Ceedee Lamb Headlines Our Best Picks for Fantasy Football FanDuel DFS Showdown Lineup on Thursday Night Football
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Week 5 Thursday Night Football is back tonight with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. The Cowboys are 2-2 coming off a come-from-behind win against the Texans in their Week 4 matchup to get back to .500. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are still winless at 0-4 following a 17-14 loss against the Packers in Week 4. The two teams face off tonight as the Cowboys look to build some momentum, and the Bucs fight for their first win of the season.
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.
Ceedee Lamb MVP - 1.5x Points, ($18,900)
Cedee Lamb gets the tag as our MVP for tonight as the clear favorite. Lamb is coming off a spectacular game against the Texans where he had 17 receptions for 189 yards and the eventual game winning touchdown.
CEEDEE LAMB IS A CHEAT CODE FROM OUTERSPACE
— PFF (@PFF) October 4, 2026
17 CATCHES
189 REC YARDS
TDpic.twitter.com/Enll9u0zjz
Lamb has re-established himself as the clear WR1 this season as George Pickens had encroached on that status last season. Lamb sits as the WR2 in PPR currently slightly behind Jaxson Smith Nijigba. The Cowboys have relied on Lamb as their volume and go-to receiver and that should continue coming into tonight as the Cowboys will look to feed Lamb as much as possible.
Dak Prescott, AnyFLEX ($11,800)
Dak Attack will be getting the first AnyFLEX spot tonight stacking with Ceedee Lamb. Prescott has excelled so far this season coming off a 335 yard passing yard game against the Texans with a touchdown to Cedee Lamb. Prescott has thrown eight touchdowns through four games, and has 275+ passing yards in his last three games in a row.
The Buccaneers are missing safety Antoine Winfield Jr. as well CB Benjamin Morris making them even more vulnerable in the pass game. Dak and the offense will be pass heavy against the Bucs defense which has already let up six passing touchdowns through four games.
George Pickens, AnyFLEX ($9,600)
George Pickens gets our slot as the second AnyFLEX spot as we dial up and go heavy on the Cowboys pass game. Pickens has taken a backseat so far this season compared to his counterpart Cedee Lamb, but Pickens production should pick up this week against the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers have a strong run defense currently ranking third with only 78.5 yards allowed per game, and just one rushing TD. This will force Dak and the offense to rely on the passing game. The Buccaneers also line up in a single rate defense which Pickens has historically excelled against raising his target rate from 14% to 35% just last week. Pickens' talent in single coverage is unmatched and he is due for a breakout game which should come tonight against the Bucs.
Emeka Egbuka, AnyFLEX ($8,600)
Emeka Egbuka snags the third AnyFLEX spot and our biggest play for the Buccaneers in tonight’s DFS. Egbuka has had a slow start to the season, but facing off against a Cowboys defense which ranks almost last in every category is his chance for redemption and productivity tonight on TNF.
Egbuka remains the Bucs WR1 and should be the Buccaneers centerpiece to give them a chance to make this a competitive game against the Cowboys firing offense. Rookie Quarterback Jalon Daniels is set to start for his second game tonight and with now a game under his belt he should be more well adjusted to connect with Egbuka over the middle of the field. This is a prove-it game for Emeka and he should rise to the occasion.
Cade Otton, AnyFLEX ($5,800)
Tight End Cade Otton will take our fourth AnyFLEX spot as a great high floor pick for tonight. Young QB’s love to rely on their trusty Tight Ends which is why Otton is a great play for tonight's DFS. in Daniels first start last week, Otton led the Bucs with a 28.6% first read team-share, while also logging a 22% target share which was second on the team.
Otton is our safe play for tonight as he has averaged 5.75 targets throughout the season and should be expected to continue to rack up yards in the middle of the field tonight for the Bucs.
Ryan Flournoy, AnyFLEX ($5,200)
Cowboys Wide Receiver Ryan Flournoy gets the call for our final AnyFLEX spot in tonight's DFS lineup. Flournoy lines up as the Cowboys WR3 for tonight and adds into the strategy of betting on the Cowboys air raid tonight against the Bucs.
Flournoy has averaged a 71% snap rate, meaning that he will continue to be involved in the offense and receive targets as a volume player. If the Cowboys offense puts the pressure on the Bucs, Flournoy could see targets in the red zone with Lamb and Pickens being the main focus for the Bucs defense.
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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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