NFL Week 9 is headlined by an AFC clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will go head-to-head once again, this time at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, with both offenses trending upward.
Other notable matchups, especially for DFS production, include the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots. Four teams on bye include the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Target a few of my favorite stacks when building DFS lineups for Sunday’s Week 9 slate. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NFL analysis and free picks.
NFL Week 9 is headlined by an AFC clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will go head-to-head once again, this time at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, with both offenses trending upward.
Other notable matchups, especially for DFS production, include the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots. Four teams on bye include the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Target a few of my favorite stacks when building DFS lineups for Sunday’s Week 9 slate. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NFL analysis and free picks.
NFL DFS Week 9: Best DFS Stacks
DraftKings Salary: $50,000 | FanDuel Salary: $60,000
Chicago Bears vs. Cincinnati Bengals
| Player (Position) |
Team |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Caleb Williams (QB) |
Chicago Bears |
$5,700 |
$7,300 |
| Kyle Monangai (RB) |
Chicago Bears |
$4,600 |
$5,200 |
| Rome Odunze (WR) |
Chicago Bears |
$6,600 |
$8,000 |
| Joe Flacco (QB) |
Cincinnati Bengals |
$5,600 |
$7,200 |
| Tee Higgins (WR) |
Cincinnati Bengals |
$5,900 |
$7,300 |
Two of the league’s bottom-tier defenses should yield plenty of points when the Chicago Bears travel to Paycor Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Oddsmakers have set the point total to 51.5, with Bengals QB Joe Flacco tagged questionable due to a shoulder injury.
Assuming Flacco plays, we’re going to stack him with Tee Higgins as a much cheaper option compared to Ja’Marr Chase. Higgins was out-targeted 19-2 against the Jets in Week 8 but he still logged a 44-yard touchdown reception. Chicago’s pass defense has surrendered 16 touchdowns through the air, so don’t hesitate to deploy the Flacco-Higgins stack.
D’Andre Swift being ruled out propels rookie Kyle Monangai into Chicago’s backfield. Monangai turned 13 carries into 81 yards and a touchdown, while getting some burn in the passing game against New Orleans in Week 7. Cincinnati is the worst run defense in the league, so Monangai’s cheap salary is a huge value.
Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze is a stack that continues to reap rewards. Odunze is coming off a 10-target outing against Baltimore and leads the Bears with a 22 percent target share. Cincinnati isn’t strong in its secondary either, so Williams-Odunze is worth the elevated salary.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
| Player (Position) |
Team |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Daniel Jones (QB) |
Indianapolis Colts |
$6,200 |
$7,900 |
| Tyler Warren (TE) |
Indianapolis Colts |
$5,500 |
$6,700 |
| Michael Pittman Jr. (WR) |
Indianapolis Colts |
$5,900 |
$7,200 |
| Aaron Rodgers (QB) |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
$5,800 |
$7,000 |
| Calvin Austin III (WR) |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
$4,000 |
$5,600 |
The Indianapolis Colts’ dominant 7-1 season could turn to 8-1 with a favorable matchup on the road against Pittsburgh’s struggling defense. The Steelers are allowing 5.6 yards per play, bottom-10 in the NFL.
Jonathan Taylor is having an MVP-caliber season as the Colts’ RB1. However, he’s too highly priced to stack in lineups this week. Let’s invest in Daniel Jones to continue looking to rookie tight end Tyler Warren and veteran wideout Michael Pittman through Indianapolis’ passing attack.
Both Warren and Pittman have a 20 percent target share or greater in 2025. As a result, they are stringing together between 13.8 and 15.7 fantasy points per game in DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups. Jones’ ability to finish drives in the end zone as a ball carrier is the cherry on top.
Aaron Rodgers can still sling the football all over the field as a 41-year-old quarterback. Calvin Austin III is a cheap target with high-upside in the Steelers’ offense. Austin’s vertical threat and game-breaking speed make him a a good investment against a Colts pass defense ranked 29th against wideouts.
Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots
| Player (Position) |
Team |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Drake Maye (QB) |
New England Patriots |
$6,500 |
$7,800 |
| Kayshon Boutte (WR) |
New England Patriots |
$5,000 |
$5,900 |
| Michael Penix Jr. (QB) |
Atlanta Falcons |
$4,800 |
$6,600 |
| Drake London (WR) |
Atlanta Falcons |
$6,400 |
$7,700 |
| Kyle Pitts (TE) |
Atlanta Falcons |
$4,200 |
$5,100 |
Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. are two young quarterbacks with a lot of upside in their second season. The Patriots are atop the AFC East at 6-2 under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, while the Falcons have lost two consecutive games after a big win over Buffalo.
We’re going to stack Maye with wideout Kayshon Boutte. Boutte is second on the Patriots with a 16 percent target share, racking up 15 or more fantasy points per game in two of the previous three games.
Let’s invest in the Falcons’ passing attack and stack Penix with Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Both players account for over half of the Falcons’ total targets in 2025. New England’s pass defense is more vulnerable than its run defense, meaning Bijan Robinson could be neutralized for a second straight game.
London and Penix are both coming off injury. Meanwhile, Pitts is a value at a low salary, logging between 13.2 and 18 fantasy points in three of his past four matchups.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
