This is going to be a good one. Well, let’s hope I didn’t just jinx things, but Week 14 is going to start off with a fury. We have a divisional matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions that should deliver on it’s expectations. Both teams played on Thanksgiving, so it’s unlike a normal Thursday game as each team is on regular rest. The home Lions sit at 11-1 while the Packers are two games behind at 9-3. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Detroit is favored by just three points which is the general home field advantage. At an over/under of 51.5 points, offense should be in ample supply tonight. In a game like this, on both sides, the kickers should be on our radars. Let’s jump into some Thursday Night Football DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category.
Thursday Night Football DFS Picks – Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
Captain
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
When offense is expected at the level it is tonight, the quarterbacks are always going to be in play. It’s expected to be a track meet, and Jordan Love will lead the efforts for the Packers. While there are some receivers on the Green Bay side we have interest in, targeting their quarterback might be the better approach.
Last week, Love turned in an efficient performance as he led the Packers to victory. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns to secure the game early on for Green Bay. Not much was need from Love at that point as he improved to 20 touchdowns on the season. With 252 passing yards per game, Love has shown the ability to move the ball downfield.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions
Scoring a touchdown almost seems like a foregone conclusion for David Montgomery. So far this season, that has happened 12 times and there’s a good chance he adds to that tonight. The good news is that Montgomery’s shoulder is back to full health after he exited Week 11’s game early.
While Montgomery didn’t score a touchdown last week, he carried the ball 21 times for 88 yards. Controlling the tempo of the game will be important, and with 720 rushing yards on the season, Montgomery will play a large part in that. While not a true receiving threat, he has added 27 catches for another 277 yards this year as well.
Flex
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
With all of the offense expected, and the weapons at our disposal, we do have to pay attention to the salary cap. Sam LaPorta is very helpful from that standpoint after a rough start to the season. His sophomore season hasn’t gone as smoothly as last year, but he didn’t lose that ability or upside.
In each of the last three weeks, LaPorta has been targeted six times. LaPorta has three catches per game with three touchdowns in total. Last week, LaPorta only gained six yards, but two of his catches were for touchdowns. Despite the lackluster production, the good news is that LaPorta does have a steady workload each week.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
Without jinxing things as he’s just 13 yards away, Josh Jacobs is in a good position to break the 1,000-yard rushing mark this week. While it might have been a slow start to Jacobs’ career he’s picked up steam as of late. Over his last five games, Jacobs is averaging more than a touchdown per game along with 118 yards.
Last week, Jacobs only gained 43 yards on his 19 carries, but he did score a touchdown. The good news is that he supplemented things by catching four passes for 74 yards. Not only is Jacobs healthy, but he’s the clear workhorse in Green Bay’s backfield.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
It’s all about the ground game for the Lions, and there’s enough volume to support two running backs. For as good as Montgomery has been, Jahmyr Gibbs has been right there with him. Gibbs is averaging six yards per carry which leaves him 27 yards shy of breaking the 1,000-yard barrier this week. The addition of 28 catches for 282 yards also helps add to Gibbs’ value. Between the two backs, it’s a relatively even split as Gibbs has 11 touchdowns on the season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
There is a reason why Amon-Ra St. Brown is the most expensive option on the slate tonight. He’s working to get back on the board after two weeks without a touchdown, but with 10 on the season, there is a good chance he does so. St. Brown has 76 catches for 820 yards on the season as the number-one receiving option for Goff.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
While Jameson Williams is always a big play threat, he only has four touchdowns on the season. Despite catching 10 passes on 14 targets over the past two weeks, Williams hasn’t found the end zone. With just 92 yards, his big play potential has also been put on hold. We know what Williams is capable of, and at the very least his targets provide a solid floor.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
With Romeo Doubs out again, there is an opportunity within Green Bay’s receiving corps. From a DFS perspective, the Lions struggle against opposing receivers. The quantity wasn’t there for Jayden Reed last week as he caught three of his six targets for 24 yards. What caught our attention though, is that two of Reed’s three catches were for touchdowns.
Value
Tim Patrick, WR, Detroit Lions
While Tim Patrick is still looking for his first touchdown of the season, he has carved out a supplemental role for Detroit. Over the past three weeks, Patrick has at least three targets per game. In that stretch, Patrick has nine catches on 11 targets for 129 yards. All he needs to do is break one big catch to return a solid value.
Fade
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
While Jared Goff may not be exciting or explosive, he continues to generate results. The veteran is up to 2,982 passing yards on the season with 22 touchdowns and that will only continue to grow. Goff has a plethora of weapons to work with and he continues to be a solid producer.
Based on the category, you had to figure that there was a but coming, and that’s correct. When these two teams played each other in Week 9, it wasn’t the best of games for Goff. He only threw for 145 yards and a touchdown in what was a rough performance. There is limited upside here as Goff has to share the glory with two running backs which hurts his value. In three of his last five games, Goff hasn’t scored more than 12.8 DraftKings points which is a cause for concern.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!