DraftKings Reignmaker Core Strategy: Week 8

We're back in action with another Reignmakers Core strategy rundown for Week 8. Matt Price and I debuted our pack-opening video show with early-week strategy, and a new one will drop every Tuesday on our YouTube Channel.

See Also: Intro to NFTs | Marketplace Strategy

Prior to the season's start, DraftKings designated 17 top players as "SuperStars," and only one SuperStar card is allowed in each contest lineup. The list remains unchanged, but at the conclusion of this week's games, we'll see new additions. Here's where it stands now:

Core SuperStar Strategy

Week 8 is light on team byes with just the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers taking a breather. That removes three Superstars from the player pool: Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Austin Ekeler.

It's worth some speculation about which players will be joining the list next week, and we can start off by precluding a couple of top options, because the list won't have any quarterback and wide receivers from the same team:

QB Joe Burrow - With Ja'Marr Chase already a SuperStar, the only way Burrow makes the list is if Chase is removed, which is very unlikely as Chase stands as the PPR WR4.

**UPDATE** - With Ja’Marr Chase’s injury, it’s feasible that Burrow could indeed be added to the SuperStar list to replace him.

WR Stefon Diggs - The reverse is true here, as Diggs' addition would mean PPR QB1 Allen's subtraction, and that's just bad math.

Best Bets to Join the List

QB - Jalen Hurts and (maybe) Kyler Murray.

WR - Tyreek Hill and (maybe) Mike Evans. A.J. Brown would be a strong candidate but Hurts likely blocks him as a near-lock for SuperStar status.

RB - Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Nick Chubb, and (please make me wrong about this) Rhamondre Stevenson. Breece Hall may have been a shoo-in were it not for his injury.

TE - Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.

The Bengals are the most-favored home team, but that's not saying much at -3 against Cleveland, as all the double-digit spreads belong to visiting teams for Week 8. The Bengals have the fifth-highest projected team total at 25, but they're playing on Monday night, which removes Ja'Marr Chase and non-SuperStar Joe "Enfuego" Burrow from play in a number of Reignmaker contests. Buffalo returns from a bye with the highest projected team total for the week, but they play on Sunday night, which also limits their contest eligibility a bit. Baltimore plays on Thursday night, putting Lamar Jackson in the same limited-contest boat.

SuperStar RBs might be the biggest beneficiaries of this week's schedule. Christian McCaffrey's 49ers (I know, it's weird) project as 1.5-point favorites at home, as do Derrick Henry's Titans against Houston. The Vikings are at -3.5 on the road against Arizona in a game with a projected point total of 48.5, which should benefit Dalvin Cook.

WR Justin Jefferson should also reap the rewards of the Vikings/Cardinals matchup, while Vegas has pegged the Cowboys with an implied team total of 26.5, making CeeDee Lamb interesting.

Core Marketplace Values

Kyler Murray, QB ARI

Kyler Murray's $16.00 low-ask is the best value on the marketplace. If you're playing in a contest with a Sunday main slate schedule, only Murray and Jalen Hurts are draftable among 4for4's top five ranked QBs for Week 8. Jared Goff stands to benefit from his matchup against Miami, a game with a 50.5 projected point total, and he's available for just $9.00.

Raheem Mostert, RB MIA

Mostert is a steal at $7.23, with the Dolphins favored at home against Detroit's run defense allowing the 2nd-most aFPA to RBs.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB NE

Stevenson at $9.00 draws the Jets, allowing the 10th-most aFPA to the position, with New England favored at home. Mac Jones has already been named the starter, and count me among those who expect a good performance that should open up lighter boxes for Rhamondre.

CeeDee Lamb, WR DAL

Lamb ranks as 4for4's WR7 for the week and has a low price of $7.50. I suppose this could be a reflection of his potential to be added to the SuperStar list, but at this price, he'd potentially be worth it for just Week 8.

Chris Olave, WR NO

Olave's card can be picked up for $9.75 as the week's WR11. He's had double-digit targets in 3 of his 6 games, and goes from his last two matchups against top defenses in aFPA to wide receivers (Seattle at 7th and Arizona at 4th) to a Las Vegas defense that ranks 29th, while New Orleans has one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL.

Tyler Lockett, WR SEA

Lockett is out there for $5.99, averaging 7.57 targets per game, with a 45.5-point projected game ahead of him and a WR12 rank for Week 8.

Week 8 Tournament Strategy

RMF Classic - CORE - $50K Fiat Frenzy [$5K to 1st]

This week I'll cover the largest Core tournament, the $50K Fiat Frenzy that includes the 11 Sunday afternoon games, excluding the early Denver vs. Jacksonville game in London and the Bengals at the Browns on Sunday Night Football. The payout structure awards $5,000 to first place, payouts down to $5 for 4,150th place and a Core Plus pack prize all the way down to 6,150th place. There are currently 5,784 entries in this week's contest, and last week's contest drew 25,855 entries by kickoff for a comparison about the eventual field size.

Top Options at Each Position

Jalen Hurts, QB PHI

Jalen Hurts has 4for4's highest projected point total on the slate at the position, with an implied team total of 27.25. You'll have to differentiate elsewhere in your lineup when drafting Hurts for a larger field like this, but that could easily be the best call here. Hurts' nearly 50 yards rushing per game raises his fantasy floor significantly, and the Steelers have allowed the 11th-most rushing yards to quarterbacks and own the 10th-highest aFPA to quarterbacks.

Derrick Henry, RB TEN

Derrick Henry went out and had himself a day in Week 7 against the Colts, who have been league-average against running backs. This week, he travels to Houston where Vegas projects a competitve (but relatively low-scoring) game. When the Titans were game-planning, they may have noticed that the Texans are number one in aFPA allowed to running backs. On second thought, they almost certainly don't know what aFPA is, but they probably did notice the 812 yards and 8 touchdowns Houston has allowed, and I'm guessing it won't sway them from continuing the 5th-highest running rate among all teams.

Tyreek Hill, WR MIA

Tyreek Hill's Dolphins are favored by 3 at home with a 26.75 implied team total, going up against a Lions defense allowing the 18th-most aFPA to wide receivers. Hill is averaging over 11 targets per game, and that kind of target volume in PPR formats is enough to make up for his two total touchdowns for the season. QB Tua Tagovailoa now has a game of post-injury play under his belt, and Detroit's offensive success should keep the Dolphins from relying on the run game too heavily. This may well be the last week you can start a SuperStar alongside Tyreek.

Chris Olave, WR NO

Once you've gone with Derrick Henry as your Superstar, you'll find the remaining wide receiver landscape after Tyreek Hill is littered with conflicts. Tee Higgins is unavailable playing in the Monday night game after the Ja'Marr Chase injury news. Stefon Diggs plays Sunday night. Davante Adams is a SuperStar. So is Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel (who may not play), and CeeDee Lamb. Here's your differentiation: Olave projects for 12.9 fantasy points, same as A.J. Brown, but the Saints travel to Las Vegas to play a Raiders team allowing the 3rd-highest aFPA to wide receivers. Olave's averaging over 9 targets per game, and his 20.3% target rate (targets per snap) is higher than Cooper Kupp's. He's also got an average depth of target (aDOT) of 16 yards, the highest among all receivers with at least 50 targets through 7 weeks.