DraftKings Diary | Buys, Sells, and What to Look for on DraftKings Reignmakers for Week 9

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In the DraftKings Diary, each week Lucky Trader's Jason Rouslin will walk through his buys, sells, and team lookahead to give you insights from an experienced DraftKings Reignmakers player.

Check out Jason's full portfolio with the Lucky Trader Reignmakers Portfolio Tool.

Week 9 has arrived and we are halfway through the NFL season! And with Week 9's arrival, we've been met with the most significant change to the DraftKings Reignmakers game - the updated list of players with SuperStar status.

This is the first of two scheduled changes to the status, the next which will come before the postseason. The change has added another layer of intrigue to the game. I'll cover my feelings on that topic and go over the plan for the Week 9 slate below!

Week 8 Diary

If you missed last week's article, where I discussed my strategy up to this point in the season, check it out here. Interested in seeing what makes up the 700 + NFT card collection? Check it out here!

Week 8 Top Lineup Strategy/Tier & Contest

Contest: ELITE Level | Main Slate, $250 Fiat Frenzy, $100K to First

Lineup:

QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Tony Pollard
WR: Jaylen Waddle
WR: A.J. Brown
Flex: D'Andre Swift

Total Points: 155.60

The days leading up to Sunday before Week 8 started were some of the best few days of pack ripping I've experienced since Week 1. As referenced in last week's article, it was a fantastic week drawing huge cards from RARE level packs, providing a ton of flexibility in making near-optimal lineups for the Main Slate and plenty of options for Showdown slates as well.

The week started HORRIBLY, though, as my near-optimally projected ELITE-level lineup for the Thursday Night Game didn't even come close to cashing. But, fortunes turned around nicely for the game in London, where Travis Etienne's breakout game came and was the main reason for a No. 13 finish in the ELITE contest on the slate.

Now, onto the Main Slate. I was able to enter three near-optimal lineups using the cards in the portfolio. The primary lineup featured the Philidelphia stack of Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. Their fast start, along with Tony Pollard and Jaylen Waddle's early TDs, showed prospects of a big hit coming.

D'Andre Swift also added another early touchdown and the lineup was in second through halftime of the early games. However, there was lots of football left, and with no Alvin Kamara or Christian McCaffrey in the lineup, it failed to keep pace and finished No. 40. Still, a $400 payout added to a solid return on the slate.

Overall, the week yielded a $1,400 return, or about ten percent of my total investment on 146 lineups entered. The 146 lineups marked a new personal best for me and not one I'll likely eclipse until the latter stages of the season.

Week 8 Buys & Sells

Wheeling and dealing - that was the theme for me this week. Having pulled not one, but two Stefon Diggs ELITE cards last week, I decided to trade them rather than keep them. The reason is simple, as of right now, the main focus of my portfolio is the ELITE level and down. With SuperStar guidelines already in place, Diggs would not be moved up. Thus, I could play his RARE-level cards in the ELITE-level contests.

So, I traded each of them for a #1 Saquon Barkley Elite, a D'Andre Swift, a Dalvin Cook, a Jakobi Meyers and a Justin Jefferson, all at the ELITE level. I also added in a Rashod Bateman ELITE card to complete one of the trades.

So, as Sunday came, I needed just two more ELITE cards to complete one of the most optimal projected lineups, and I went with Miles Sanders and Davante Adams. While neither of those buys yielded much return in Week 8, Sanders is in a great spot to make the playoffs, while Adams can't get any worse...right?

Also, cause not all can be good, I decided to liquidate Darren Waller and Romeo Doubs ELITE cards to help fund the purchase of an Aaron Jones card. Doubs went on to have his best game of the year, while Waller was sold at an all-time low for his card. Mostly good, but some not so great for my Week 8 buys and sells.

Week 9 Lookahead and SuperStar Analysis

Week 9 has four notable Reignmakers slates:

Slate #1: Philadelphia versus Houston
Slate #2: Main Slate
Slate #3: Tennessee versus Kansas City
Slate #4: Baltimore versus New Orleans

The changing of SuperStar status undoubtedly changed the game. This time around, DraftKings decided to stay moderate on the adds - Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Saquon Barkley, Nick Chubb and Tyreek Hill. They also removed the SuperStar status from seven players, leaving 16 total SuperStars (they can at most have 25 SuperStars).

Now onto the slate preview. Three of the top four rated quarterbacks are in a Showdown slate, with Hurts starting the slate off against Houston on TNF. While playing "SuperStars" in those showdown formats has worked, playing the optimally projected players hasn't—more on that in my Showdown Analysis article coming out Thursday.

