At the start of the NFL season, it would have been tough to predict a couple of realities that are coming to a head in Week 9. The Denver Broncos can win their sixth game of the year by handing the Baltimore Ravens their fourth loss, the Washington Commanders can maintain their lead atop the NFC East by beating the New York Giants, and the New Orleans Saints are doing everything to avoid losing their seventh straight contest. All of this madness is just another week of value for DraftKings Pick6 predictions — here are your top two plays for NFL Week 9!
DraftKings Pick6 NFL Predictions for Week 9 Today
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DeVonta Smith M/L Than 56.5 Receiving Yards
So about this number. I understand DeVonta Smith was hurt for a little bit, has to share the ball with A.J. Brown, and the Eagles can easily run out the clock in the third quarter with Saquon Barkley — but seriously, this is too low. Smith has a dream matchup against this non-existent Jaguars secondary, mainly because both he and Brown are on the field and healthy.
Is it insulting? Who knows, but Smith should dominate this total as he carves up the Jaguars feeble attempts to slow him down. Smith is essentially working with a projection similar to a No. 2 wide receiver. The Jaguars are going to find out that Smith is a No. 1, just alongside another top talent.
The Jaguars give up an unforgivable number of big plays in the air. The Eagles have been successful with Jalen Hurts testing secondaries deep down the sidelines. It’s harder for safety coverage to get there, and easier for Brown and Smith to torch one corner. With Kellen Moore’s hands now visibly on the offense, the pre-snap motion and route running from Smith should shine.
He’s one big catch away from clearing 56.5, but he’s also in line to see plenty of targets.
DraftKings Pick6 Prediction: DeVonta Smith More Than 56.5 Receiving Yards
Caleb Williams M/L 20.5 Passing Completions
While we missed on our Travis Kelce play, last week saw another slam dunk in fading Caleb Williams. We are back but with a different market. Williams is struggling to score in tight games, mostly guided by defense. When the Bears ask Williams to throw, it’s putting an even greater strain on their defense.
We look at passing completions this week as they take on the battle-tested Arizona Cardinals.
Nobody has played a tougher set of games over the first eight weeks than Arizona, while the opposite can be said for the Bears. Williams is far from tested; in fact, some numbers might even be inflated.
In seven games, Williams cleared this projection just three times — but even more so, he needed at least 37 attempts in two of those games. The third was in London against Jacksonville. Anyone can hit 21 completions against Jacksonville.
This is a tough spot for Chicago, as Arizona should blanket some shorter coverage while pressuring Williams. Chicago simply cannot ask Williams to take the game over and throw 35-plus times, at least not while expecting to win the game. The Bears have a talented backfield that should chip away at Arizona’s front and limit the attempts for Williams in the process.
DraftKings Pick6 Prediction: Caleb Williams Less Than 20.5 Passing Completions
