NFL Week 9 Top DFS Plays | Taking down the main slate

In this week’s episode of the Heater Dynasty Podcast, I break down everything you need to know for NFL Week 9 Top DFS Plays for the main slate on DraftKings. This slate is tricky, but it’s also full of opportunities to create value-driven, high-upside lineups — especially with key injuries opening up massive salary savings.

With D’Andre Swift and Rhamondre Stevenson ruled out, we have a unique situation at running back where cheaper replacements can unlock flexibility across the rest of your lineup. These kinds of slates are where disciplined roster construction and game theory really make the difference between cashing and crushing.

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🔥 Quick Offer: Fantasy Slate Templates

Before we get into the games — Eric offers his DFS lineup template for sale:

• Full season access for $15 (includes every slate)
• Weekly pass for $5
• Available directly or on Etsy
• Includes a promo code for $5 off full-season access

The DFS Lineup Builder: A Game-Changing Tool

Eric’s DFS lineup builder tool—available on Patreon and Etsy—is designed to simplify roster construction. Features like automatic salary recalculations, late-swap flexibility, and custom player pools make optimizing lineups faster and smarter.

This tool empowers users to test multiple builds instantly, making it easier to pivot between cash game safety and GPP risk/reward profiles. Now onto the NFL Week 8 Top Draftkings DFS plays:

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🏃‍♂️ Running Back Value and Volatility

The biggest story this week centers on the running back position. With Swift and Stevenson sidelined, players like Kyle Monangai and Treveyon Henderson become core cash game locks due to their low salaries and projected workloads.

However, as I discussed on the pod, these value backs come with volatility — they’re safer for cash games but less appealing for tournaments. That’s where leverage plays like Kareem Hunt and Kyren Williams come in. Both backs are in situations where team injuries or depth chart changes could spike their opportunity share, creating contrarian upside that can separate your GPP lineups from the field.

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🏈 Quarterback Strategy – Balancing Value and Upside

At quarterback, my favorite play for Week 9 cash games is Jaxson Dart. His rushing upside and affordable salary make him a strong floor play. For tournaments, though, spending up at QB can pay off big — players like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen always bring elite ceiling potential, especially in their matchup between the Chiefs and Bills, which projects to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate.

If you want to get sneaky, I really like Daniel Jones this week. He’s been playing some of his best football recently, and his matchup in the Colts vs. Steelers game gives him leverage against the more popular quarterback stacks.

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🎯 Wide Receiver Spending with Salary Flexibility

Because of the savings at running back, this is a week where I’m prioritizing elite wide receivers. Guys like Puka Nacua, Ja’marr Chase, and DK Metcalf are all in great spots — and now it’s easier to fit them into builds without sacrificing elsewhere.

Nacua gets a favorable matchup against the Saints, Chase faces a soft Bears secondary, and Metcalf offers high target volume against a defense that’s been vulnerable deep. With this kind of value structure, you can comfortably “pay up” for your WR1s and still maintain roster balance.

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🔄 Leverage Plays and Tournament Differentiation

If you’re building for tournaments, leverage and ownership dynamics become critical. I pointed out Kareem Hunt and Kyren Williams as two of the best leverage backs of the week.

Hunt’s goal-line role could expand with Isiah Pacheco out, and Williams finds himself in a new-look offense with potential for big plays. Add Jonathan Taylor to that mix — he’s expensive, but his efficiency and explosiveness make him a perfect tournament pivot off the chalky mid-tier RBs.

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🏆 Game Stacking for Correlation and Upside

One of the key DFS principles I always emphasize is game stacking — pairing players from the same matchup to capitalize on correlated scoring.

This week, everyone’s going to focus on Chiefs vs. Bills, but I love Colts vs. Steelers as a sneaky high-leverage stack. Consider building lineups with Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, and a receiver like Michael Pittman or DK Metcalf to maximize correlated upside while avoiding high ownership.

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📊 Tight Ends and Defenses to Target

At tight end, Tyler Warren continues to be one of my favorite value plays. He’s quietly seeing strong red-zone usage and fits perfectly into balanced lineup constructions.

On defense, I’m looking at the Rams and Chargers as premium options. They’re expensive, but both teams have favorable matchups that offer turnover and sack upside. This week, I’m fine paying up for defense — reliability is worth the salary here.

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🧩 Lineup Building: Cash vs. Tournament Strategies

When I build lineups, I always start by identifying core plays that I trust for volume and floor, then look for leverage pivots that can swing tournaments.

For cash games, I like running three running backs — locking in the value with Monangai and Henderson, adding Christian McCaffrey, and then paying up at wide receiver and tight end.

For tournaments, flexibility is everything. Mixing in leverage RBs, contrarian receivers, and creative stacks gives you the best shot at a top finish.

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💡 Final Thoughts

Week 9’s DraftKings slate is all about balancing safety and upside. With key injuries shaking up the pricing landscape, this is the perfect time to lean into value while still taking calculated risks. Whether you’re playing cash games or chasing GPP glory, the right blend of salary efficiency, game stacks, and leverage plays will separate you from the crowd.

As always, trust your process, lean into my NFL Week 9 Top DFS Plays, stay flexible with late news, and keep an eye on ownership trends leading up to lock. Good luck this week — let’s build some heaters! 🔥