With just three weeks remaining in the 2025 NFL regular season, every game matters just a little bit more for the potential playoff teams. That is no different for our latest TNF DFS picks considering we have an elite showdown thanks to the NFC West.

The Los Angeles Rams head North to take on the Seattle Seahawks in primetime. Both teams rank top five in scoring so I was a little surprised when this game listed an implied total of 42.5 points as of Wednesday evening. But the potential weather forecast may shed some light on that.

Both these organizations sit atop the NFC West so this is a potential playoff preview while also a decisive game for the division title. There are plenty of options to choose from and some injuries to keep an eye on. Let’s take a look at the top plays and lineup building strategies with our Rams vs. Seahawks DFS picks for Thursday Night Football!

 

 

 

Rams vs. Seahawks DFS Picks & Preview: Thursday Night Football, 12/18

The Los Angeles Rams enter this matchup as slight favorites, which is fitting since they won the first matchup between these two teams back in Week 11 by a score of 21-19. That game was a bit infamous for some suspect quarterback play. As good as Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford have been this year, they were far from perfect in their first matchup. Darnold threw four interceptions and Stafford completed just over 50% of his pass attempts and totaled only 130 yards.

Hopefully the rematch can deliver more fireworks. Both organizations enter Week 16 sitting at 11-3 in a tie for the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers will certainly have eyes on this matchup because they sit just one game behind both teams and the 49ers have a pivotal Week 18 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on the horizon after beating them way back in Week 1.

There is plenty to discuss offensively for both squads. Much was made about Matthew Stafford’s “back” injury during training camp and he’s played at an MVP caliber level this season. Sam Darnold has proven to be worth every penny of the contract Seattle gave him in the offseason… Until recently, that is. But at least Jaxon Smith-Njigba has transitioned seamlessly to the WR1 role in Seattle sans DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

But we can’t sleep on the defenses in this matchup. While both offenses are top five in points per game, their defenses are also doing well at keeping opposing offenses out of the end zone. The Seahawks are allowing just 17.3 points per game (8.3 in their last three games) and the Rams are surrendering 18.6 points per game (but 27.3 in their last three games). On a short week it’s a bit more difficult to project this matchup but it’s a fun slate to build lineups for. Here are the TNF DFS picks for Week 16!

 

 

 

Rams vs. Seahawks TNF Odds at DraftKings & FanDuel

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Spread:
    • Rams +1.5 (-112)
    • Seahawks -1.5 (-108)
  • Money Line:
    • Rams (+102)
    • Seahawks (-122)
  • Game Total:
    • Over 42.5 (-112)
    • Under 42.5 (-108)

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Spread:
    • Rams +1.5 (-112)
    • Seahawks -1.5 (-108)
  • Money Line:
    • Rams (+108)
    • Seahawks (-126)
  • Game Total:
    • Over 42.5 (-110)
    • Under 42.5 (-110)

 

 

 

NFL Weather: Rams vs. Seahawks TNF, December 18th

Since this is the Pacific Northwest in the middle of December, we can’t rule out the possibility of rain/showers. It’ll rain most of the day leading up to kickoff just after 5:00pm local time. We also have winds right around 15-20 mph and there may be gusts up to 30-40 mph. 

 

Rams vs. Seahawks Injuries: Thursday Night Football Week 16

The two big injuries we’re monitoring on the Los Angeles Rams side belong to Davante Adams and Braden Fiske. Adams is doubtful with a knee/hamstring injury while Fiske is questionable with an ankle injury. The absence of Adams would open the door for a couple value pass catchers that we’ll get to in the player pool for our TNF DFS picks.

For Seattle, they’ve only ruled out one player and it’s a big one. Offensive tackle Charles Cross will not be available for Thursday night’s game as he hasn’t practiced all week due to a hamstring injury.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: MVP/Captain

Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams - DraftKings: $12,000 | FanDuel: $12,600

I’m not sure what else there is to say but we’re going to be treated to arguably the two best wide receivers in the league and they both lead off our Rams vs. Seahawks DFS picks. Over his last two games, Nacua has 16 receptions on 22 targets for 348 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He played so hard in Week 15 that he had to leave the game at times in the second half due to cramping.

But Nacua is a volume hog especially if Davante Adams truly does sit for this game. Per DraftKings scoring, he has seven games this season of 24+ fantasy points and he’s averaging 105.2 receiving yards per game, which is second only to JSN. He had a rather tame stat line against Seattle a couple weeks ago, but he’s peaked the last couple weeks and is easily capable of another huge game Thursday night.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks - DraftKings: $11,600 | FanDuel: $13,000

NFL fans are in for a treat when it comes to watching the two best receivers in the league showcase their talent Thursday night. When these two teams met earlier this season, JSN caught 9-of-12 targets for 105 yards. Even on the season, he has nine games with 100+ receiving yards which is huge on a site like DraftKings.

