NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Bills vs. Lions Thursday Night Showdown

September 17, 2026

Koby's top NFL DFS lineup picks for the Lions vs. Bills Thursday Night Football game on FanDuel, DraftKings. His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks for Thursday, September 17, 2026.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Monday night did not go down as I had foreseen; Kenneth Walker III was an absolute menace to the Broncos' defense, which looked nothing like its former self. And Bo Nix was playing with wet hands or something because he couldn't hold onto the ball whatsoever. Let's bounce back here on Thursday night, shall we?

On this wonderful Thursday, we have a banger matchup between two elite offenses, as the Detroit Lions travel to Buffalo to take on Josh Allen and the Bills! I'll be your NFL Showdown guy this season, so make sure to catch my articles for Thursday and Monday Night Football. If you have any questions about other showdown slates, feel free to hit me up on X @DFSKoby, where I'm more than happy to help y'all out!

I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football in Week 2 -- Bills vs. Lions on September 17, 2026. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. 

MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Jahmyr Gibbs - RB, $18K (DK), $18.6K (FD)

I don't know how you go anyone else at the captain spot; sure, that makes it chalky, but we just saw what David Montgomery did to this Bills defense last week. Montgomery gouged them for three touchdowns. He wasn't very efficient on the ground, but that didn't stop him in the red zone. Gibbs went for 34 fantasy points, just tearing up the Saints' offense on the ground and in the air.

First touchdown of the year is Jah's pic.twitter.com/uySUsPnP3R

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 13, 2026

Goff loves to get him the ball as much as possible; he had 29 carries and caught all five targets against the Saints. He doesn't have anyone threatening him for touches either, so the Lions will keep feeding him. The Bills gave up the third-most TDs and seventh-most rushing yards to opposing RBs last year. This is going to be the most obvious play on the slate, but it has to be said that he might end up being the highest-scoring once again.

DJ Moore - WR, $11.7K (DK), $12.9K (FD)

Now to switch it up, Josh Allen is another obvious play, but putting up both Gibbs and Allen here is no fun. DJ Moore looks like a great pivot; we just saw what Chris Olave did to this Lions secondary last week, and Moore looks like Allen's clear favorite target. Moore had eight targets and caught five of those for 100 yards and a touchdown. Moore is a solid, cheaper captain option, as he is the seventh-highest-priced player on FD and sixth on DK.

Last season, the Lions gave up the third-most receiving touchdowns to WRs and the eighth-most receiving yards! Josh Allen only threw the ball 29 times against the Texans, and eight of those were to Moore. Allen finally has a WR1 that he can look forward to every week, and I think he continues to eat in this offense.

Other Captains/MVPs: Josh Allen, Amon-Ra St. Brown

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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Amon-Ra St. Brown - WR, $10.4K (DK), $11.6K (FD)

I contemplated putting ARSB in the captain spot, but ultimately decided it was a better route to go with Gibbs; that being said, I love ARSB in this matchup. He should line up against Dee Alford in the slot, which makes for a great matchup, as he is giving up .30 fantasy points per route run. As long as we avoid the matchup against Christian Benford as much as possible, we should be in a good spot, but I think Benford will have his hands full with Jameson Williams.

ARSB was targeted 14 times! He caught 10 of those passes for only 67 yards, but that didn't stop him from getting two touchdowns. In 2025, ARSB had a 41.5% red zone target share, and the Lions didn't really change much in the offseason. If they aren't going to Gibbs, they have been going with ARSB. Getting both of them together could make for a pricey but elite play.

Dalton Kincaid, $6.8K (DK), $7.6K (FD)

Other than DJ Moore, only Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir saw reasonable targets in this receiving core. Kincaid looked phenomenal, catching five of his six targets for 130 yards! He definitely seems to be a bigger part of this offense this season compared to last. He played in 72% of offensive snaps last week, and it seems his only competition is Dawson Knox, but Allen has shown much more favoritism toward Kincaid.

Josh Allen with the throw and Dalton Kincaid with the catch 🔥

BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/fj7tVqbYlg

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

The Lions gave up two touchdowns to opposing TEs last week, and were top 10 in most TDs given up last year. This could be another solid opportunity for Kincaid and company. I expect this game to feature a lot of scoring, which should give Kincaid plenty of opportunities to score and make for a great flex option.

Other Flex Options: Khalil Shakir, Jared Goff

Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Isaac TeSlaa - WR, $3.8K (DK), $2.8K (FD)

Now for the hardest part of the day: nailing down what will make the best value on the slate. On Monday, Emmett Johnson didn't get as much run as I had hoped, and this time I'm not going with a backup RB as value. I am, however, going to go with the WR3 in Detroit! Isaac TeSlaa saw a lot of run in their win over the Saints. He played in 68% of snaps, but was only targeted once.

Williams has a tough matchup, which should allow TeSlaa to get open a bit more. At his price, it won't take much to be considered value. Last season, TeSlaa was third on the team in Red Zone Target Share. He had six touchdowns last season, and if he gets the chance to score in this one, it could make for some of the best value on the slate.

Tyler Bass, $5K (DK), $6.8K (FD)

I can't bring myself to roll out Ty Johnson or Keon Coleman, so I'm going to chicken out and go with the kicker Tyler Bass. Bass had last season off to recover from injury, and when he returned this year, he took full advantage. He hit all three field-goal attempts and all three PATs. Bass has a career 85% field goal percentage and has a long of 61 yards! We haven't seen quite how long he can hit at the moment, but I still think the leg is there.

The weather looks solid, so there shouldn't be any issues, and if the Lions can hold up this potent Bills offense, Bass should get a few shots at those golden uprights.

Other Value Options: Jake Bates, Joshua Palmer, Brock Wright(Punt)

Sample NFL DFS Lineup

Here is a lineup option I like for the Thursday Night Football slate on FanDuel. Note that sample lineups are not intended to be used in contests by readers, but instead to show the type of roster construction that I am considering when building my lineups.

More DFS Analysis and Lineup Picks