Thursday Night Football has a glorious 48.0 projected total with the Minnesota Vikings (-3.0) heading out to La La Land to face the stumbling Rams. This total and relatively close projected outcome add to the strategy and decision points across the NFL DFS world. In this week’s NFL DFS picks breakdown, we’re taking a deep dive into the Vikings-Rams Thursday Night Football clash for Week 8, highlighting key NFL DFS ownership projections and player projections for DraftKings and FanDuel to help you build winning lineups.
Vikings-Rams DFS Picks: Thursday Night Football Week 8 NFL DFS
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Here is how the Single-Lineup Simulator is evaluating a Vikings-Rams Week 8 TNF DraftKings lineup based on some of the picks touted here. If you like what you see, sign up for a Lite, Core or Max NFL package and start seeing how your lineup ROI compares!
Vikings-Rams DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8: Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,800
FanDuel: $16,000
Fantasy Points
DraftKings: 21.87
FanDuel: 18.26
The Los Angeles defense is not the same without Aaron Donald, but the team has held its own against the pass.
Kyler Murray (266 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions), Brock Purdy (292/3/0) and Jordan Love (224/2/1) each had decent to good games, but in the other three matchups the Rams allowed only two aerial scores and an average of 193.3 passing yards.
Justin Jefferson has 51 targets through six games, which is just over half of the looks that have been earmarked for the wideouts and one-third of all of the pass attempts. The elite pass-catcher has a touchdown in five of his six appearances, and he had six receptions for 92 yards in the game without a trip to the end zone. Jefferson is top 5 in yards per game, plays of 20-plus yards and touchdowns. This gives him the highest median fantasy projection and salary on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Jordan Addison missed Weeks 2 and 3, though he is still third on the team with 20 targets. This underscores the low-volume passing attack for Minnesota that has been getting by on tremendous efficiency. Addison had a trio of catches in each of his four active games, with one game of eight targets and three games with four.
Minnesota Vikings Positional Preview
Quarterback | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Sam Darnold has been outstanding this season, with head coach Kevin O’Connell turning him into one of the top passers in the league and Darnold throwing 11 touchdowns through the first four games. Sadly, the clock may have struck midnight for this Cinderella story, as Darnold has just one touchdown over the last 10 quarters of action.
That is not likely to be an issue for Darnold tonight, but the pressure is definitely on and there are whispers that the Vikings may be better off bringing in someone like Matthew Stafford if the Rams are indeed going into fire-sale mode. If Darnold were to melt down, Nick Mullens is waiting in the wings.
Running Back | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Aaron Jones is coming off 43 (73%) snaps Sunday, which was his second-most active game of the season. Coming out of the Week 6 bye, he was about as healthy as we can expect him to be for the rest of the season. This is a short week, and after his large workload (14 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown, three catches for 23 yards) against a tough Detroit defense, it would seem crazy for the Vikings to push his tender hamstring, particularly after seeing Mike Evans on Monday Night Football.
This, of course, could be wish-casting, but Ty Chandler looks so enticing on DraftKings ($3,600). FanDuel has assigned a $9,500 salary, which is going to be tougher to find upside, especially with the half-PPR scoring format on the blue site. Sunday Chandler had a season-low two carries for 4 yards and no targets. The only direction from here is up.
Cam Akers is back with Minnesota after being released by Houston, and he has replaced former University of Washington stalwart Myles Gaskin as the RB3. While Akers was active, he did not see any offensive action and will still be behind Chandler if something befalls Jones.
C.J. Ham is playing around 15 to 20 snaps per game, though he has not had many opportunities. Both of his targets were in Week 1 when he had two catches for 11 yards, and his only carries were in Week 5 when he had two for 10 yards and a touchdown. In the two preceding seasons, he totaled five carries, 21 targets and two rushing touchdowns.
Tight End | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
The Stokastic NFL stat projections have T.J. Hockenson earmarked for a 13.5% target share, 3.91 targets, 2.89 receptions, 29.4 yards and a 25% probability of reaching paydirt. Though Hockenson has been out for the last 10 months, he is trending towards a return tonight.
There is no reason to rush him back, so we need to make sure he is active. It is also important to remember he is likely going to be limited for the first few games, but that is already accounted for by the projections.
That is going to push Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver further down the pecking order, with this duo looking at a combined 3.1 targets tonight. This position has really been impacted by the overall low-volume passing offense.
Kicker | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Rookie Will Reichard crushed it last week, going 3-for-3 for the third time this season and extending his streak to 12 consecutive made field goals. This includes four from 50-plus yards and another three between 40 and 49 yards. He also has nailed all 18 point after touchdown attempts.
Defense | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
The Vikings have been a good defense and fantasy defense, with 24 sacks, 11 interceptions and three fumble recoveries in three games. The three return touchdowns are gravy but not to be counted on by any stretch. Los Angeles has allowed 17 sacks, which is in the middle of the pack, and the Rams have ceded only seven turnovers.
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Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8: Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,000
FanDuel: $12,000
Fantasy Points
DraftKings: 16.88
FanDuel: 13.79
After Cooper Kupp had a year for the ages in 2021, he has only been healthy for 23 regular season games. Kupp went down with an ankle injury in Week 2, though he was a full participant in practice all week. The expectation is that he will be a full-go tonight, but it is hard to ever trust coach Kyle Shanahan. Last week, Jordan Whittington (shoulder) had his injury designation removed and was declared fit to play. He saw the field for nine snaps and had no targets, and he is out tonight after not being able to practice for most of this week.
