Week 8 of Thursday Night Football features an NFC showdown between the Minnesota Vikings (5-1) and Los Angeles Rams (2-4) at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Vikings are coming off their first loss of the season, falling to the Lions, 31-29, while the Rams are coming off a 20-15 victory over the Raiders last week. The TNF NFL DFS player pool includes options like Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams, so who should daily Fantasy football players include in NFL DFS picks and NFL DFS stacks?
There was optimism last week that Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp would return from an ankle injury, but the 31-year-old didn't play. However, head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that he was excited to have Kupp back for Thursday Night Football, so how should Kupp's potential return affect your NFL DFS strategy? Before setting your NFL DFS lineups 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 Rams vs. Vikings 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 Vikings vs. Rams
One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for Thursday Night Football is Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The 25-year-old is coming off his fifth straight game with at least 80 yards as he had six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Lions last week. It was also his fifth of six games this season with a touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver is the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards per game (97.4) and even in his first season with Sam Darnold at quarterback, Jefferson is averaging 88.5 yards per game. He's fourth in the league in receiving yards per game.
The Rams rank 26th in scoring defense (25.7 points per game) and yards allowed (363.5 yards per game) while ranking 27th in passing yards against per play (7.9) this season. Meanwhile, the Vikings have been one of the biggest offensive surprises this season, ranking sixth in scoring at 28 ppg with Jefferson as an integral reason for that. Jefferson has at least four receptions in every game with at least six receptions and eight targets over each of his last three games, making him one of the safest options in the TNF NFL DFS player pool.
Part of McClure's optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Rams running back Kyren Williams. The 24-year-old rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries last week for his fourth straight game with more than 75 rushing yards. Williams is averaging 90.3 rushing yards over his last four contests.
Williams led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game last season as he emerged as one of the top pure runners in the NFL in his second season. He wasn't expected to have a prominent role in the offense but after Cam Akers was traded, Williams became the featured back and shouldered a significant workload last year. Williams played at least 70% of snaps in 10 of 13 games last season and has played at least 79% of snaps in all six games this season. His usage and production make him a must-add to NFL DFS picks for McClure. See who else McClure likes right here.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Thursday Night Football
McClure is also 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, rankings, advice and stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with more than $2 million in winnings, and find out.
