Hittin' The Nuts - SquirrelPatrol's NFL DFS Lineup Advice for Thursday Night Football (Vikings vs. Rams)
Want to hit the nuts and take down 1st place in these massive contests posted by FanDuel and DraftKings? Who better to walk you through their favorite NFL DFS picks than SquirrelPatrol! Undoubtedly one of the best DFS players in the game, SquirrelPatrol has accumulated 100+ Live Final seats, took 2nd place in the 2023 DraftKings Fantasy Baseball World Championship for a $600,000 prize, and most recently, took down the NFL Milly Maker in Week 2 of last season.
Week 8 kicks off with an NFC showdown between the Vikings and Rams in Los Angeles, with the Vikings favored by 2.5 points in a game with a 48-point total. The Vikings come into the game at 5-1 in the thick of the NFC playoff race, while the Rams have struggled through injuries going 2-4. Despite the records, the spread is close. And with a relatively high total that could feature strong offenses against teams with defensive weaknesses (e.g., the Vikings have allowed the 3rd-most passing yards per game, while the Rams have allowed the 3rd-most rushing yards per game), this should be an entertaining game.
Both teams could be welcoming back major components of their passing games, with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua expected back for the Rams, while T.J. Hockenson is listed as questionable and will possibly make his season debut for the Vikings. I’m assuming all three players are in, but you’ll want to be sure to follow the RotoGrinders NFL starting lineups page as inactives hit for the latest details. Also, don’t forget to use our NFL DFS optimizer, LineupHQ. Whether you’re a hand builder or an MME player, it’s the perfect tool to utilize.
Let’s sort through the slate and figure out what to do with our DFS lineups.
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Vikings vs. Rams NFL DFS Lineup Advice
Primetime Game History
The Rams have had one primetime game already this season, playing against the Lions in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football. That game conveniently had both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy, and the two players were both in the top four for CPT ownership in the DraftKings large-field contest, with Nacua getting 10.7% and Kupp pulling in 9.7%. Nacua got hurt mid-game, while Kupp then became the focus of the passing offense with 21 targets and 14 receptions. The winning lineup featured Kupp in a FLEX spot along with Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams, with Jameson Williams in the CPT position at 8.5% ownership. We again see a Showdown result where a cheaper WR with lower ownership had an outstanding game and landed in the CPT position, allowing multiple expensive players into the FLEX spots. Often, we don’t want to avoid chalk entirely, but it can be critical to find at least one lower-owned — but still viable — option, even if it is at the CPT spot.
This is the first primetime game of the season for the Vikings, and looking back at Showdown contests from the Kirk Cousins Era may not be relevant to the current team.
How I Plan to Beat the Field
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