The Chargers allowed 27 points in the second half to the Buccaneers, and with a short week ahead of Thursday Night Football, Sean Payton and the Broncos' coaching staff will likely look to replicate the Buccaneers' success. Should daily Fantasy football players build NFL DFS lineups and DFS stacks around Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and receivers like Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele after Los Angeles' recent defensive performances?
Chargers third-year tight end Stone Smartt is coming off back-to-back games with at least 50 yards and had five receptions for 50 yards on six targets with TE1 Will Dissly (shoulder) out last week. Smartt played 67% of snaps last week after never reaching 40% this season, so could he be an under-the-radar value play to include in NFL DFS stacks while saving money to spend on some of the top options in the Broncos vs. Chargers DFS player pool? Before locking in any NFL DFS picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends, and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine. His methodology has led to enormous cashes on FanDuel and DraftKings. Last year, he won the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Chargers vs. Broncos on Thursday Night Football and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Broncos vs. Chargers
One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Thursday Night Football is Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey. He was the ninth receiver selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's playing as well as any of the rookie receivers in his draft class. McConkey is fourth among rookies in receiving yards (873) despite this being one of the deeper and more productive rookie classes in NFL history. McConkey was second at Georgia in receiving yards per game (53.1), only trailing Brock Bowers, last season, but injury concerns and only playing nine of 14 games at Georgia played a role in his falling into the second round.
Once McConkey continued dropping, the Chargers saw it was an opportunity and traded up with the Patriots to select the 23-year-old receiver. He's been integral to Los Angeles' offense this season as the rookie leads the Chargers in receptions (63), receiving yards (873) and targets (88). The Chargers don't have a top receiver room in the NFL but with a quarterback as talented as Justin Herbert, there are ample opportunities for pass-catchers and McConkey has quickly become the most reliable option in L.A. See who else to roster here.
Part of McClure's optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims. The 22-year-old has been the Broncos WR5 in terms of snap count in the vast majority of games this season, however, when he's on the field, it's a strong indication the ball may be coming his way. Mims is fifth in receptions and third in yards, posting higher numbers than some playing more snaps than him, due to his big-play ability as he's second on the Broncos among receivers with at least 20 receptions at 12.5 yards per catch.
The 5-foot-11 receiver has carried his breakout potential from Oklahoma to the NFL. Mims led the Big 12 in yards per reception his sophomore and junior years, averaging 22.0 yards per catch as a sophomore and 20.1 as a junior. He had 1,083 yards as a junior before being selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and with Los Angeles allowing at least four different pass-catchers to record a reception of at least 13 yards in back-to-back games, McClure sees a path for Mims to break a big play or two to return value for NFL DFS lineups. See who else to roster here.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Thursday Night Football
McClure is targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Thursday Night Football. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of McClure's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
So who is Mike McClure including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Thursday Night Football, and which under-the-radar player offers huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, NFL DFS rankings, NFL DFS advice and NFL DFS stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with more than $2 million in winnings, and find out.
