The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the road this week, taking on the New Orleans Saints in primetime on Thursday night. Expected to be a low-scoring affair—each of the Saints’ last 12 games have gone under the total points line—you’ll have to pick and choose players wisely for DFS Showdown games around this one. Here are some players to target and a couple to avoid for this week’s Thursday Night Football game.
NFL DFS Showdown strategy: Jaguars vs. Saints
Captain’s Picks
Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars ($15,300)
An obvious pick, but that’s for a reason. Etienne’s on a roll lately, scoring four times in his last two games with 191 yards on the ground. With Trevor Lawrence’s injury situation and the Saints’ stout pass defense, the Jags are going to have to lean on their stud running back.
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints ($15,600)
Kamara’s only been back for three games, but he’s seeing a hefty workload. He’s also averaging more than 19 points per game in DraftKings leagues, which helps make him an obvious pick here. He had 19 rushing attempts last week and 22 the week before. But with Kamara, it’s his work in the passing game too that makes him such a valuable player in fantasy.
FLEX Options
Chris Olave, WR, Saints ($9,000)
Olave’s not exactly a sleeper pick here, but he’s the main pass catcher in New Orleans’ offense, dominating the team’s target share. The Jaguars defense has given up 100-yard games to their opponents’ No. 1 receiver in each of the last two weeks.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Jaguars ($8.400)
Ridley’s no stranger to the Saints after playing all those years in Atlanta. In six career games against the Saints, he’s got 556 yards and four touchdowns. I suspect Christian Kirk will be having to deal with New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore, leaving more room for Ridley to work.
Players to Avoid
Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars ($5,800)
Though Dalton Schultz cracked the formula last week, the Saints defense has been brutal on opposing tight ends. They’ve accumulated jut 171 yards all season—only two teams have allowed fewer yards to tight ends.
Michael Thomas, WR, Saints ($7,000)
Thomas is averaging almost eight targets per game, but despite that, he’s only managed to break 60 yards twice in six contests this year. He had just 45 yards last week on five catches. He’s still a decent play just for the PPR angle, but there’s a hard cap on his overall production.