Now similar to Nacua, there really isn’t much of an argument to be made against this play. We’re kicking off our Rams vs. Seahawks DFS picks with two receivers that have incredibly high ceilings. They’re obvious Captain plays for this slate.

However, I do have some slight concerns for our TNF DFS picks when it comes to JSN. Sam Darnold, who we’ll get to later in this article, has regressed of late. I believe the term Pardon My Take coined earlier in the week was “DeSAMber” since Darnold’s really cooled off over the last month-and-a-half. Without Charles Cross protecting him Thursday night, Darnold might just have another frustrating performance.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $10,400 | FanDuel: $12,000

Even at his age, Matthew Stafford is still playing at an incredibly high level. And this season came after there were reports of him having back issues during training camp. And it was all a bunch of bologna.

With three games remaining in the season, Stafford currently sits at 3,722 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. In five of his last eight games, he’s thrown at least three touchdowns and he’s always a threat to throw for 300 yards and collect the bonus on DraftKings.

Now when these teams met in Week 11, he didn’t have his best game. He still had two touchdown passes but only threw for 130 yards and didn’t attempt 30 passes. But Stafford has never lost to the Seahawks as the starting quarterback for the Rams and he’ll look to keep that streak going for our Rams vs. Seahawks DFS picks.

Colby Parkinson, TE, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $5,400 | FanDuel: $7,600

The cat’s out of the bag and he’s hardly a secret at this point. Over the last five weeks, Colby Parkinson leads the tight end position in touchdowns (5) and end zone targets (11). According to Ryan Heath of Fantasy Points, Parkinson’s averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game on just a 13.8% target share. That number could rise considering Davante Adams is unlikely to play in this game, and the Rams already run a decent amount of 13-personnel (three-tight end sets).

Parkinson found the end zone when these two teams met a few weeks back, but he only had two targets. The Seahawks have had their struggles defending tight ends of late. Two weeks ago, Kyle Pitts caught 6-of-10 targets for 90 yards. In Week 13, T.J. Hockenson caught all six of his targets for 59 yards. And the week before that, Gunnar Helm caught six passes for 51 yards while Chig Okonkwo caught three passes for 40 yards. Parkinson seems like a solid lock at this price tag especially if Adams is ruled out.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Core Plays

Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $10,400

There are mild concerns about the emergence of Blake Corum, who we’ll get to next, but Kyren’s production has hardly taken a hit. In fact, in the team’s seven games since the Bye week, Kyren Williams has eight rushing touchdowns. Both Kyren and Corum are tied in rushing touchdowns in their last three games so there’s enough production to go around.

Kyren will get a little more volume and is more likely to get the 100-yard bonus on DraftKings with 70+ rushing yards in six of his last seven games. And he may catch a pass or two in windy conditions if the Rams can’t push the ball downfield. Corum may better be the better point-per-dollar play on DraftKings since he’s half the price, but Kyren will still manage a slight majority of the touches.

Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $4,800 | FanDuel: $7,200

Corum, similar to Parkinson, gets put into the Core Plays section because the production he’s been providing at such a cheap price tag makes him an appealing DFS play. In three straight games he’s returned 13+ fantasy points on DraftKings. So the fact that he’s still priced under $5K seems like a gift at this stage in the game, but I will acknowledge that I almost prefer Parkinson over Corum if you can manage to fit him in.

He’s averaging 9.3 yards per carry over the last three weeks which is unsustainable but he’s getting high value touches as well with four touchdowns. Per Dataroma, Corum has a 16.7% explosive rush rate over the last three games and while he’s the 1B to Kyren Williams’ 1A, this is a spot Corum can still return value because the pricing on both sites is simply too low.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Mid-Tier Plays

Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks – DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $11,400

Darnold has been more miss than hit over the last six games for the Seahawks. In that span he has six touchdown passes, six interceptions, and he’s lost three fumbles in that span as well. In three of those games, he threw for zero touchdowns. It is a bit alarming just how inconsistent he’s been as the temperatures have started to drop and the weather won’t necessarily be on his side Thursday night.

Darnold is hard to view as a core play simply because of the variance of late. That’s not something I want to lean into at his price tag. Bake in the fact that Charles Cross has been ruled out and I’m even more worried about the pass protection in the elements for Darnold.

Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seattle Seahawks – DraftKings: $6,600 | FanDuel: $7,000

It was a bit of a slow burn, but Shaheed is finally rounding into form with the Seattle Seahawks after the team acquired him at the NFL Trade Deadline and reunited him with offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak.

