Here are three contrarian Week 9 plays for guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests on DraftKings and FanDuel this week.
Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars
Fantasy football Blake Bortles vs. real life football player Blake Bortles represents the widest disparity in sports. And after last week’s anemic, yet stat sheet-stuff performance, the fantasy football community finally came to Jesus on Bortles. He is bad in real life at football. Yet, Bortles the garbage time fantasy football hero lives on after posting 337 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Play Blake Bortles in week 9 against Kansas City’s good-not-great pass defense (-7.6-percent DVOA) in the first week that fantasy experts are allowing Blake Bortles’ unsightly aesthetic to actually influence his fantasy football ranking. Though Bortles fell outside the top-15 quarterbacks on FantasyPros.com this week, the Jaguars still have one of the league’s best receiving corps and worst running games — a recipe for another volume-driven, garbage time-laden Blake Bortles top-10 fantasy performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK2SEGi3uHE
Todd Gurley, RB, Rams
While fantasy games heap praise on David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott, an equivalent running back talent languishes in Los Angeles. Facing a Panthers run defense giving up -3.60 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, Todd Gurley will be lightly raced in Sunday GPPs. However, Gurley was the leader in breakaway runs per touch in 2016, and one can easily visualize Gurley breaking through his high ceiling in week 9 with multiple long touchdowns.
Todd Gurley Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Amari Cooper, WR, Rams
Amari Cooper headlined week 8’s winning Millionaire Maker lineup on DraftKings.com. This week, Cooper’s match-up is significantly more challenging, but his tournament-winning upside is still present. Furthermore, Denver will be without top-corner Aqib Talib who is top-10 in the NFL in Passer Rating Allowed, PlayerProfiler Coverage Rating, and Fantasy Points Per Snap. With Talib sidelined, Cooper and Michael Crabtree will periodically face off with Bradley Roby, an athletic yet burnable cornerback, evidenced by his 0.14 Fantasy Points Allowed Per Snap.
Aqib Talib Advanced Efficiency Metrics
