4 FanDuel NFL Values to Target in Week 8

Finding value is a key part of daily fantasy football on FanDuel. We need to identify the low-salary players who have the potential to pay huge dividends, which allows you to play studs elsewhere in your lineup.

As always, we're looking at players on the main slate, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

All betting references refer to the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.

Sam Darnold, QB, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $6,100

Sam Darnold is expected to make his first start as a 49er this week with Brock Purdy in concussion protocol.

As value plays go, you literally couldn't roster a lower-salaried starting quarterback this week. Darnold's $6,100-tag sits $300 less than the next-closest starter, P.J. Walker, and is less than at least six backup quarterbacks!

That comes despite San Francisco having the seventh-highest implied team total (23.5) of the slate.

Personally, I'm not sure how much different the San Francisco 49ers offense is going to look with Darnold at the helm, especially from a fantasy perspective.

Dating back to 2019, five different quarterbacks have started for San Francisco, averaging 16.9 FanDuel points per game across 73 outings. It's not like the 49ers have had a bunch of All-Pros under center, either. Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard, Trey Lance, and Purdy have all been serviceable fantasy quarterbacks in this offense.

Is Sam Darnold really that much different from those five?

If 2022 was any indication, I'd say no, not really.

Darnold started the final six games last season, leading a previous 3-8 Carolina Panthers team to a 4-2 finish. He received a PFF passing grade (65.5) that was on par with Purdy's grade this season (67.3).

That culminated in an average of 15.6 FanDuel points per game -- the same number as Derek Carr and more than both Aaron Rodgers (15.1) and Matthew Stafford (13.7).

Darnold is a capable red zone threat with his legs (two rushing touchdowns last season), and he's more than comfortable throwing deep. 17.9% of his throws last season went at least 20 yards downfield compared to just 9.8% of Purdy's this season. Darnold completed 56% of those throws (52.6% for Purdy this year).

That will be a key variable for him to have fantasy success this week considering the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the most air yards per attempt (10.01) in the league. Cincy has been fantasy-friendly to opposing quarterbacks (14th-most, 0.38 adjusted fantasy points per dropback), but they still rank inside the top 10 in EPA per dropback (-0.13).

So, while it won't be a cakewalk, Darnold should be able to push the ball down the field and get San Fran's plethora of playmakers the ball.

At his salary, Sam Darnold gives you a ton of lineup flexibility in DFS, and the track record for Kyle Shanahan QBs suggests he's in for a quality outing himself.

Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

FanDuel Salary: $5,900

From a touch-per-dollar perspective, Darrell Henderson may be the biggest value of any position this week.

The running back in Sean McVay's offense has long enjoyed fantasy stardom, and that's held especially true this season with Kyren Williams. With Williams out, Henderson returned to his former team and immediately saw RB1 usage.

In his first game back with the Los Angeles Rams, Henderson garnered 18 carries and added a reception on 2 targets. He finished with 66 total yards and 13.1 FanDuel points.

While Royce Freeman saw 12 carries himself, Henderson out-snapped him 36-26. He also doubled Freeman's routes, 12-6, and saw both of LA's red zone rushing attempts.

The matchup isn't great this week. The Dallas Cowboys have allowed the fourth-fewest adjusted fantasy points per carry (0.47) and the fifth-fewest per target (0.91) to opposing running backs.

However, they've also given up the 11th-highest rushing success rate (43.6%) to the position, so it's not like we have to avoid Dallas at all costs.

Henderson's value stems from his volume, especially near the end zone. The Rams haven't been shy about running the ball inside the 20. Per 4for4 Fantasy Football, Kyren Williams still has the seventh-most red zone rush attempts (24) in the league while Matthew Stafford ranks just 22nd in pass attempts inside the 10-yard line.

Consequently, Darrell Henderson has a good chance to score yet again. That, coupled with a heavy dose of opportunities, makes him one of the better running back values out there in Week 8.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots

FanDuel Salary: $6,200

Kendrick Bourne is a veteran wide receiver for a New England Patriots team that's passing at the ninth-lowest rate over expectation (-3.3%), so I'm certainly not arguing that his salary is a steal.

I will, however, argue that salary still makes Kendrick Bourne a value this week.

Bourne eclipsed an 85% snap share for the third consecutive game last week, peaking with 94.5% of New England's offensive snaps.

On top of that, he's also run a route on at least 89% of their drop backs in three straight games.

Over that span, Bourne has commanded a team-leading 25% target share. He's finished with 14.3 and 13.3 FanDuel points in the last two weeks and now gets one of his most fantasy-friendly matchups of the season.

As 9.5-point underdogs, the Patriots will likely face a negative game script as early as the first quarter. That's likely played a factor in Miami allowing the 13th-most passing yards (233) and the 11th-most completions (24) per game.

But, the Dolphins have struggled to defend opposing wide receivers regardless of game script. They've given up the 6th-highest catch rate (70.4%) and 10th-most yards per route run (1.69) to the position. On top of that, they've allowed wide receivers to be targeted at the eighth-highest rate (21.3%) in the NFL.

Mac Jones is coming off arguably his best performance of the season and completed 73.8% of his passes for 231 yards against Miami earlier this year.

Expect the heavy usage to continue for Kendrick Bourne this week and in turn, for him to deliver a ton of fantasy value relative to his salary.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys

FanDuel Salary: $4,900

Jake Ferguson comes into Week 8 tied with Travis Kelce for the most red zone targets (11) among tight ends.

He's commanded at least a 19% target share in three of his six games thus far and totaled his highest route participation rate (85.7%) of the season in his most recent game.

Yet, he carries just the 16th-highest salary among tight ends on Sunday's main slate.

That probably has to do with the two-point dud he posted in Dallas' most recent game, but I'm optimistic he will turn things around this week.

Despite the lack of production, Ferguson was on the field for 86.9% of snaps last week, a season-high.

Assuming he continues to play that much this week, he has a chance to thrive against a Rams defense allowing the third-most adjusted fantasy points per target (1.72) and yards per route run (1.78) to opposing tight ends.

On top of that, tight ends have been targeted at a 19.6% rate against LA this season -- the seventh-highest mark in football.

It doesn't hurt that Dallas has the fourth-highest implied team total (26.0) of the slate.

With heavy red zone usage and an expanding role in a plus matchup, Jake Ferguson presents some real value at his sub-$5,000 salary.

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.