Thursday Night Football features a showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers for the right to sit atop the NFC North standings through the first month of the season. Fortunately, it also provides some quality plays for fantasy football.
With three starters questionable heading into tonight’s contest, who would some of the best picks be for your DFS lineup in this TNF matchup? Let’s take a closer look.
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Lions vs. Packers Top TNF DFS Picks on DraftKings
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers ($14,700) – Captain
What does the Packers quarterback have to do for fantasy managers to believe he is the real deal?
Jordan Love is one of three quarterbacks this season with at least eight total touchdowns through the first three games of the season. The other two are Kirk Cousins and Tua Tagavailoa.
Keep in mind that Love has generated this offensive production without top wide receiver Christian Watson and starting running back Aaron Jones for the majority of the season.
The Lions are giving up an average of 225 passing yards through the air, and are capable of making this a high-scoring affair, too.
Even if the Packers are without Jones and Watson again this week, Love has proven he can still produce viable fantasy numbers.
If Green Bay gets Jones and Watson back into the fold against Detroit, we could see Love’s best performance of the 2023 season.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions ($10,400)
Love may be the captain of my DFS team tonight, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want the other signal caller in my lineup as well.
Jared Goff has picked up where he left off in 2022, continuing to be a fringe QB1 option on a weekly basis.
Since joining the Lions, Goff has thrown for multiple scores on three occasions.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions ($6,800)
I’ll start this off by clarifying that David Montgomery is a game-time decision for this matchup. If he is inactive, obviously go in a different direction.
However, when Montgomery has been on the field in 2023, he has been the leading ball carrier in a productive offense.
Admittedly, the Lions’ offense line is still a bit banged up, but I expect this unit to generate a handful of scoring opportunities.
If they get deep into the red zone, my money is still on Montgomery being the short-yardage back of choice.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers ($8,200)
While we are on the topic of players with the questionable tag heading into tonight’s contest, Watson stated he expects to make his 2023 debut against Detroit earlier this week.
The encouraging thing about Watson returning to this offense is how aggressively they have been taking deep shots down the field to start the year.
Love currently has an intended air yards per attempt — which is the average depth of target whether the pass is completed or not — of 10.6 yards, which leads all NFL quarterbacks.
If Watson were to return, some of those shots downfield may see a higher hit rate, which makes Love’s ceiling even a bit higher. Subsequently, he’s a big-play option you want in your DFS lineup on Thursday.
Luke Musgrave ($6,400)
The other rookie tight end in this contest — Sam LaPorta — has recently been receiving his flowers because of his breakout performance from Week 3, which saw him finish as the TE1 overall in fantasy football.
MORE: Week 4 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
However, there is another rookie tight end who is on the cusp of a similar breakout playing for the Packers, and his name is Luke Musgrave.
Musgrave saw a career-high in targets (eight) and receptions (six) in Week 3, and for the second time this season, left some more production on the field because of an overthrow by his quarterback.
Jordan Love lobs one up to an open Luke Musgrave but overthrows him#NOvsGB
— TheOnSeason (@TheOnSeason)
Here are some of his stats in relation to the other Packers pass catchers through the first three weeks of the season.
- Targets:Â 3rd (15)
- Receptions: Tied for 1st (11)
- Receiving Yards:Â 3rd (124)
The target share and production have been encouraging, to say the least.
It just feels like a matter of time until he finds the end zone and finishes inside the top five at the tight end position.
Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions ($2,000)
When you put two quality starting quarterback options in your lineup, you have to take a chance somewhere.
The price has never been lower for Marvin Jones Jr. after failing to see a target over the last two weeks, but he is still getting snaps and running routes.
MORE:Â Fantasy News Tracker
I know it has been a while and a lot has changed since Jones has faced off against the Packers, but he has seen a lot of success against Green Bay during his NFL career. As a member of the Lions, Jones has scored seven receiving TDs and has a 200-yard game on his resume against Green Bay.
He did see six targets in Week 1 in one of the worst performances of his career.
Sure, the usage recently isn’t encouraging, but he is an off-the-radar option that isn’t likely to be in many DFS lineups tonight which could give you an edge if he manages to see volume similar to what he saw in Week 1.
