The 2024 NFL season starts Thursday night with a repeat of last season’s AFC Championship Game between Kansas City and Baltimore. This time, the Ravens will be on the road at Arrowhead Stadium, looking to revenge the 17-10 loss. It also means the first DFS Showdown slate of the regular season, with plenty of options for your contest lineups. The season’s first games are always tricky, but here are my best plays for Thursday Night Football.
Win With FantasyData
Before jumping into this, I want to state the obvious: FantasyData’s DFS tools make life simple. Sure, you can have success without projections, advanced metrics, or an optimizer, but often, these tools will help you find a golden nugget that will put you on a winning path. Finding interesting statistics that make you shift gears to build a lineup using an under-the-radar QB/WR combo or sleeper RB/DEF combo is how to win the game. Learn More Here
Premium DFS Tools
Captain
WR Xavier Worthy ($8,700)
The new Kansas City wide receiver may get a chance to showcase his skills on TNF. We have limited data with Worthy being a rookie and this being the first game of the NFL season. However, with Hollywood Brown being ruled out with a shoulder injury, it could mean we see an uptick in Worthy’s snaps. The former University of Texas man can take the top off a defense, resulting in explosive plays. In the preseason game against Detroit, we saw that big play ability, connecting on a 37-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes. His total projection is 11.5 fantasy points, and the ceiling is sky-high. Worthy is cheap, so it is likely a very chalky selection.
QB Lamar Jackson ($17,100)
A dual-threat quarterback like Lamar Jackson will always be a reliable option as a captain selection. The arrival of running back Derrick Henry may scare players away in this game. However, Jackson will still have a solid number of rushing attempts, especially with a concerning offensive line. His projection is 20.5 fantasy points, around what he finished with the last time these two teams met in the 2023 AFC Championship game.
TE Travis Kelce ($14,400)
For the majority of games, Travis Kelce has been the No.1 target for Patrick Mahomes for some time. He will be at the top of the list to go off in this game again, having 11 receptions and one touchdown, resulting in 32.1 fantasy points the last time they played. Kelce is the most expensive captain choice after the two quarterbacks, but he could be the best option with him looking back to his best in the postseason.
FLEX
QB Patrick Mahomes ($10,400)
Playing DraftKings and not having Patrick Mahomes on your team is a dangerous game. We have seen the Chiefs quarterback spray the ball around the field like he’s playing a different game to everybody else. Mahomes is projected to have 20.3 fantasy points and is capable of much more. If you are playing Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, or Rashee Rice as your captain, Mahomes is a definite play in the FLEX.
RB Isiah Pacheco ($8,400)
In 14 regular season appearances last season, Isiah Pacheco finished with 935 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 44 receptions, 244 yards, and two touchdowns. He was an integral part of the offense last season, taking 61.2% of the snap share at running back. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out, and Samaje Perine is only likely to take a minimal amount of third-down work away, so he looks like a good play. In the AFC Championship game between the two, Pacheco finished with 18.2 fantasy points and is projected to hit 14.4 in this game.
WR Zay Flowers ($8,000)
Zay Flowers was a high scorer in the AFC Championship game last season with 24.9 fantasy points, thanks to five receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. He had nearly double the amount of targets (108) as the next player in the wide receiver room (Odell Beckham Jr. with 64) last season. Beckham Jr. has gone, with the only new face being the round 4 draft pick Devontez Walker. Running back Derrick Henry might have more carries that eat into passing plays, but don’t expect them to drive down Flowers’ production much.
RB Justice Hill ($4,400)
Justice Hill, the Ravens’ RB2 behind Derek Henry, will still see the field. Head coach John Harbaugh has spoken about Hill maintaining a valuable role behind Henry, which could be more on passing plays. He was targeted seven times in the game against the Chiefs last season, catching four for 34 yards. His game projection is only 3.9 fantasy points, but he can break off a big chunk of play with a reception pass.
RB Carson Steele ($200)
At just $200, Carson Steele is worth a punt if you are playing multiple lineups. After an excellent preseason that saw him carry the ball for 87 yards and two touchdowns, Steele made the Kansas City 53-man roster. With the injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, he is now closer to getting game time. Don’t be surprised to see him on the field for a small number of plays, and we have seen that he can produce big plays in the preseason.
