We kick off Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season with a matchup in the NFC featuring the Minnesota Vikings heading West to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have dealt with an array of injuries on both sides of the ball, but it does sound like they’ll get Cooper Kupp back in arguably a must-win game to keep pace in the NFC West. The Vikings are coming off their first loss of the season. What makes it sting just a little bit more is that they were fresh off their bye week and at home. But we have a pretty fun game to preview so here are this week’s Vikings vs. Rams DFS to kick off Week 8!

 

 

 

Vikings vs. Rams DFS Picks & Preview: Thursday Night Football, 10/24

Many thanks to the fantasy football gods that Cooper Kupp is trending towards playing in this matchup because this game would be a suckfest otherwise. With Kupp back, we get a little more star power and he gives the Rams a fighting chance in this matchup.

The Rams are 2-4 and they’ve already had their bye week so from here on out, it’s a very busy schedule to finish out the season. Matthew Stafford hasn’t been particularly good since Week 1, but the Rams still have a chance to win the NFC West. Moreover, while he won’t play, the 21-day practice window has opened for Puka Nacua. He isn’t expected in Week 8 but there’s a fighting chance he’s eligible to play in Week 9, but the Week 10 game against the Miami Dolphins in primetime seems more likely.

The Minnesota Vikings had the week off during Week 6 and it’s never a good sign when you lose your first game back from the bye. But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday as they took a loss at home to the Detroit Lions who look poised for a deep playoff run.

Make no mistake about it, this Vikings team is still very good as they sit at 5-1 and look to rebound against the Rams on Thursday night. Let’s starting diving into the latest Vikings vs. Rams DFS picks as we kick off Week 8.

 

 

 

Vikings vs. Rams TNF Odds at DraftKings & FanDuel

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Spread: Vikings -2.5 (-122)
  • Money Line:
    • Vikings (-155)
    • Rams (+130)
  • Game Total: Over 48 (-110) / Under 48 (-110)

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Spread: Vikings -3 (+100)
  • Money Line:
    • Vikings (-144)
    • Rams (+122)
  • Game Total: Over 48.5 (-102) / Under 48.5 (-120)

Money has started to come in on the Rams +3 (-122) over on FanDuel Sportsbook so we’ll keep an eye on how this trends leading up to kickoff Thursday night.

 

 

 

NFL Weather: Vikings vs. Rams TNF, October 24th

We have no weather concerns for our Vikings vs. Rams DFS picks as this game will be played indoors in a controlled environment.

Vikings vs. Rams Injuries: Thursday Night Football Week 8

The visiting Minnesota Vikings released their second injury report of the week following Monday’s “estimated” report. Starting linebacker, Blake Cashman, did not practice Tuesday after being ruled out last week. Additionally, defensive back Akayleb Evans was limited. T.J. Hockenson practiced in a limited fashion on Tuesday, but I’d be surprised if they activated him for this game to make his season debut. Aaron Jones also appeared as a limited participant with a hamstring injury. But he issued a statement saying he doesn’t believe it’ll be an issue Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Rams are trending towards getting Cooper Kupp back for this game and that’s huge because he commands such a massive target share in this offense. Rookie receiver, Jordan Whittington, was listed as a limited participant after being a DNP in Monday’s estimated report. He played in a limited fashion through a shoulder injury in Week 7, so his status will be worth monitoring ahead of this matchup for our TNF DFS picks. And while we shouldn’t expect Puka Nacua to play Thursday night, his 21-day practice window officially opened on Tuesday signaling that he is close to returning.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: MVP/Captain

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $11,800 | FanDuel: $16,000

Kind of wild that Jetta is the same price as Alvin Kamara was for last week’s TNF DFS picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Hopefully his outcome is better than Kamara’s!

We know what we’re getting with Jefferson. He’s the focal point of the offense and offers a good floor and great ceiling. His worst performance on DraftKings has been ~15 points. His best has been a little over 26 points. And truthfully, we know he’s capable of an even bigger game.

Jefferson has run 185 routes this year and is averaging 2.87 yards per route run. That’s second behind the absurd 3.50 YPRR that Nico Collins averaged before he got hurt.

Jefferson has at least 80 receiving yards in five straight games and he’s scored five times already this year. The Rams might just have the worst defense in the league and there’s no defensive back in this secondary that can keep pace with Jefferson.

Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $11,200 | FanDuel: $15,500

We’re absolutely chasing the volume here. But it’s not just that, he’s clearly a very talented player. Kyren Williams has touched the ball 21+ times in four straight games and has returned 19+ fantasy points on DraftKings in each game. 

He already has nine touchdowns in six games, including a touchdown in nine straight games dating back to last year, and this is the kind of game script that could give him more involvement in the passing game.

