4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target in Week 8

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in daily fantasy football on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

Here are four studs to target on this week's main slate.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $8,800

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are starting to fully put it together on offense, so let's ride the wave.

The Ravens signal-caller had the best game of his season thus far in Week 7 when he finished with 33.88 FanDuel points. We finally saw the dynamic offense that was hyped up in the offseason with Todd Monken taking over as the offensive coordinator. Jackson threw for 357 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns while also rushing for 36 yards and another touchdown. That moves his per-game numbers to 230.0 passing yards and 51.9 rushing yards. He also has a 39.1% rush share in the red zone, which only adds to his fantasy potential.

Overall on the year, the 26-year-old is averaging 22.8 FanDuel points per game, setting him up for a big game against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend. The passing and rushing games go through Jackson, making him the prime option at quarterback this weekend.

Arizona has allowed 19.6 FanDuel points per game to opposing quarterbacks -- the fifth most of any team in football. They haven't faced many mobile quarterbacks this season, but in their one matchup against one, we saw Daniel Jones of the New York Giants quarterback finish with 31.7 points as the QB1 for Week 2.

numberFire's model projects Jackson to finish with 23.0 FanDuel points -- the most of any player on Sunday's slate.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $10,200

There's no better running back in the NFL right now than Christian McCaffrey. Start him up this week if you're looking for a stud at the position.

Despite heading into last week's tilt against the Minnesota Vikings with a small tear in his oblique, McCaffrey showed that he was going to get it done no matter what. He continued his 16-game touchdown streak by scoring one on the ground and another through the air -- as he often does. The 49ers have embraced McCaffrey as the focal point on offense, giving him 16 carries for 45 yards and 3 receptions for 51 yards in that one. He's an anomaly at the position and a must-start stud for this week once again.

On the season, CMC is averaging 22.5 FanDuel points per game -- the best of any running back. Taking on the Cincinnati Bengals this week, there shouldn't be a problem getting points.

The Bengals are allowing 142.8 rushing yards per game. While they've only allowed five rushing touchdowns on the season, it's hard to believe this is the week his streak ends. Cincinnati ranks in the middle of the road in terms of allowing FanDuel points to his position (18.4 per game to running backs).

Ride the wave with McCaffrey; the 49ers are likely to do so with Brock Purdy in concussion protocol and Sam Darnold likely to start.

McCaffrey is projected for 19.7 FanDuel points this week -- 2.8 more than the next-best running back, per numberFire.

A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

FanDuel Salary: $8,700

The decision between the top stud wide receiver for this weekend came down to health, so we're rolling with A.J. Brown and his hot streak.

Brown had a rough start to the season, recording just 11 receptions for 118 yards. Since then, he's averaged 8.2 receptions and 140.2 receiving yards per week. He's been otherworldly, challenging Tyreek Hill as the top receiver in football. The numbers get even more insane for Brown the deeper you go.

Since Week 3, Brown has had an insane 33.5% target market share and 49.8% air yards market share along with a 13.2 aDOT. It's been another level from the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, who has as good a matchup as any this week against the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders have been pretty rough defensively. The 40-point loss to the Chicago Bears may be the biggest reason why; D.J. Moore had 8 receptions, 230 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns against Washington's secondary, so why should we expect anything but an impressive day for Brown?

Brown has already had the best game of his season against the Commanders, finishing with 9 catches, 175 yards, and 2 touchdowns -- good enough for 34.0 FanDuel points. Not-so-shockingly, Washington is allowing the fifth-most points per game to wide receivers (32.9). Because of how good Brown is going these days, it doesn't get much better than this.

numberFire's model has Brown projected to finish with 15.3 FanDuel points this Sunday.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

FanDuel Salary: $9,000

As long as he's on the slate, Travis Kelce is the stud worth starting at tight end.

In case anyone needed a reminder, Kelce gave everyone one last week. The star tight end had 29.9 FanDuel points after posting 12 receptions for 179 yards and a score. It was his best outing of the season thus far. His season averages continue to climb, averaging 16.8 FanDuel points on a per game basis with a 26.5% target market share and 29.5% air yards market share. There's no one like him at the position. Oh, and now he has the chance to do more damage against the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are allowing the third-most points per game to opposing tight ends (12.5). Kelce already had his against them in Week 6 with 9 receptions and 124 yards; it's hard to believe he can't repeat that again and maybe add a touchdown in there for good measure.

Are you sick of hearing about Taylor Swift anytime Kelce is mentioned? Well, here's more reason to consider Kelce -- especially if she's at the game.

There's a boost to his stats when she's around. The 34-year-old is averaging 18.1 FanDuel points, 108.0 receiving yards, 26.9% target market share, and 33.8% air yards market share in the four games that she's been in attendance. You're picking Kelce if you're looking for a stud at the position anyway, but it's nice to know that if she's going to be there, he's likely going to feast even more.

In terms of average FanDuel points per week, he already scores 3.5 more than any other tight end on the slate. numberFire has full belief in him as you'd expect, projecting him for a whopping 17.0 FanDuel points in this one.

That's 4.4 more points than Mark Andrews. He's the stud you want.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.