RADIO
Week 10 kicks off on Thursday night with a big-time game that features the top two teams in the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts will travel south to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans. This game has an under/over of 50.5 with the Titans being favored by 2.5 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 November 12th (Week 10). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
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DFS Quarterbacks
Picking the right quarterback on this slate will be vital ofr both cash games and tournament lineups. Philip Rivers has been pretty average all year long and despite having big-time games against Cincinnati and Detroit, he has been relatively quiet all season long. Rivers is averaging 260 passing yards per game and has thrown 10 touchdowns while also throwing 7 interceptions. Rivers is not putting up the typical fantasy points that we have grown accustomed to in the past but part of that is due to the new offensive scheme with the Colts and how much they lean on the ground game. The Titans Defense has struggled to defend the pass as they are allowing 284 passing yards per game and with them only generating 10 total sacks on the season, this makes Rivers viable on this slate.
Ryan Tannehill has been playing great this season but he does draw the tougher matchup as the Colts have one of the best defenses in the league. They allow only 223 passing yards per game and limit opponents to just 18.3 points per game. Tannehill is averaging 247 passing yards per game and has a 19:3 touchdown to interception ratio which is very good. He has scored double-digit points in every game this year and is averaging 22.1 DK points per game. The Titans offense runs through Derrick Henry but if the Colts do a great job bottling up the ground game, the Titans might have to rely on the arm of Tannehill to pull this game out.
Analysis: Both quarterbacks are viable in all options with Rivers carrying more of the risk. Tannehill is the safer quarterback option and would be preferred in cash games but the matchup itself is a lot tougher.
DFS Running Backs
The running back position will be a key position on this showdown slate. Derrick Henry is the best back option in the whole game but draws a very tough challenge as the Colts Defense ranks third in the entire league against the run as they only allow 83.6 yards per game on the ground. The Titans are committed to grinding games out with Henry as he has seen over 20+ attempts in three out of his last four games played. Henry has seen most of the rushing workload as he tales roughly 84% of the all rushing attempts for this Tennessee offense and leads the way with eight rushing touchdowns. Henry is grinding out 105 yards per game and has an average of 92.5 rushing yards per game over his last four games against the Colts. Backing up Henry are D'Onta Foreman and Jeremy McNichols but due to the lack of playing time and attempts, it is truly a one-man show in Tennessee with Henry.
The running back situation in Indianapolis isn't quite as clear as the Titans. Once Marlon Mack went down with a season-ending injury, Jonathan Taylor took over the lead back duties but has struggled to really produce like a top back in the league. Taylor is averaging 52 yards on the ground and leads the team with four rushing touchdowns but has conceded rushing attempts to Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines over the last two games. Wilkins has taken 31 rushing attempts to Taylors's 17 attempts over the last two games and it seems as if this could end up being more of a running back by committee approach in the second half of the season. Nyheim Hines is also involved in the Colt's gameplan as he is a threat catching passes out of the backfield and is looked at as a safety blanket for Rivers in passing situations. Hines leads this backfield in catches and has three receiving touchdowns so if the Colts fall behind early on in the game, Hines could be one that sees an uptick in playing time. The Titans are allowing 119 rushing yards per game which rank 17th in the league so if Taylor and Wilkins get going early on, this could be a night where we see one of them go off!
Analysis: Henry is a lock for cash games but does draw a tough matchup against a stingy Colts D. Taylor still looks to be the best Colts running back option but with the loss of touches over the past several weeks, it leads to us thinking that he will see more limited opportunities and makes all Colts running backs viable for tournaments.
DFS Wide Receivers
The colts wide receiving group is a tad bit messy right now, partly due to injuries and the overall offensive scheme. Rivers is involving running backs and tight ends in the passing game which is hindering the upside from his receivers. T.Y. Hilton is still the top receiver to account for in this offense as he holds a 13.9% target share but is barely seeing over five targets per game. Zach Pascal is right behind Hilton with a 12.1% target share and has seen the most targets on the season of all of the wide receivers (40). He leads the Colts receivers with 24 catches on the season and also leads the receiver group with two receiving touchdowns on the season. Marcus Johnson and Michael Pittman Jr. saw increased targets last week with Hilton being out but with Hilton returning for this game, they could see a small decrease in targets.
