Best Picks for Fantasy Football FanDuel NFL DFS Showdown Lineup for Thursday Night Football
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Thursday Night Football is back in action tonight with the Falcons traveling to Green Bay to take on the Packers. The Packers are coming off their first win of the season with a 20-17 victory over the Jets in Overtime. They will look to keep their momentum going tonight in their home opener. On the other-hand, the Falcons come into tonight 0-2 coming off a brutal 34-3 beatdown from the Panthers in their last game. Michael Penix Jr. will make his debut taking over for Cooper Rush looking to jumpstart the Falcons offense.
FanDuel TNF Showdown gives players a $60,000 salary to choose six fantasy players total, including one MVP whose points and salary are multiplied by 1.5x. Here, we will dive into the best plays for tonight’s Thursday night matchup.
Christian Watson, MVP 1.5x ($16,200)
We are going with Christian Watson tonight as MVP, because of his super high upside for a breakout game, along with his lower salary compared to his other candidates. Watson broke out in Week 1 of the season with eight targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Watson’s week was highlighted with a breakaway 81 yard touchdown reception.
Christian Watson 81-yard catch-and-run!
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This past week, Watson had 11 targets with four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. Watson will be the Packers number one receiving target and his explosive ability makes him a great high upside choice for tonight’s MVP, facing off against a Falcons defense which has given up a combined 54 points over two weeks, and a weakened secondary due to injury.
Bijan Robinson AnyFLEX $13,000
Bijan will be tonight’s anchor pick as an AnyFLEX. Robinson has the highest floor potential of any offensive player on both the Falcons and the Packers, making him a great pick at an AnyFLEX value of $13,000.
In Week 1 Bijan racked up 173 total all purpose yards and a touchdown. With the return of Michael Penix Jr. to the lineup, the Falcons offense should move down the field more seamlessly than in the past two weeks with Cooper Rush, giving Bijan more volume, and rushing touchdown upside. While Penix is a much more capable quarterback than Rush, in his debut the Falcons offense will rely heavily on Bijan with a heavy workload incoming.
Jordan Love AnyFLEX $12,400
Jordan Love slots in here as our second AnyFLEX spot for tonight. We go for another stack this week with Love and Watson as the main driving force of the Showdown. Love tossed for 387 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, followed up by 145 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets in Week 2.
Love looks to bounce back after his performance against the Jets and has a great matchup to do so against the Falcons. The Falcons have one of the better run defenses in the league, while their pass defense currently ranks 23rd. Love and the Packers will come out in a pass heavy offense against the Falcons which makes Love a great play in this third slot.
Matthew Golden AnyFLEX ($8,200)
Matthew Golden takes the next AnyFLEX spot as the WR2 coming into the night behind Christian Watson. Golden has had two solid games to start the season, and has established a steady and consistent role in the Packers offense. Packers receiver Jayden Reed has been ruled out with a neck injury, opening up even more opportunity for Golden in the passing game behind Christian Watson.
The Falcons are missing two leaders on defense tonight with cornerback A.J Terrell (Groin) and Edgerusher Samson Ebukam (Hamstring) which should open up a solid floor for Golden with steady target volume, as he and Watson look to stack up yards against the Falcons secondary.
Kyle Pitts AnyFLEX ($7,600)
Kyle Pitts lives on the fantasy edge when it comes to fantasy volatility. He has not had the strongest start to the season, but his upside and ceiling is undeniable and the bounce back starts now with a new QB, which is why he is our fourth AnyFLEX spot.
With Penix under center tonight for the first time this season, Pitts should see a much higher target share. The two have some chemistry together with Pitts averaging four catches per game with Penix at Quarterback last season.
Pitts has the capability to go off for three touchdowns at any point, making him another high upside play with a more capable quarterback to get him the ball tonight.
Jonnu Smith AnyFLEX ($2,400)
In our final AnyFLEX spot Jonnu Smith gets the nod with a cheap salary of just $2,400. Going bigger on Pitts means we have to go a little on the cheaper side, making Smith the best pick available. In Week 1 Smith had two receptions for 50 yards with a 47 yard reception. He had a 47% snap rate in Week 1, which demonstrates involvement as a back-up Tight End.
Him and Kraft are both trying to get going early on in the season as the Packers have focused on two tight end sets with both Kraft and Smith involved. If this continues, Smith could continue to rack up yards as a big play threat and could see target in the endzone with the Packers tight end friendly schemes.
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Samuel Jacovitz has a diverse background in the sports media landscape having worked with Mandalay Sports Media, NBC Sports, and the NBA. A born and raised New Yorker and Syracuse University Graduate, Sam focuses on research and analysis when it comes to his fantasy sports content.
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