The Vikings are tough to run on, but the best running games in the league have had success against them. Jahmyr Gibbs scored twice and ran for over 100 yards against them last week. The Vikings also allowed Gibbs and David Montgomery to combine for seven receptions for 83 receiving yards. Even Jordan Mason ran for 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.

Kyren will have the volume and the Rams should be chasing for most of this game so this is a spot where he has more appeal than normal if he can catch some passes out of the backfield.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $11,000 | FanDuel: $12,000

Kupp’s price tag is outstanding especially on FanDuel. We know he’s a volume hog when he’s on the field evidenced by the 21 targets he had in Week 1. Kupp returned to practice last week but was ruled out for Week 7’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite the fact he only has one full game this year, Kupp still registered a wild 52% target share in his limited action. The Vikings have a great pass rush, and they blitz often. However, the Vikings are still allowing 260.8 yards per game.

I’m operating as if he’s a full go for this game. The Rams took the cautious route last week not playing him because they knew the importance of this matchup and Kupp did appear as a full participant in Monday’s estimated injury report.

Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams - DraftKings: $10,600 | FanDuel: $5,000

So I was not expecting Nacua to be active for this game. And truthfully, I almost wish they would rest him for one more week just to be safe.

However, he was limited on Tuesday and Tom Pelissero is reporting there's optimism Nacua could play. So if he's active he's very live as a Captain/MVP candidate and even a Flex play. FanDuel dropped the ball not anticipating that Nacua could play. He's currently priced at $5,000 on FanDuel and is an easy play over there if he's available.

Minnesota Vikings D/ST – DraftKings: $4,800 | FanDuel: $9,500

This may surprise some people considering the over/under for this game opened at 48 points, but the Vikings are favored by a field goal. But a lot of early action has come in on the under, so I expect there to be some movement as we get closer to roster lock. This is a short week for both teams after all.

We took this approach last week with the Denver Broncos and they paid off with 20+ fantasy points. Sure, the Rams still have Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams that Minnesota will need to account for. But the Vikings are a defensive gold mine. They blitz more than any other team in the league. Ben Johnson and Jared Goff figured it out last week, but they have a better offensive line than the Rams do.

The Vikings already have 24 sacks and 14 takeaways in six games this year. They’ve returned double-digit fantasy points in five-of-six games already. This is the only defense I’m willing to play on this Showdown slate and strangely enough, I’m okay playing them at Captain/MVP in a couple lineups if you’re building at least 20.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Core Plays

Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $9,600 | FanDuel: $12,000

There were some injury concerns heading into Week 7 regarding Jones and they didn’t seem to matter much. Jones saw 17 total touches for 116 total yards and he found the end zone for over 20 fantasy points in full PPR formats. The good news is that he was listed as limited on Tuesday’s injury report, but he said the hamstring is no longer an issue and that he’ll be ready to go for this game on Thursday.

The Rams have been torched on the ground every week this season. They’ve surrendered at least 120 rushing yards in all six games so far this season and even last week, Alexander Mattison was able to tally up 92 rushing yards while adding three receptions for 31 yards. 

He saw 77% of the snaps last week and that was likely due to the hamstring concerns. Even then, he still performed incredibly well and his role has led to plenty of usage as long as he stays healthy.

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $14,000

While I am likely fading the Rams D/ST on this slate, I will acknowledge that ball security has been a weak point for the Vikings quarterback of late. Darnold has an interception in three straight games with two lost fumbles in that span as well.

But overall, Darnold is still having a very solid year. Through six games he’s completing 66.5% of his pass attempts with a dozen touchdown passes. The Rams secondary is not all that impressive and we also saw Darnold rush for 39 yards last week against the Lions. This definitely feels like a good floor play and there’s the positive correlation with any Minnesota skill position player at Captain.

Tutu Atwell, WR, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $4,200 | FanDuel: $10,500

Let me be clear, I do not really play one-game slates on FanDuel. So the pricing makes sense over there. He’s a decent value for that format but he’s priced more accordingly. But I do not know what the hell DraftKings is thinking with this pricing.

Atwell is my favorite value play on DraftKings. It’s not often we see such a cheap player at $4,200 make the core plays section. And I’ll go so far as to say that you should absolutely build one or two lineups with him at Captain.

Atwell has returned double-digit fantasy points in four straight games and has 19 targets in his last two games. Yes, Cooper Kupp returns but Atwell is still in line for a significant role until Puka Nacua is cleared to return. He’s returned 48+ receiving yards in five straight games and he had a stellar 39.1% target share last week. And he’s done all this without finding the end zone. 

