4 NFL FanDuel Value Plays to Target in Week 8

One of the crucial aspects of daily fantasy football is unearthing cheap production.

Our projections can help you do just that by allowing you to sort players by their point-per-dollar value. A lot of times, the top value plays come as a result of injury situations, meaning it's imperative to see inactives on Sunday morning before setting your lineups.

When looking for a salary-saving option, check out one of these main-slate players this week.

Week 8 of the NFL is here! We have a loaded 13-game slate, and there are plenty of options across the board. Let's take a look at some value plays to help you afford the top stars on the main slate.

Carlos Hyde, RB, Seattle Seahawks ($5,000)

The Seattle Seahawks' backfield is a mess right now, let's talk about it.

I almost wanted to put "Carlos Hyde/Travis Homer ($4,900)/DeeJay Dallas ($4,600)" as the header for this section, since we have to consider all three of them.

In Sunday night's game versus the Arizona Cardinals, we saw a number of injuries for the Seattle running backs and it starts with Chris Carson. He suffered a foot injury and is considered week-to-week. Next, we have Hyde, who had 18 total touches but is dealing with hamstring tightness. Homer left the game versus the Cardinals with a knee injury. Finally, there is rookie running back DeeJay Dallas, who played on 14% of the offensive snaps.

To recap, Carson is out, Hyde and Homer are uncertain, and Dallas is healthy. Hyde is the placeholder name there for now, but it could Homer or Dallas. This could change as we get closer to Sunday, so be on the lookout for updates.

If Hyde does end up playing, you can fully trust him as a value option in this game against the San Francisco 49ers, as we have an over/under sitting at 54.0, the second-highest on the slate. Additionally, we saw Hyde end last week's game with 18 total touches for a total of 15.1 FanDuel points. He was able to find the end zone one time and is in line for that volume of work again -- if he starts.

Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns ($5,500)

With Odell Beckham out for the year with a torn ACL, Rashard Higgins is set to be the starting wide receiver.

The Browns have lost their top receiver for the season, creating an opening for Higgins to set up and have an impact in the passing game. In last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Higgins played on 85% of the offensive snaps, which led the team. He was also tied with Jarvis Landry for the most targets (6) on the team -- an encouraging sign for his new role.

But wait, there's more. The Browns are taking on the Las Vegas Raiders this week where the over/under is set at 53.5, which is the third-highest on the slate. The Raiders come in allowing 32.8 FanDuel points per game to opposing wide receivers, which is good for the 11th-most in the league. We don't often see a starting wide receiver this cheap who has a chance to replicate his 110 yards and 6 receptions from a week ago.

Drew Sample, TE, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,600)

If you want some serious savings at tight end this week, consider Drew Sample from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sample is the clear-cut starting tight end for the Bengals, shown by his 97% and 75% offensive snap rates over the last two weeks. Yet, he is under $5K and coming off a game against the Browns where he saw 6 targets and turned those into 5 receptions for 52 yards. Sample has the fifth-most (26) targets on the team, which is just ok, however, he has the second-most (9) red zone targets. This is the most interesting part since the red zone targets are the most valuable, especially if he isn't going to be seeing a high volume overall.

The matchup versus the Tennessee Titans is shaping up to be a fantastic fantasy environment, as both teams are in the top nine for fastest-paced teams. The over/under is set at 54.5 -- tied for the highest on the slate -- and to top this all off, the Titans are allowing the seventh-most (12.7) FanDuel points per game to opposing tight ends.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers ($6,600)

It's not often we get a viable quarterback under $7K, but that is what Jimmy Garoppolo brings us this week.

Garoppolo certainly isn't the most consistent quarterback in the league, but he can flash the upside at times. Hopefully, one of those times is this week against the Seattle Seahawks, who are allowing the second-most (27.8) FanDuel points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season. If you've been watching the NFL this season, you should already know that the Seahawks have decided to not play any defense and that is something we want to attack.

The overall game environment is very encouraging with an over/under set at 54.0, both teams with implied totals over 25, and a spread of 3.0 points in favor of the Seahawks. I don't like to put a quarterback in the values piece, but it's very clear Garoppolo is in spot to have a solid game at a very reasonable salary.