Time to take a look at some Monday-Thursday short-slate DFS.
As always, I encourage you to check out Ryan Hallam’s Weekly Previews to get a deeper look into tonight’s action. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of each game. Take a read and go build some lineups – remember, I only play GPP tournaments for short slates – then come back and compare to the ones I am leaving here as examples. As always, these are meant to serve as a comparison tool for your own lineups. These aren’t to be taken and submitted into contests as your own.
Here's a breakdown of the two games involved:
New England Patriots at New York Jets
Spread: Patriots -9.5
O/U: 43.5
Defense Rankings:
Jets: Run D – 9th Pass D – 17th
Patriots: Run D – 3rd Pass D – 4th
Offensive Breakdown:
Passing:
We're wrapping up Week 7 and yet we are still learning a lot about the Jets passing game, particularly, Sam Darnold , their franchise quarterback. We got a brief look at him to open the season, but a case of mono knocked him out of the next three weeks with a bye week thrown in the middle of that. But if last week was any indication of what to expect, this offense looks a hell of a lot better with Darnold under center. Granted, Luke Falk and Trevor Siemian are disastrous, but when Darnold led the Jets down the field against Dallas, they actually looked like a legitimate football team. Darnold will make his mistakes, but with the arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including a strong, supportive ground game, he's got the chance to excel and turn the losing around for the franchise. Of course, we all know about Bill Belicchick's record against young/rookie quarterbacks and considering how strong the Patriots defense is, expectations hsould be tempered.
For the Patriots, it's Tom Brady . We know what TB12 is all about. We can say that the team is doing it with the ground game and a sick defense, but this is fantasy we're talking about and Brady has four 300-yard games with 10 touchdowns to just three INT through six weeks of the season, including a Week 3 match-up when he threw for 306 yards and two scores.. Hard to criticize that and then when you look at his last three games against the Jets and see the minimum of 250 yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions, you have to be gearing up to put him into your lineup.
Rushing:
Le'Veon Bell gets another bite of the apple here after rushing for just 35 yards on 18 carries when he faced them in Week 3. Belichick knows the value of Bell to the Jets offense and will likely scheme against him, forcing the Jets to turn to Darnold as their primary source of offense. He makes for a decent flex play on Draft Kings given the full-point PPR format, but it's going to be very tough for him to find much running room. The real question here is just how well Adam Gase schemes for this match-up. He lost handily the firsttime around and Bell was neutralized. Let's see what he does this time, though it's hard to remain optimistic.
The Jets run defense is strong and limited Sony Michel to just 11 yards on nine carries in Week 3. Rex Burkhead , on the other hand, carried the ball 11 times for 47 yards and a touchdown while also catching six passes for 22 yards. Burkhead is out for this game which should put James White front-and-center for both the Patriots and DFS owners. The Jets rank 18th in the league against running back pass plays and are allowing just over 53 yards per game to them. Expect Belichick to try going the other way to start and lean on Michel, but White should end up more in the fold.
Receiving:
With the way the Patriots defense has been and with the way Belichick likes to use man and shadow-coverage, it's going to be tough for the Jets to get some breathing room in the passing game. Robbie Anderson will be shadowed by Jason McCourty , Jamison Crowder will be dealing with Jonathan Jones and Demaryius Thomas has Stephon Gillmore, On paper, Crowder seems to have the more favorable match-up of the three and we all know how Darnold likes to lean on him, but if you're looking to differentiate yourself from the pack, Thomas is working off a revenge-game narrative as the Patriots cut him in the preseason.
The POatriots are dealing with some injuries to their receiving corps as Josh Gordon is out and both Julian Edelman (chest) and Phillip Dorsett (hamstring) are questionable. Both Edelman and Dorsett are expected to play, but you can expect the Jets cornerbacks to get physical with them early and try to throw them off their game. Jakobi Meyers is going to get some attention from the DFS world tonight for sure, but don't forgt about tight end Benjamin Watson who makes his return to the field with Matt LaCosse out.
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings
Spread: Vikings -16
O/U: 41.5
Defense Ranking:
Vikings: Run D – 4th Pass – 8th
Redskins: Run D – 20th Pass D – 24th
Offensive Breakdown:
Passing:
You know I love a good revenge-game narratve and there might not be a bigger one than Kirk Cousins against the Redskins. Granted, they paid him well, but they were also ridiculously eager to shuffle him out of town and Cousins knows it. With three-straight 300-yard games that included 10 touchdowns to just one interception in that span, a lot of people are going to be looking to Cousins against the 24th-ranked pass defense of the Redskins. However, before you get too crazy, keep in mind that Washington is allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game (134.4) and the Vikings may not need to throw all that much. Look at the spread and the O/U. That doesn't indicate a need for a pass-heavy scheme.
Oh wait. Did I say Cousins had the biggest revenge-game narrative? Well what about Case Keenum who was discarded by the Vikings for Cousins and shipped off to Denver? Now he's with the Skins and you know he's going to want to show them what they could be missing out on. Of course, that would require the offensive line holding up and giving Keenum time to throw, something he hasn't had much of when he's played. With a mediocre ground game and only one legitimate weapon through the air, it could be a long Thursday night for him.
Rushing:
Dalvin Cook . Do I need to say anything else? He's the No. 1 running back in one of the most potent ground attacks. Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison have this rushing game firing on all cylinders and against the Skins, he should be a lock for your lineups. You may even be able to use Alexander Mattison as a flex play as the Vikings like to get him some work while Cook rests up.
Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson , if he gets over the toe issu that kept him out of the slopfest against the 49ers, are going to have a very tough time in this game. The Vikings run defense is allowing jut 90 yards per game this season and while they rank 20th against running back pass plays, they are allowing just 35 yards per game to them. That means they gave up a touchdown or two to a running back, something they don't do very often. Th eSkins will try to establish the run, but using one of these guys, or someone like Wendell Smallwood , isn't going to win you a GPP.
Receiving:
The biggest thing for the Vikings right now is the hamstring injury Adam Thielen suffered on Sunday. The latest reports indicate Thielen won't play in this one, but he hasn't been officially ruled out just yet. Not to worry,Vikings fans, because we've got Stefon Diggs , OlaBisi Johnson and even tight end Kyle Rudolph who just got into the end zone Sunday for the first time this season. Again, we expect a very run-heavy scheme this week, so Diggs is likely to see the most work. Joshnon may separate you from the pack a little but Laquon Treadwell -- that's the dart throw.
We can expect to see Xavier Rhodes shadowing Terry McLaurin , the only legitimate threat the Redskins have in the passing game. Paul Richardson is average at best and who knows which tight end is actually going to be healthy enough to play. If looking for a dart throw, Trey Quinn , coming out of the slot, should be an interesting option who can also save you some salary, whether it's on this slate or on the Thursday showdown.