So for DraftKings, I don’t care if Cooper Kupp is returning and gets a ton of volume. Atwell does create good separation and should still get routes and targets against a soft secondary. Playing him at Captain allows you to fit in plenty of other studs as well.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Mid-Tier Plays

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $13,500

Stafford hasn’t returned 15+ fantasy points in his last five games so it’s hard to list him as a core play. However, he likely gets Cooper Kupp back for this game and they connected 14 times back in Week 1 for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Simply put, Kupp does help elevate Stafford’s floor. But it is interesting that light rumors were circulating online on Tuesday about the Vikings being in the market for Stafford. I give that rumor almost no weight as Sam Darnold has been exceptional this year playing for Kevin O’Connell. But the Vikings still surrender 260.8 passing yards per game and we should expect better performances from Stafford with Kupp making his return.

Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $11,000

Jalen Nailor, WR, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $6,200 | FanDuel: $7,500

Jordan Addison is probably the preferred play between the two, but either player is likely optimal if they find the end zone. Most importantly, this is a great matchup for both as the Rams secondary is putrid.

Addison has exactly three receptions in every game he’s been active this year. That’s not great, but he still possesses big play upside. He should see more reps than Nailor, which gives him an easier path to targets.

Nailor is actually a fantastic value play on FanDuel at just $7,500 but he may go under-owned because of the price tag on DraftKings. Nailor kicked off the year with a touchdown in each of Minnesota’s first three games and he even had four catches last week for 76 yards. There’s definitely more pressure for the Vikings to get Addison going. But we could see the Vikings continue to operate more three-wide receiver sets if T.J. Hockenson is unable to make his return for this game.

 

 

 

NFL Thursday Night Football DFS Picks: Value Plays

Colby Parkinson, TE, Los Angeles Rams – DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $8,000

The production sans Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua has been lackluster. Parkinson even earned 20 total targets in Weeks 4 and 5. And yet, on the season, he has just one game with over 50 receiving yards and he has not found the end zone on the year. 

However, for a value play, even one that’s a tight end, he still sees targets. Sure, Cooper Kupp is set to return and see a bazillion targets in this game. But the Rams might be without another receiver as Jordan Whittington did nothing last week as he played through a shoulder injury. So the Rams are hurting and Parkinson still has a path to five or six targets. If he was over $5,000 we’d probably re-think this play, but we can stomach the price tag for this game.

Johnny Mundt, TE, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $2,800 | FanDuel: $6,500

I was initially going to put Tutu Atwell in this spot but obviously I locked him into the core plays section. So we’ll pivot to Mundt, who I do like so long as T.J. Hockenson isn’t surprisingly good to go for this game.

Mundt is cheap enough where you just hope he can catch a couple passes and do something with them. He’s caught at least two passes in all but one game so far this season.

The Rams struggle defensively against every position and that remains true against tight ends. Here’s what they’ve given up to opposing tight ends:

  • Week 1 (at Detroit) – Five receptions (six targets) for 47 yards
  • Week 2 (at Arizona) – Seven reception (seven targets) for 85 yards and one touchdown
  • Week 3 (vs. San Francisco) – Two receptions (two targets) for 41 yards, but this was that big Jauan Jennings game.
  • Week 4 (at Chicago) – Three receptions (three targets) for 34 yards
  • Week 5 (vs. Green Bay) – Four receptions (five targets) for 88 yards and two touchdowns
  • Week 7 (vs. Las Vegas) – 12 receptions (16 targets) for 112 yards

Obviously, we don’t expect Mundt to do what Brock Bowers did last week (10 catches for 93 yards), but there’s a good floor here at a cheap price tag if Hockenson is ruled out again.

 

 

 

TNF DFS Picks: Kickers & D/ST

As mentioned earlier in the article, I’m only interested in the Vikings D/ST for this slate. They blitz and make enough plays to make them viable against any offense. The Rams are easy to run on and easy to throw on plus they allow 25.7 points per game. Do you really think they can get a D/ST touchdown for a third straight game?

We’ll keep it short and sweet in this section and focus on the kickers. Will Reichard won’t see much ownership despite delivering double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games. DFS players haven’t shown a willingness to pay this price tag for a kicker so I’m not expecting a lot of exposure to land here. In his last two games he’s had six field goals for at least 40 yards. We can’t predict the production, but the Vikings are moving the ball well enough to put him in position for decent volume. He hasn’t missed a field goal or an extra point attempt at all this year.

The same cannot be said for Joshua Karty of the Rams who missed a field goal and an extra point in last week’s win over the Raiders. In fact, that makes three straight games where Karty has either missed a field goal attempt or an extra point. He may not get as long of a leash but I haven’t seen any reports yet of the team looking to make a change at kicker, so for now he’s still the guy. Opposing kickers, for whatever reason, haven’t seen a lot of opportunities against this Minnesota defense. Kickers are 5-for-8 through six games on field goal attempts against Minnesota. So this doesn’t project well from a volume standpoint and Karty does appear to be dealing with the yips.

 

 

 

Vikings vs. Rams DFS Player Pool: TNF, 10/24

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