Thursday Night Football brings us a rematch of Super Bowl LIII. In a must-win game for the New England Patriots, they face off against the Los Angeles Rams. This game should be a low-scoring defensive battle just as it was in the Super Bowl. The Patriots came out on top in the game by a final score of 13-3. Let’s jump right into the top players for this Thursday night showdown.
DraftKings Captain | FanDuel MVP
Cam Akers (DK Captain $12,000 | FD $12,500)
It is officially Akers backfield in LA. Akers saw 21 carries with Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown only getting three apiece last week against the Arizona Cardinals. The bad news for Akers is that the Patriot’s defense has been solid against the run this year. However, the good news for Akers is the Rams will try and establish the run and let that open up passing lanes. Akers should be in line for 15-22 carries this week. He might not be super-efficient with those carries but in this potentially low-scoring game, that volume of carries and touchdown potential will be exactly what you need at the Captain spot.
Utility Players
Cam Newton (DK $10,600 | FD $16,000)
Newton has been excellent this year at running the football. His biggest upside comes from his ability to find the end zone on goal-line carries. He has 11 rushing touchdowns this season in only 11 games. The Rams have an excellent defense but have allowed quarterbacks to score three rushing touchdowns on the season. In a must-win game, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels should be able to put together a game plan on a short week to get some offense going. Look for Newton to have a nice fantasy day in this game.
Cooper Kupp (DK $9,600 | FD $13,000)
This is another high floor guy that should get enough targets to produce fantasy value. Kupp will be in line for 8-10 targets and if he can turn those into five or more receptions and potentially get a touchdown, he will be an excellent value. He has not had a receiving touchdown since Week 4 against the New York Giants. However, Robert Woods will be on the outside and likely covered by Stephon Gilmore in this game. That should open up Kupp and force Jared Goff to look his way on passing situations, especially in the red zone.
James White (DK $6,400 | FD $9,000)
Last week, White didn’t get much work. They were, however, winning all game so the offense was not put in for many passing downs. White should be in line for more work this week. He is at an excellent price on both sites. Although, he is a much better value on DraftKings because it is PPR. This season the Rams have allowed an average of 5.2 receptions per game to running backs. If the Patriots struggle to run the football, look for them to turn to White as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
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