Cooper Kupp could make his return to the NFL DFS player pool this week for Thursday Night Football as Rams vs. Vikings kicks off Week 8 of the 2024 NFL schedule. The Rams' star receiver has missed the last four games with an ankle injury as Los Angeles has had to play without Kupp and Puka Nacua. Nacua (knee) remains out, but Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Monday he expects Kupp to play on Thursday with a workload "to be determined." How should the unknowns of Kupp's usage in his first game since Sept. 15 affect your Thursday Night Football NFL DFS strategy?
Kupp entered the year averaging 92 receiving yards per game over the last three seasons and had 14 receptions on 21 targets for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Lions in Week 1. Can daily Fantasy football players expect that level of productivity in NFL DFS lineups right away? How does Kupp's return affect Los Angeles receivers like Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington in the NFL DFS player pool? Before locking in any NFL DFS lineups for Vikings vs. Rams on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS lineup advice, strategy and player stacks from SportsLine NFL daily Fantasy expert Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a NFL and DFS expert for SportsLine, who opened the 2022 NFL season by winning DraftKings' NFL Showdown Thursday Kickoff Millionaire contest. He edged out over 355,000 other entrants in the contest and also has multiple five-figure tournament wins on his DFS resume. Kaylor, who cashed big all season in 2022, has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, and his background as a former college and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.
Kaylor hit on epic NFL DFS picks for SportsLine members throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2022, he was all over Travis Kelce's four-touchdown performance against the Raiders on Monday Night Football, Kirk Cousins' 460-yard, four-TD performance on Thanksgiving Day, and T.J. Hockenson's 13 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15. In 2023, he hit on Ja'Marr Chase's massive Week 5 performance (15 catches, 192 yards, three TDs), D.J. Moore's eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in Week 14, and De'Von Anchane's breakout performance (233 total yards, four TD's) in Week 3. Anyone who followed his picks is way up.
This season, in the Sao Paulo game one of Kaylor's top picks was Green Bay wide receiver Jayden Reed, who caught four passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 33 yards and a score, and James Cook, who scored three touchdowns on Thursday Night Football against the Dolphins.
Now, Kaylor has turned his attention to Rams vs. Vikings on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Vikings vs. Rams
One of Kaylor's top NFL DFS picks for Thursday Night Football is Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The three-time Pro Bowler has been one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL this season with more than 80 yards in each of his last five games. There were some concerns entering this season about how Jefferson would perform without Kirk Cousins at quarterback and a perceived drop off with Sam Darnold, but Jefferson's close to his career average of 97.4 receiving yards per game as he's averaging 88.5 yards per game this season.
Jefferson has more targets (51) than all other Minnesota wide receivers combined (46) as the clear alpha within the organization at the position. He's averaging a career-best 16.1 yards per reception, creating even more explosive plays with Darnold than he did with Cousins and other quarterbacks. His nine receptions of at least 20 yards or greater are tied for the second-most in the NFL and Kaylor expects some more chunk plays against the Rams, who have allowed two plays of more than 50 yards over the last two weeks.
Kaylor is also targeting Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. No one should be happier than Stafford to have Kupp back. The 36-year-old targeted Kupp 21 times in Week 1 when he threw for a season-high 317 yards. He hasn't thrown for more than 260 yards in the last four games without Kupp after averaging 264.3 passing yards per game last season. Kupp averaged 7.9 targets per game last season as Stafford looks to rekindle that connection on Thursday.
Jared Goff completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards against the Vikings last week, so there are avenues for Stafford and Sean McVay to attack a Vikings defense that has been one of the better units in the NFL this season. The Vikings are allowing 260.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 30th in the NFL this season, and Kaylor expects the veteran to find ways to create success in the air on Thursday. See who else Kaylor likes right here.
How to set Rams vs. Vikings NFL DFS lineups, player pool
Kaylor is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers in Vikings vs. Rams. 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 Kaylor's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
So who is Jimmie Kaylor including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Thursday Night Football, and which under-the-radar NFL DFS picks offer huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a DFS expert who won a prestigious millionaire maker tournament, and find out.