I’m not sure things can get much closer or more evenly matched as the Los Angeles Rams travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Both teams are at 11-3 and top of the NFC West, so there are major postseason ramifications tonight.
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Granted, they are at home, but the Seahawks are favored by the slimmest of margins tonight: 1.5 points. It’s also a strength against strength on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Rams are averaging 30 points per game while the Seahawks come in just shy at 28.9. With an over/under of 42.5, the expectation is that defense will rule the day. Los Angeles is allowing 18.6 points per game compared to 17.3 for Seattle.
Defense ruling the day would make sense and also follow suit with when these teams played each other earlier in the season. That was a 21-19 victory by the Rams, and will the Seahawks return serve? Now, let’s dig into our Thursday Night Football DFS picks so you can set that winning lineup.
Thursday Night Football DFS Notes
Will Adams Play?
After leaving in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, Davante Adams’ status was in severe doubt for this week. The intention of the Rams was to take things down to the wire, which ultimately would be frustrating for fantasy managers. However, the true game-time decision aspect of the decision represents the gravity of tonight’s game.
Adams didn’t practice either Tuesday or Wednesday, but things are trending in the wrong direction. The receiver is now dealing with a knee injury, and with doubtful status, it appears that he’ll be sidelined tonight. With 14 touchdowns and 789 receiving yards, Adams does leave a large void.
The good news is that the Rams have Puca Nacua along with other strong options to pick up the available targets; Colby Parkinson stands out, but Konata Mumpfield and Jordan Whittington could also make an impact.
Nacua Feasts
Puka Nacua doesn’t need any help this season to light up the scoreboard, but with Adams likely sidelined, he has said help. We do need to qualify things with the tough defensive matchup, but we should note that when these teams last faced each other, Nacua had seven catches for 75 yards.
The chemistry is present between Nacua and Matthew Stafford as they’ve already connected for 102 catches, 1,367 yards, and seven touchdowns. Without Adams, Stafford will be spending more time looking Nacua’s way.
Follow the Touchdowns
Assuming Adams is likely out, someone has to fill the red zone void. Based on what we have seen over the past few weeks, Colby Parkinson is ready, willing, and able.
In the last six games, Parkinson has six touchdowns, and has gone just one game without finding the endzone. Over the last four weeks, Parkinson has 16 catches on 21 targets for 175 yards. He’s looked increasingly comfortable in the offense, and I have no issues going touchdown hunting with the tight end.
Revenge Time?
When Cooper Kupp returned to Los Angeles earlier in the season, he failed to impress. Kupp was targeted seven times, but that translated to just three catches for 27 yards. It hasn’t been the sharpest of seasons for Kupp in his new home as he’s averaging just 39 receiving yards per game. With only two touchdowns, there’s limited upside, and I wouldn’t read much into the revenge narrative. Especially with the other receiving options available for Seattle.
Settling in Nicely
Rashid Shaheed’s addition helps to fill the void that Kupp was unable to. The speedy receiver is beginning to find his groove. In the last two weeks, Shaheed has nine catches for 141 yards as he’s settling in.
We Have a Cheat Code
For the most part, there’s nothing that has gotten in the way of Jaxson Smith-Njigba this season. Despite their strong defense, the Rams are allowing the fifth-most DraftKings points to opposing receivers this season. So of course, we aren’t going to ignore the receiver with nine touchdowns on the season who is averaging 110 yards per game. When these teams faced each other earlier in the season, JSN caught nine passes for 105 yards.
Stafford as MVP?
Depending on how the rest of the season goes, it’s a very logical thought process. Matthew Stafford is already up to a staggering 37 touchdown passes with 3,722 passing yards. The concern, though, is that he threw for just 130 yards against Seattle earlier this season.
Corum is Earning His Time
Over the past three weeks, Blake Corum has four touchdowns. He’s also averaged 11.6, 10.7, and 6.5 yards per carry in those games. The Rams are making a real effort to diversify their running attack, and Corum is the more cost-effective option.
Check out all of our Week 16 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings
Week 16 TNF DFS Picks
| Rnk | Pos | Player | Team | DK Salary | FD Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WR | Puka Nacua | LAR | $12,000 | $12,600 |
| 2 | WR | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | $11,600 | $13,000 |
| 3 | RB | Blake Corum | LAR | $4,800 | $7,200 |
| 4 | K | Jason Myers | SEA | $5,200 | $6,800 |
| 5 | QB | Matthew Stafford | LAR | $10,400 | $12,000 |
| 6 | TE | Colby Parkinson | LAR | $5,400 | $7,600 |
| 7 | QB | Sam Darnold | SEA | $9,400 | $11,400 |
| 8 | RB | Kyren Williams | LAR | $9,800 | $10,400 |
| 9 | WR | Rashid Shaheed | SEA | $6,600 | $7,000 |
| 10 | RB | Kenneth Walker III | SEA | $7,200 | $9,600 |
| 11 | RB | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | $6,200 | $8,200 |
| 12 | K | Harrison Mevis | LAR | $5,000 | $6,200 |
| 13 | WR | Jordan Whittington | LAR | $2,400 | $4,200 |
| 14 | WR | Konata Mumpfield | LAR | $2,000 | $2,400 |
| 15 | TE | AJ Barner | SEA | $4,400 | $5,000 |
| 16 | WR | Cooper Kupp | SEA | $5,600 | $5,600 |
| 17 | WR | Tutu Atwell | LAR | $3,400 | $4,600 |
| 18 | DST | Rams | LAR | $4,000 | $6,400 |
| 20 | DST | Seahawks | SEA | $3,600 | $6,600 |
| 22 | TE | Davis Allen | LAR | $2,600 | $1,600 |
| 23 | TE | Terrance Ferguson | LAR | $1,600 | $3,600 |
Make sure to check out all of our Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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