NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Vikings vs. Chargers Thursday Night Showdown

Koby's top NFL DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- Vikings vs. Chargers TNF slate for Week 8 Thursday Night Football (Oct. 23, 2025). His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Three straight upsets on Thursday Night Football. The Bengals pulled off a fantastic win against the Steelers, and Joe Flacco won the battle of the oldies. We get a much closer matchup with the Chargers getting the edge with them being at home. Can the Vikings make it the fourth straight underdog, or will the Chargers break the streak?

The best part of the NFL schedule is that we have only two days off between Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football, so we are back at it tonight as the Minnesota Vikings travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. Both teams are coming off a loss in Week 7 and look to bounce back here, getting back in the win column.

I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday Night Football in Week 8 -- Vikings vs. Chargers on October 23rd, 2025. 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 @DFSKoby, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat with me and other NFL analysts anytime!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Justin Herbert - QB, $15.6K (DK), $19.5K (FD)

This Chargers offense has become a pass funnel. Now that they are down Omarion Hampton and Hassan Haskins, they are pretty much down to Kimani Vidal. Although Vidal has been serviceable, the Vikings have a pretty tough run defense, and Vidal hasn't been getting as much usage, seeing only nine attempts in Week 7.  So far this season, Herbert and company have thrown the ball 63% of the time overall and nearly 60% of the time in the red zone.

Herbert has multiple weapons to use in this offense and has even been active in running the ball this season. He has scored at a minimum of 15 fantasy points in all games this season, with two games of 30+. As long as Herbert can keep the turnovers to a minimum, that's his biggest issue at the moment. This should be a pretty back-and-forth game, giving Herbert plenty of opportunities to score big.

Jordan Mason - RB, $12.9K (DK), $15.9K (FD)

I do really like Carson Wentz, but I did want to get a bit different instead of just throwing up both QBs on this slate. It is looking like Aaron Jones Sr. is still going to be out, especially with it being a short week, and I'd expect him back next week.  Mason is averaging 15.6 carries a game and has four touchdowns on the season. He hasn't been as active in the passing game with Zavier Scott taking a few of those routes out of the backfield.

Last week, we saw Mason take 77% of the snaps, and now both Scott and C.J. Ham are questionable to play. Mason could see closer to 90% snap share if these guys are out. The big downside to this play is that the Vikings' offense tends to lean on the passing game in the red zone, but when they do run the ball, it has been Mason running 73% of the time. The Chargers are also giving up the sixth-most rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. The Vikings may elect to run the ball more in the red zone more than normal with this being the case.

Other Captains/MVPs: Carson Wentz, Justin Jefferson

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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Jordan Addison - WR, $7.4K (DK), $8.4K (FD)

I'm honestly surprised we are getting Addison so cheap still. He is coming off his third straight game of 12+ fantasy points. He has been targeted 26 times in those three games, catching 18 of them.  He played in 93% of snaps in last week's loss to the Eagles, and is an offense that prioritizes the pass, throwing the ball 57% of the time. In the small sample size, he is already seeing the highest red zone target share at 26%.

Every catch from Jordan Addison’s 9 catch, 128 yard day. pic.twitter.com/nNauEaUidR

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 19, 2025

We are essentially getting Jefferson for 5k less on FD. So far this season, they both have seen an equal number of average targets at 8.7 per game. He should get the lighter matchup as well, going against Donte Jackson, who is giving up .22 fantasy points per route run. As long as Addison is seeing a similar target share for so much cheaper, I will continue to roster him over Jefferson.

Oronde Gadsden II - TE, $5.8K (DK), $8K (FD)

I was hoping we were going to get Gadsden for super cheap for one more week, but alas, the inevitable happened. He has seen his price drastically increase. For good reason, though, he has seen his snaps go up to 75% or more in the last two weeks. He had a tough matchup against the Colts last week, and he still managed to do damage with his nine targets, catching seven of them for 164 yards and a touchdown.

So far, Gadsden has seen a 20.6% red zone target share this season and just saw his first touchdown of the season last week. The Vikings are top ten in touchdowns given up to TEs this season, and with Gadsden seeing a larger role in the offense, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of.

Other Flex Options: T.J. Hockenson, Keenan Allen

Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Ladd McConkey - WR, $7.6K (DK), $7.8K (FD)

I understand that McConkey has had a rough season, but this is just blatant disrespect. He is so cheap and is still seeing a large target share in the offense. In the last three weeks alone, he has seen 31 targets come his way and has caught 21 of them. Three straight weeks of double-digit fantasy scoring to go along with it. He has me convinced that McConkey is back in form, and we should continue to see his role grow back to his Year 1 level.

ladd mcconkey.

📺 | @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/Frb9xmCeYx

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 12, 2025

He is getting an elite matchup against Josh Metellus, who he should see in the slot where McConkey plays 67% of the time. So far this season, Metellus has given up .36 fantasy points per route run this season, which is a top 10 matchup on Week 8 as a whole. I'm expecting a big game from McConkey here, and FanDuel will likely regret their decision to price him so low.

Jalen Nailor - WR, $3.6K (DK), $4.6K (FD)

The options for Vikings players in a value spot are pretty thin. Nailor is pretty much a boom/bust play, but he does come with some perks. He has seen the second-highest red zone target share on the team this season, just behind Addison at 23.5%. The Vikings are a pretty pass-heavy offense, especially in the red zone, as I mentioned above with Addison. With the way I'm looking at building my lineups, Nailor makes fitting some of those top guys much easier with his price being so cheap.

Nailor is seeing just over four targets a game this season, and if he can make anything work with those four targets. We don't need much in terms of fantasy scoring to make getting everything else worth the slight punt. Nailor is playing nearly 60% of snaps, so he has a decent chance to make a splash.

Other Value Options: Will Reichard, Josh Oliver, Cameron Dicker

Sample NFL DFS Lineup

Here is a lineup option I like for tonight's 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 tonight.

More DFS Analysis and Lineup Picks