DraftKings DFS Showdown
As we power towards Week 8 of the NFL season, the Vikings face the Rams on Thursday Night Football to start this week of games. Some teams may be considered out of the playoff picture, but many are still in the race. Sitting at 5-1, the Vikings are in the picture, looking to capture the NFC North Division for the second time in three seasons. The Rams may only be at 2-4, but with the NFC West so tight, they are just two wins back from No. 1 Seattle with one less game played. It makes a win on TNF important for both teams.
Despite the records, both teams are coming off different results in Week 7. The L.A. Rams are looking to carry momentum from their 20-15 win over the Raiders, while the Vikings lost their first game of the season to divisional rivals Detroit in a close encounter. Minnesota is a favorite for this one (-3.5), but not as heavy as expected with the game at SoFi Stadium. Vegas has 48.5 points, so expect to see more points. With that information, here are my best plays for Week 8 of TNF.
Captain
WR Justin Jefferson ($17,700)
As most would have predicted, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the biggest value in the Week 8 TNF Showdown. He is currently fifth in the league in receiving yards (531) and third in touchdowns scored by wide receivers (5) while playing one less game than most around him. Jefferson averages around nine targets per game in his last four games and nearly a touchdown per game. However, he has not had a 100-receiving game since Week 2, his only one in six games. Touchdowns are spreading around the team, so he is not at his dominant self in scoring. That could change anytime this season, so don’t let that put you off playing him.
WR Cooper Kupp ($16,500)
We hadn’t seen Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp since Week 2, when an ankle injury forced him out for several weeks. He has no injury designation for TNF, so he is clear to return against the Vikings. In one and a bit of games he appeared in this season, Kupp has been targeted 27 times, thanks to a 21-target game in Week 1 against Detroit. We likely won’t see those numbers again, but he looks like a good play against the second-worst team in giving up fantasy points to wide receivers. Tread cautiously; after all, it’s his first game back since Week 2.
RB Aaron Jones ($14,400)
Aaron Jones looks to be a great free agency signing through six games for the Vikings. He is a borderline top-ten running back in rushing and receiving yards, adding a new dynamic to the running back room. Jones has only found the end zone three times this season, which is why his fantasy points aren’t as high as other running backs in the league. RB2 Ty Chandler is also taking a chunk of the snap percentage (33.5%), so what Jones has done is even more impressive. He faces the 26th-worst team in giving up points to running back, so another favorable match-up to consider.
FLEX
RB Kyren Williams ($11,200)
Kyren Williams may be coming up against a strong defense against the run. However, it’s hard to count him out, with nine touchdowns in six games this season. Williams has the fifth most fantasy points at the running back position and needs to be considered whoever he is up against. The Vikings gave up 160 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns to Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 7.
QB Sam Darnold ($9,400)
How many of us had Sam Darnold as a near top-15 quarterback when he was announced as the starter during pre-season? His form has slipped slightly in the last two games, but he still managed 17.26 fantasy points against Detroit. Darnold has a shallow floor in fantasy points, but does that mean he may be a low-owned asset? If so, he may be worth throwing in if you are playing multiple line-ups.
QB Matthew Stafford ($9,000)
Matthew Stafford has not hit the numbers we are used to seeing in past seasons, which has not been helped by his missing his top two wide receivers. Stafford had his best game in Week 1 with a healthy Cooper Kupp, scoring 18.68 fantasy points. Kupp is set to return for the TNF game, so stacking the veteran quarterback with Kupp isn’t the worst play.
WR Jordan Addison ($7,000)
Despite Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor seeing more targets than Jordan Addison in Week 7, Addison is still the No.2 wide receiver on the team. In Week 4, he totaled 22.9 fantasy points thanks to a two-touchdown game. He is a boom-or-bust player in the games he has featured this season. The price of Jefferson may see more players look at Addison, so he’s maybe a better cash game player.
WR Tutu Atwell ($4,200)
Tutu Atwell has been a steady fantasy player throughout the season, averaging 9.5 fantasy points per game in five games. The only thing missing from his game performances is a touchdown to send his score close to the 20s. Cooper Kupp looks to be back for TNF, so could that open it up for Atwell to see more targets near the red zone? He has been targeted twice in the red zone, so there is hope.
