In a game that went right down to the wire, the Minnesota Vikings narrowly took their first loss of the season on Sunday. They have a quick turnaround on Thursday and now travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams. Their opponents picked up their second victory of the season in Week 7 by essentially doing their job against the Raiders. With an over/under of 48.5, it should be an exciting matchup with a fair amount of offense. As the Vikings are favored by just three points, it should be a close game with a good amount of offense. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Thursday Night Football DFS Picks – Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams
Captain
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
While there are some trade rumors surrounding Cooper Kupp, for now he is still on the Rams. And that is good news as Minnesota is currently allowing the most DFS points to opposing receivers. With Puka Nacua still sidelined, there is no clear or immediate threat to Kupp’s target share. Unfortunately for Kupp, he has been sidelined since Week 2. The good news is that Kupp is no longer listed on the injury report and he is slated to return tonight.
He isn’t going to be targeted 21 times like he was in Week 1, but that speaks to Kupp’s ability and potential. The Rams will also be without Jordan Whittington so there should be plenty of opportunities for Kupp. It also works in his favor that Los Angeles will have to keep up with Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson.
Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
As the Vikings are expected to eclipse 20 points tonight, Sam Darnold will be very busy in getting them there. Aside from a rough game against the Jets, it has been a pretty strong season overall for Darnold. Last week he surprisingly threw for just one touchdown against Detroit. However, it did come with an 82% completion rate as well as 259 passing yards.
That came after Darnold threw for multiple touchdowns in each of the first four weeks of the season. In his first season with the Vikings, Darnold has shown a clear ability to throw the ball downfield. He shouldn’t find much resistance against the Rams as he continues a strong season after being pressed into duty due to injury.
Flex
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Through six games this year, Justin Jefferson has found the end zone in five of them. At this point, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. In facing the Rams on Thursday, Jefferson is in a great spot to continue that streak.
With 51 targets, Darnold is certainly looking the way of his star receiver with regularity. That has translated to an average of 88.5 yards a game as Jefferson is consistently in the middle of Minnesota’s offense. Go for the big play with the best player on the slate.
Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
After easing into a full practice on Wednesday, health is no longer an issue for Aaron Jones. Last week, Jones certainly proved that with 93 yards on 14 carries. On the season, Jones is averaging a strong 5.2 yards per carry which equates to 74 yards per game. To a degree, Jones is making up for that with 20 receptions for 190 yards.
Jones is clearly the number-one option in the Vikings’ backfield as he continues to play a major role most weeks. There is some concern as it has been all or nothing from a performance standpoint though. In two games, Jones has a combined 61 yards, but in the other four weeks, he has between 93 and 102 yards.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
While the Rams have started to Blake Corum some playing time, there is no doubt that it’s Kyren Williams’ backfield. Any potential concerns we might have had surrounding Williams and his workload appear to be answered.
Over the past four weeks, Williams hasn’t carried the ball less than 18 times. We are getting both quantity and quality as Williams rushed for at least 76 yards in that stretch. What’s most impressive, is that Williams has rushed for at least one touchdown per week with nine in total.
TJ Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
At this point, it’s unclear whether TJ Hockenson will officially be back in action tonight. Since October 4th, Hockenson has been practicing on a limited basis and his window will be closing shortly. We will have to keep a close eye on whether or not the tight end will truly return from knee surgery, but if he does, he is worthy of our attention.
The thought is that the Vikings will ease Hockenson back into action, but at the very least, he would have a role in the red zone.
Should Hockenson be sidelined for another week, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor should be on our radar. Addison has consistently caught three passes in each game this year. Nailor is coming off his best game in Week 7. He caught four of his five targets for 76 yards and he should continue to have a role in Minnesota’s offense. It is a situation we have to watch though, as after Jefferson, targets do become tight in Minnesota.
Value
Colby Parkinson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
After being targeted 20 times over two weeks, Colby Parkinson took a step back last week. He did catch both of his targets, for 32 yards, as he continues to flash upside and ability. There are still targets available in the Rams’ offense and tonight does project to be a high-scoring game. Parkinson has proven that he can rise to the occasion as he looks for his first touchdown of the season.
Tutu Atwell, WR, Los Angeles
While Kupp is returning this week, Tutu Atwell should continue to have a role in the Rams’ offense. Granted it has happened by default, but Atwell has become a key option in the Rams’ offense. Atwell has been targeted 19 times in the last two weeks and that has resulted in back-to-back weeks of six receptions.
Fade
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
As we are talking up the Rams’ offense and some of their receiving weapons, we are also looking to fade their quarterback at the same time. It hasn’t been the easiest of years for Matthew Stafford with injuries to Nacua and Kupp, but he is making do. From a yardage standpoint, Stafford is averaging 232 yards per game, but he has just three passing touchdowns overall. Williams’ propensity for finding the end zone works against Stafford, and he’s simply too expensive tonight.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!