If you drafted Odell Beckham in redraft this year, well, you know the frustrations that injuries can cause. While you may not be as competitive without him, you don’t have to worry about those kinds of consequences in daily fantasy sports (DFS). So if you find yourself with some extra time on your hands because of your uncompetitive redraft roster, why not give FanDuel a spin?
Each week, I’ll break down the projected player roster percentages at the top DFS sites. These figures are generated based on numbers pulled from full-slate contests, so they won’t be perfectly accurate, but they give us a good measurement of who’s popular.
Check out our full Projected Roster % Report here 
Quarterback
There’s no chalk at quarterback this week, and Russell Wilson is the closest thing we’ve got to it. Although Wilson has been a high-end QB1 each week this season, I’m not particularly high on him here — not only will he play a tough Niner defense, but he may have to do it without three of his best running backs. That may mean more passing volume, but it’ll also mean more busted drives.
Behind Wilson, Ryan Tannehill and Patrick Mahomes should be popular plays in easy matchups. The Jets don’t field a tough defense, but there’s a chance that Mahomes won’t have to throw much against them. Tannehill may not need to pass much behind Derrick Henry, either, but he’s been so efficient at scoring touchdowns that he’s still a logical option for Week 8.
Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Derek Carr wrap up the list. I’m a big fan of Derek Carr here, as is Andrew Seifter, and he should be a good bet to return on his bargain-bin price point. Behind Carr, Garoppolo was my other value quarterback for the week, and I’d feel comfortable starting either of them.
Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Tight End
NOTE: Davante Adams and Alvin Kamara are such popular plays for Week 8 that they caused an error with our tool. It expects them to be rostered in 40%+ of lineups.
Kamara is chalk. You should start him in cash leagues and bet against him in tournaments. Although the Chicago Bears are a formidable opponent, they give up the most explosive plays to running backs in the NFL, and the Saints won’t have Michael Thomas.
Likewise, Adams is also chalk. The Vikings won’t have two of their “best” cornerbacks — Holton Hill and Mike Hughes are both hurt — and their secondary will struggle to contain Adams. Aaron Jones’ absence will thrust more of the offensive load into his hands.
Derrick Henry, Kareem Hunt, and Keenan Allen should all be popular plays as well, and they appear in the 20-30% range. Henry should have an easier time against the Bengals than the Steelers, who he still gashed for 75 rushing yards and a score. Hunt has a fantastic matchup against one of the league’s worst rushing defenses, and he’s a must-target for Brad Richter. Allen has had a high-volume role with Justin Herbert under center, and he’s a good bet to post WR1 numbers here as well.
Of the names remaining, look for Denzel Mims’ rostership to jump now that we know both Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder won’t play. I would roll with Travis Kelce over George Kittle this week, too, as Seattle’s defense has been solid against tight ends, and Kittle will cost you $400 more.
Defense
Can I even call this a list? Only two teams’ defenses should be rostered in more than 5% of lineups, and one of them is playing the Jets. Kansas City’s defense gets a boost in their price point as a result. While they’re a safe play here, don’t forget that betting on a blowout runs the risk of garbage-time points.
The Titans are the only other team to appear, and they’ll take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ high-powered offense. That said, the Bengals have been much better at earning yards than at scoring points; they rank 23rd in points per game with 23.3.
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Beyond our daily fantasy football content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Football Tools. From our Value Plays – which allows you to identify players who are projected to outperform their salaries – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
