ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Week 8 of the NFL season. This week, there are no international games, but there are six teams on a bye. This means our main slate will have only 10 games. Five games have implied totals over 46, with the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Denver Broncos having the highest game total at 50.5 and the Broncos only being a 3.5-point favorite.
NFL Week 8 Game Script Stacks
The game script to be on last week (was one that I unfortunately was not on) was the Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers. Why? Because the Colts were up 23-3 at halftime and Justin Herbert could and did retaliate. Which is exactly what you need to end up with the money.
So what games have this potential?
Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens, -7, 49.5 o/u
The caveat is that Lamar Jackson plays.
There is the argument that this game becomes a solid run game. The Bears, since their bye week, have the third-highest run rate at 50%. In their last three games, they are averaging 31 rushing attempts a game.
The Ravens are 28th in rushing attempts in their last three games, averaging 24.3 a game (last year they averaged 33.4 rush attempts per game). The Ravens, in their last three games, have been playing from behind. This means they were forced to resort to the passing game.
But what if…(a great series you need to see).
D’Andre Swift is on the injury report, but did have a full practice Friday. Last week, Swift was on the field for 54% snap share. The other running back, Kyle Monangai, was on the field for 31 snaps with a 45% snap share. (Think Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Ben Johnson’s offenses).
Jackson and the Ravens need to reestablish themselves. When it worked, Jackson averaged 23.8 passing attempts per game, with a 9.1 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 134.5. He also had a 24.4% carry share.
The Ravens also aren’t a team that needs to be pushed to score lots of points.
QB, Lamar Jackson $6,800 (second most expensive quarterback on slate) + RB, Derrick Henry, $6,000 + TE, Mark Andrews, $3,600/ WR, Rome Odunze, $6,300
This leaves you $5,460 for the remaining five roster spots, which is 45.4% of the entire roster.
This game also leaves itself open to skinny stacks, for example:
RB, D. Henry, $6,000/ RB, Kyle Monangai, $4,900 + WR, R. Odunze, $6,300
This is 34.4% of the roster and also moves you away from the chalk.
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles, -7.5, 43.5 o/u
Nothing is better than a good revenge game narrative. This is the first rematch of the season, and the sting of the 17-34 beatdown is fresh. The Eagles will have Jalen Carter on the field, and Quinyon Mitchell is set to play the entire game. A.J. Brown is out, but for DFS purposes, that might be a good thing as it further condenses the player pool.
We know the Giants can push the Eagles, but do we really think they are going to need to be pushed to score?
QB, Jalen Hurts, $6,600 + WR, DeVonta Smith, $5,900 + TE, Dallas Goedert, $4,200/ RB, Cam Skattebo, $6,600
This lineup leaves $5,340 for the remaining five players, or it takes up 46.6% of the salary. An alternative would be:
QB, J. Hurts, $6,600 + RB, S. Barkley, $7,600 with no bringback! Who here doesn’t think that head coach Nick Sirianni is petty enough to want to run up the score?
Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos, -3.5, 50.5 o/u
This is an interesting game. If you believe the oddsmakers, you can play it from either side. Dak Prescott’s stack will allow you to avoid the chalk as Jackson and Hurts are coming in at 13.9% and 12.6% ownership currently.
Bo Nix’s stack is getting some noise, but you can avoid the chalk with creative stacking options.
- Tight end Jake Ferguson is the most expensive tight end in DraftKings at $6,000
- Cee Dee Lamb is used in multiple positions, allowing him to potentially avoid Patrick Surtain.
- The weather in Denver is projected to be around 60 degrees with little to no wind.
QB, Bo Nix, $6,000 + WR, Troy Franklin, $4,200 + Courtland Sutton, $6,200/ WR, Cee Dee Lamb, $7,800 + TE, Jake Ferguson, $6,000
This leaves $4,950 average spend for the four remaining positions. This lineup costs a whopping 60.4% of salary. But it can be done.
Value Picks
There are plenty of reasons to go after the chalk this week. But if you are playing GPP or want to zig where the field is zagging, here are a couple of options.
- QB, Joe Flacco, $5,400. In his last two games with Cincinnati, Flacco has attempted 45 and 47 passes, respectively. He not only has two of the best (at least this week) receiving options, but Sauce Gardner is out for this week.
- Pivot from Bijan Robinson $8,800 to Tyler Allgeier, $4,800. The Falcons are a 7.5-point favorite at home against the Miami Dolphins. If they get up big, there is a chance Allgeier gets substantial playing time.
Allgeier has a 25.4 % snap share on a team that is fourth in run plays per game. He also has 14 red zone touches.
- Chimere Dike, $3,400. Was third in targets but first in yards and had the only touchdown for the Tennessee Titans last week. They will most likely be playing from behind; they let Tyler Lockett go, and Calvin Ridley is out. The ball has to go somewhere.
Week 8 in the NFL is not only bye-Apocalypse, but nothing seems straightforward. So, research, trust your gut, and play nice.