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Tonight's top NFL DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- Rams vs. Lions SNF showdown slate Week 1 (Sept. 8, 2024). John's NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have a fun showdown tonight with two teams that have been somewhat intertwined over the past few seasons. The Rams traded Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick for Stafford in 2021, and shortly after brought home a Super Bowl. While the Lions have yet to achieve the same result, they did end the Rams' season last year in the NFC Wild Card round.
We've been pretty successful over the past few seasons with these showdown slates and hopefully, that trend continues. Thanks to today's advanced analytics, I'll do my best to provide you with as much in-depth analysis as possible regarding positional matchups and the like to help put some lunch money in your pocket. Let's make some coin this season gang, and let's get right to it.
I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Rams vs. Lions Sunday night NFL DFS showdown slate on September 8. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow me on X @LucidMediaDFS, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat any time!
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MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Matthew Stafford - QB, $13,200 (DK), $13,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 4,332 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions
- Projected Pass DVOA: 18.74%
Who better to start this slate off with than Matthew Stafford? Since being traded to the Rams in 2021, Stafford has only squared off against the team he spent so much time with once in the regular season, but he made it count.
In that 2021 matchup, Stafford exploded for 334 passing yards and three touchdowns. He followed it up with 367 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit in the playoffs last season, albeit in a one-point loss.
Tonight, Stafford is projected to throw for 304.23 passing yards, 1.91 passing touchdowns, and 0.86 interceptions. I have Stafford slated to have a huge game against his former club in this one, seeking vengeance from his former club eliminating him and the Rams in the playoffs last season.
Sam LaPorta - TE, $11,100 (DK), $10,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 147 targets, 107 receptions, 1,065 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns
- Opponent DVOA vs. TE: 8.59%
I'll take a look at Lions tight end Sam LaPorta for my second 1.5x player of the night. LaPorta has arguably the best matchup on the slate, taking on a Rams defense that ranked 24th in DVOA against tight ends last season and just traded away their best linebacker, Ernest Jones IV, a week ago.
LaPorta projects to have a huge night with 5.97 receptions on 7.82 targets for 64.96 yards and 0.64 touchdowns.
Let’s talk about Sam LaPorta.
As a rookie, he broke NFL records for:
-Receptions by a rookie TE
-3rd rookie TE with 10+ receiving TDsLaPorta was a game-changer for fantasy managers.
I believe he can achieve this success again in 2024.
Do you?pic.twitter.com/bsotf4rw1b
— Moody (@EricNMoody) June 22, 2024
Other Captains/MVPs: Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown
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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Jared Goff - QB, $9,000 (DK), $14,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 5,412 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions
- Projected Pass DVOA: 23.09%
I'll stack a 1.5x LaPorta with his quarterback, Jared Goff. Goff will take on the team that drafted him first overall back in 2016 for the third time in his career. He played well enough in their Wild Card round matchup earlier this year, throwing for 277 yards and a touchdown.
I believe he starts the season off with a bang, and my model agrees. My model projects Goff to throw for a whopping 306.05 passing yards and 2.15 touchdowns in this one.
Cooper Kupp - WR, $9,600 (DK), $10,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 104 targets, 64 receptions, 764 receiving yards, five touchdowns
- Opponent DVOA vs. WR2: 17.6%
I'll flip the field once again and take a look at Cooper Kupp. Kupp's injury issues, as well as rookie breakout Puka Nacua, hampered the former triple-crown receiver's upside, but it appears that he's in great shape and ready to go for 2024.
He arguably generates the better matchup between him and Nacua in this game, and my model projects him to catch 6.01 of his 8.5 targets for 72.69 receiving yards and 0.51 touchdowns.
Back in 2019 @CooperKupp was on another level when he had 220 receiving yards in Wembley Stadium 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/zCJvi0ajxg
— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2024
Other Flex Options: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery
Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Jameson Williams - WR, $5,400 (DK), $9,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 50 targets, 30 receptions, 433 receiving yards, five touchdowns.
- Opponent DVOA vs. WR2: 9.59%
I'll take a look at Jameson Williams next. Williams missed the first four games of the 2023 season, and will now be playing in Week 1 for the first time in his career. While Williams was more or less a boom-or-bust receiver last season, I anticipate a little more from him in 2024.
That begins on "Sunday Night Football," where my model projects Williams for 3.21 receptions on 5.42 targets for 48.47 yards and 0.29 touchdowns. All it takes is one play for Williams to hit value, so I'll be backing him in this one.
Blake Corum - RB, $4,800 (DK), $8,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: None.
- Projected Rushing DVOA: -8.43%
I'll wrap things up with Rams rookie Blake Corum. There's a lot of speculation on what exactly Corum's role will be this season. Kyren Williams broke out for L.A. last season, but that didn't stop Les Snead, Sean McVay, and the Rams from using a Day 2 pick on the Michigan product.
While my model only projects Corum for 21.68 rushing yards on 6.33 attempts and 0.2 touchdowns, I think McVay will turn the heads of fantasy managers and give Corum more touches than most of us expect.
Other Value Options: Colby Parkinson, Demarcus Robinson
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and good luck, everyone!
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