Thursday Night Football DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings

October 20, 2020

Jorge's top NFL DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Thursday Night Football slate in Week 7 of 2020. His daily fantasy football advice and value plays.

We move onto week 7 where we get a riveting NFC East showdown as the New York Giants take on the Philadelphia Eagles. This game has an under/over of 45 with the Eagles being favored by 4.5 points.

In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Thursday Night Football slate on October 22nd (Week 7). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

If you have any questions you can follow me on Twitter @jorgepucks and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with myself and other NFL DFS analysts any time you'd like!

DFS Quarterbacks

As both teams are in contention for the NFC East title, their two young quarterbacks will need to bring their "A" game in order for their team to pull out the win on Thursday night. Daniel Jones will be leading this Giants offense and while he hasn't been amazing from a fantasy perspective, the Giants offense as a whole has struggled partly due to them losing their best offensive weapon in Saquan Barkley early on in the season. Jones has thrown for over 1,200 yards through six games but is struggling from protecting the football as he has thrown six interceptions and only three touchdowns. The Eagles have a top 12 defense against the pass (allowing 233.2 passing yards per game to opponents) but have only recorded two interceptions on the season so far.

Carson Wentz is the more seasoned quarterback and should be able to produce more points than Daniel Jones. Wentz has thrown for over 1,400 yards through six games and has eight touchdown passes while also throwing nine interceptions. Wentz has had a revolving door when it comes to his receivers as he has been unable to throw to a consistent stable group all season long which has led to his high turnover number. When looking back at his past four weeks, Wentz has eclipsed 20 DK points in three of those games while rushing for three touchdowns in four of those games. The Giants are allowing opponents to throw for 242.3 yards per game which ranks 17th in the league so this looks to be a solid match for Wentz.

Analysis: Wentz is the safer option but both are viable in tournament builds. Only one QB should be used in cash lines but stacking them in the same line could be a tournament strategy on this slate.

DFS Running Backs

Both star backs for the Giants and Eagles will be missing this game so it looks like we will turn to their backups on the depth chart to roster for our showdown contests this week. The New York Giants lost Saquan Barkley early in the season and brought in free-agent running back Devonta Freeman to carry the rock for the remainder of the 2020 season. Freeman has seen an increase in touches as he has been inserted as the main back and has seen a combined 35 carries over the last two weeks. Behind Freeman are Wayne Gallman Jr. and Dion Lewis have both conceded carries to Freeman. Gallman has been more involved when compared to Lewis and looks to be the back-up running back in this Giants backfield. When looking at the matchup, the Eagles are allowing opponents to rush for 120 yards per game which ranks 20th in the league. If the Giants want to win this game, they should look to pound the rock early with Freeman.

Miles Sanders will be missing this game which means Boston Scott will absorb the lead back duties in his absence. Scott has served as the backup to Sanders all season long and has been involved in the passing game when he has seen the field which means he brings upside in full point per reception sites like DraftKings. Corey Clement will serve as the back up running back to Boston Scott and when Scott drew the start in week 1, Clement saw six total carries and two passing targets. The Giants have been stingy against opposing ground games as they rank eighth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (106.5) so this looks to be a tough matchup for the Eagles rushing attack. If you do decide to roster an Eagles running back, the upside will come from the passing game by running underneath routes and dump-off passes from Wentz.

Analysis: Devonta Freeman and Boston Scott will both see plenty of carries in this game with Freeman having a better matchup. Both backs are viable for cash games due to the volume they will see. Their backups could be used in tournaments as value plays but they do come with risk.

DFS Wide Receivers

The wide receiver position on this slate is a tad underwhelming but there could be some good tournament plays on both sides of this game. For the Giants, they rely heavily on Darius Slayton and Golden Tate as their main receiving options. Slayton leads the team with 44 total targets and has close to a 20%team target share while Golden Tate ranks second of all Giants receivers in targets and receptions. CJ Board looks to be the third wide receiver that is utilized in this Giants offense but doesn't offer much upside since Jones looks heavily at Slayton and Tate.

The Eagles have struggled to have a consistent wide receiver group out on the field throughout the 2020 season. Travis Fulgham has emerged as a top target while both DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, and Alshon Jeffery have all been out due to injuries. Fulgham has seen 23 total targets over the last two games and has posted three straight games of double-digit fantasy points while also recording a receiving touchdown in each game. Fulgham has become a go-to player for Wentz and is viable in all formats. Outside of him, John Hightower and Greg Ward have seen significant snaps and they form the strong receiving trio that the Eagles have been rolling out over the past several weeks.

Analysis: Fulgham and Slayton are the two best receiving options on the slate. Tate offers a solid floor that can be used in cash games while Ward and Hightower offer upside in tournaments.

DFS Tight Ends

Both teams have great receiving options at the tight end position when fully healthy. For the Eagles, Zach Ertz injured himself against Baltimore and is already labeled as out for the Thursday night game against the Giants. Back-up tight end Dallas Goedert has been on injured reserve since dislocating his ankle early in the season and while he is progressing well, there is some doubt that he will miss the Thursday night game as well. It seems as if former Green Bay Packers tight end Richard Rodgers will draw the start for week 7 and this is encouraging news as he saw over 60% of snaps in his last game played. If other Eagles receiving options are also out, Rodgers could see a bump in targets which increases his upside. The Giants have been a strong defense against opposing tight ends as they are allowing only eight fantasy points per game against the position so consider Rodgers a riskier tournament play that carries upside.

The Giants have one of the better overall tight ends in the game in Evan Engram but he has been off to a relatively quiet start to the 2020 season. Engram has only eclipsed double-digit fantasy points in one of his six games played and has only seen a combined five targets over his last two games played. On the flip side, he ranks second in total targets (35) on the Giants offense and is tied for the second-most receptions (18)on the squad as well. The Eagles have struggled against opposing tight ends as they are allowing the position to average 18.9 fantasy points per game.

Analysis: Engram looks to be the safer pick despite his recent stats. He draws a better matchup and is the better overall tight end in this game. Rodgers could have a decent game with the volume but the matchup is much tougher.

DFS Defense/Special Teams

With this game featuring a low total, both defenses could be in play. The Giants' defense is intriguing as they have recorded 15 sacks on the season and Wentz has been sacked 25 times through the first six games. When factoring in the pressure that Wentz could be under, the Giants could force several turnovers which makes them an interesting tournament play. On the other side of this game, the Eagles Defense has generated 21 sacks on the season and Daniel Jones has been sacked 17 times on the season. They too as a unit can generate pressure and force mistakes which also makes them a viable tournament option. For the kickers, Graham Gano has been fantastic for the Giants as he has connected on 15 out of 16 field-goal attempts and is averaging 12.5 fantasy points per game over his last four games played.

Analysis: Both defenses are in play as they have the ability to get to opposing quarterbacks and generate pressure/ turnovers. Graham Gano has been excellent for the Giants and is getting plenty of chances so he is viable in all formats. 

Good luck, RotoBallers, and remember to mix it up and don't be afraid to be different in these large field GPPs!

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