I’m not sure about you, but I can hardly believe we are at the halfway point of the NFL season. It seems like we were just sitting down with our league mates and drafting fantasy football teams. Whether you’re doing well in your league or bringing up the rear, it doesn’t matter because fantasy football and DFS are some of the best months out of the year. This game has exploded over the last decade, and whether we win or lose, we keep on going. So, let’s look at building a week-winning DFS or FastDraft Flex Six Frenzy lineup for the midway point of the NFL regular season!
Week 9 NFL “FastDraft Flex Six Frenzy” Lineup Advice (2025) | NFL DFS Picks
D’Andre Swift (RB, Chicago Bears)
Don’t look now, but Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift is starting to hit his stride at this point in the season. Over his last four games, he finished as the RB18 overall or better. He also had weekly finishes as the RB5 and RB6 in that time span. Head Coach Ben Johnson is starting to figure out how to utilize the veteran back, and it has definitely been to the benefit of fantasy football players. With Swift scoring a touchdown in each game the past three weeks, he will look to continue that trend in a very favorable matchup.
In fact, this matchup is as favorable as it gets for fantasy football running backs. This week, the Bears face off against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are dead last in points allowed to fantasy running backs, meaning they give up the most points to the position. After seven weeks, the running back position averages about 32.4 points per game when facing Cincinnati. That is wild in and of itself, because the next best matchup for running backs allows 27.2 points per game. A five-point differential might not seem like a lot, but in fantasy football and DFS, even half a point can win you the week.
Honorable mention: If you miss out on D’Andre Swift, I really like the Bears RB2 Kyle Monangai as a dart throw in DFS with this matchup.
Kimani Vidal (RB, Los Angeles Chargers)
Here we are in the final week of October, and I’m putting the Los Angeles Chargers’ third-string running back in my picks for DFS. You have to love fantasy football and the parody that comes with it. Jokes aside, Kimani Vidal has been rock solid since his takeover in Week 6 for the Chargers. In two of the three weeks, he finished as the RB7 and RB8 overall, with the third giving him an RB35 finish against a stout Indianapolis Colts defense.
The Chargers’ offense has been up-and-down overall, but I’d say that Vidal has been pretty consistent, despite facing the Colts in Week 7. The Chargers’ back has assumed the full workload and is playing on average 68% of snaps. During last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, whom he torched, he played a season-high 74% of snaps. He had the most opportunities he’s seen this season in that game, finishing with over 100 yards on the ground and hitting pay dirt.
Remember a few paragraphs ago, when I talked about how the second-best matchup for fantasy running backs gives up 27.2 points per game to the position? Guess who gets to face them this week? That’s right, Kimani Vidal and the Chargers will square up against the Tennessee Titans, who just got obliterated by Jonathan Taylor and the Colts. I’m in no way, shape or form saying Vidal is Taylor. We all know that isn’t true because Jonathan Taylor is arguably the best running back in the NFL right now. What I am saying is that the Titans are hot garbage against the run, and Kimani Vidal should eat them up on Sunday. I expect the Chargers to get up on the Titans and for them to work their running back most of the day to salt away the clock.
Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, Indianapolis Colts)
As far as wide receivers go, Indianapolis Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. might end up being the steal of fantasy football drafts this year. Right now, he is the WR7 overall, and no one had that in their predictions going into 2025 with Daniel Jones at quarterback. But the truth is that the Colts are rolling, and they’re playing damn good football all around. Pittman has averaged seven targets, 5.5 receptions, 56 yards and nearly a touchdown per game so far. Facing Tennessee last week, he had his best fantasy finish of the season so far as the WR3. He seems to be Daniel Jones‘ favorite target as of late, and he’s been making the most of them.
This week, Pittman and the Colts play the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been a sieve against fantasy wide receivers. Right now, they’re the third-easiest matchup for the position and allow a very inviting 33.1 points per game to the opposing wideouts. With the way that Daniel Jones and the Colts are playing right now, it’s hard not to throw Pittman in the lineup. Until teams can show that they can take away the Colts’ weapons, they’re going to continue to deal. Get Michael Pittman in your DFS lineup this week, because he may just have another top-five fantasy finish.
Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, Jacksonville Jaguars)
I guess you could call this the “Junior” wide receiver week for my DFS picks! Disclaimer first, analysis second: Brian Thomas Jr. is nursing a shoulder injury he sustained in London two weeks ago, so you’ll want to keep an eye on the injury report and really pay attention on Sunday before making your picks. With that being said, if Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. suits up this week, I really like what he’s going into. The Jaguars are coming off their bye week and have had significant time to prepare and heal up. Thomas has admittedly had a very lackluster sophomore season so far, but I think they have corrected most of their wrongs this season and addressed them during their break this past week. At least, that is the hope.
The upside for Thomas solely relies on quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s ability to have a good game, which I think is a great possibility considering the matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. They are sitting in the middle of the pack against fantasy quarterbacks and are the fourth-best matchup for fantasy wide receivers. Their defense is allowing 32.6 points per game to fantasy wideouts, so if the Jaguars can stick it to the struggling Raiders, Brian Thomas Jr. should have a great game.
Note: If Brian Thomas Jr. can’t go, I don’t mind subbing him out with Travis Hunter at all.
Tucker Kraft (TE, Green Bay Packers)
The YAC (Yards After Catch) attack continues for Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft. That’s the tale of the tape so far in his career, especially this season. What Tucker Kraft can do once he has the ball in his hands is incredible, and he’s on a historic run. Halfway through the season, Kraft has totaled a massive 334 yards after the catch, and he leads the league in YAC between tight ends AND wide receivers. He’s averaging 10.26 yards after the catch; the next best in the league is wide receiver D.K. Metcalf with 9.32 yards.
Last week alone, Kraft totalled 128 YAC, which was the third-best ever for a tight end, behind only Travis Kelce (138 in 2016) and George Kittle (136 in 2018) in a single game. It’s obvious that Packers quarterback Jordan Love has an affinity for passing him the ball, and that isn’t going to stop, especially this week. The Packers take on the Carolina Panthers, who are the fourth-easiest matchup for fantasy football tight ends. The Panthers allow, on average, 12.3 points per game to the position, and I think the big-bodied tight end smashes that average on Sunday. There’s not much else to really say here, other than get Tucker Kraft into your lineup for Week 9 and thank me later.
Sam LaPorta (TE, Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta started out hot this season, finishing as the TE6 in Week 1. Then, he took a violent shove to the backseat in the usage department, with the Lions favoring running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for Weeks 2-4. But fear not: in the last three games, LaPorta has fantasy finishes of TE4 twice. There was also the gross TE36 finish, where he wasn’t needed because the Lions were destroying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but let’s not talk about that. My point is that as of late, the talented tight end is back on the map, and with the Lions coming off the bye week, I think they’ll continue to build on their recent success and use LaPorta.
Yet another reason to insert him in your lineup, especially if you can’t snag Tucker Kraft, is due to the matchup. The Minnesota Vikings are middle of the pack against fantasy tight ends, allowing 10.8 points per game, but they were on the wrong end of a lesson this past week. Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II gashed the Vikings’ secondary enough to earn him a TE4 overall finish. I think head coach Dan Campbell saw that weakness the Vikings had that game and will try to continue putting salt in that wound. Sam LaPorta has always been an athletic, strong, good tight end for fantasy, and that consistent version of him may just be coming back for the second half of the season.
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*Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports*
