We’re looking at the Thursday NFL slate on FanDuel in this article. Every game from Thursday to Monday is on the slate we’re playing, starting tomorrow with MIN @ LAR. One important thing to note when playing the all-week slate is how the Thursday and Monday games affect ownership. Often when fantasy players choose to play the all-week slate, it’s because they like a player or players in the Thursday or Monday game. That can make Thursday or Monday players a little more chalky than they usually would be if the game occurred on a Sunday. As a result, sometimes we can get more favorable ownership on Sunday chalk.

Get FanDuel’s NFL Play Free Till You Win voucher

Quarterback

Eli Manning (NYG vs. NO): $7,100
Manning gets a dream matchup this week against the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans has allowed the most FanDuel points to opposing quarterbacks and are tied for the most passing yards allowed. He is priced in the mid-tier despite this matchup, and while Manning is undoubtedly past his prime, he has a great supporting cast of weapons surrounding him. He performed well last week against Houston, throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns while going 25-for-29 passing. He can still produce when the conditions are favorable, and a date with New Orleans is always helpful for quarterbacks.

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL vs. DET): $8,200
Detroit’s rush defense is sorely missing Haloti Ngata. They have allowed 149.3 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry thus far, both the highest in the NFL. None of their opponents had a running back near the level of Elliott either. They faced New England, San Francisco, and the New York Jets in the first three weeks and were shredded by Isaiah Crowell and Matt Breida. Dallas will need to rely on Elliott to win or stay competitive in any game, and as a slight -3 favorite, they should be grinding out a close one.

Saquon Barkley (NYG vs. NO): $8,000
Barkley has received 20 or more touches in each of the Giants’ first three games, and those touches are like gold against a defense of New Orleans’ caliber. New Orleans has allowed the fewest yards per carry in the league at 3.0, but looking at their schedule, it says more about the opposing running backs than the Saints’ rush defense. They’ve shut down the likes of Peyton Barber, Tevin Coleman, and Carlos Hyde. To the Saints’ credit, they handled those players well, and both Coleman and Hyde have shown flashes of talent at some point in their career, but none compare to Barkley. Giants coach Pat Shurmur has demonstrated the ability to incorporate Barkley into the passing game as well. Barkley has 21 catches on 27 targets through the first three games, and the short pass can help supplement his production when the offensive line fails him as evidenced by his Week 2 14-catch, 80-yard performance.

Wide Receiver

Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG vs. NO): $8,600
If we’re going to play Manning, then we’re going to play Beckham with him. Beckham is one of the elite receivers in the game, and in this matchup he feels like a bargain at $8,600, tied for third most expensive among wide receivers. Perhaps it’s the loss of Kenny Vaccaro, or maybe New Orleans overperformed last season, but their secondary looks to have regressed all the way back to one of the league’s worst. Beckham should have no problem racking up numbers in a game with a 50.0 O/U.

Allen Robinson II (CHI vs. TB): $6,500
It’s worth getting a piece of Tampa Bay’s awful secondary whenever possible. While Chicago’s offense isn’t good enough as a whole to warrant a deep stack, Robinson is their clear number one receiver. He is the only receiver to top 100 yards on the season and leads the team with 28 targets. This is a secondary full of no names, and the names most people recognize aren’t for good reasons. This game has a 46.5 O/U, which may be the lowest expected total of any Tampa Bay game this season. That’s why owners should be apprehensive to load up on the Bears, but Robinson gives us a high upside WR2 in this matchup.

John Brown (BAL @ PIT): $6,200
Pittsburgh, like New Orleans, seemed to make progress on defense last season only to completely regress in 2018. They have allowed the fifth-most passing yards and are tied for the most passing touchdowns allowed thus far. Brown has been getting more involved in Baltimore’s offense over the past two weeks, combing for nine catches, 178 yards, and a touchdown on 19 targets. Brown may have just needed a change of scenery out of Arizona, or perhaps he is fully healthy for the first time in a while, but he is finally living up to his potential.

Tight End

Tyler Eifert (CIN @ ATL): $4,600
Playing it cheap at tight end in tournaments is usually the way to go. The position is so volatile and unpredictable relative to other positions on a week-to-week basis that we’re essentially praying for a touchdown with most players. Atlanta has allowed the seventh-most passing yards, and Eifert is tied for 11th in targets among tight ends. After two years lost to injury, Eifert is ramping up his production with six catches on eight targets last week. That much involvement for a tight end against a poor pass defense is all we need at this price point.

Flex

Giovani Bernard (CIN @ ATL): $6,400
Bernard gets a soft matchup against Atlanta this week, a team that has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards and are tied for second highest yards per carry allowed through the first three weeks.  There are rumors that Joe Mixon may return this week, however, that seems unlikely since he had knee surgery less than two weeks ago. Bernard is an ideal flex option if Mixon is out, but if Mixon does play, then we should look elsewhere. Chris Carson ($6,400) against Arizona will be the preferred swap if Mixon plays.

Defense

Seattle Seahawks D/ST (SEA @ ARI): $4,400
Arizona is turning to rookie quarterback Josh Rosen in this one, and in just two drives Rosen threw two interceptions on poor throws against Chicago last week. One of the interceptions was negated by an offsides penalty that didn’t affect the play, but he looked rough in his first taste of action. Of course, Rosen will have a full week to prepare, but outside of David Johnson, there is no one in Arizona’s offense that strikes fear into opposing defenses. This game is tied with NYJ @ JAC for the lowest expected total at 38.5 with Seattle as road favorites. This isn’t the “Legion of Boom” defense from years past, but Seattle is serviceable enough to prey upon a rookie quarterback.

Create Optimal FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS

Elliott Baas is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Elliott, check out his archive and follow him @elliottbaasbb.