix are both three spots cheaper on FanDuel, and Burrow gets a one-spot FanDuel discount. Kirk Cousins shows the widest gap on the board: the QB12 on DraftKings but the QB18 on FanDuel at $6,800. Allen is the QB1 on both sites, so he is left out of the table.
| Player | DK Rank | DK Price | FD Rank | FD Price | Cheaper Site (Rank Gap) |
| Joe Burrow | QB2 | $7,000 | QB3 | $8,300 | FanDuel (1 spot) |
| Drake Maye | QB5 | $6,500 | QB4 | $8,200 | DraftKings (1 spot) |
| Dak Prescott | QB7 | $6,300 | QB5 | $8,000 | DraftKings (2 spots) |
| Kyler Murray | QB11 | $5,600 | QB10 | $7,400 | DraftKings (1 spot) |
| Jacoby Brissett | QB10 | $5,700 | QB13 | $7,100 | FanDuel (3 spots) |
| Michael Penix | QB14 | $5,300 | QB17 | $6,900 | FanDuel (3 spots) |
| Bo Nix | QB17 | $5,100 | QB13 | $7,100 | DraftKings (4 spots) |
| Kirk Cousins | QB12 | $5,500 | QB18 | $6,800 | FanDuel (6 spots) |
Ranks include questionable quarterbacks and exclude quarterbacks ruled out. Quarterbacks who rank the same on both sites are left out.
NFL Week 8 QB Play of the Week
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $8,000
Prescott is the play of the week because this is the best matchup on the board. Arizona's pass defense ranks last by DVOA, it is the worst defense in the league against No. 2 receivers, and Dallas is a home favorite in the game with the highest total on the slate. Prescott attempts close to 40 passes a game; he just threw three touchdowns without a turnover, and he is priced as the QB7 on DraftKings and the QB5 on FanDuel. The interceptions have been a problem, with two apiece in Weeks 5 and 6, but I'll take the risk against this defense. Dak Prescott is my NFL DFS QB Play of the Week.
NFL DFS Week 8 QB Rankings
- Dak Prescott
- Joe Burrow
- Drake Maye
- Josh Allen
- Trevor Lawrence
- Jared Goff
- Lamar Jackson
- Matthew Stafford
- Kyler Murray
- Jacoby Brissett
- Patrick Mahomes
- Kirk Cousins
- Michael Penix
- Deshaun Watson
- Baker Mayfield
- Aaron Rodgers
- Bo Nix
- Geno Smith
- Justin Herbert
- Cam Ward
- Daniel Jones
- Malik Willis