NFL DFS Week 8: 9 DraftKings Values Under $4,000

Michael Mayer at $3,600 and Mason Taylor at $3,300 are the inexpensive tight ends I want to look at first. Mark Andrews is the better fit with Lamar Jackson, while Browns DST saves enough to make a real difference elsewhere. The cheap receivers are less comfortable: Ayomanor offers recent playing time, while Kyle Williams supplies deep-play appeal. Neither has established a dependable weekly receiving workload.

Sunday Main slate, November 1, 2026. All nine selections cost less than $4,000 on DraftKings.

The shortlist

Player	Position	Salary	Matchup	Best use
Michael Mayer	TE	$3,600	at NYJ	Affordable receiving production
Mason Taylor	TE	$3,300	vs. LV	Recent reception growth
Mark Andrews	TE	$3,400	at BUF	Lamar Jackson stack
Tyler Higbee	TE	$3,800	vs. LAC	Rams passing alternative
Pat Freiermuth	TE	$3,900	vs. CLE	Short receiving work and scoring upside
Elic Ayomanor	WR	$3,000	at CIN	Recent playing time; Ridley return limits certainty
Kyle Williams	WR	$3,300	at MIA	Deep-play upside; A.J. Brown ruled out
Browns	DST	$2,600	at PIT	Lowest-cost preferred defense
Steelers	DST	$3,300	vs. CLE	Stronger pressure matchup

1. Michael Mayer, $3,600

Mayer has 31 catches for 298 yards this season. He caught seven for 95 yards against Buffalo two games ago and followed with three for 32 against the Rams. Those catches make him more interesting than a tight end who needs his only target to become a touchdown. Mayer’s game log

Brock Bowers remains the bigger threat to dominate the Raiders’ passing production, and he finished Friday without a game designation. Mayer’s $4,000 discount from Bowers buys room for another strong player, but it also gives up the clearer premium ceiling. I like Mayer as a standalone salary saver more than using both Raiders tight ends in the same lineup. Raiders’ Friday report

2. Mason Taylor, $3,300

Taylor’s last three games brought three, four and five catches. Last week’s 62 yards and two touchdowns were the standout result, but the improving reception totals are the more useful reason to consider him. Kenyon Sadiq has caught only two passes for 18 yards over the past two games. Taylor has been the more productive recent receiving choice in this tight-end room. Taylor’s game log, Sadiq’s game log

The price makes him interesting opposite a Raiders player such as Bowers or Ashton Jeanty. I prefer the inexpensive reception bet to paying for last week’s two touchdowns. His entire season receiving line is 14 catches for 117 yards, so the recent improvement still rests on a small sample.

3. Mark Andrews, $3,400

Andrews is my budget choice in a Lamar stack. Adding him to Lamar and Flowers takes the three-player group to $17,400, keeping enough salary for a serious running-back and receiver combination.

The receiving production explains the discount: Andrews has four catches for 27 yards over his last two games and only one touchdown this season. Lamar’s return gives him a route back into a more dangerous passing offense, but Flowers has earned the first claim on our Baltimore receiving salary. Andrews fits when the lineup is specifically betting on multiple Baltimore passing scores. Andrews’ game log

4. Tyler Higbee, $3,800

Higbee caught eight, five and five passes in Weeks 3–5, then fell to four for 22 yards and two for 14. There is enough receiving history here to consider a rebound, and the lower price offers a different way into the Rams than paying for Puka Nacua. Higbee’s game log

Puka has no game designation; his Friday absence was rest. Colby Parkinson is questionable. Higbee remains a cheaper Rams passing option, but the offense’s first receiving priority is still Puka. I prefer him in a Matthew Stafford build rather than treating a Parkinson absence as a guarantee of a large target total. Rams injury report

5. Pat Freiermuth, $3,900

Freiermuth has caught at least two passes in every game this season. Four touchdowns have supported his results, including a two-touchdown game against Indianapolis, but his last two games produced only four catches for 31 yards combined. Freiermuth’s game log

That makes him a reasonable last receiver in a Pittsburgh passing build, not my first standalone bargain. Cleveland’s pass rush is a concern for Aaron Rodgers and can limit the offense’s ability to sustain drives. I would rather save the $300 with Mayer unless I specifically want Pittsburgh’s scoring distribution.

6. Elic Ayomanor, $3,000

Ayomanor received seven of Tennessee’s 30 recorded targets last week, catching three passes for 44 yards while playing 56 offensive snaps, a reported 89% share. Tate is out, giving him a more credible opportunity than a receiver whose appeal depends on an unproven expansion in playing time. Ayomanor’s log

Ridley is active against Cincinnati. He missed Ayomanor’s seven-target game; Ayomanor had no more than three targets in any of his first six appearances. His ten catches for 177 yards this season do not establish a dependable reception floor. At $3,000, I like him as an aggressive salary-saving response to a Burrow–Higgins stack, with Ridley’s return limiting how much of last week’s work he can retain. Titans Saturday preview

7. Kyle Williams, $3,300

Williams has six catches for 147 yards and a touchdown this season. Three of those catches, 91 yards and the touchdown came against Las Vegas in Week 5. Since then he has one catch for 12 yards across two games. Williams’ game log

The appeal is the size of the plays he can make at this salary. A.J. Brown has been ruled out, opening more receiving work, but Douglas, Chism, Henry and Stevenson are also options. Williams belongs in an aggressive Drake Maye build, not in the same category of week-to-week receiving reliability as a higher-priced regular. Patriots injury report, updated October 31

The Miami forecast adds risk to that deep-play bet: the stadium-area forecast has east winds of 12–13 mph around the 4:25 p.m. EST kickoff, with hourly rain chances of 76%, 83%, 81% and 68% from 4 through 7 p.m.. That is a risk of showers and thunderstorms, not certainty about when they arrive. That makes Williams a smaller part of my receiver pool rather than a cheap player to build around. National Weather Service forecast

8. Browns DST, $2,600

Cleveland has 20 sacks; Pittsburgh has allowed 22. That gives the Browns a path to points at a salary that frees up the rest of the lineup. The $700 saved versus Pittsburgh can be more useful than paying for a defense because it feels safer. Browns statistics, Steelers statistics

The risk is that Rodgers gets the ball out before the pressure arrives and Pittsburgh finishes drives. I like the discount when it pays for a better offensive player, and I would avoid pairing Cleveland with several Steelers skill players.

9. Steelers DST, $3,300

Pittsburgh has 18 sacks against a Cleveland offense that has surrendered 25. Alex Highsmith finished the week practicing fully with no game designation. Cleveland tackle Tytus Howard has cleared concussion protocol and has no injury designation. That improves the Browns’ protection outlook, so Pittsburgh’s case rests on the season sack matchup rather than a presumed tackle absence. Browns Saturday update Friday injury report

Pittsburgh is my first defense when both lineups are otherwise comparable. Cleveland is the better budget choice when the extra $700 has a clear destination. A defensive touchdown would be a bonus for either side.

Where I would spend the savings

Mayer instead of McBride saves $3,800. That is enough to move from a speculative cheap receiver to a much stronger receiving role. McBride’s reception volume is excellent, so the decision is whether that upgrade elsewhere is worth giving it up.

Taylor instead of Henry saves $1,000. I prefer Henry’s broader season record, but Taylor has the stronger recent reception trend than many players in this price range.

Browns instead of Steelers saves $700. On our Main lineup, that difference helps fund the move from Andrews to Henry. The point of buying cheap is to improve the whole lineup, not to collect as many discounted names as possible.