Top daily fantasy football wide receiver plays for Week 8

Welcome to Week 8 of the Daily Fantasy season. Pricing has stabilized as trends have emerged but there are still bargains to be found and even some higher-priced options that will go under-owned and can make a difference in your lineups. This article looks at some of the projected lesser-owned plays at wide receiver who could provide huge boosts to your tournament lineups, as well as some trap plays to avoid.

PLAY

DeAndre Hopkins $7,600 (Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions)

If you’re a season-long owner of Hopkins like I am, your frustration level is off the charts. But this is not season-long fantasy we’re talking about here, and there’s simply no denying that Hopkins has a dream matchup this week against the Lions. An already suspect pass defense just got magnitudes of order worse with the news that Darius Slay is out with an injury. Hopkins almost can’t help but put up a monster game this week, and the Texans might be throwing more than ever with Lamar Murray dinged up. His price is low and his ownership will be even lower. Get on board the Hopkins Redemption Tour.

Brandon Marshall $7,400 (New York Jets at Cleveland Browns)

It’s been a while since Marshall had a big game. Part of that can be blamed on the suffocating Arizona defense, most of it because of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s sudden decline. But just like Hopkins against Detroit, facing the Browns is a get-well situation for the Jets’ passing attack. Like the Lions, the Browns have allowed a league-leading 18 touchdown passes, and assuming the Jets get two or three this weekend, at least one is heading Marshall’s way. Take advantage of the price discount.

Donte Moncrief $5,400 (Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs)

Moncrief will be back on the field for the first time since Week 2, and his long absence not only has dropped his salary to a steal at $5,400, but his ownership should be at a bare minimum, as he is a forgotten player in DFS. He also returns to a tough matchup against the Chiefs, but T.Y. Hilton figures to be the top priority of the Kansas City secondary, allowing Moncrief to get a healthy number of targets. The Colts’ offense performs much better at home and the Chiefs’ defense is not quite as formidable on the road. It sets up as a solid re-entry for Moncrief.

Michael Thomas $5,700 (New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks)

We talk every week about the “Coors Effect” of the Saints playing at home, and even though they draw the stingy defense of the Seahawks, it’s still a home game and it’s still a great spot for Thomas, who could be the main target of Drew Brees if the Seahawks focus attention on Brandin Cooks. Thomas has been among the best young receivers in the league and had a season high in targets (13), catches (10) and yards (130) last week in Kansas City. He is way too cheap to ignore this week.

Jermaine Kearse $4,500 (Seahawks at Saints)

Kearse has not been very productive this season, one of the casualties of Russell Wilson’s injury-plagued first-half. But slowly but surely, Kearse is improving each week. His yardage totals have gone up each of the past three weeks, even as his price remains at rock bottom. This is a shootout waiting to happen in the Superdome, and it could be the spot where Kearse goes nuts and 5X’s his salary and virtually zero ownership.

NAY

Dez Bryant $7,300 (Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Bryant practiced all week, so all systems appear to be go, but as the Sunday night game, it’s an enormous risk to put him in lineups that lock at 1 p.m. And even if he does play, it’s impossible to gauge his effectiveness. It might be worth waiting a week to see how he bounces back before committing that much salary.

Cameron Meredith $5,400 (Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings)

If you’re playing the Monday slate, Meredith might seem like a tempting option. He looked fantastic in his first two games filling in for Kevin White as the No. 2 receiver. But it all came crashing down against the Packers, when Meredith had one catch for 12 yards. Maybe Jay Cutler’s return this week helps get Meredith going again, but against the Vikings’ defense, it’s hard to see any offensive success for the Bears in this game.