Adam’s Eye: Week 8 DraftKings DFS Main Slate Breakdown

Week 8’s main slate offers one of the most balanced player pools of the season — no overwhelming chalk, several viable pay-up options, and a deep mid-range filled with strong value plays.

Written by Adam Krautwurst

Slate Overview

This week’s slate is very balanced: top tier players are tightly grouped, and value tiers are deeper than usual. That means stacking and leverage decisions become even more important.

Key games: The analytics show strong exposure for stacks like Daniel Jones + Tyler Warren + Michael Pittman Jr., and also for high-ceiling builds such as Joe Flacco + Ja’Marr Chase + Tee Higgins.
With six teams on bye (including major offenses), the field is compressed, meaning ownerships may spike on certain players. According to projections, QBs like Jalen Hurts and values like Bo Nix are appearing as viable pivots.
Matchup note: The Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens game has one of the highest totals (~50.5) this week.

Position-by-Position Advice

Quarterbacks

Top pick: Daniel Jones — He brings rushing floor + uptick in passing usage.
High ceiling pivot: Jalen Hurts — Great matchup vs. Giants (allowed many fantasy points to QBs) .
Value pivot: Bo Nix — Underpriced for his rushing upside and matchup vs. a weak passing defense.

Running Backs

Locked ceiling: Derrick Henry, Breece Hall, Rachaad White — All three should be heavily owned.
Second tier: Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson — Strong floor/ceiling combos, good if you don’t want to spend full at RB.
Value play: De’Von Achane — Explosive but higher variance; good GPP dart.
Matchup note: With several teams on bye, backs with stable workloads gain extra weight.

Wide Receivers

Standouts: Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith — both carry extremely high ceiling and volume.
Mid-tier value: Michael Pittman Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Drake London — great usage, reasonable salary tiers.
Leverage: Tee Higgins — Lower-owned but should appear in many high-ROI builds.

Tight Ends

Value builds: Dalton Schultz and Tyler Warren dominate the projection pool this week.
Pivot TE: Cade Otton — Good salary relief if you want to spend elsewhere.
High risk/high reward: Kyle Pitts, George Kittle — expensive but can win a slate.

Defenses

Chalk: Bengals DST — best point-per-dollar.
Ceiling: Eagles DST — good matchup and upside for big plays.
Mid-tier pivots: Texans, Saints, Dolphins DSTs each appear in multiple strong builds.

Top Stack Archetypes for Week 8

Jones + Warren + Pittman Jr. — Balanced stack with high correlation, reliable volume.
Flacco + Chase + Higgins — Ceiling build; heavy upside; ideal for GPPs.
Jalen Hurts + Devonta Smith — Dual threat QB + elite WR build; riskier but big payoff.
Value edge stack: Bo Nix + Courtland Sutton or Troy Franklin  — lets you jam studs elsewhere.

Quick Takeaways

For cash games, lean toward the reliable cores (Jones/Warren/Pittman, Henry/Hall/White) and stick to mid-tier value fills.
For GPPs, incorporate one heavy upside stack (Flacco/Chase/Higgins or Hurts/Smith), plus two or three pivots to differentiate (Otton at TE, Achane at RB, etc.).
Monitor late injury news and ownership projections — with this slate’s balance, even small ownership shifts can matter greatly.
Correlated builds win this week: stacking QB with one or two teammates (WR/TE/RB) is key since the field will have tight ownership clusters.

Cash Lineup (High-Floor Build)

QB: Daniel Jones
RB: Derrick Henry
RB: Breece Hall
WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
WR: Devonta Smith
WR: Drake London (cleared and ready to suit up)
TE: Tyler Warren
FLEX: Alvin Kamara
DST: Bengals
Why this build works: This lineup prioritizes volume and stability — Jones’ dual-threat floor, elite RB workloads in Henry + Hall, and steady WR targets (Pittman + Smith + London). Warren is the best TE value on the slate, while Kamara rounds out a strong all-purpose flex role. Bengals DST is the safest mid-range defense with turnover upside.

GPP Lineup (High-Ceiling / Stack + Opp)

QB: Bo Nix
RB: Bijan Robinson
RB: De’Von Achane
WR: Devonta Smith
WR: Courtland Sutton
WR: Troy Franklin
TE: Dalton Schultz
FLEX: Jake Ferguson
DST: Eagles
Why this build works: A stack + opp lineup only asks for a shootout in the DEN/DAL game . tendencies. Bijan + Achane + White gives a mix of bell-cow volume and slate-breaking efficiency. Schultz provides cheap access to Houston’s condensed target tree, and Eagles DST is the high-upside pivot off Bengals chalk.