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We get a big-time Thursday night matchup as we kick off week 11 in the NFL season. The Arizona Cardinals will travel to Seattle to take on the Seattle Seahawks as this game carries playoff implications as well as NFC West implications. Both teams are 6-3 heading into this game and the winner could take a one-game lead in the division so this is a pivotal Thursday night game. This game has an under/over of 57.5 with the Seahawks being favored by 3.5 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 19th (Week 11). 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
We have some strong quarterback options on this slate with Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray. Both quarterbacks balled out in their week 7 matchup as they both hit for over 35 DK points in that game. Murray leads this high-powered Cardinals offense as he has averaged over 31 DK points per game so far this season and has tossed 17 passing touchdowns while also rushing for 10 touchdowns as well. Murray's dual-threat ability keeps him in the upper echelon of fantasy quarterback options and with the great matchup against the Seahawks, Murray remains to be one of the top options for the showdown slate. The Seahawks Defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for 364 passing yards per game which is most throughout the league. In addition, the Seahawks are allowing 1.8 passing touchdowns per game which put them in the top third of the league when it comes to passing touchdowns allowed.
On the other side of this game sits Russell Wilson who is having an MVP-caliber year through the first 10 weeks of the season. Wilson has thrown for over 2,700 yards while also throwing for 28 passing touchdowns and has led this Seahawks offense to be the top passing offense and top-scoring offense in the league. The Seahawks are averaging 309 passing yards per game and are scoring 32 points per game and Wilson is averaging over three passing touchdowns per game. In his week 7 game against the Arizona defense, Wilson completed 66% of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and three picks for 388 yards.
Analysis: Both quarterbacks are elite options and while getting them into the same lineup could be tough, they present some of the largest upsides on the slate.
DFS Running Backs
The running back situation is a tad fuzzy for the Seahawks as they head into this game. Chris Carson is listed as questionable and will be a true game-time decision when it comes to his availability. Backing up Carson looks to be Carlos Hyde, Alex Collins, and DeeJay Dallas. Hyde has also been nursing some injuries himself but has returned to practice this week and if Carson can't go, Hyde could be leaned on for the early-down work with Alex Collins sprinkled in. The Cardinals Defense is allowing 120 rushing yards per game and in their prior week 7 meeting, the Seahawks were able to gauge the Cardinal's defense for a combined 200 yards on the ground. With a good chunk of the focus being on Wilson and the passing game, the big-play ability was able to open up things for the Seahawks running backs which make them viable options on the slate tonight.
Arizona has a firmer grasp on their running back situation as Kenyan Drake looks healthy and ready to go. He was able to play in his week 10 matchup against the Bills and in that game, he rushed for 100 yards on 16 attempts which is a good sign that he is running healthy and should be good for the back half of the season. In the game earlier this season against Seattle, Drake was shut down on the ground as he had only 34 total rushing yards on 14 attempts. The one Arizona running back that did find success during that game was Chase Edmonds who had 58 rushing yards on five attempts but was really successful in the air as he hauled in all seven targets for 87 receiving yards. Edmonds has been more involved in the passing game and will see his chances throughout the game but Drake is still the main go-to back in this offense.
Analysis: If Chris Carson is healthy, he should be viable in all formats. The Seahawks running backs are all going to see some time with Hyde most likely seeing the larger volume out of all three backs which makes him a riskier cash game play but a viable tournament option. Drake and Edmonds should both be considered for all formats being that they are involved in all facets of the game and their pricepoint is pretty salary friendly.
