Jared Contestabile 
Wildly enough, the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Falcons and Panthers has…playoff implications? Somehow, both are still alive (the Panthers are only mathematically alive) in the pathetic NFC South race, and this one should be entertaining. The Falcons are favored by a field goal, and we have a total right around 44 points in this one. It has been a Jekyll and Hyde season for the Falcons. They blew out the 49ers, then turned right back around and got dominated by the Bengals. These two faced off two weeks ago, and the NFL ruined the game with their dumb taunting rules. Let’s enjoy what should be a fun TNF showdown game and make some cash!
DraftKings and FanDuel each have a slightly different setup for Showdown slates, with DraftKings using a “Captain” spot. Captain earns you 1.5X points, BUT also costs you 1.5X in salary. FanDuel uses an “MVP”, which is ALSO 1.5X points, but salaries are the same, regardless of position. DraftKings uses 5 FLEX spots, and FanDuel uses 4 “AnyFLEX” spots to fill out your roster.
Captain/MVP Plays
Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons ($17,700 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
DraftKings wasted no time jumping Patterson up to the top of the salaries for this one, but FanDuel is taking their time. While there is zero chance that Patterson (or anyone else) matches Joe Mixon’s output last week, C-Patt is in a great spot here. Carolina has allowed the 4th-most fantasy points to opposing RB this season (much due to Mixon).
Patterson played only 39% of the snaps in his return from injury, but I’m expecting that number to rise here in this one. A short week will likely prevent his snap count from rising in a huge way, but that doesn’t worry me. He turned 14 touches into 18.3 DraftKings points, including a pair of trips to the end zone. I’m not quite expecting the 71 points we saw in this matchup a few weeks ago, but neither defense is scaring anyone. Get your C-Patt shares!
DJ Moore, Panthers ($13,800 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel)
This looks like the perfect time to jump back on the DJ Moore bandwagon. Last week was a complete disaster for PJ Walker and the Panthers. Walker completed three passes (for nine yards) to his team, and two passes to the Bengals. Moore was a non-factor, and didn’t see much action late as the Panthers were down by 35.
I have no interest in Walker here, as his leash will be incredibly short with both Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold healthy. Regardless, the Atlanta secondary is an absolute dumpster fire. Over the last four weeks, they have allowed FIFTY-TWO points per game to opposing WR. The Panthers are going nowhere anytime soon, and neither is DJ Moore. The team made it clear that he is the cornerstone of the franchise now, and he will certainly see looks here. I’m all aboard, regardless of who is under center.
Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($10,500 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
Pitts is the most talented player in the NFL who gets the least amount of opportunities. That said, he has seen 16 targets over the last two weeks, totaling 7/107/1. The Falcons still run the ball more than any team aside from the Bears, but Pitts will get some looks here. He had a solid game against them a few weeks ago (5/80/1).
Pitts is a frustrating player to roster in any format, and his floor is much, much lower than it likely should be for a player of his talent. Despite throwing a total of 27 times against the 49ers and Bengals, Mariota has averaged 25.5 pass attempts over the last two weeks. If Atlanta wants to stay alive and possibly pull off the improbable in this division, this game is a must. After being gifted a win due to two missed kicks and a complete failure by the NFL, they need to take advantage.
Riddle me this though…DJ Moore gets a game-altering penalty for taking off his helmet (off the field of play). Travis Kelce not only removes his helmet, but angrily slams it to the turf throwing it 10+ yards. One is penalized, one is not. The NFL bias and inconsistency is a joke. Enough about that though…
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Terrance Marshall Jr., Panthers ($8,400 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel)
The former LSU Tiger is finally making a name for himself in the NFL. He has 12.7 and 14.3 DraftKings points over his last two games. He has seen 15 targets over that span as well. While the targets can’t be relied on to be accurate, regardless of who is under center, the potential is there.
I mentioned above how awful the Atlanta secondary has been of late. I still have little to no faith in PJ Walker, or either of the failed journeymen behind him. However, volume is king, and Marshall will continue to get looks here.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers ($5,800 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)
Hubbard looks to be ready to return to action this week, and it’s a good spot for him. I feel like a broken record talking about the inconsistencies at the QB position for Carolina. However, both Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman have shown flashes in the backfield.
Hubbard’s last appearance led to 11 touches for 73 yards and a score. He should step right back into a close timeshare with Foreman in this one. The committee here will cap any upside for Carolina backs, but his price is more than reasonable here.
Drake London, Falcons ($8,200 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel)
Add London to the list of Falcons players with elite upside who are simply dying in this run-first offense. He could use a traditional QB under center. Regardless, London is among the best rookies in the NFL, and showed his upside early this season.
I’m banking on a bounceback here for London. The opportunities have been there the last few weeks, as he has seen 12 looks over a two-week period. Call it a hunch. He’s going to break a long touchdown and post a big total here.
Other Options
With Chuba Hubbard back in the mix, everyone will look away from Raheem Blackshear. He had nine touches last week, and totaled 53 yards and a score. He could still see some work on passing downs, and he is fairly cheap. Decent pivot with a low floor but touchdown upside.
Both kickers are in play here, but I prefer Younghoe Koo. Their previous matchup aside, neither offense has done much. If we see some stalled drives, it could be a kicker kind of night.
With the uncertainty under center for the Panthers, I think this could be a spot to take a shot on Sam Darnold if you’re doing MME. Baker Mayfield came in against the Bengals backups and played decent, but I’m not putting much stock into that. The Panthers have seen what Mayfield can (can’t) do, and while Darnold inspires very little confidence…he could see a shot if Walker struggles again. Just to be clear, I’m talking about maybe 2-3% of your lineups if mass-entering. It is most likely you will get a full zero.
Shi Smith played on 80% of the offensive snaps last week, and didn’t do much (1/20 on two targets). However, that sort of opportunity makes him a play to consider if you’re diving deep.
Both of these defenses are absolutely dog water (my kids never stop with that one), but I’d lean toward Atlanta if you’re taking a shot with one. The Panthers QBs are much more turnover-prone.
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Good luck on Thursday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