This week's Main Slate gives the portfolio its first chance at using Josh Allen in the major contests as he goes up against division rival New York. Other games of interest include Miami and Chicago, as Miami's offense looks to be one of the best and most efficient in terms of fantasy production, at least with Tua Tagovailoa at the helm. Chicago struggled mightily on defense against Dallas last week and just traded a top defensive player to Baltimore on Monday.

Patrick Mahomes and Derrick Henry highlight the Sunday Night game, and since they are both SuperStars, it will provide an exciting build strategy for the game.

Lastly, the scorching-hot Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints will go up against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. I suspect many lineups will start with these two and differentiating among the remaining two players in the lineup will be critical.

Week 9 Targets

Heading back to that Miami and Chicago game, Chase Edmonds has yet to break out, even as good as his offense has been. Yet, maybe his chances against a struggling defense will create a breakout. His cards are at near bottom-of-the-barrel prices for players at his position.

Returning from the bye, Austin Ekeler has been one of the best, if not the best, running back in the league this year. His prices don't echo that, and with Mike Williams set to miss a few games, Keenan Allen's prices should also be higher. The Chargers play against an Atlanta team that sits atop the NFC South after stealing a victory versus Carolina last week. Despite the win though, the Falcons' defense struggled again, something I expect both Ekeler and Allen should be able to take full advantage of. Gerald Everett should also be considered, as he's likely to emerge as the third option with Williams out.

Cleveland's massive win against Cincinnati on Monday gives them solid hope for a playoff run. With Deshaun Watson set to return in two weeks and the possibility of making the playoffs improving, his cards present tangible value still, as does Amari Cooper's, whose clearly a big part of the offense and the clear #1 WR on the team.

Now, a check-in on some of the critical injuries from last week and a few players that seem to be on the verge of a breakout.

For the first time all year, Week 8 provided no significant injuries. Cooper Kupp injured his ankle in the loss against San Francisco, but it looks like he won't miss any time. If he does, Van Jefferson could see a monetary boost, but Tyler Higbee would likely earn more targets from Matthew Stafford. But if Kupp is out, that whole offense will suffer greatly.

The 49ers lost star Deebo Samuel but were able to roll on as if he wasn't even there as Christian McCaffrey asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with. This week would be a great week to add McCaffrey to the portfolio as he's on a bye, and typically, that's when prices have been the lowest for star players.

There are also a few players on the verge of a breakout fantasy game, given their workload. The main one I'm focusing on this week is rookie Garrett Wilson. Wilson had a fast start to the season scoring more than 30 points in Week 2. Yet, since then he has posted scores of 12,6,5,2 and 6 before breaking out of the slump with 20.5 point performance. In Week 8 he earned seven targets, his largest amount since Week 2.

The other is Jakobi Meyers, who is continuing to produce solid results, scoring no less than ten fantasy points this season while scoring more than 18 three times. DeVante Parker went down with an injury in the game, creating more targets for Meyers, who earned 12 in the game versus New York. That type of target share will lead to higher ceilings for Meyers, whose cards are trading at a lower price relative to his value.

In a bit of breaking news, Detroit tight end T.J. Hockenson was just traded to Minnesota. The implications for his own cards are significant as he goes from a team with one of the worst chances to make the playoffs to one of the best. On the flip side, Amon-Ra St. Brown could be a benefactor of even more targets as the season progresses for Detroit.

Lastly, a few teams with byes are worth noting. I already mentioned San Francisco, but Dallas and the New York Giants should be watched as well. CeeDee Lamb losing SuperStar status made him a much more intriguing investment, whereas Saquon Barkley's values came down a bit with his promotion to SuperStar. Nevertheless, it is a great time to add to the portfolio for the season's stretch run.

That's all for now, good Luck with all your DraftKings ReignMaker Week 9 Lineups!

Looking for a few more additional tips for Week 8, check out the rest of the Lucky Trader Reignmakers content!

Author Bio

Jason Rouslin

Hailing from the great, but little, state of Rhode Island, Jason decided that year-round golf was too hard to pass up. So, after 29 years of bitter cold, and only being able to play golf 4 months a year (comfortably), upended those roots and moved to the sunshine state, Florida. 5 years later Jason is the proud Dad of two young boys and a black lab Bella. . In his professional time he can be found diving into the DraftKings Reignmaker game, researching PGA Tour stats, and investing, with a heavy focus on equity markets. In his spare time, playing golf is likely on the docket. If not that, then it's likely something to do with Disney, as he enjoys just about everything, from the theme parks to the Marvel movies. Shoot him a message on Twitter @dfsgolfer23, he'd love to chat!

Disclaimer: The author or members of the Lucky Trader staff may own NFTs discussed in this post. Furthermore, the information contained on this website or the Lucky Trader mobile application is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as financial advice. AI may have assisted in the creation of this content.