DFS Wide Receivers
The receiver position is loaded for this showdown slate as it features some of the top receivers in the game. For the Cardinals, the passing game starts with DeAndre Hopkins. He ranks second in the entire league in receptions, fourth in targets, and holds the highest target share out of any receiver in the league (28.3% team target share). Hopkins has seen double-digit targets in four out of nine games so far and has had monster performances sprinkled throughout the season. Hopkins is averaging close to 95 receiving yards per game and 21.2 DK points per game and with how Seattle has struggled to defend the pass, he seems like a must play in all formats. Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are the compliment receivers to Hopkins and while they necessarily won't get the volume that Hopkins gets on a weekly basis, they still average above five targets per game and hold an above 14% of the team's target share each. Kirk offers more upside than Fitzgerald as he leads the team with six touchdown receptions while Fitzgerald is still seeking out his first touchdown catch of the season. Andy Isabella plays a smaller role on this Cardinals offense and while he is getting several targets per game, those targets can be very inconsistent which makes him more of a value tournament punt play option.
The Seattle Seahawks have a dynamic duo at the receiver position in Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Both are extremely talented options and offer tremendous upside but it always seems tough to peg which guy will be the one to go off from a fantasy standpoint. Over their last four games played, Tyler Lockett has seen 41 total targets while D.K. Metcalf has received 33 targets but Metcalf does have the edge as he leads the team with eight touchdown receptions on the season while Lockett has seven. Lockett did get banged up in their most recent game against the Rams and if he is unable to go (minor knee sprain), Metcalf becomes a lock in all formats. In their last game against Arizona, Lockett had a career day as he recorded 15 receptions on 20 targets while racking up 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns! We can anticipate him not having a similar stat line this game but if he does play, we can bet that he will have a good enough matchup that makes him fantasy viable regardless. Outside of those two receivers sits David Moore who is the third viable receiving option for the Seahawks. Moore is seeing three targets per game and while he doesn't rack up the yardage, he does have four receiving touchdowns which makes him a value play in tournaments.
Analysis: Hopkins, Lockett, and Metcalf are the three receiving options to build around for this game. Should Lockett not be able to play, Hopkins and Metcalf are locks in all formats. Lockett destroyed the Cardinals several weeks ago and if he is healthy, he makes for a fine tournament play. If needing salary saving options, Kirk offers the most upside out of the remaining receivers while Moore and Fitzgerald should be viewed as salary saving options.
DFS Tight Ends
While the receiving corps on this slate is loaded, the same can't be said for the tight end position. The tight end position for both offenses has been rarely utilized as Greg Olsen leads the entire tight end group with 33 total targets on the season. Olsen is seeing 3.7 targets per game and has 21 total catches on the season which also leads the tight end group on the slate as he looks to be the top tight end play on the slate. Backing up Olsen is Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly. They have both seen 16 targets on the season and have both recorded one receiving touchdown each.
Dan Arnold has been the top tight end for the Cardinals but he has only hauled in 16 receptions on 20 total targets so far this year. He is still searching for his first receiving touchdown of the season but it will be a tough task with all of the other receiving options on the slate for the Cardinals. Backing up Arnold are Maxx Williams and Darrell Daniels but they have a combined 11 targets on the season. With the lack of targets and total snaps, it is hard to trust the backup tight ends on this roster. The one odd stat is that they both have a receiving touchdown while the main tight end Arnold is still searching for his first of the season.
Analysis: Olsen is the top tight end on the slate but is still a risky play due to the low target number that he gets. Outside of Olsen, all other tight ends carry lower floors and would only be viable as salary saving punt tournament plays.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
With how high the game total is projected, it might be best to fade both defenses in this game. When these two teams faced off in week 7, they combined for 71 total points, and neither defense accrued any points. Murray and Wilson do a great job extending plays with their legs while also being very careful with the football so both defenses could struggle to generate any pressure while also failing to generate any takeaways. With this also being a shootout, both Jason Myers and Zane Gonzalez are in play from a kicking standpoint. Both kickers are averaging above eight fantasy points per game and they both topped double-digit DK points during their week 7 matchup.
Analysis: It is best to fade both defenses but very viable to look at both kickers for tournaments. They could be used in cash games due to pricing but since their opportunities can be hit and miss, they serve as better tournament options.
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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