Those two long days without football are behind us and we’ll have some NFL action to delve into tonight with the Raiders traveling to take on the Rams. Is it an interesting or exciting match-up? Eh, not really. But it’s football, baby! Let’s get into some DFS plays and strategies for some single-game showdown contests!

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Las Vegas Raiders (-6.5) at Los Angeles Rams | 42 O/U

LV: 24.3 Implied Points | LAR: 17.8 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: RB Josh Jacobs - Questionable (expected to play), QB Matt Stafford - OUT/IR, QB John Wolford - Questionable, WR Cooper Kupp - OUT/IT, TE Darren Waller - OUT/IR, WR Hunter Renfrow - OUT/IR, WR Allen Robinson II - OUT/IR, WR Brandon Powell - Questionable

Score Prediction: LV - 27, LAR - 16

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 Raiders, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Rams

SICScore/Field View 👩‍⚕️🩺

via sicscore.com

Raiders Defense / Rams Offense

Rams Defense / Raiders Offense

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

WR Davante Adams: What an absolute tear this man is on. With the Raiders receiving corps being so depleted, Adams is being force-fed as many targets as he can handle and it has led to four 30+ DKFP performances in his last five games, including seven touchdowns in that span. In this five-game stretch, Adams has laid claim to a monstrous 39% TGT% and 46.2% AirYard%. If you’re worried about Jalen Ramsey, you probably shouldn’t be. Ramsey hasn’t fully shadowed any receiver this season, though he will likely shade Adams more often than not in partial shadow coverage. Ramsey and the Rams' secondary have been far from impressive this season. They’ve allowed the 7th most FPPG to WRs this season and the 3rd most FPPG to perimeter WRs (Adams: 69% perimeter%).

RB Josh Jacobs: It has really been a two-man show in this Las Vegas offense with Adams and Josh Jacobs stealing the show. Jacobs has handled an absurd 30.3 touches/gm over his last four games and he has averaged 179.8 total YPG in that stretch. The Rams have been stout against the run (7th fewest FPPG allowed to RBs) but they’re dealing with their fair share of injuries on the defensive side, including a highly notable injury to DT Aaron Donald, who will miss his second consecutive game with a high ankle sprain.

RB Cam Akers: The Rams RB carousel continued to turn last week when Akers stepped into the lead role, playing 72% of snaps, handling 18 touches, and punching in two touchdowns. It’s not a pretty situation and the Rams were fully prepared to move on from Akers earlier this season but, for the time being, he’s the lead man so he’ll land in captain consideration tonight. The best way to attack the Raiders' defense is via the run game -- Las Vegas ranks 21st in rush DVOA and allow the 6th most FPPG to RBs.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

QB Derek Carr: I don’t totally hate Carr as a captain play but he makes much more sense as a high-floor FLEX option. He has secured at least 17.0 DKFP in five consecutive games, but no more than 23.38 DKFP in that span, so the ceiling is solid but rather limited. The Rams have struggled to pressure QBs this season and they rank 31st with a 16.2% pressure%. That doesn’t seem like a stat they’ll improve tonight now that they’re without Aaron Donald, along with several other defensive starters.

WR Mack Hollins: With the Raiders receiving corps banged up over these last few weeks, Hollins has stepped into the WR2 role behind Davante Adams. There is a mighty wide gap between Adams and Hollins, but Hollins does have two nine-target games within his last three. With Adams commanding much of the defensive attention, Hollins may be the forgotten man on many pass plays. He’s not a bad mid-range option to fill out your lineups tonight.

WR Van Jefferson: Injuries, injuries, injuries. It’s a big focal point between these two teams tonight. The Rams QB situation is a messy one. Stafford is on IR, backup QB John Wolford is banged up and may or may not start tonight, and the Rams recently claimed Baker Mayfield off of waivers -- Mayfield could either start or see significant action in this game, depending on Wolford’s availability and/or effectiveness. So it’s tough to trust any Rams receiver but Jefferson is now the de facto WR1 of this offense. Given his DFS prices, he does provide some nice upside and is guaranteed some targets in this game, especially if the Rams fall behind early. Ultimately, it comes down to how accurately his QB (whoever it may be) can deliver him the ball.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

TE Tyler Higbee: To reiterate, it’s difficult to trust any Rams pass catcher given the murky and grim QB situation. With that said, Higbee draws a great match-up against a Raiders defense that has surrendered the 6th most FPPG to TEs and he should be a primary target for whoever is in at QB tonight.

WR Tutu Atwell: The Rams were actively trying to manufacture touches for the dynamic Tutu Atwell last week. He ended up handling four carries and drew five targets, combining for 71 yards of total offense. He hasn’t seen many targets this season but he is a certified deep threat with a huge 27.7-yard aDOT on the year. The Rams will likely deliver him some deep shots tonight and if he connects on just one of those big plays, he may very well land in the optimal lineup this evening. Not a great bet, but he’ll stand out as a strong GPP FLEX option in this game.

K Daniel Carlson OR K Matt Gay: It feels like the perfect game to target kickers as value targets tonight. Both of these guys are reliable kickers and a total in the low-40s typically means more field goals than touchdowns. No wind/weather issues to worry about inside the domed SoFi Stadium.

WR Keelan Cole: Cole has been operating as the Raiders’ WR3 and most recently played on 57% of snaps a week ago. He’s a complete dart throw but, for $200 on DK, you won’t need much out of him tonight and he’ll be on the field quite a bit.

Thursday Night Football TD Call 🏈

WR Davante Adams

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Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*WR Davante Adams, QB Derek Carr, WR Van Jefferson: There is not much left to be said about how awesome Davante Adams has been. He’s an easy captain candidate in tonight’s game so we’ll stack him with QB Derek Carr in the FLEX and run it back with Jefferson on this other side. This stack sets up nicely for cash games.

*RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders D/ST, K Daniel Carlson: He’s maybe not 100% at this point in the season but the Raiders are likely to continue giving Jacobs as many touches as he can handle. The Raiders are -6.5 road favorites tonight and could easily command this game from start to finish. If that is the case, Jacobs will likely have a big night. Pairing him with the Raiders D/ST and his kicker makes sense from a correlation standpoint.

*RB Cam Akers, K Matt Gay, WR Davante Adams: It’s not a sexy captain play but if Akers is going to play 70+% of snaps and push for nearly 20 touches again like he did last week, he needs to be on the captain radar. The Raiders are just such a bad run defense and I could envision the Rams leaning on the run game given their issues at QB tonight.

*QB Derek Carr, WR Davante Adams, WR Mack Hollins: Standard CPTN Carr double stack. Carr should enjoy a fairly comfortable game in the pocket tonight given the Rams' low pressure rate and absence of Aaron Donald (ankle).

*WR Mack Hollins, QB Derek Carr, RB Cam Akers: Hollins’ week three performance where he caught 8-of-11 targets for 158 yards and a touchdown seems like it happened years ago but it does prove that he has the sort of upside to come away as an optimal captain play. He’ll have some opportunities to make a big impact tonight while the Rams' secondary has their hands full trying to contain Davante Adams.

PrizePicks TNF Power Play ⚡

Here is a two-pick "Power Play" I’m liking for Thursday Night Football over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but these prop parlays have been treating us pretty well overall this season so let's keep it rolling! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Davante Adams MORE than 89.5 Receiving Yards

Tyler Higbee MORE than 26.5 Receiving Yards

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That will wrap us up with today's "Primetime Preview" edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!