Tyler Johnson saw a hefty 50 (91%) snaps last week, surpassing his 45 (87%) in Week 2 when Kupp was hurt. He is likely to slide back to the 60% to 80% snap share range, with Tutu Atwell in a similar boat. Demarcus Robinson had some fantasy moments last year, but he is back to his wind-sprinting ways: Over a 90% snap share but just 26 targets on the season.
The realistic baseline is around eight looks for Kupp, half that for Atwell and Johnson, with Robinson getting a couple looks his way.
Los Angeles Rams Positional Preview
Quarterback | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Stafford is a potential trade chip as Los Angeles tries to figure out the future. The 36-year-old has been chugging along, but the loss of Kupp and Puka Nacua definitely was disappointing and tremendously hurt the postseason possibilities for the Rams. Over the last four games, Stafford has topped 29 attempts only once, with two tuddies, three pickles and fewer than 900 yards.
Minnesota has allowed eight touchdowns and an average of 304.3 passing yards per tilt over the last three games. While the 300-yard milestone is likely out of play, 250 yards and a score or two are very much within the reach of Stafford in this matchup with Kupp back in action.
Running Back | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
On Sunday, Jahmyr Gibbs carved up the Vikings for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 15 totes, converting all four of his targets for another 44 yards. In Week 2, Jordan Mason rolled up 100 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries, plus a 4-yard reception. Outside of those games, Minnesota held opposing running backs to 51 yards or fewer, with Akers getting a receiving score when he was still with the Texans.
The Rams coaching staff and front office have been talking about limiting the workload of Kyren Williams pretty much since the end of last season, but that has not yet manifested in reality. Williams has been on the field for nearly 86% of the offensive snaps, seeing 88% targets to the running backs and 82% of the carries. Now that target figure is not as impressive as it seems, with there being only 17 targets to this position, which has Williams backsliding from last year’s workload of four targets per game, to just over two.
Rookie Blake Corum has been on the field for just 17 snaps over the last two games, while Ronnie Rivers has been active, but not stepped between the lines with the offense. On the short week, perhaps Williams will cede half a dozen carries to his counterparts, with Corum being the most likely recipient. There also is the potential for mop-up duty for Corum, which keeps the rookie in play for those crafting 10 or more lineups tonight.
Tight End | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Colby Parkinson had a season high 13 targets heading into the bye but tied a season low with two on Sunday. He will likely be in the four to five range but loses out with the return of Kupp. Hunter Long has three targets over the last two games, while Davis Allen has one.
Kicker | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
Josh Karty was selected in the sixth-round of the most recent draft after holding down the starting kicker job at Stanford for his final three seasons with the Cardinal. He was stellar in his senior year with 23 made field goals on 27 attempts, which is impressive volume for a college kicker. He is 9-of-11 (91%) on the season for both his field goals and extra points, making his only kick from 50-plus yards.
Defense | Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8
While the Rams DST has scored a touchdown each of the last two weeks, the team has only 11 sacks, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries this season. Minnesota gives up three sacks per game while being league average on the turnover front.
Vikings-Rams NFL DFS Picks for Thursday Night Football Week 8: Rankings
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Now let’s jump into the final rankings for this Vikings-Rams MNF slate.
Top 10 NFL DFS Showdown Picks for Vikings-Rams
- Justin Jefferson: Hopefully his quarterback steps up.
- Kyren Williams: Fortunate bye week timing helps offset the short week, but this workload is not sustainable.
- Cooper Kupp: The league is so much fun when he is healthy.
- Sam Darnold: Any of the top four are worthy of the multiplier.
- Aaron Jones: Color me skeptical, but it is always hard to pinpoint his good games prior to kickoff.
- Will Reichard: Has been more impressive than his fellow sixth-round rookie.
- Colby Parkinson: The workload has been his for the tight end position, but does that decrease with Kupp’s return?
- Joshua Karty: Home field advantage, but that is not much for a rookie.
- Ty Chandler: DraftKings only, for FanDuel, drop him to the top of the next section.
- Tutu Atwell: Crazy, but appropriate when considering salary.
Secondary Options
- Jordan Addison: Volume is suspect.
- T.J. Hockenson: It will be great to get him back in action, but expect a gradual ramp up over the next month.
- Tyler Johnson: Could easily be flipped with Atwell and if Whittington is out longer, that could appear.
- Demarcus Robinson: King of the Wind Sprints; of course, could have his backers smiling with one long catch.
- Minnesota D/ST: Coming off a tough game with Detroit on a short week, but the Rams have been susceptible to good pass rushes.
Lottery Tickets
- Jalen Nailor: Consistently inconsistent.
- Los Angeles D/ST: Home field for a banged-up unit, pick-six or scoop-and-score always in play.
- Ty Chandler and Blake Corum: DraftKings salary of $2,400 is interesting, though Chandler at $3,600 is more likely to get work. Coinflip on FanDuel for those with an MME strategy. Corum also returns kickoffs.
- Cam Akers: Returning kickoffs, could get an offensive look or two now that he has a couple weeks of practice.
- Johnny Mundt, Hunter Long, Josh Oliver and Davis Allen: If Hockenson remains out, then the Minnesota duo moves above their Los Angeles counterparts. Long live backup tight ends and don’t forget the fourth weekend in October is National Tight End Day!
- Brandon Powell, C.J. Ham, Trenton Sherfield, Xavier Smith, Ronnie Rivers and Robert Tonyan Jr.: If they beat us, so be it. Powell returns punts for the Vikings, Smith shares punt return duties with Williams for Los Angeles.
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