DraftKings Reignmakers Week 8 Elite Tier Strategy

Welcome to the first edition of the 4for4 DraftKings Reignmaker strategy series! Each week Andrew Fleischer and I will both have an article detailing different strategies that will help you take home the money in DraftKings’ newest DFS offering played with NFTs.

See Also: Intro to NFTs | Marketplace Strategy | Week 8 Core Strategy

We’ll start with a recap of last week’s tournament-winning lineup and how our picks did in week 7:

RMF Classic Elite Fiat Frenzy $100K Winning Lineup

2,206 entries, 1,042 paid = 47% of the field got paid

In DFS in general, it was extremely difficult to win without a Burrow/Chase stack in your lineup. Joe Burrow was the QB1 in Week 7 by nearly ten points over the QB2, Andy Dalton. His 42.24 DK points lapped the field. Burrow brought his top target Ja’Marr Chase with him. Chase finished as the best Week 7 wide receiver with 36 DK points. The winning lineup didn’t double stack with Tyler Boyd, but if someone had gone that route, they would have had the WR1 and WR2 overall on the week as Boyd finished with 32.5 DK points. Alas, the 100k winner went with Smith-Schuster instead who finished as WR4 with 28.4 DK points in the flex. Josh Jacobs was the running back choice and it was a great one. He finished as the RB1 overall with 39.5 DK points in Week 7, just ahead of Austin Ekeler because of the three-point bonus for eclipsing 100 rushing yards. The tournament winner also struck gold with George Kittle who finished as the TE1 overall in Week 7 with 21.8 DK points, missing the three-point bonus for 100 receiving yards by just two yards.

Our optimal options from last week’s article were a bit hit-and-miss. Lamar Jackson struggled against a Browns defense that has been getting gouged by opposing offenses as of late. They held our number one projected quarterback to just 10.7 touchdown-less DK points, finishing as the QB22 on the week. Not ideal for someone as expensive as Jackson is on the marketplace at the Elite tier. Despite the prime matchup, our value option Dak Prescott was also largely held in check, throwing just one touchdown and ending his day as the QB18 with 12.28 DK points. As previously mentioned, both Jacobs and Ekeler paid off handsomely. Our other running back recommendation, Saquon Barkley didn’t light the world on fire but he did finish with 17.5 DK points, finishing just outside the RB1 range at RB13. For the first time in three weeks, the Miami Dolphins finished the game with the quarterback that started the game. Our top-ranked wide receiver Tyreek Hill finished as the WR23 though with 14.2 DK points. His 13 targets were a team-high, so a better day was there for the taking. In an absolute smash spot against Cleveland, our tight end pick Mark Andrews was held without a catch and finished as the TE51 on the week with a measly 0.4 DK points. Woof.

Optimal Options

If money is no object, here are the best plays at each starting spot based on our Week 8 rankings.

Josh Allen, QB BUF (Elite FP: $1,183, Rare FP: $128)

Allen is the number one ranked quarterback in our Week 8 rankings and is projected to score 26.9 DK points. Coming off their Week 7 bye, Buffalo is an early ten-and-a-half point home favorite against the reeling Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is giving up the eighth-fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Bills have a 29-point implied team total, the highest of the week. Allen is designated a “Superstar” NFT, so you won’t be able to play him in lineups if you have another Superstar you’d prefer to play.

Derrick Henry, RB LAC (Elite FP: $525, Rare FP: $55)

Henry is the number one ranked running back at 4for4 and is projected to score 27.7 DK points in a smash spot. Tennessee is an early one-point road favorite against the Houston Texans who are giving up the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position and gave up the RB1 overall finish in Week 7 to Josh Jacobs. The Titans have a 20.5-point implied team total, the ninth-lowest of the week, but Henry is the entire offense. Henry is a designated “Superstar” so you won’t be able to play him in the same lineup as another Superstar.

Cooper Kupp, WR LAR (Elite FP: $755, Rare FP: $79)

Kupp is the number one ranked wide receiver at 4for4 and is projected to score 26.1 DK points with the 100-yard bonus. Los Angeles is an early one-point home dog against the San Francisco 49ers who are giving up the seventh-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Rams have a 20.75-point implied team total, the 20th-highest of the week, but Kupp is a near lock for double-digit targets and a good bet for double-digit receptions and a touchdown

Tee Higgins (Elite FP: $625, Rare FP: $60)

I’m not recommending a tight end play this week because Travis Kelce is on bye and Andrews feels tough to trust after last week’s debacle. So screw that position, let’s go with another wide receiver since we don’t have to play a tight end. Higgins is the number eight ranked wide receiver at 4for4 and is projected to score 17.4 DK points. Honestly though with the news that teammate Ja’Marr Chase is going to miss some time, he could finish as the WR1 on the week. Cincinnati is a three-point road favorite against the Cleveland Browns who are giving up the seventh-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Bengals have a 24-point implied team total, the ninth-highest of the week.

Saquon Barkley RB, NYG (Elite FP: $620, Rare FP: $80)

Barkley makes for a great flex option again in Week 8 as the number two ranked running back at 4for4 and is projected to score 22.5 DK points. New York is an early three-point road favorite against the Seattle Seahawks who are giving up the 5th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Giants have a 20.75-point implied team total, the 21st-highest of the week

Value Plays

Andy Dalton, QB NO (Elite FP: $125, Rare FP: $14.75)

We’re going a bit deep at the value quarterback play with Dalton, ranked as the QB17 this week by 4for4 and projected to score 14.5 DK points. We’re chasing a bit here as Dalton is coming off a season-best fantasy performance as the QB2 overall last week against Arizona and gets a prime matchup here in Week 8. The Saints are a one-point home favorite against the Las Vegas Raiders who are giving up the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points in the league to the position. The Saints have a 23.75-point implied team total, the ninth-highest of the week.

Raheem Mostert RB, MIA (Elite FP: $240, Rare: $33)

Mostert is ranked 16th among running backs by 4for4 and is projected to score 15.4 DK points. Las Vegas is an early three-point road favorite against the Detroit Lions who are giving up the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. The Dolphins have a 27-point implied team total, the third-highest of the week.

D.J. Moore WR CAR (Elite FP: $239, Rare FP: $120)

Moore finally broke out last week, scoring 19.6 DK points, and is in a great position to score well again in Week 8. He is ranked as the 24th-best receiver play by 4for4 and is projected to score 12.7 DK points. Carolina is an early four-point favorite on the road against division-rival Atlanta and the Falcons are giving up the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the position. Carolina has an 18.5-point implied team total, which isn’t great, but he makes up for it with the best matchup of the week and the fact that he is far and away the best pass-catcher on the team now that Christian McCaffery and Robbie Anderson have moved on. A huge target share is likely from PJ Walker who had perhaps his best game as an NFL quarterback in Week 7. It doesn’t hurt that Moore saves us over $500 in real money on the optimal play either.

That’s going to do it for this week’s edition. If there’s something you would like covered in a weekly strategy article for DraftKings Reignmakers contests please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter!