RADIO
Austyn Varney highlights the top FanDuel NFL DFS lineup picks for Thursday Night Football for Week 15 of the 2019 season, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building TNF daily fantasy rosters.
It's already week 15! Time flies when you're having fun and this has been an eventful football season to say the least. We have another solid Sunday upcoming, but we'll kick things off with a Thursday match-up between the Jets and Ravens. It all comes down to whether Lamar Jackson is going to play or not. Let's dive right in!
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel for Thursday Night Football on December 12th, 2019 (Week 15). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
If you have any questions you can follow me on Twitter @VarneyDFS and fire away. Now let's break this slate down and make some cash. Good luck RotoBallers!
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DFS Quarterbacks - Week 14 Picks
Lamar Jackson - BAL (FanDuel $17,500 / DraftKings $13,800)
Lamar Jackson is currently questionable and I held this article out in hopes that we would get news by now? Why? This a completely different game is Jackson sits and all analysis hinges upon his status. If he's a full go, Jackson is obviously an amazing play. However, there are two ways this doesn't go so great. One is that Jackson sits and we get a free square with Robert Griffin III. If that happens, you can play Griffin and whatever other four you want. If Jackson does play, but ends up being limited, this may not be a very good game for Jackson. He likely won't have to do much against the Jets and there's a real chance Harbaugh tells Lamar to take it easy on the ground this week. There is just zero reasons for Jackson to get hurt in this game at this point in the season. If you think he's a full go, fire him away as there isn't a player in this game with anywhere near the upside. If you think he doesn't run the ball at all tonight, go with an Andrews or Brown at MVP as Jackson doesn't get his upside from throwing the ball.
Sam Darnold - NYJ (FanDuel $14,500 / DraftKings $9,800)
This is not a great spot for Sam Darnold. The Ravens defense has ranked number one over the last six weeks and Marcus Peters is a big reason why. Darnold is on the road in Baltimore with a half-healthy WR corps. He’s a QB and there’s always upside for three touchdowns, but Darnold is a FLEX play at best in this spot. You can safely ignore him in cash games and target the weapons you think the Jets will focus on utilizing.
DFS Running Backs - Week 14 Picks
Mark Ingram - BAL (FanDuel $14,000 / DraftKings $10,400)
This can go two ways with Ingram for me. If Lamar Jackson plays and is fully halthy, I don’t have much interest. Ingram has been under 60 yards in four of the last five games and Jackson’s running ability is a big reason why. If Lamar is out, Ingram is going to get more action and should score a TD. RGIII obviously can run, but the Ravens are not going to want their backup QB running all over the place in a game that should be relatively easy to handle. Again, if Lamar is out or limited in any way, Ingram is locked into volume and a great play across the board.
Le'Veon Bell - NYJ (FanDuel $13,000 / DraftKings $9,400)
Le’Veon will get back on the field this week after being too sick to play a week ago. He’ll be needed a ton as Bilal Powell has been ruled out and Ty Montgomery is currently questionable. Bell hasn’t been very good on the ground this year, but he makes up for it through the air. He averages 4.5 catches per game and 33.5 yards. That’s on top of the 50 yards per game on the ground. I expect Darnold to check down a ton in this game and Bel should get another six or seven catches on top of the damage he can do on the ground. Bell is my favorite Jets option,l and the one I have most exposure to. If you’re playing 10+ lineups and Lamar Jackson is out, Le’Veon Bell is a guy you can play in the MVP spot and hope for the insane upset. If the Jets do make this close, you can guarantee Bell will be involved.
DFS Wide Receivers - Week 14 Picks
Robby Anderson - NYJ (FanDuel $13,500 / DraftKings $9,000)
Anderson is the most expensive wide receiver on the board and he’s certainly worth considering. It once again comes down to Lamar Jackson as does this entire slate. If RGIII starts, we have a free square and can just play the best of the rest. Anderson would be included next to Bell, Ingram, and either Darnold or Andrews. Anderson has seen 21 targets over the last two weeks and has picked up 218 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens have been a top-three pass defense since week 10 and I don’t love this spot for any of the receivers. With that said, Anderson is a deep threat and it wouldn’t be crazy for him to catch a long bomb off Darnold.
Marquise Brown - BAL (FanDuel $8,000 / DraftKings $8,200)
Marquise Brown has been certifiably bad over the last two weeks with a combined four catches for -1 yards. I applaud you, my friend, as that doesn’t seem to be an easy task for someone with feet that move. In all seriousness, Brown hasn’t been able to get anything going down the field and his screens have been bottled up. I don’t really care what QB plays here. I actually might like Brown more if RG3 plays as nobody will be on him and Griffin has a better arm than Jackson. At least strength-wise. If you can remember back a few years, that RG3-led Redskins team was built off the long pass. Sure, Brown is no DeSean Jackson, but he’s damn fast and this Jets secondary won’t be able to keep up on a well-thrown ball. Brown is a top play on this slate whether Jackson plays or not. I love him at captain as he can break the slate and won’t be heavily owned.
Jamison Crowder - NYJ (FanDuel $8,500 / DraftKings $7,800)
Crowder has been terrible recently, even though he’s seeing a ton of targets. Over the past three games, Crowder has caught just seven of his 20 targets. He previously reeled in 15 of 22, so I’m willing to chalk this up to variance. If the entire Ravens defense is focused on Le’Veon Bell and Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder could surely sneak in for a score and 10 targets. The Jets will be throwing a lot in this game and Crowder runs the safer intermediate routes that Darnold may be more comfortable throwing here as he’s sure to be under pressure.
Willie Snead IV - BAL (FanDuel $8,500 / DraftKings $5,000)
Snead is the most expensive Ravens WR, but it has a lot more to do with Marquise Brown being so bad recently. Snead has only been into double-figures once since week two, but he sees three to five targets in every game and this match-up is a great one. I don’t like Snead at MVP in the slightest, but he’s a great FLEX play that won’t hurt you. I’d only consider Snead if Jackson is in, as I expect Griffin to throw to Brown and the tight ends mostly. Snead is a safe play at this price in this match-up on a showdown slate.
Vyncint Smith - NYJ (FanDuel $5,000 / DraftKings $600)
This name may come out of nowhere, but Vyncint Smith is going to be on the field for the majority of snaps in this game. Especially if the Jets are playing from behind as we expect. Smith is a big-play receiver and punt returner that can score anytime he touches the ball. He’s going to see an increased role this week with both Demaryius Thomas and Ryan Griffin out. All it takes is one play for a guy like Smith to pay off.
DFS Tight Ends - Week 14 Picks
Ravens Tight Ends
All three of these guys are in play. Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst are on a different level than Nick Boyle, but this is a showdown slate and we’ve seen run-blocking tight ends catch two scores and break the slate. The Jets are pretty solid against tight ends, but that’s when they have just one to cover. The Ravens stack the line and make it tough on opposing LB cores as they need two good cover linebackers on every play. I like these guys no matter who the Ravens QB is, as Griffin isn’t much of a downgrade at all as a passer.
Daniel Brown - NYJ (FanDuel $5,000 / DraftKings $2,000)
With Ryan Griffin out, Daniel Brown is set to start at tight end for the Jets. He saw two carries last week and reeled in one ball for seven yards. There isn't much to say here outside of there's always a chance that a tight end catches a touchdown and Brown gives you a ton of flexibility elsewhere. I still prefer Vyncint Smith for the upside in this offense.