In his first four games with Seattle, Shaheed totaled just four receptions on 11 targets for 37 total yards while mixing in 36 rushing yards. However, in his last two games he’s collected nine receptions on a dozen targets for 141 yards and Sam Darnold was looking his way multiple times during the team’s game-winning drive in Week 15. He was already pretty familiar with Kubiak’s offense but now that he’s building a rapport and chemistry with Darnold he’s a sneaky high upside play that could break the slate based on the trends the last two weeks. He’s definitely a player you can get some exposure to at Captain if building multiple lineups.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Seattle Seahawks – DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $5,600

Kupp’s production this season hasn’t been great with just 41 receptions and 519 receiving yards. Even in his first “revenge” game against the Rams this season, he did get seven targets. However, he only caught three of them for 23 yards. Kupp has just two touchdowns all season while he’s only missing one game.

He still gets out there and runs plenty of routes and there is the game narrative against the Rams. But with that said, it does feel like the Seahawks are finally at a point where they want to feature Rashid Shaheed more than Kupp. It’s not pretty, but Kupp is due for some targets at the very least. And if you don’t love the outlook here, you can pivot to AJ Barner, who may provide similar production while offering salary relief.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Value Plays

Tutu Atwell, WR, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $3,400 | FanDuel: $4,600

Atwell returned in Week 15 after a six-game absence due to a hamstring injury and he only played four snaps. But aside from the Rams utilizing heavy 13-personnel in recent weeks, there haven’t been many receivers emerge that could take his spot as the team’s WR3.

With Davante Adams doubtful for this matchup, there’s a big opportunity available for the Rams depth receivers. And let’s not forget, Atwell signed a one-year, $10 million deal to stay with the Rams in the offseason so they signed him having some faith in his abilities. And yet he only has five receptions on the season, but there’s a great opportunity to help this team Thursday night.

Terrance Ferguson, TE, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $1,600 | FanDuel: $3,600

We’ve already noted how the Rams play 13-personnel at a pretty high rate and I expected that to hold true in Week 16 if Davante Adams can’t suit up. But in Week 15, we saw both Puka Nacua and Adams get a bit beat up. While that led to Parkinson having a good game, we did strangely see Ferguson lead all Rams pass catchers with a 70.7% route rate while even Parkinson, amidst a great game, was only at 58.5%. At this price tag, Ferguson doesn’t need to do too much to pay off the tag. If he manages to find the end zone, he’s likely hitting the optimal lineup.

 

 

 

TNF DFS Picks: Kickers & D/ST

The Rams defense feels like it’s been treading water since the team’s Bye week. There haven’t been too many great performances for this defense aside from Week 12 against Tampa Bay in primetime. In the other six games since their Bye week, they have just seven total sacks and have given up some production to opposing offenses. This team lucked out in Week 11 against Seattle when Darnold had one of the worst throwing performances of his career with four interceptions. But with Charles Cross likely missing this game, we can upgrade the L.A. pass rush.

Seattle’s defense is the cheaper option on this slate and they’ve allowed a total of 25 points in their last three games to the likes of the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and Minnesota Vikings. They’ve even held six of their last seven opponents to under 300 yards of offense. When these two teams met in Week 11, the Seahawks held the Rams to just 21 points and 249 yards of offense, but they had zero sacks and just one takeaway, so the fantasy score looked rough. 

Jason Myers has been unbelievable for fantasy football of late. On the season, he has just one game with fewer than eight fantasy points. In eight of his last nine games, he has double-digit fantasy points. And to continue hyping him up he has at least three field goal attempts in six straight games entering this matchup. For as annoying as the kicker position may be, Myers is fairly reliable. In seven games since the team’s Bye week, he has a dozen confirmed attempts of 40+ yards so he’s getting volume and kicks from range. He also had five field goal attempts when these teams met in Week 11. So while we shouldn’t expect a repeat performance, and he is pricy, he comes with a decent floor as long as the Seahawks can put him in position to rack up production.

The Rams recently waived Joshua Karty and they seem committed to Harrison Mevis, who hasn’t been anything special, but he’s just made every kick that’s been asked of him. In six games as the team’s place kicker, he only has five field goal attempts but he’s made them all. The Rams offense seems a bit more potent and consistent scoring 28+ points in five-of-six games with Mevis. Myers is certainly the safer play but Mevis works in heavy 4:2 or 5:1 Rams stacks.

Update: This section was written early Tuesday morning prior to the more accurate weather forecasts. With heavy winds expected in this game we should be downgrading the kickers slightly.

 

 

 

Rams vs. Seahawks DFS Player Pool: TNF, 12/18

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