The Titans offense is pretty straight forward with A.J. Brown and Corey Davis leading the way for their receiving group. They both carry a 15.3% target share in the offense with Davis leading the receiving group with 29 catches on the season while Brown leads the team in targets with 48. Brown has been the big-play receiver in this Titans offense as he leads the offense with five receiving touchdowns and should always be looked at in all formats. Slot receiver Adam Humphries is out with a concussion so this opens up opportunities and targets for both Kalif Raymond and Cameron Batson. The Colts defense will focus on stopping the ground game with Henry which will give one-on-one opportunities outside for both Brown and Davis so they both have good upside in this matchup.
Analysis: Brown and Davis are the top receiving options on this slate based on targets and consistent volume so they should be considered in all formats. Hilton is healthy and looks to be good to go so he could also be looked at for all formats but does carry some risk as the Colts spread the ball around to many different weapons. Pascal offers high upside out of the remaining receivers while Pittman, Johnson, Raymond, and Batson are all value tournament plays.
DFS Tight Ends
There are plenty of tight end options on this showdown slate that are all in play. The Titans have really relied on Jonnu Smith as being a prime red-zone target in this offense as he has hauled in five receiving touchdowns on the season. He holds 13.7% of the team's target share and leads all Titan tight ends with 37 targets and 22 receptions. Smith is one that Tannehill relies on (especially when healthy) and is one of the safer options on the slate. Behind Smith is Anthony Firkser who also is carving out a role in this Titans offense. He has seen 31 total targets on the season and has 21 receptions which is only one catch behind Smith. While he doesn't have the red zone numbers, he has also become a reliable target to Tannehill who could go overlooked on this showdown slate.
The Colts have a very strong tight end room and it might be the best collective receiving trio in the league. Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox, and Trey Burton make up this receiving tandem and they all carry some sort of receiving upside. Over the last five games played, Burton leads the group with 24 targets and holds a 7% target share. Cox and Doyle both have two touchdown receptions on the season but have seen a slight drop in targets once Burton was healthy and ready to go. Doyle is listed as out with a concussion which eliminates some confusion at the tight end role for the Colts and narrows down our focus to Burton and Cox. Cox is listed as questionable with a knee injury but was a full participant at practice so we can anticipate him being ready and good to go for tonight's game.
Analysis: Smith and Burton seem to be the best options at this position and could be viable cash game targets. Cox and Firkser are all involved in the offense and play slightly smaller roles ao this could be an area that helps differentiate your lineups in tournaments.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
The defenses could be a big key to this game. The Colts come in as a top defense in the entire league as they rank in the top three in both defending the pass and stopping the run and rank first overall in total yards allowed (307 yards allowed per game). They do a great job getting after the quarterback as they have racked up 20 sacks on the season and average 1.6 takeaways per game. The Titans do a great job of retaining possession of the ball as they average less than one giveaway per game offensively so the Colts defense must generate some turnovers if they want to win. On the other side of this game, The Titans defense has struggled to defend the pass and the run as they rank 28th against the pass and 17th against the run. They are allowing 25 points per game and allow over 403 yards per game to opponents. Their lack of generating a pass rush has hindered their defense despite forcing 14 turnovers in eight games. If they are able to apply pressure to Rivers throughout this game, they could force several turnovers which makes their defense fantasy viable. With this potentially being a field position battle, both Blankeship and Gostowski are fantasy viable. They are both averaging above 8 DK points per game and get plenty of field goal opportunities.
Analysis: It might be best to leave defenses off of your cash game builds but could be viable in tournament lineups with Tennessee being the preferred defensive option (high takeaway numbers vs. turnover-prone QB). Blankenship is the better kicker so he should be prioritized ahead of Gostowski 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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