Bring on the offensive firepower and light up the scoreboard. We get an exciting divisional matchup to begin Week 10 as the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The dual between Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow should generate a large amount of offense and DFS excitement. Offense is expected to be in full supply with an over/under of 52.5 points. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Thursday Night Football DFS Picks – Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
Captain
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
While the Bengals have gotten better as of late, their defense has just been a mess this season in the passing game. Cincinnati is allowing the fourth most DFS points to opposing quarterbacks, and there are few better than Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is a dual threat who is worth the investment tonight. Through nine games, he is averaging 264 passing yards per game, and if needed, that number would likely be higher. After a slow start, Jackson has 15 passing touchdowns in the last four games, 20 in total, while throwing just interceptions. As if we didn’t need a floor, Jackson has also rushed for 505 yards on the season; 56.1 per game.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
We truly have a shootout on our hands. While rostering both quarterbacks will be difficult, this would be the week to do so. Joe Burrow will work to keep up with Jackson and he has the ability to do so. At least through the air that is, and that’s what puts him behind his counterpart tonight. However, we do get a discount so that is another factor to consider.
Burrow also has 20 passing touchdowns but with four interceptions. At 2,244 passing yards, he is also slightly behind Jackson. From a consistency standpoint though, Burrow has half of his touchdowns in two games. It should be noted though, that one of those games did come against Baltimore. In that game, Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdown passes as he worked to keep up with Jackson. A similar narrative should form tonight.
Flex
Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Remember what I said about trying to manage your salary cap? Mike Gesicki certainly covers us in that regard, but we also aren’t sacrificing production here. Tee Higgins being sidelined plays a factor as Gesicki has stepped up to fill the void in recent games.
The tight end has been targeted 14 times in the last two weeks catching 12 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Those were his first two touchdowns of the season and Gesicki should have a similar role once again tonight.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The Ravens allow the second most DFS points to opposing receivers so that makes this a great matchup for Ja’Marr Chase. Between Higgins being out and the potential of Burrow tonight, Chase will be a popular DFS pick. Last week he did have seven catches on 11 targets but he only turned that into 43 yards.
On the season though, Chase has been far more efficient. The receiver has 55 receptions for 717 yards and seven touchdowns and he should build on that tonight.
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
The Bengals have had success against opposing running backs this season, but Derrick Henry’s credentials speak for themselves. Henry has 13 touchdowns on the season with at least one in every game. He is already at 1,052 rushing yards for the season which means he’s averaging 117 yards per game. When these teams last played, Henry carried the ball 15 times for 92 yards and we can take that as a floor.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Considering we are expecting a lot of points and success from Jackson, it only makes sense for Zay Flowers to be involved. We have seen some explosive performances from him but two of his three touchdowns came last week against Denver. Overall, Flowers has 46 catches for 654 yards this season as Jackson’s preferred target. The presence of Diontae Johnson should help to take some of the pressure off Flowers from a defensive standpoint.
Check out all of our Week 10 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Value
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Isaiah Likely is out tonight which means that Mark Andrews has the tight end room all to himself tonight. Andrews seems to be past his slow start but he did peak at four catches for 47 yards two weeks ago. Two of Andrews’ three touchdowns came in the same game, but he isn’t far removed from being one of the best tight ends in the game. We can’t expect him to go that far tonight, but there is enough opportunity and value in a high-scoring game to make Andrews appealing.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Welcome to Chalk City. In his first game with the Ravens last week, Baltimore took things easy with Diontae Johnson. He was on the field for just 17 of 57 snaps last week and wasn’t targeted. The Ravens eased Johnson into action as he learned the playbook and acclimated to his new team.
Even though it is a short week, I would expect that to change tonight. Johnson has now had a few more days to adjust to his new team and develop chemistry with Jackson. Baltimore didn’t acquire Johnson for him not to play, so look for him to make an impact tonight. We saw what Andy Dalton could do for Johnson, even in that offense, so things should be even better with Jackson. It’s hard to judge Johnson statistically, but he has 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Andrei Iosivas, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
With Higgins out, Andrei Iosivas will be starting once again for Cincinnati. Last week that led to four targets, but Iosivas only had one catch for 10 yards. That was a valuable catch though as it is was his fourth touchdown of the season. Iosivas only has 15 receptions for 199 yards on the season but his nose for the end zone has DFS value and he does have the role tonight.
Fade
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
We have seen big plays, and production from Rashod Bateman this season, so it’s only natural to be drawn to him tonight.
The price point also helps, but with the acquisition of Johnson, his role isn’t getting any bigger. To this point, Bateman doesn’t seem to have a ceiling of more than four targets or receptions. With three touchdowns on the season, Bateman’s value is very much in correlation to his ability to find the end zone.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!